The Best Free and Paid Conference Call Services

Want to jump straight to the answer? The best conference call service for most people is definitely RingCentral or GoToMeeting.

Conference calls remain the best option for group communication over the phone.

They are the cheapest, most effective, and simplest way to get a group of people together.

Even small businesses with a few employees should have a conference call service.

While there are free conference call services that get the job done, paid services get you access to features like limiting the number of callers in each meeting, operator assistance, call recording, and video chat.

No matter your budget, you’ll find the right solution on this list. I’ll show you the best conference call services on the market today, as well as my methodology for how to rank them.

The Best Conference Call Services

These 9 options are a clear cut above the rest:

• RingCentral
• GoToMeeting
• Grasshopper
• ClickMeeting
• BlueJeans
• UberConference
• Zoom
• Google Hangouts
• Webex

But which is right for your business? I’ve reviewed each service in detail below to help you compare them.

1. RingCentral

Ditch traditional business phone plans with RingCentral. They offer modern solutions for the modern office.

If you get their phone plan you also get video conferencing features included.

That’s because RingCentral offers more than conference calls. It’s also a VoIP phone service.

 

The free plan compares pretty well with the others on the list. While you’re capped at 40 minutes per meeting, you can still have up to 100 participants.

That’s great for scrappy startups or solo-ventures.

You can easily add-on larger meeting options to your plan if you upgrade to one of their several paid plans that start as low as $19.99/month.

The system offers nearly every calling, collaboration, and mobile feature businesses would want from a phone system. Since it is housed in the cloud, there is no equipment to install, and they take care of all the maintenance and upgrades.

RingCentral also has great enterprise solutions and you can save some money by bundling RingCentral Meetings with a VoIP business phone plan.

Click here to visit RingCentral and get started for free.

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2. GoToMeeting

GoToMeeting is one of the best paid conference call services that I’ve seen.

They offer high-quality solutions for small business conference calls without a bunch of distracting features.

Unlike some of the other paid conference call solutions on the market, GoToMeeting does not have a basic free plan. However, you can still try it out at no cost with a 14-day trial.

GoToMeeting has three plans:

• Professional — Starting at $12 per month
• Business — Starting at $16 per month
• Enterprise — Custom pricing

The Professional and Business plans can host conference calls with up to 150 and 250 participants, respectively. The Enterprise plan is for up to 3,000 participants.

All plans come with these basic features:

• HD video conferencing
• Screen sharing
• Dial in conference lines
• No limits on meetings
• No time limits for meetings
• Personal meeting rooms
• Business messaging
• Mobile app
• Slack integration
• Salesforce integration
• 24/7 customer support

GoToMeeting also has unlimited recording capabilities and automatic transcriptions of your conference calls.

Overall, it’s a great choice for those of you who manage large remote teams.

Performance is where GoToMeeting stands out over the competition. Lots of free and paid conference call services out there fall short with audio quality. But GoToMeeting customers rave about the crystal clear sound and connection of their conference calls.

GoToMeeting does not have some of the more advanced features that we’ve seen from other providers. But personally, I like the simplicity. You don’t necessarily need too many bells and whistles to make effective conference calls. Plus, I think the price points for these plans provide a great value for the benefits. Click Here to Try GoToMeeting for Free.

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3. Grasshopper

Grasshopper offers a full-service virtual phone system at competitive prices.

It’s also dead simple to set up. In just four steps, you’ll be able to select a number; get their app on desktop, iOS, or Android; and start texting and calling.

For your number, you have the choice between four different options:

• Toll free. Numbers that are free for the caller.
• Vanity. Numbers you choose that are unique to your business.
• Local. Numbers that are specific to your 3-digit area code.
• Port your current number. Transfer your current phone number to Grasshopper.

They also come with a great app that helps you manage your texts and calls for your business. That means you can make and receive calls related to your business on the same phone you use for personal use.

They also come with a great desktop app that allows you to do the same right from the comfort of your computer.

Some other great features:

• 24/7 customer support (US based)
• No additional devices required
• Voicemail transcriptions
• Virtual Fax
• VoIP/Wi-Fir calling
• Reporting
• Voicemail
• Call forwarding
• Call transfers
• Extensions
• Simultaneous call handling

Prices start at $26/month when billed annually and comes with one phone number and three extensions. If you’re still on the fence, they offer a seven-day free trial with no credit card required.

