February 1, 2019
11:11 am
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Meetings: Everyone hates them, and every business needs them.
One of the best services any business can invest in is a conference call system, which lets any employee call into a meeting from anywhere. Of course, a small business might not have much to invest, which is why we're taking a look at the best free conference call services out there.
Our top pick is Skype, for its overall functionality and simplicity, but we've covered the top five free services here to ensure a range of options.
Granted, any free service tends to be a bit of a trade-off. You won't pay with money, but you'll pay with a drop in quality, whether it's the depth of tech support, number of calls fielded, or general ease of use. For a small operation, that's likely a deal you can live with. As you grow, however, you'll save money with an upgrade to a paid service — we've ranked the top paid conference call services over here.
Until then, here's everything you need to know about the free side, from the top five free conference call services available to the pros and cons you should consider when deciding which is best for you.
The Best Free Conference Call Services include:
Best Free Conference Call Services Compared
You can scroll down a little farther for our full reviews of each service, but first, here's a quick comparison of all five. Here, we stack up their biggest benefits, major disadvantages, and overall ratings.
Scroll horizontally to view full table on mobile devices
| Free Service | Star Rating | Top Pro | Top Con | User Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ★★★★☆ | Easy and functional | Every caller needs a Skype account | 25 |
 Google Hangouts | ★★★★☆ | Flexible interface | Poor connectivity | 25 |
 FreeConferenceCall(.)com | ★★★★☆ | Robust features | No customization | 1000 |
 UberConference | ★★★★☆ | Anyone can mute anyone | Doesn’t support enough users | 10 |
 FreeConference(.)com | ★★★☆☆ | Easy setup process | Really doesn't support enough users | 5 |
SkypeIf you need a personalized way to find the exact conference call service for your business needs, Tech.co has a quick one-minute form designed to match your conference call requirements to a range of our trusted partners:
Skype
Skype✔ Good functionality ✗ No landlines or mobile phones
Skype is a popular brand, and for good reason. The video and audio is high-quality, you can screen share easily, and you can even record conference calls. Once recorded, the calls will be available for download for the next 30 days, so anyone who couldn't make the group call can see what they missed. As with most free conference call services, the big catch is the user limit: If you have more than 25 employees, you're out of luck. Key features include:
- High quality video and audio
- 25 participant limit
- Screen sharing
- Conference recording
- Works with iOS and Android devices
- Reputable brand
The service comes with a few caveats. On the free version of Skype, all participants must connect via their Skype account rather than an outside phone line, meaning that a certain amount of flexibility is lost. Still, this is an easy, usable video conferencing app. It is also likely to be familiar to many (and fully integrates with Microsoft Office 365), giving you a foot up on the adaptation learning curve.
Google Hangouts
✔ Flexible interface ✗ Poor connectivity
Google Hangouts is a great, flexible option for active users. You can easily jump from one device to another while staying in the same hangout. The big downside, however, is the connectivity, which get worse the more users you add to a hangout – a clear red flag for a conference call application. And once again, you're limited to 25 users. Key features include:
- Gmail and Google Calendar compatibility
- HD Video
- 25 participant limit
- Easy-to-use chat
- Screen sharing
- Works with iOS and Android devices
You won't have access to a few more advanced features, including video recording, unless you spring for the paid version. Still, it's definitely one of the more intuitive interfaces around, and pairs perfectly with plenty of other useful free services from Google, like Google Drive and Gmail. Something to be aware of: Classic Google Hangouts is being replaced with Chat and Meet in the near future.
Free Conference Call .com
✔ Robust features ✗ No customization
FreeConferenceCall.com offers a great service, with a massive 1,000 users allowed at a time. It offers both phone conferencing and video conferencing, and even has a support team that'll respond to support tickets submitted through the website. Granted, it doesn't have the name recognition of Skype or Google, but who does? FreeConferenceCall.com provides a dependable service with the basic features you need, including screen sharing and recording capabilities. Key features include:
- Supports international numbers
- Screen sharing
- 1,000 participant limit
- Conference recording
- Mobile app for Android and iOS
Customization can help streamline video conferencing by giving users something to expect. FreeConferenceCall.com has plenty of customization options, including custom greetings and hold music, extra storage, and the ability to skip the access code before hopping into a meeting – but you'll need to pay for all of them. If you don't mind skipping those, the basic abilities – like recording and screen sharing – definitely do the trick.
UberConference
✔ Anyone can mute anyone ✗ Doesn’t support enough users
UberConference offers a high-quality video and audio conferencing service, with one big perk that everyone in a group call wishes they had: The ability for any participant to mute any other participant on the call, avoiding any weird feedback noises. Screen-sharing is easy, too, and the interface is intuitive.
The big downside is, at just ten users allowed per group call, UberConference has one of the more strict limitations, and one that's easy to outgrow. In addition, you'll have a max of 45 minutes per meeting. If you want more, you'll need the paid plan, which gets you up to 100 users and the ability to skip entering the access code, for $10/month. Key features of the free version include:
- High quality video and audio
- 10 participant limit
- 45 minute conference duration limit
- Screen sharing
- Conference recording
- Mobile app for iOS and Android devices
The service has occasional connectivity issues, but nothing worth writing home about. Apart from that strict 10 user limit, UberConference is a great service with strong functionality, and an ideal option for those who run a startup with a team of ten or fewer – as long as they're concise.
Free Conference .com
✔ Easy setup process ✗ Doesn't support enough users
With FreeConference.com, you won't be able to call in with toll-free numbers, and you won't be able to record video or audio. At five users, the limit for online meetings is pretty heinous; however, that's not actually the full story, as FreeConference.com offers a very nice 400 user cap on phone-based conferences. Key features include:
- Supports toll numbers, but not toll-free ones
- Supports international numbers
- 5 participant limit for online conferences
- 400 participant limit for phone conferences
- Screen sharing
- Mobile app
We'll be honest: This is a solid choice if your business falls into a very specific demographic – phone users who will never need to call in from a toll-free number. For everyone else, FreeConference.com illustrates one central fact in the search for the best free conference call software – you'll always have a trade-off to make.
Pros and Cons of Free Conference Call Software
Which features are essential when looking for the best free conference call service, and which should you give up on? Here's our handy pros and cons list.
Pro: Cost. You're saving money. Enough said.
Con: User limits. This common downside will quickly catch up to any mid-size business, or even some small ones. Expect to see a 10 or 25 user limit on group calls for most free services.
Pro: Simplicity. These services tend to come with stripped-down functionality, and are easy to learn as a result.
Con: Few features. Depending on the service, even basic functionality – like screen-sharing abilities and video recording – are not always guaranteed. Each free offering tends to pick a different handful of features to cut off, so consider which ones are important to you.
Con: Phone number limits. International calls might not be accepted. Toll-free ones are even less common.
Con: Call duration limits. This isn't as common, but remains one to look out for. For example, UberConference limits free calls to 45 minutes, which could be a big problem if you're not prepared.
Find a Low-Cost Conference Call Service for Your Business
There's a reason businesses pay for conference call software. If the cons outweigh the pros, or if your team is just a little too large to even get started on a free conference call app, you'll be better off looking at paid plans. The good news is that they're fairly inexpensive. Check out the top paid conference calling software options here.
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Adam Rowe
Adam is a writer at Tech.co and has worked as a tech writer, blogger and copy editor for the last decade. He's also a Forbes Contributor on the publishing industry (and Digital Book World 2018 award finalist) and has appeared in publications including Popular Mechanics and IDG Connect. When not glued to TechMeme, he loves obsessing over 1970s sci-fi art.