Top 9 BlueJeans Alternatives for Hosting Interactive Webinars

Founded in 2009, BlueJeans is a video conferencing platform with diverse functionality, making it a great choice for virtual event software.

Like most video conferencing tools, BlueJeans facilitates real-time, high-quality video and audio communication. Accompanying this primary product is a suite of features that make it adaptable to a wide range of events, including screen sharing, chat boxes, file sharing, recording, and various engagement elements to enrich attendee interactions.

BlueJeans has made a name for itself over the years as a robust, multi-purpose tool, with many large companies adopting it for their online meetings in industries like healthcare, finance, and government institutions.

Among the most impressive benefits is its excellent capacity for both presenters and audience members. High-quality streaming and pre-recorded events are possible for up to 150 presenters.

With these and its other advantages, it’s understandable why BlueJeans is such a popular software. However, “popular” doesn’t equate to “perfect,” as many businesses have discovered. 

Why Replace BlueJeans?

While BlueJeans certainly has a lot to offer, it’s not the right fit for every company’s virtual conferencing needs. The virtual conferencing industry is vast, with dozens of robust alternatives available with their own unique advantages. To compound the issue, BlueJeans customers have highlighted a few drawbacks that ultimately drive them to seek another software.

Lacking in Functionality

BlueJeans possesses the crucial essentials (assuming you don’t have extraordinary needs). However, according to some online reviews, it lacks in certain areas that other platforms excel in.

A video conference is relatively simple, but virtual events and internal collaboration often require more in-depth design. In that regard, BlueJean’s features and functionality don’t always stack up.

Difficult to Use

Think about the number of people on your staff who have to operate your virtual event software. Do most of them struggle to use it? Some users complain of difficulties transitioning between slides, interfacing with metrics, and learning how to use the platform effectively.

Even if BlueJeans has all of the elements you need, if your teams have trouble with it, you’ll pay for it in the form of human error, unoptimized events, and overall cost.

Best BlueJeans Alternatives for Creating Engaging Online Events

Let’s dive into the most engaging and high-quality BlueJeans alternatives for your consideration.

👉 Demio

Demio is an all-in-one virtual event platform designed to help businesses reach their engagement marketing goals. It can accommodate virtual events of all types and sizes, whether you’re educating people on a product through a webinar, hosting a virtual conference room, or anything in between.

The core of Demio’s offering is its high-quality HD video and robust user interfaces. These make it easy to host a successful event that engages and impresses audiences.

Because Demio is so versatile, its “best use case” is more of a spectrum of virtual events. This is in large part due to the platform’s suite of engagement features that promote interactivity.

Creating a customized and active user experience is easy with Demio. You can customize every aspect of each event with branded elements and tailored audience interactions.

Demio Pros

• The most versatile webinar solution on the market
• Impressive video and audio quality
• A wide range of engagement features
• Comprehensive analytics

Demio Cons

• Some users complain of lack of strong integrations
• Some reports of chat lags

Pricing Options

You can purchase an annual or monthly subscription for either the Starter or Growth plan on the website. The Premium and Unlimited plans are only available on an annual plan. You can also sign up for a 14-day free trial. No credit card required.

👉 Cisco Webex

Cisco Webex is a well-known virtual meeting platform. Developers have diversified its video conferencing capabilities, turning it into an ideal platform for anything from small business meetings to enterprise-level events with thousands of attendees.

The company’s webinar-specific offering, Webex Webinars, has earned a moderately sized but staunchly loyal client base for several reasons: On neutral review platforms, high streaming quality is consistently among the most appreciated benefits. People express even more love, though, for its functionality as an internal communications platform. 

The reviews are in, and the webinar solution is clearly where Webex shines. But the platform is diverse enough for anyone to benefit from it and enjoy the crisp interfaces and seamless streaming quality.

