Zoom Reviews

“Quick to use”

Pros

There's really no need to sit through a tutorial. It only has a handful of buttons so it's very easy to understand and use from just about anywhere.

Cons

There isn't anything specific I'd point out as a downside.

“I recommend it!”

Pros

Been an accessible platform to use and simple to set up especially for virtual classes. The integration with Canvas is one of the biggest advantages because it creates a much more complete experience for students when managing live communication and both teachers and students have been really impressed with it. Features like reactions make classes more interactive and enjoyable while also helping us set participation rules, vote and express opinions during sessions. It is also extremely useful for collaborative work since it lets people connect regardless of their location organize work groups and provide personalized support. Another essential benefit is the ability to record classes which is perfect for anyone who missed a meeting or wants to review the session later. Overall it is a very powerful and versatile tool that I would recommend for education, work, events or even family gatherings.

Cons

There are a lot more strengths than weaknesses but I have run into a couple of inconveniences. When I am sharing my full screen, it becomes difficult to tell who is speaking to me and using the chat in that moment feels a bit awkward. I also really value the breakout room feature but it would be much better if there were an option to create default groups that stay saved in each classroom's history because setting the rooms up manually every time ends up taking a lot of time.

“My go to app!”

Pros

Whether it's keeping up with friends and family or working with teammates and colleagues, this has become my go-to app for staying connected and collaborating. Even the free plan is generous since it lets you host up to 100 participants and if you need more, the paid options are priced quite reasonably for an upgrade.

Cons

At one point, the security concerns did worry me especially reports about hackers being able to listen in on video calls. Since then though, it seems like the platform has improved its protections and become much more alert to those threats so personally I really haven't had much to complain about.

“private chat and recordings available”

Pros

Private chat and screen recording have been incredibly useful for me during live meetings. No matter how many participants join, I can still message someone privately without any trouble. I can also send messages to everyone at once through the live chat tab which helps a lot when I'm giving live demo tutorials to users of my website through the software. During online classes, I often message my professor privately because I feel shy about asking questions in front of the whole class. with this platform, I'm able to ask every question that comes to mind without feeling uncomfortable. The screen recording feature is another reason I value this software so much. I don't want to lose my clients' trust or waste time repeating the same tutorials again and again. Because of that, I record my screen during demos and upload the recordings to Google Drive and Dropbox. Then, whenever a client asks for the same demo later, I just send them the previous recording link. This approach has worked really well and almost all of my clients are fully satisfied with it.

Cons

I haven't had any real difficulties using this software and I don't feel like it lacks much. The only thing I really wish the software would add is Youtube Live streaming and direct integration with Google Drive. It would be much better if, once a meeting or live session ends, the recording could upload automatically to Google Drive as a backup. Right now manually uploading videos to Google Drive and Youtube takes a lot of time. I still need to upload these recordings to Youtube because I can't keep storing such large video files on my personal computer. That's why I would really appreciate an option to connect this software with Youtube, Google Drive, Dropbox or at least some cloud storage service. It doesn't have to be only Google Drive but having built-in cloud storage linking would save a lot of time and effort. I really hope the product team considers adding these features in the future.

“top-tier video collaboration”

Pros

Stands out in video collaboration because it's very user friendly, the video quality is excellent and the feature set is strong. Altogether, it feels like the product to beat in this space.

Cons

A few things still need work, like limited branding support, occasional choppy audio and video and the lack of a true MDM solution for device management. Even so, the platform has a lot of potential and I'm confident the software will keep improving.

“I'm satisfied”

Pros

It lets us schedule and run meetings, share screens, use chat and transcription and even host and distribute virtual events all from one platform. It also connects well with different calendars, CRM systems and other marketing tools which makes it even more useful.

Cons

The downside is that the paid enterprise plan is really the only way to unlock all of the features that make the software so valuable and that's a frustrating limitation for anyone relying on the free version.

“affordable video calls”

Pros

Has been great to use! It's really quick, very simple to figure out and costs less than a lot of other video chat platforms. It makes group calls more enjoyable and pretty much anyone can use it as long as they have a phone or a computer.

Cons

There's honestly not much for me to complain about with this platform. It does lag once in a while but that seems more related to my Wi-Fi than the software itself.

“great audio and noise cancelling”

Pros

Took almost no effort at all to get started with and the whole setup process was very minimal. It's very easy to use, the audio quality is incredible and the noise cancelling is honestly on another level.

Cons

Something I'd still love to see is more camera controls. It may be limited by hardware but having more ways to adjust how the camera looks and refine appearance settings would be really nice.

“great meeting controls”

Pros

Being able to quickly turn the microphone and camera on or off is really convenient. Recording meetings is also very useful and the public and private chat options help a lot during calls. The free 45-minute access works well for basic meetings and my wife especially loves the "photoshop" effect.

