WebinarJam vs Zoom: Which Is Right for You? (2024)

Axel Grubba, March 01, 2024
WebinarJam vs Zoom: Which Is Right for You? (2024)
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WebinarJam vs Zoom: Want to jump straight to the answer? The better webinar platform for people who are serious about hosting webinars is WebinarJam.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, more and more of us have relied on webinar software as a communication, sales, and marketing tool.

The statistics support this. WebinarJam has more than 50,000 customers, and Zoom reported 300M+ daily meeting participants, in April alone.

Whether you’re using webinars for training purposes, meeting clients, communicating with employees and colleagues, or for lead generation, the right platform goes a long way to guarantee your success.

In fact, a recent ON24 survey found that:

  • 95% of respondents say webinars are critical to their sales, marketing, and lead generation strategies
  • 89% agree that webinars are the best platform for business growth and showcasing
  • 76% generate more leads using webinars than any other marketing method
  • 69% managed to increase their market share using webinars

So, with these stats in mind, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of this WebinarJam vs Zoom review!

Quick overview:

WebinarJam Zoom
Review ★★★★★ ★★★★☆
Starting price $499.00/year $40.00/month/user
Best for From solopreneur to enterprise use, WebinarJam has the power at the lowest price. Zoom Video Webinars enable SMEs and large enterprises to easily conduct large online events.
Ideal number of users 1 – 1000+ 1 – 1000+
Key functions ✔ Alerts/Notifications
✖ Customizable Branding
✔ Event Management
✔ Live Chat
✔ Multi hosts
✔ On-Demand Webinars
✔ Polls/Voting
✔ Q & A
✔ Reporting/Analytics
✔ Screen Sharing
✔ Social Media Promotion
✖ Alerts/Notifications
✔ Customizable Branding
✖ Event Management
✔  Live Chat
✔  Multi hosts
✖ On-Demand Webinars
✔  Polls/Voting
✔  Q & A
✖ Reporting/Analytics
✔  Screen Sharing
✖ Social Media Promotion

What is WebinarJam?

WebinarJam is cloud-based technology run by a company called Genesis Digital that’s been in business for 4+ years. WebinarJam allows you to host up to 5,000 participants with a maximum of six presenters per webinar.

Your audience will enjoy high definition (HD) images, 30 FPS (frames per second), and high-quality video and audio broadcasting.

With WebinarJam, participants can access your webinars via mobile, tablet, laptop, and desktop. And, as the host, you can use either a private or open live chat feed to communicate with your viewers. You can even record your broadcast to rerun it at a later date. Plus, scheduling tools are available to help you organize the running of your webinars.

In short, WebinarJam has lots to offer.

WebinarJam Landing Page
Source: WebinarJam

What is Zoom?

Founded in 2011, Zoom describes itself as an “innovative video-first unified communications platform.”

Users can host video meetings, webinars, and voice calls, via mobile devices, desktops, and conference room systems. Zoom’s primarily a general-purpose video conferencing platform aimed at businesses – but they also offer a live webinar broadcasting functionality. Plus, Zoom integrates with Facebook Live and YouTube, making webinar distribution to these platforms a breeze.

Like WebinarJam, Zoom also allows for real-time private and group messaging. And similarly, you can record and transcript webinars and integrate with calendar scheduling tools like iCal, Gmail, and Outlook.

So now you know who Zoom and WebinarJam are, let’s see how they compare…

Zoom Webinar Landing Page
Source: Zoom

1. WebinarJam vs Zoom: Ease of Setup

WebinarJam

When you go to set up a new webinar in WebinarJam, there are two options:

  1. “Express Configuration”
  2. “Full Configuration”

As its name suggests, the Express choice is perfect for setting up something quick – you can have a webinar ready to go within minutes.

Whereas, the Full Configuration choice takes up to 10 minutes and is more customizable, offering users its full range of options. There are nine steps to go through, each containing multiple panels, and every panel expands to provide even more choice.

This can seem confusing and overwhelming for first-time users.

Zoom

Setting up a webinar via Zoom is slightly different. You’re faced with one page where you input all your details, including the webinar’s topic and purpose, start time, how long it’ll run, and in which timezone.

You choose whether you want to use video and/or audio, tick whether you want a Q&A, run a practice session first, and/or record your webinar.

Overall, Zoom offers an easy-to-follow webinar set up.

