Many people must be indoors because of the co-19 pandemic. Zoom video conferencing application is the first choice for many people from the start. Its popularity has skyrocketed and recently they have increased scrutiny in the handling of personal information about users.
Previously, as reported by Independent on Thursday (16/4), Zoom's security was questioned because of a phenomenon known as Zoombombing. Governments and organizations continue to ban meetings with Zoom. A number of alternative applications offer options ranging from private business meetings to socializing with friends. Here are the reviews:
1. Skype
Skype was launched in the early 2000s. Skype has held almost a monopoly over video call applications for more than a decade. If a similar pandemic had happened 10 years ago, Skype would definitely be the application of choice.
But since it was acquired by Microsoft in 2011, the utility and reliability of Skype are behind new competitors. The problem stems from the technology giant's decision to switch from peer-to-peer (P2P) services to cloud-based operations.
2. HouseParty
HouseParty is quickly becoming a video chat application for people who want to play games and have fun with friends and family from a distance. This application is free and easy to use, it also offers a great selection of interactive games to be played in pairs or groups, from trivia to guessing.
3. Signal
Edward Snowden is one of many famous personalities who rely on Signal to communicate online and safely. Considered the most private messaging application, Signal also allows encrypted video chat using the open source Signal Protocol technology.
There are some limits that have not yet reached the level of mainstream success like other colleagues. Namely, most do not support group video calls. However, despite the added layer of security, Signal is still easy to use and is available free on Android and iOS. Desktop devices do not currently support video calls on Signal.
4. WhatsApp
With more than two billion users worldwide, WhatsApp is the most popular messaging application in the world. In 2018, the application owned by Facebook introduces free group video calls to all its users.
This makes it a convenient choice for people who just want to chat with friends and family. Similar to the messaging function, WhatsApp video calls are encrypted, but the only drawback is that four people can take part in encrypted video chat at one time.
There are several useful features included in the WhatsApp video chat function, such as adding people when called and hiding video feeds from other participants.
5. Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams was originally built as a competitor of the Slack chat tool which is very popular at work. Now Microsoft Teams has developed into a platform that includes everything that supports everything from video conferencing to PowerPoint presentations for up to 10,000 people.
This application integrates Office 365 so that sharing of Microsoft Word, Excel and other Office applications is seamless, while video chat functionality supports up to 250 people simultaneously. Teams are free for anyone with an Office 365 subscription. But the free version is also available and might make it the best business alternative for Zoom.
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