Readers' Choice 2023: The Top Video Conferencing Services
Most of us are spending more in-person time together since the height of the pandemic, but one thing we learned from our time apart is that it’s easy to connect, even when we’re not in the same physical location. Free and inexpensive video conferencing and online meeting tools let us stay connected anywhere, whether for a quick video chat with a loved one or a meeting with work colleagues. But these tools aren’t limited to video calls and meetings: Some let you provide remote tech support for a friend, and even listen to music, watch videos, and play games together. Best of all, no need to head home after your meetup—you're already there.
In this month’s PCMag Readers' Choice survey, readers rate their satisfaction with the video conferencing tools they prefer to use when initiating connections.
This is the second year we surveyed our readers to understand their online meeting preferences. Our two winners from last year, Apple's FaceTime and Zoom, win again this year. And this time, Google Meet joins them.
Apple FaceTime is available only as a free service. Specifically, though, it's free when you buy into the Apple ecosystem with an iPhone, iPad, or Mac. All of those devices can initiate a FaceTime call (including up to 32 people), though anyone with a browser can take part in the conversation via a link provided by the call initiator. Certain other features, such as shared movie watching, song listening, and gameplay, are limited to participants using Apple devices. (Note: Click the down, left, and right arrows in our interactive tables to view different question categories.)
When we look at all the services, combining free and paid (above), FaceTime receives the top ratings from our survey respondents on several
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