With the rise of remote working and video conferencing, video calling platforms have become an integral part of everyday life. Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet are leading the market, but what if you need a free alternative? In this case, one of the popular solutions is Jitsi Meet. However, should this solution really be considered as a full-fledged alternative to Zoom? Let’s figure it out with some real facts.
What is Jitsi Meet?
Jitsi Meet is a free, open source video conferencing platform that allows users to create meetings without registration or paid subscriptions. It was developed by 8×8 and is designed for easy communication in small to medium-sized groups. Like Zoom, Jitsi Meet supports video calling, chatting, file sharing, and screen sharing functions.
Ease of use and interface
Jitsi Meet has a simple and intuitive interface design, making it accessible even for beginners. To create a video conference, all you need to do is go to the website and click “Start a New Meeting”. No registration or complicated setup is required. Just create a unique link and share it with participants.
Unlike Zoom, which requires installing a client application to fully work, Jitsi Meet also supports working directly through your browser without the need to download a program.
Functions and features
Jitsi Meet offers many features that make it competitive with other platforms:
- No registration and no download: it is possible to quickly start a meeting without requiring participants to take additional actions.
- Chat and file sharing: users can share messages and files in real time.
- Screen sharing and document sharing: as with Zoom, you can share your screen or specific applications and collaborate on documents.
- Encryption: Jitsi Meet keeps communication secure by supporting end-to-end encryption for video calls and chats.
However, compared to Zoom, some more specific features, such as virtual backgrounds, advanced settings for organizations, or integration with large enterprise services, are limited or absent in Jitsi Meet.
Video and audio quality
Jitsi Meet supports HD-quality video and audio, but unlike Zoom, the quality of communication can be affected by the load on the servers, especially when the number of participants is large. In large groups, the quality can degrade and this is one of the major drawbacks.
Zoom, due to its paid rates and improved infrastructure, provide stable performance even with a large number of participants.
Challenges and limitations
Despite its advantages, Jitsi Meet has several limitations:
- Limited integration with other services: Jitsi Meet doesn’t have as deep integration with enterprise services and calendars as Zoom.
- Fewer features for large events: for very large meetings and events, Zoom offers more features, including participant management, individual session creation, and professional tools.
- Performance on weak devices: with large numbers of attendees or older devices, Jitsi’s performance quality can suffer.
Cost and Availability
Jitsi Meet is completely free and open source. Users are free to customize and deploy the platform on their server if they have the technical capabilities.
Zoom, on the other hand, offers a free plan with meeting time limits (40 minutes), and more serious use requires paid subscriptions.
Bottom line: myth or reality?
Jitsi Meet is a really convenient and free alternative to Zoom, especially for small groups and informal meetings. It is easy to use, secure and offers basic video conferencing features. However, for large corporate meetings, professional events and sessions with a large number of participants, Zoom offers more stable connection quality, additional features and support.
Thus, Jitsi Meet can be a great solution for small teams or face-to-face meetings, but for more complex tasks and professional work, Zoom is still the preferred choice.