Webex Pros

• Integrations are reportedly smoother and easier to employ than on other platforms
• Good for event managers who need to multitask
• Smart design 

Webex Cons

• Some complaints of glitches
• Lack of interactivity features

Pricing Options

Cisco Webex Webinars are available for purchase, annual or monthly, on their website. Pricing is based on attendee capacity. 

👉 Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams started off as a collaborative tool for video conferencing between coworkers. However, the platform currently offers a webinar service that’s both simple to use and inexpensive.

Microsoft Teams webinars function as the main meeting room for all kinds of virtual events. This low-cost option comes with integrations for the entire Microsoft 365 suite, making it a great choice for businesses that employ other Microsoft products. 

That being said, the best use for Microsoft Teams is as a business solution that complements other 365 products in use. Microsoft Teams doubles as an excellent internal communication and virtual event tool.

Microsoft Teams Pros

• Integrates with Microsoft 365 apps and services
• Quality live captions in over 30 languages
• Versatile internal and external tool
• Benefits from Microsoft cloud storage 

Microsoft Teams Cons

• Many complaints of clunky and confusing user interfaces
• Poor performance on outdated devices 

Pricing Options

There are several different plan options available for businesses. Pricing is based on the number of users and is available on an annual basis. They also offer a free trial. 

👉 Zoom (Zoom Meetings)

Zoom is possibly the most ubiquitous video conferencing solution on this list. It works well for mobile devices and desktops alike.

Its most highly praised offering is the reliability of its conferencing quality; Zoom excellently balances video and audio quality and consistency. It’s also a widely used option, meaning more of your audience is likely to be familiar with how it works and so won’t struggle to use it or be turned off due to a high learning curve.

You can use Zoom Events and Webinars to host various types of virtual events. Meanwhile, Zoom Rooms offers room systems for more compartmentalized sessions. In either case, you can take advantage of the quality and simplicity of the interfaces and recording capabilities.

Zoom Pros

• Consistent video and audio quality
• Great dial-in
• High popularity (and thus familiarity among a larger user base)
• Easy to use for coworkers and customers alike 

Zoom Cons

• Complaints of overwhelming options and interfaces that quickly become confusing
• Unpaid version has short time limits for event hosting

Pricing Options

Zoom Sessions and Zoom Events are available for purchase on an annual, monthly or per attendee basis. They also have Zoom Webinars which is only available for 500+ attendees or monthly billing. 

👉 GoTo Meeting

GoTo Meeting is a robust, versatile, and popular internal video meetings platform. But don’t let the name fool you; it’s a great tool for any type of online event.

This is an enticing option due to its highly customizable experiences. It’s also easy to use, whether you’re recording, screen sharing, and seamlessly integrating with other tools. GoTo Meeting is a secure and reliable option that has few downsides. Perhaps the only real weakness is its limited scalability; even personalized enterprise plans cap your audience at 250 attendees.

GoTo Meeting Pros

• Advanced security
• Robust analytics
• Better for online meetings
• Relatively inexpensive

GoTo Meeting Cons

• Not great for scaling or large-scale needs
• Some complaints of technical issues and lack of customization that can make events chaotic

Pricing Options

You can purchase an annual subscription for either the Professional or Business plan on the website, but will need to speak with sales for an Enterprise package. They also offer a 14-day free trial.

👉 Google Hangouts

Be aware, we’re only looking at the Google Hangouts Webinar service here. However, the Hangouts umbrella accommodates a range of virtual events that are easy to plan and host — all through a tool that integrates with those of the world’s largest search engine.

This web-based communication solution is simple to adopt thanks to Google’s characteristically intuitive UX design. It requires only your browser but packs a trove of functionality that you can take full advantage of even with zero technical experience. It’s great for virtual meetings, whiteboards, and is so seamless to start that it may become your go-to for normal video calls. 

Google Hangouts Pros

• Excellent UX and meeting solutions
• Great security
• Integrations with Google tools
• Multifarious use cases

Google Hangouts Cons

• Extremely limited in scope

Pricing Options

Google meet is part of the Google Workspace package. You can purchase an annual subscription for either the Business Starter, Business Standard, or Business Plus plan on the website, but will need to speak with sales for an Enterprise package. 