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4. ClickMeeting

ClickMeeting comes from GetResponse, the email marketing solutions provider. However, with ClickMeeting, they offer a great webinar solution that gives you a great way to conduct conference calls as well.

You’ll have a full-service solution for online meetings via conference rooms as well as webinars. So not only will you have a way to meet and collaborate with your team, you’ll also have a lead generation engine with webinars.

Their webinar solution also integrates with PayPal, allowing customers to purchase access to your webinars easily and securely.

When it comes to conference calls, their robust set of presenting and agenda tools allows you to conduct highly engaging, fruitful meetings with your team, clients, customers, and more. It’s a perfect way to let your team walk away with actionable insights as well as easily on-boarding and training new employees.

Since it is more of a webinar tool, it does come with more features geared towards sharing insights. As such, if you’re looking for a pure conference call tool, you might want to look elsewhere. However, this is still a fantastic tool if you’re looking for a great conference call solution that’s multifaceted and flexible when it comes to your use.

Pricing starts at $25 per month and is billed annually. However, it does come with a free 30-day trial to test it out.

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5. BlueJeans

BlueJeans specializes in video conference calls. They deliver stellar audio quality as well. This solution makes it easy for team communication from any device.

Companies like Linkedin, Facebook, and Zillow rely on BlueJeans for conference calls. So it’s definitely a service that you can trust.

One of the reasons why BlueJeans has such exceptional audio quality is because it’s powered by Dolby Voice. The solution is designed to suppress background noises while giving each participant’s voice a distinct location, which makes it sound as though everyone is in the same room.

Loud talkers, soft-spoken participants, and simultaneous talking can still be heard, unmuffled. This definitely gives BlueJeans an edge over its competitors.

For small businesses and individuals, BlueJeans has a plan starting at $12.49 per month, which can host meetings with up to 50 participants.

They also offer an upgraded plan for $16.65 per month with conferencing capabilities for up to 75 participants. This option comes with recording features and cloud storage, which is what I would recommend.

If you need more, you can contact BlueJeans for a custom solution and plan. Although the participant limit is 150 people. This is definitely less than some of the other enterprise-level solutions we’ve seen. Although the pricing will be a bit more appealing.

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6. UberConference

If you’re looking for a simple and easy-to-use conference call service, UberConference is a solid option.

Their free plan includes quality conference calls for smaller groups (10 participants or less). You can also make an unlimited number of calls per year with this plan. It includes a bunch of great tools, benefits, and features such as:

• Call recording
• Screen sharing
• HD audio quality
• HD video
• Mobile app access.

The maximum duration of a free call is 45 minutes.

If you’re a larger org (or if you’d just like more flexibility with your calls), you’ll want the upgraded plan which is $15 per month (billed annually). Calls made on this plan can be up to 5 hours long. The paid plan has additional benefits like:

• Custom call-in numbers
• Call analytics
• International access for 50+ countries
• Add guest dial outs
• Custom hold music
• Voice intelligence
• Team management portal

You can also add a toll-free number to your plan for an additional $30 per month (billed annually).

The mobile app is one of the top features of UberConference. The fact that it comes standard with the free plan is a huge bonus. I like the app because it gives you access to all of the features from a mobile device, making it easy to start or join a conference call on the go. You don’t need to be tied to a desk or office to participate.

Getting started with UberConference is very straightforward. You’ll be able to start making calls immediately after signing up. If you need some assistance, you’ll find that the knowledge base and customer support provided is extremely helpful.

You might experience some static or audio quality issues with this service. But overall, I don’t think it’s enough of an issue to turn you away. The quality is still better than other free conference call services on the market.

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7. Zoom

Zoom shot up in popularity recently — and for good reason. This cloud-based system offers a wide range of free and paid options to accommodate both individuals and businesses of all sizes.

