Whether you just want to have a video chat with your team or host a large-scale video conference, it’s always a good idea to try out the free version or trial first. The easiest way to make a meeting for free is, of course, to sign up for Dialpad Meetings’ free plan. It takes just seconds, and you’ll get free web conferencing including both video and audio conferencing after you sign up.

Web conferencing absolutely boosts workplace productivity, especially in the kinds of remote work environments many of us now find ourselves in (thanks, global pandemic). Virtual meetings let you stay connected with your team members and manager no matter how far apart you might be, and often come with excellent collaboration tools. For example, if you need digital whiteboarding as part of your meeting solution, there are tools that let you whiteboard with your team while on a video call.

Short answer: it depends on what you use. Dialpad’s free online meetings benefit from excellent security features to help prevent random strangers from “Zoom-bombing” their way in (basically when strangers somehow get access to your meeting link, join your video calls, and disrupt them). With Dialpad Meetings, you can set PINs for your online meetings and lock your meeting rooms to keep them secure.

Depending on which free video conferencing software you’re using, you can have anywhere from just two to 10 or more participants in your virtual meeting or conference room. This makes free online meeting tools ideal for small businesses and startups, which might not have the funds to invest in a more expensive plan from the get-go. If you need hundreds or thousands of participants in online meetings or run lots of webinars, then you’ll likely have to look at paid plans, which will bump up your meeting participant limit (along with giving you extra “nice-to-have” features like phone calling and toll-free numbers).

When you need to have large-scale conferences, department-wide video meetings, and office-wide briefings. If you need to be able to have 100 meeting participants, for example, you’re probably going to need to look at a paid video conferencing solution.