👉 Zoho (Backstage)

Zoho Backstage is Zoho’s virtual event platform. The video conferencing software even has a free version you can try to see if it fits your needs.

Zoho is a cloud-based software suite, unlike the others on this list, which are strictly video conferencing platforms. So, if you want to use a complete system similar to Hubspot’s, Zoho provides exactly what you need. It comes complete with customer relationship management (CRM) and, if you like what the company has to offer, you can take advantage of Zoho Trident and Zoho Marketing Plus at the same time.

Zoho is most applicable for a comprehensive digital marketing approach compartmentalized into the same space. Your video conferencing solution is right there as well.

Zoho Pros

• Full marketing suite available
• Wide range of supported languages
• Extremely scalable
• Great social media integrations

Zoho Cons

• High cost for extra team members
• Complexity can make onboarding more challenging

Pricing Options

They have four plans available on a monthly or annual basis. All of which you can either try for free to request a demo. 

👉 Livestorm

Livestorm describes itself as a video engagement platform. It can be used to manage everything from a one-on-one virtual meeting to a massive digital trade show and comes with the tools you need to organize your entire funnel. 

Livestorm also provides email templates, customizable sequences, and built-in email delivery tracking. The platform rounds out its offering with a wide selection of high-quality engagement features.

LiveStorm Pros

• Extra pre-planning and marketing features
• Integrations with HubSpot and other major online marketing brands
• 24 languages
• Versatile enough for organizations of all sizes 

LiveStorm Cons

• More expensive than other options
• Some complaints about audio quality during conferencing

Pricing Options

Plans are based on the number of active contacts per month. Select between 4 different options. Free and Pro are available on the website Business and Enterprise require you to talk to sales. 

👉 Skype

Skype probably needs less introduction than any other entry on our list. It’s another video/ audio conferencing tool initially intended for meetings and team collaboration. Now, users can use the “Meeting Broadcast” features to host events.

Skype Pros

• The most ubiquitous option that most people understand how to use
• Hosts an audience of up to 10,000
• Intuitive roles/permissions system

Skype Cons

• Lacks many engagement features that other solutions offer
• Less robust security compared to other options

Pricing Options

Skype Meeting Conferencing is free to use.

What to Consider When Choosing a BlueJeans Alternative 

Switching your virtual event platform isn’t a simple decision. The more you’ve become accustomed to using BlueJeans, and the greater the scale, the more difficult it is to adopt a new solution.

However, sometimes you’ll need to switch your video conferencing platform. In that case, you need to be prepared for a wholly different experience in several areas.

Functionality

The bread and butter of any video conferencing software are the foundational elements. You and your staff will spend the most time using simple navigation and interacting with the basic features, so their functionality is a major factor in your decision to switch.

Most BlueJeans alternatives offer uncomplicated browser-based functionality. So, take advantage of free trials and see how well your staff will adapt to the change.

Integrations

After basic features, the number and quality of integrations (and your business’s ability to leverage them) with other tools and platforms will be the next determinant of your success with a new hosting solution.

Look into the available integrations for the most important functions you’ll be need, namely:

• Email marketing
• CRM
• Additional analytics
• Social media
• Other internal collaboration tools

Cost

The price of the platform is a less important consideration if it’s relatively affordable and possesses strong potential to provide a sizable return on investment. They typically start low, but pay attention to the cost of adding more users or unlocking new functionality and larger audience sizes. These upgrades can rapidly accumulate if you fail to plan for them in advance and scale up too quickly.

Try a New Online Meetings Solution

You have a multitude of platforms to choose from to run virtual events. To narrow your list, we’ve gone over some of the most effective and popular choices in the industry but you can always review this webinar software comparison as well.You can explore most of these options with free trials and gauge their fit with your business. We recommend trying out Demio to start or book a demo to learn more. Convey your messaging clearly with the most well-designed and engagement feature-rich video communications tool on the market.