Here’s a quick overview of the plans and pricing:

Zoom Basic

• Free
• Up to 100 participants
• 40 minute duration limit
• HD video conferences
• Web conferences
• Group collaboration features

Zoom Pro

• Starting at $14.99 per month
• Up to 100 participants
• 24 hour duration limit
• Cloud recording
• Admin control features
• Reporting tools

Zoom Business

• $19.99 per month per host (minimum of 10 hosts)
• Up to 300 participants
• Dedicated phone support
• Cloud recording transcription
• Company branding
• Custom emails

Zoom Enterprise

• Starting at $19.99 per month per host (minimum of 50 hosts)
• Up to 1,000 participants
• Unlimited cloud storage
• Dedicated customer support manager
• Executive business reviews

Zoom Basic and Zoom Pro will likely be the best options for the majority of you. Those are the best conference call services for startups and smaller teams. You could always upgrade to Zoom Business as your company scales.

Zoom stands out amongst its competitors for video conferencing and cloud conferencing rooms. You’ll definitely want to lean toward this service if you plan to make professional video presentations via conference calls.

While it’s not for everyone, Zoom Enterprise is a top solution for those of you who fall into that category. Big companies like Uber, Zendesk, Ticketmaster, GoDaddy, and Pandora are just a handful of brands that rely on Zoom for conference calling solutions.

Zoom has an extensive knowledge base as well as 24/7 phone support and live training with some of the plans. But the audio quality can be a bit unstable at times.

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8. Google Hangouts

As a Google product, you know right away that Google Hangouts is a reliable service. It’s free to use, and a great option for anyone with a Gmail account (which is basically everyone).

When you navigate to Google Hangouts, it automatically connects with your Gmail account and contacts. It has Google Calendar integration as well, which makes it easy to schedule meetings with other users.

To set up a conference call, just use your browser, chrome extension, or mobile app.

This service is usually used for one-on-one meetings, but can be a viable option for smaller conference calls of up to 25 people. Google Hangouts makes it easy for you to share your screen and facilitate video conference calls as well.

To get the most out of Google Hangouts, you need to have a G Suite account, which starts at $6 per month. You might already be using G Suite, and if you’re not, you should start.

While Google Hangouts is simple, straightforward, and easy to use, it definitely has a few drawbacks that you should keep in mind.

For starters, there is no customer support if you’re using it for free. So if you have a problem or question, you’ll need to browse through user forums instead. There is no recording feature either, which seems to be standard with most of the other conference call services out there.

Personally, I use Google Hangouts at least once or twice per month. Although most of those meetings are just with a handful of people. Audio quality issues are common as well. But overall, it’s quick, easy, and free to make conference calls with this service.

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9. Webex

Webex is a Cisco product, so you know that the technology used to power this solution is reputable and high-quality. This is one of the best business conference call services to consider for both audio and video calling.

Here’s an overview of the four different plans offered by Webex:

Webex Free

• Free
• Up to 50 participants
• 40 minute limit on conference calls
• 1 GB of cloud storage

Webex Starter

• Starting at $13.50 per month
• Up to 50 participants
• No meeting limits
• 5 GB of cloud storage

Webex Plus

• Starting at $17.95 per month
• Up to 100 participants
• No meeting limits
• 5 GB of cloud storage
• Assign alternate hosts
• 24/7 customer support

Webex Business

• Starting at $26.95 per month
• Up to 200 participants
• 10 GB of cloud storage
• Custom branding features

The free plan is fine, but it’s pretty limited. All of the paid plans come with more advanced features like transcription recording, call-in audio, file sharing, and administrative features.

To get the best customer support, you’ll need to upgrade to the Webex Plus plan.

Overall, Webex is a great choice for small, medium, and large businesses with remote employees. I really like the way that video conferencing is displayed in a grid view as well, so you can see everyone on a large call in one view.

With the top-tier plan maxing out at 200 participants, Webex doesn’t really have an enterprise-level option. Although that shouldn’t be a major concern for most of you. Plans with up to 50 or 100 participants should be more than enough to meet your needs.

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How to Find the Best Conference Call Services For You

 

To narrow down your choices, you need to know what to look for when you’re evaluating a potential service. This is the methodology that I used when I was researching the solutions in this guide.

Call Limits

The first thing you need to look at is the calling restrictions for a plan that you’re considering. These limits will be related to the number of participants allowed in a call as well as the duration of a call.

Some free plans will limit you to just 10 participants and 40 minutes per conference call. While other paid options give you up to 1,000 participants with no limits on call duration.

