Webex and Microsoft Groups are two of the most well-liked video conferencing platforms available on the market. Companies of all sizes use them to remain related with workers, clients, and companions. Every product has options like group chat, file sharing, and video conferencing that streamline communication between distant employees, workplace colleagues, and shoppers.
However which video conferencing software program is healthier for your corporation? On this weblog, we’ll examine Webex and Microsoft Groups side-by-side that will help you determine.
Webex and Microsoft Groups In comparison with the Finest
Primarily based on our analysis, Webex is among the greatest video conferencing software program merchandise available on the market. It’s the most effective for internet hosting accessible webinars and has a variety of options, making it supreme for companies of all sizes. Click on right here to join free.
And if you wish to see what else is on the market, listed below are our picks for the most effective webinar software program:
- Livestorm – Finest all-in-one-combo of webinars and digital conferences
- WebinarJam – Finest for internet hosting all kinds of webinars
- ClickMeeting – Finest for rookies
- Demio – Finest for advertising and marketing and gross sales
- Webex – Finest for internet hosting accessible webinars
- BlueJeans – Finest for scaling reside webinars past 500 attendees
- EverWebinar – Finest set-it-and-forget-it webinars
- Zoom – Finest for academic establishments
- Huge Convention – Finest budget-friendly choice
- BigMarker – Finest for giant digital occasions
- Crowdcast – Finest webinar platform for a built-in viewers
- GoTo Webinar – Finest for rare webinars
- MyOwnConference – Most cost-effective method to facilitate simultaneous webinars
- WebinarGeek – Finest for GDPR compliance and/or EU audiences
Webex vs. Microsoft Groups: Excessive-Degree Comparability
Manufacturers might host webinars for all types of causes—to generate leads, shut gross sales, or onboard new workers. In lots of instances, they might additionally do it to interact their present clients, construct model consciousness, or educate their audiences.
Webex is a number one enterprise answer for video calling, webinars, and on-line conferences. The businesses that use WebEx are sometimes present in the USA within the Data Know-how and Companies trade. These corporations often have someplace between 50-200 workers and $1M-10M in income.
Microsoft Groups is a cloud-based collaboration device that’s a part of the Workplace 365 suite. It affords options like chat, video calling, and file sharing. It’s broadly utilized in corporations throughout the nation, with 90% of the Fortune 500 utilizing Microsoft Groups.
Merchandise and Companies Supplied by Webex and Microsoft Groups
Each Webex and MS Groups are comparable of their service choices. Groups is a part of the Workplace 365 ecosystem, so lots of its options revolve round doc collaboration. Webex, then again, is thought for its video capabilities—notably its webinars.
For companies that use Outlook and Microsoft Workplace, Groups is a logical alternative. It’s built-in with the entire purposes that workers are already utilizing every day. For instance, customers can schedule a gathering in Outlook and mechanically add the main points to Groups.
Different options we love about Microsoft Groups embrace:
- The power to create non-public channels for smaller teams inside a workforce.
- Integrations with over 150 apps, together with Salesforce, Dropbox, and Twitter.
- Stay occasion broadcasting for as much as 20,000 folks with extension (conferences as much as 1,000 members).
- A cellular app that lets customers be a part of conferences on the go.
Webex is a video conferencing app that has been round for for much longer than Groups. It affords a variety of options for companies of all sizes, together with:
- Excessive-definition video and audio on any gadget.
- Form recognition in video conferences.
- Gesture recognition.
- Actual-time closed caption translation for over 100 languages.
- The power to hitch a gathering with out downloading any software program.
- Webinar options like reside broadcasting, on-demand playback, and registration types.
- Webinars with as much as 10,000 members (plus 500 cohosts and panelists).
And whereas it isn’t tailored for companies that use Outlook and Microsoft Workplace, it does supply integrations with these purposes. Moreover, its strategic partnerships with Apple, Google, Miro, and Slack give it a leg up over its opponents.
Firm Well being and Stability of Webex and Microsoft Groups
Microsoft was based in 1975 and is a publicly-traded firm with a market cap of $2.39 trillion as of August 2023. Microsoft Groups was first rolled out in 2017 and is presently utilized by over 270 million lively customers worldwide.
Webex was based in 1996 and bought by Cisco in 2007 for $3.2 billion. Since then, it has turn out to be one in every of Cisco’s key merchandise. At present, Webex has over 650 million lively month-to-month assembly members.
