Free or Premium Video Chat - Which is Better?
Tags: messaging, programming, writing
Published: 2022-10-02 13:32:30

Video conferencing provides countless benefits to the businesses. From engaging remote workers, managing suppliers and interviewing job candidates to collaborating across different locations, the video calling technology remains to be cost-effective, efficient and scalable. When you consider video conferencing for your business, it may be perplexing for you to choose between free video call apps and the paid versions. To help you make a well-informed decision, we have clearly explained the features of free and paid video conferencing solutions.

## Why Should You Go With Free Video Call Solution?

If you are running a small business, keeping the cost to minimum must be your foremost priority. Instead of traveling directly to the client’s location, you can conduct client meeting, board meeting, etc. without leaving the comfort of your office. Moreover, these free apps will enable you to speak with your colleagues, regardless of their location. In addition, it provides flexibility to call anytime and anywhere without breaking your bank.

### Here is the List of a Popular Video Calling Apps:

**1. Skype for Business:**
With Skype for Business, you can make one-to-one audio and video calls to other Skype users using a web camera and PC. Both the users can send and receive messages in real time over an IP network. You can also have a conversation with your employees by setting up a group. The text messages are encrypted to ensure enhanced security.

**2. Zoom:**
Zoom is one of the most popular video calling apps and has been preferred by a number of large organizations for its myriad of features. The users can enjoy unlimited one-on-one meeting and group calls with up to 10 participants for forty minutes. Apart from business meeting, it can also be used for webinars, online tutorial and university lectures.

**3. Cisco WebEx:**
Perfect to be used on desktop devices and mobile phones that are running on Android, Windows, iOS and Mac operating systems, the Cisco Webex is a free video calling app with a number of key features such as auto attendant, team integration, voice & video calling, mobile device integration and call from the desktop.

**4. Hangouts Meet:**
Google Hangout Meet is a video conferencing app that comes with a number of exciting features such as real time captions, 100,000 live streaming and group calling with up to 250 participants. Businesses using this app can take advantage of secured infrastructure and built-in protection features to safeguard their sensitive information and privacy.

## Why Not Custom Build Your Own Video Calling App?

If you would like to custom-build your own video calling app, you can take advantage of 2 protocols that can support voice & video calling.

**1. WebSocket**
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/1ul2gdw4lb75fsh5jz3p.png)
WebSocket is a growing technology that makes it easier for opening a communication session between a server and the user. With the help of this technology, you can send messages and receive responses from the server without constantly checking the server for an answer. Moreover, WebSockets allows establishing a long-held TCP socket connection between you and the server, facilitating full-duplex, bi-directional, messages to be instantly delivered.  With WebSockets, you are not required to send any request for the server to respond. Alternatiely, the server will respond to the information it gets, so you will only have to listen to the reply.

**2. WebRTC**
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/bzzqjtw8cpliiatf1w31.png)
WebRTC is a collection of protocols that facilitate peer-to-peer communication of data, video and audio between browsers and native apps. Rather than relying on third-party software or plug-ins, WebRTC supports real-time communication, allowing any web app to leverage through simple JavaScript API. While WebRTC is prominently used to enable real-time communication between browsers, it can also be incorporated to existing communication systems such as PSTN, Various SIP clients and VOIP. In simple words, WebRTC not only brings real-time communication to the browser, but also incorporates the features of the web to the telecommunication world. 

While WebRTc allows applications or browsers to transmit video and audio streams between each other, there are some additional servers that catalyze the process, and they are as follows:

**Signaling:**
Signaling involves the process of synchronizing the communication, enabling the clients to send and receive messages. This server allows peers to share service information and begin the peer-to-peer streaming transmission.

**1. STUN Server:**
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/ns0s4z1kdph44dmgtkxq.png)
Signaling server works perfectly in LAN where each participant has their own IP address with no firewalls and routers between them. However, when it comes to the internet, the participants will be hidden by NAT (National Address Translators) and will not have any details on each other’s addresses. This is when we need a STUN server, which helps detecting the public network address and establishing a connection between them. 

**2. TURN Server:**
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/f84pbvi6zkyu6w5rlnbr.png)
While STUN server works fine in most situations, a firewall can prevent direct peer-to-peer transmission. The only way to solve this problem is to rely on a TURN Server. As TURN server features public address, both the peers can communicate with each other behind firewalls. In the absence of direct peer-to-peer connection, TURN server sends out the video and audio streams of both the peers as that of a typical media server.

## Why Go to Premium Video Chat?

While free video calling apps are cost effective option, paid apps ensure a robust, feature-rich solution for your business. With premium video chat solutions, you will gain a high-performing platform where you can enjoy maximum video and voice call quality. Moreover, the paid versions come with a lot of features and are available across a wide range of user working environments and devices, including room setting that supports multiple displays, personal desktop hardware, tablets, phones and PC’s.

## Where Can You Get Premium Video Chat Solutions?  

After conducting an extensive research, we have come up with four websites where you can get premium video chat solution:

### 1.MirrorFly:
With years of experience in the app development industry, Mirrorfly has been serving businesses with their communication demands by developing customized video chat and calling apps using APIs and SDKs technologies. With their [video calling solution](https://www.trustfirms.com/live-video-calling-apis-sdks-for-web-mobile-apps/), you can make secure conference on websites, iOS, Android, Windows and Mac.

### 2.Apphitect:
If you are looking for a real-time chat app or video calling solution, you can approach Apphitect for a personalized solution. From small and mediums-sized business to large corporations, the company has been helping businesses of all sizes with their communication needs.

### 3.Applozic  
Applozic is highly recognized for developing Messaging APIs and Chat SDKs for all sorts of hybrid and native platforms. These apps include all the essential components such as rich media, typing indicator, notifications, status indicator and much more. The app developers deploy the highest of coding standards and keep an eye for perfection to make sure that the apps developed by them are technically sound and seamless.

If you are still not sure which one to go with, paid, free or custom-build apps, feel free to leave a message below. We will get in touch with you shortly, advice you on the options available and help you make a well informed decision.