Pick a service based on what you need. If you have a small business with just a handful of remote employees, you probably don’t need to pay for a conference call service with a limit of 250 participants.

I’d definitely recommend finding an option with unlimited call durations. It won’t be effective or productive if you’re forced to cut meetings short based on these limitations.

Call Recording

The ability to record your conference calls is another big advantage. Not every free service comes with this option.

There are different levels of call recording capability. Some services will record the call and then force you to store it locally on whatever device you’re using. Others have cloud storage options based on your plan.

Make sure you understand any storage limits before you sign up for a plan. Otherwise, you might be forced to upgrade when you run out of space.

It’s also worth noting that some call recording plans also come with transcription services. This will make it easier for you to go back and find certain points within a call without having to search through the audio.

If you’re going to take advantage of video calling features, see if the service records the videos or if the recording is just limited to audio calls only.

Account and Call Setup

A conference call service is useless if it’s difficult to use. I rank ease of use based on two factors.

1. Setting up an account.
2. Starting a new conference call.

Signing up for some conference calling services can be completed in a matter of seconds. For example, if you’re a G Suite user, all you need to do is navigate to Google Hangouts to use it.

If you need a custom solution or enterprise-level plan, setup will be a bit more complex. In most cases, you’ll have to reach out to a sales agent, which can be a pain and kind of time-consuming.

Once you’re all signed up, regardless of the service, starting a new conference call needs to be extremely easy. How do you add users to the call? Is there a call-in service? Do you need to schedule the meeting in advance? Is operator-assistance available? These are all factors that need to be taken into consideration.

Video Conferencing

You may not always need it, but I definitely recommend getting a conference call service that includes high-quality video.

This feature can take your meetings to the next level. In addition to video, some services have features to optimize things like screen sharing and presentations. These are crucial for business collaborations with remote workers. Features like this will also make it easier for you to effectively pitch and communicate with any current or prospective clients that you’re working with.

Certain conference call services specialize in video calls. So if you’re planning to use video for the majority of your calls, look for an option that specializes in this area.

Call Quality

Your conference calls will be useless if the quality and connection is poor. There is nothing worse than being on a call when you spend the whole time saying “can you hear me?” or “please repeat that.”

And the importance of call quality and optimal bandwidth increases with larger groups.

The only way to really know how good the call quality will be is to test it out. So definitely take advantage of any free trials offered by a provider. Use it as much as possible to see if you’re happy with the results.

Customer Support

Like any product or service in any market, I always put a big emphasis on customer support before I buy something. If I have an important call and something goes wrong, I need to be able to contact someone to fix the issue immediately.

Some services offer 24/7 support over the phone, while others only offer it during business hours. There are free plans that force you to start a support ticket online, which won’t solve your problem right away.

If you can’t contact a customer service representative, your conference call service should at least offer an extensive knowledge base for troubleshooting.

Price

What’s your budget for conference calls? There are free plans out there, as well as enterprise-level solutions starting at $1,000 per month.

With that said, most of you should be able to find a viable solution for less than $20 per month.

You can usually get a better deal if you opt in to an annual contract as opposed to paying month-to-month. Just make sure you’re comfortable with your decision before you commit to a long-term contract. Always take advantage of a free trial.

Free and Paid Features

Every conference call service has additional features to make its solution seem more appealing. Some common ones include:

• International calling
• Live chat
• Call reporting
• Software integration (Slack, Salesforce, calendars, G Suite, etc.)
• Toll-free number
• Hold music
• Custom greeting
• Presentation tools
• Team management tools
• Mobile app

The list goes on and on. Some of these features will come free with plans, while others you’ll need to upgrade or add-on to get.

Basically, you need to just figure out which ones you’re actually going to use. Then evaluate the plans to see which ones give you the best value for those features.

Conclusion

At some point or another, every business will need to make a conference call. So finding the best conference call service needs to be a priority for everyone.

There’s a mix of free and paid options on this list. Overall, there’s something for everyone.

• RingCentral
• GoToMeeting
• Grasshopper
• ClickMeeting
• BlueJeans
• UberConference
• Zoom
• Google Hangouts
• Webex

Whether you’re an individual, startup business, large company, or enterprise, you’ll find a high-quality conference calling solution in any of the tools you’ve seen in this guide.

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