Cons

The virtual background feature still has room for improvement.

“Helped everyone during Covid”

Pros

Back in March 2020, I started using this software along with teachers everywhere else and honestly, it became a lifeline. It kept education going and probably helped plenty of other industries keep functioning too, even while everyone was stuck behind closed doors. I'm a pretty average user and for what I need, it works perfectly.

Cons

Oh wow, there are a LOT of settings. Really, a lot. It can feel pretty overwhelming sometimes. If I could suggest anything to the product team, it would be to make them more visual and accessible and also avoid having what seems like the same setting show up in multiple places.

“Perfect for teaching”

Pros

The software works exceptionally well for teaching. It lets you place students into either fixed or flexible groups, use polling features, manage classroom security by admitting only approved users and control muting so everyone has a chance to speak.

Cons

There is some difficulty in the beginning but once it clicks, it becomes the simplest part of the day.

“secure access for meetings”

Pros

Getting into company meetings is easy and the security features make the whole experience feel reliable and safe.

Cons

The downside is the meeting time limit which can be frustrating when a session needs to go on longer than the allowed period.

“reliable meetings for everyone”

Pros

This is one of those tools almost everyone already uses which makes getting started and troubleshooting pretty painless. It works really well for free communication as long as you are not the one hosting a group meeting with more than two people. If you are hosting, you do have to keep an eye on either the time limit or the cost but even then the pricing is still reasonable especially for business use. It may feel less worthwhile to pay for a meeting when nobody on the team is actually making money from it but the platform still gives you the option to hold that group session and sometimes you can even do it for free if you keep it short. If the meeting supports business that brings in revenue, then the price usually feels justified. Joining a meeting is very easy and hosting one is almost just as simple. Most of the time, all it takes is copying and pasting a link and clicking it. Even when you need to sign in under your own name or through an organization, it still does not take much effort to get up and running. As long as your camera and microphone are working, you are usually set since the overall experience depends a lot on the equipment you are using.

Cons

Beyond the background effects which are only average, I really do not have many complaints about the platform. Adjusting the viewport can be a little frustrating at times and it is not always simple to scan through participants and quickly spot the active speaker if your layout feels cluttered. Screen sharing can also become awkward when there are too many open windows to pick from or when the content you need to share is buried inside several layers of other windows. Still, most of these issues become much easier to deal with once you are familiar with the platform. A lot like Google's suite of tools, it feels more overwhelming the first time than it does later on. After you spend some time exploring the features, it becomes pretty easy to use.

“screen sharing that just works”

Pros

One thing I really enjoy about the platform is the screen sharing and how simple the whole platform is to use. It's very user friendly! You can log in on the desktop version or mobile app in just a few seconds, share your meeting ID with your contacts and start a video call right away. The screen sharing option lets other participants view your screen which is especially useful for business meetings and educational sessions.

Cons

The part I like least is the video quality which can drop when the internet connection is weak. Also the mobile app has fewer features compared with the desktop version.

“user friendly”

Pros

Getting started with it is easy, the interface feels user friendly and it runs well without needing many system resources.

Cons

At times video sharing can lag a bit or feel less fluid than expected.

“solid controls”

Pros

The platform is one of the most efficient and commonly used platforms for virtual meetings today. Even the free version lets a large number of participants join the same session. It gives the host all the essential controls, such as screen management and microphone muting. Multiple people can speak during a meeting without causing disruption to the service. The audio and video quality is consistently good, likely because it works well even with low data usage. It also makes it simple to share different kinds of files with other participants.

Cons

There really are no major drawbacks in the paid version. The only limitation is in the free plan where meetings automatically end after 45 minutes although you can still continue by starting a new session.

“fast meetings that just work”

Pros

Joining a meeting is very easy and it works especially well when I need to set up a last-minute meeting quickly.

Cons

A downside is meeting security. I've had several meetings where unknown people joined which is really frustrating. Another small drawback is that the free account has a pretty limited time allowance.

“great for online classes!”

Pros

Using the features feels very easy. The software supports communication and collaboration really well and it works especially well for today's online classrooms as well as virtual events like webinars, conferences and similar sessions.

Cons

The platform is very helpful overall but presenters and hosts still need to keep a close eye on the time limits since sessions or presentations can get disconnected.

“excellent transcription”

Pros

The standout feature in the platform is definitely the end to end transcription. On top of that the app being lightweight is another big advantage.

Cons

Web version still needs work since it doesn't feel as polished or fluid as Teams or Google Meet.

“fast client meetings”

Pros

Connecting with clients and coworkers for online meetings and screen sharing is really convenient. It takes just a few seconds to join, talk things through and get issues resolved.

Cons

It would be nice to have predefined templates that help maximize screen space so windows don't overlap.