Giant, steady corporations again each MS Groups and Webex. Nevertheless, Microsoft Groups is a part of a a lot bigger ecosystem (Workplace 365), which supplies it a bonus by way of market attain and total stability.
Webex vs. Microsoft Groups Pricing Comparability
Webex and Microsoft Groups are completely different of their pricing buildings. Each are free to make use of for particular person customers, and neither platform requires you to make an account earlier than attending a gathering, webinar, or video name.
Webex does have a free model for companies, however it’s pretty restricted by way of options and performance. Microsoft Groups’ free model can be fairly restricted, however a couple of {dollars} per person per thirty days additional buys you tons extra performance. And for those who already use Workplace 365, Groups comes free to make use of with every person.
Pricing Construction of Webex and Microsoft Groups
Microsoft Groups is included in all Workplace 365 plans, which begin at $4 per person per thirty days. For $12.50 per person per thirty days, every person has entry to Workplace 365 Commonplace, which incorporates Microsoft Groups, and a bunch of different options like Phrase, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive for Enterprise, and extra.
In case you simply wish to use Groups, you are able to do that as effectively. For most people, the free model of MS Groups is greater than sufficient. But when it’s essential host group conferences, massive conferences with a whole bunch of individuals, or save plenty of assembly knowledge on the cloud, $4 per person per thirty days will get you there.
Webex has a free model as effectively, and its options are strong for a free software. It permits for breakout rooms, video messaging, and assembly recordings on native storage. For particular person and small companies, Webex’s free model is definitely greater than sufficient.
Nevertheless, for those who want enterprise-level options like web site administration, single sign-on (SSO), or customized branding, you’ll want to join one in every of Webex’s paid plans. Their Marketing strategy begins at $25 per person per thirty days and contains all of the options of the free plan and lots of extra. And if it’s essential use Webex’s skilled providers for a big group, their Enterprise plan is customizable based mostly on customers’ wants.
Price Comparability of Webex and Microsoft Groups
As we beforehand talked about within the above part, each Webex and Microsoft Groups cost per person per thirty days and each have helpful free variations of their purposes. The place they differ is in how a lot they provide—and at what value they provide it.
Microsoft Groups’ free plan is much like that of Webex, but it surely additionally contains polling and different interactive options which are solely accessible in Webex’s paid plans. The free model additionally permits customers to talk with coworkers and clients and share limitless information.
In case you improve to the paid model, it’s only $4 per person per thirty days and provides you a lot options that aren’t accessible within the free variations, corresponding to recording conferences and storing them on the cloud, bigger assembly sizes (as much as 300), and extra.
Webex’s paid plans are far costlier than Microsoft Groups’s. At $25 per person per thirty days, their subsequent tier is over six occasions as costly as Groups’ paid plan. Granted, it does supply fairly a couple of options that aren’t accessible in Groups, corresponding to limitless calling to any telephone quantity, post-meeting transcripts, and superior safety features. However except your group completely wants these enterprise-level options, it’s arduous to justify the associated fee distinction.
Trials and Ensures for Webex and Microsoft Groups
Neither Groups nor Webex affords free trials for his or her paid plans. The insurance policies for canceling your subscription to Microsoft Groups rely on whether or not you’re a new buyer, which product you’ve bought, and your area picks.
To cancel your Webex paid plan, you’ll have to take action thirty days or extra earlier than your service is ready to resume. You’ll not be charged a charge for canceling early in case you have an annual subscription, however you will want to pay the remainder of it earlier than being downgraded to the free plan or dissolving your account.
In case you cancel your subscription early, Microsoft Groups won’t concern a refund and you’ll nonetheless owe them the month-to-month charge for that month. Webex may even not concern a refund for those who cancel your subscription early.
Webex vs. Microsoft Groups: Core Standards Comparability
Now that we’ve regarded on the key options, prices, and insurance policies of Webex and Microsoft Groups, it’s time to check them side-by-side on some core standards.
Affordability: Microsoft Groups Wins
Affordability is essential for small companies and particular person customers who don’t have some huge cash to spend on software program. If a small firm with restricted sources overspends on software program, it will possibly put them in a tough monetary place.
Microsoft Groups is the clear winner in the case of affordability. At $4 per person per thirty days, buying Groups on your workers is a minimal price. And for those who embrace Workplace 365 with it, you get entry to Microsoft’s complete suite of options for half the price of every Webex seat.
Consumer Expertise: Webex Wins
Selecting software program with a superb person expertise is essential for your corporation as a result of it’s going to save time on worker onboarding and be sure that your workers will truly wish to use the software program.
