As the conference organiser or the meeting host, you can join a conference by either clicking on Join on the conference card invite in Dialpad or clicking on Start from your profile drop-down in Dialpad.

If you're in a messaging thread with the person you're having a meeting with, just click Join on your conference invite card within that chat. Dialpad will connect you through the Internet. You can also click the meeting link in your Google Calendar or Outlook invite to join from a browser.

If you're on your mobile phone, for instance, and don't have the Dialpad app installed, you'll receive either an email invite or a text message with the conference information in it, including the URL, the dial-in, and the PIN (if the host decided to use one).

If you don’t have the Dialpad app, all you need is an invitation to join a call. This is usually sent to you via text or email, so you’d just need to tap the link to join the meeting.

If you do have the Dialpad app, you’ll see a Dialpad Meetings invite in your conversations. You’ll just need to tap “Join Call”, and the software will place you into the conference call in an instant.

The person who set up the conference call generally has administrative controls. Your office and/or company admin will also typically have admin access to conference calls, allowing them to moderate and regulate those meetings.

When it's time to leave a conference you've hosted or joined, just click the Hang up icon to end the call or close your browser tab or Chrome app.

No, you don't need a Dialpad account to join a conference call that someone is hosting on Dialpad.

On the other hand, if you want to host video calls over the Internet without involving any phone numbers, then yes, you can do that only by signing up for the free Dialpad Meetings account (or any paid Dialpad account if you want to have conference calls with proper phone numbers).

While a free conference call service sounds tempting on paper and might even be a good fit for some businesses, generally, it'll be missing some key features (which is how they get you to upgrade to a paid plan). You might get some of the functionalities you need, but you won’t get them all, and your conferencing service model will likely be more limited.

For example, the conference call provider may charge you for calls by the minute, or give you access to call recordings for an additional price.

With Dialpad’s paid plans, you get unlimited conference calls each month in your country, the US, and Canada. You can make long-distance or local calls easily, whether you prefer to have video or audio conferences. (You could even use the service for small webinars, the sky really is the limit.)

Dialpad also offers many features that a free app wouldn’t necessarily provide, like screen sharing, virtual whiteboards, and freephone number support.

Nope, your participants only need an invite link or dial-in number (and an access code if the host has required one), and an Internet connection! You can easily invite anyone to your meetings with an email invite (Dialpad integrates with Outlook and Gmail), an SMS, or instant message. All they have to do is click the link to join the conference call in their web browser.