Best video conferencing tools for business: cloud vs. self-hosted
Today, more and more meeting participants ask, "Is the meeting secure?" instead of "Can you hear me?" The best tool for video conferencing depends on how it is being used: whether you are talking with your team or assisting customers.
Best for internal collaboration
For internal teams, the goal isn't just to have a meeting, it's to collaborate without losing context. Standalone video apps force you to switch context, breaking your flow, while integrated tools keep you in the zone.
Virola is a self-hosted business messenger that is best for security-conscious teams, developers, and companies that want to eliminate tab toggling and increase productivity. Unlike cloud apps, Virola integrates video conferencing directly into your persistent communication workflow.
- No tabs switching: You don't create a link and email it. You simply click an intercom icon in a group chat, and the meeting starts instantly within the same window where your files and history live.
- Live avatars: The video experience is enhanced by live avatars in the chat list, giving you a visual sense of who is present and available before you even call.
- Data sovereignty: In self-hosted Virola Messenger, your video streams and screen shares never pass through a third-party public cloud. This is a critical requirement for healthcare, finance, and government sectors.
Best for external collaboration: sales and client calls
When hosting online meetings with people outside your company, you need a tool that everyone already knows how to use. You don't want a client to have to download a new app just to hear your pitch.
Zoom
Zoom is best for sales calls, webinars, and massive external meetings. Zoom remains the king of frictionless entry. Its link-based system is universal.
Pros: unparalleled stability on low-bandwidth connections and massive webinar capacity (1,000+ attendees).
Cons: So-called Zoom fatigue is real. It is also a purely a meeting tool, meaning once the call ends, the context (chat, notes) is often lost or buried in a separate dashboard.
Privacy: Zoom is a public cloud service, which may not meet strict data residency requirements for some industries.
Microsoft Teams
This is the best tool for Office 365 users and large enterprises.
If your company lives in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, Teams is the default choice.
Pros: Deep integration with Outlook calendars and OneDrive files.
Cons: Notorious for being heavy on system resources. The interface can be cluttered, making it difficult for agile teams to move quickly.
Best for fast, spontaneous meetings
Sometimes you just need a quick sync without installing software. Google Meet is the best tool for this purpose.
Pros: It runs entirely in the browser and offers excellent live captioning features.
Cons: It lacks the robust persistent chat features of Virola or Slack. It feels ephemeral because once the tab is closed, the meeting is gone.
The choice of video conferencing tool depends on how you are going to use it. If you need to run daily meetings with your team, Virola Messenger is the best solution for this purpose. However, if you need the tool to communicate with customers or make sales presentations, consider Zoom, as it is well-known and your customers will not be confused while using it.