Judging the UX of a video conferencing software may be tough as a result of most of them are related. Nevertheless, the accessibility Webex supplies for sure buttons makes it come out on high.
Moreover, the person interface for Webex is barely extra intuitive and polished. The Microsoft Groups UX may be very primary and will use an improve. It’s not an enormous distinction, however it’s noticeable.
Third-Occasion Integrations: Webex Wins
Your organization makes use of greater than only one device, and it’s essential that every device you utilize can discuss to one another. With out the power to make use of your instruments collectively, knowledge, duties, and processes are siloed in numerous software program, making it tougher on your workers to do their jobs.
Enterprise app integrations are the trade commonplace nowadays, and most apps combine with one another regardless of which product you select. One of many important promoting factors of Microsoft Groups is that it really works seamlessly with different Microsoft merchandise. This can be a nice function if your organization already makes use of Microsoft Workplace 365. Nevertheless, there is no such thing as a purpose to make use of Groups over some other service for those who aren’t already utilizing the corporate’s different merchandise.
Webex, then again, integrates completely with every little thing else. You possibly can host conferences with Groups whereas utilizing Google Suite or Apple Calendar, but it surely gained’t be as straightforward as a result of it’s designed to work with different Microsoft merchandise. Since Cisco itself doesn’t have the identical sort of self-contained product providing, Webex doesn’t have this concern—it integrates with every little thing.
Know-how Choices: Webex Wins
Having technologically superior software program that may meet the wants of all members of a company is important to working a profitable enterprise. AI help, assembly transcription, and multilingual assist are only a few of the options which are changing into commonplace for contemporary companies.
Microsoft Groups has plenty of primary expertise choices like video and audio conferencing, content material sharing, and co-authoring. You can too ship limitless chats, information, and extra with Microsoft Groups. Better of all, these options are straightforward for anyone to make use of, making worker onboarding a breeze.
However Webex affords many further technological options that MS Groups doesn’t. It allows customers to ship video messages with Vidcast, be a part of video conferences from any gadget with Click on-to-Be a part of, and maintain digital occasions with Webex Occasions.
Webex additionally has options which are geared in direction of enterprise customers, like web site administration and single sign-on (SSO). These make it straightforward for IT departments to handle and monitor person exercise.
Webex additionally offers you AI help throughout conferences and webinars and mechanically transcribes and interprets your conferences in 100+ languages.
Assembly Sizes: Webex Wins
Most groups have minimal group assembly necessities that almost each product can meet. However for giant corporations that wish to host webinars, bigger conferences with different places of work, or company-wide occasions, the power to host a number of hundred customers is important.
Microsoft Groups permits as much as 300 customers and whereas that ought to be lots for many organizations, enterprise corporations that wish to ship companywide coaching or digital occasions may need much more members.
To do that with Microsoft Groups, these corporations would want to buy Stay Occasions, which is a separate product providing with a unique pricing construction. This product permits customers to host as much as 10,000 attendees, however many organizations don’t want that stage of functionality and are turned off by the added price.
Webex, then again, affords plans that assist as much as 1,000 members without having to buy a separate product. This makes it the clear alternative for enterprise corporations that must host massive digital occasions.
Safety: Webex Wins
Safety is among the most essential elements of any video conferencing answer. In spite of everything, you’re trusting the app with delicate firm data. And in case your workforce members use it to collaborate on every little thing work-related, it’s essential know that their knowledge is secure.
Due to its end-to-end encryption, Webex is among the most safe video conferencing platforms accessible. And since safety is all the time a high concern for enterprise corporations, this makes Webex the higher alternative.
Microsoft Groups additionally has end-to-end encryption, however it isn’t accessible for all your calls and it’s essential bear in mind to show it on every time. This could be a trouble for busy workers who may overlook to do that, which may result in safety breaches.
As well as, Webex affords different options that make it safer than Groups, like password safety, expiring assembly hyperlinks, and the power to lock conferences. These options make it tougher for unauthorized folks to hitch your calls and pay attention to delicate conversations.
Closing Verdict: Webex Wins
Webex is the higher choice for these needing enterprise-level options and safety. Whereas Microsoft Groups is a good product, it isn’t your best option for corporations that want a strong video and webinar device. But, it definitely works for many functionalities and organizations.
In case you want a primary answer and also you already use Microsoft Workplace, Groups is an efficient alternative. However if you would like a complete video conferencing device, Webex is the best way to go.