Ease of Setup: The Verdict

Zoom

It’s equally easy to create a webinar on Zoom as it with WebinarJam’s Express Configuration. In that sense, there’s no overall winner there.

But, if we were to compare Zoom to WebinarJam’s Full Configuration option, we’d have to say Zoom wins where ease is concerned.

Although WebinarJam’s Full Configuration may offer more features, it’s more complex to get to grips with.

2. WebinarJam vs Zoom: Webinar Registration

WebinarJam

You have a few options when it comes to setting up registration. If you want to capture your audience’s data by getting them to sign up to attend, WebinarJam offers one-click registration. This enables you to send a “click to register” email to your mailing list – this does what it says on the tin, anyone that clicks that link is automatically registered to your webinar. 

WebinarJam also provides users with several templates that allow you to design your registration and thank you pages. 

Zoom

Registering to attend a webinar on Zoom is pretty straightforward. Participants just have to provide their name, email address and prove they’re not a robot – which is excellent for building your email list. And, as the webinar host, you can either approve attendee participation automatically or manually.

Webinar Registration: The Verdict

Draw

Overall, we felt both WebinarJam and Zoom make it easy for webinar attendees to register. However, WebinarJam has a slight edge – because prospects can register with just a click, there’s no form filling. 

3. WebinarJam vs Zoom: Attending the Webinar

WebinarJam

Attending a WebinarJam-created event is done within an internet browser. You just click the meeting’s URL to access the webinar.

As the webinar host, you have a dashboard where you can see what your audience is viewing. On your right-hand side, there’s the main control panel where you can view your live chat feed. It’s also where you can manage the slides and handouts you’ll use during the webinar.

Zoom

Before attending a Zoom webinar, you have to download Zoom’s software onto your device. So, allow extra time to download the software ahead of the webinar, in case of any glitches. This may seem cumbersome if you just want to participate in a webinar or two and/or don’t want to waste valuable storage on your device.

Once you’ve downloaded Zoom, set up an account with your email address and password. You can access any scheduled webinars you’ve been invited to via the link you’ve been sent.

As the webinar host, you determine whether participants can join the webinar before you’ve logged in.

Attending the Webinar: The Verdict

WebinarJam

Overall, WebinarJam wins this round because, quite simply, it’s easier to access webinars. You don’t have to download any software!

4. WebinarJam vs Zoom: Webinar Audio/Video Quality

The quality of your audio and video can’t be underestimated. You won’t generate leads or sales if attendees can’t hear or see you very well!

WebinarJam

WebinarJam’s video streaming is built on YouTube Live’s platform. So, you won’t necessarily get the highest AV signal rate because the stream is being compressed while the webinar’s recorded.

Zoom

Provided you have a good internet connection, the video and audio quality on Zoom is perfect for live webinars and conference calls. There’s no audio compression because you’re not uploading the session as you record.

Webinar Audio/Video Quality: The Verdict

Zoom

The winner here’s Zoom just because its audio and video quality are superior.

5. WebinarJam vs Zoom: Analytics

WebinarJam

WebinarJam’s analytics are pretty sophisticated, generating data reports across five categories:

  1. Traffic
  2. Inside Your Webinar
  3. Monetization
  4. Notifications
  5. Registrants
  6. Attendees

All analytics are conveniently accessible via a single dashboard.

Zoom

Where Zoom’s reporting is concerned, again, you’re faced with an easy-to-use, one-page option. You simply choose the type of report you want: registration, attendee, performance, Q&A, and/or poll report. Select which webinar(s) across the period you want to analyze, then click, “Generate CSV Report.”

Analytics: The Final Verdict

WebinarJam

Overall, WebinarJam’s the winner here. It boasts more analytics features, and you can access everything from one dashboard. Whereas with Zoom, you have to download a separate spreadsheet for each report, and Zoom doesn’t offer analytics reports for monetization.

6. WebinarJam vs Zoom: Features & Functionality

Both WebinarJam and Zoom offer a fair amount of features, so we’ve put together this table to see how they compare.

WebinarJam vs Zoom: Features

Edit
WebinarJam Zoom
Customizable branding
Live Chat
Multiple Hosts
Alerts/Notifications X
Event Management X
Q&A
Polls/Voting
On-Demand Webinars X
Screen Sharing
Reporting/Analytics ✓ (Limited)
Social Media Promotion X

Features & Functionality: The Verdict

WebinarJam

The winner? We’re giving WebinarJam higher marks on the features front – partly because its analytics are better, and they offer invaluable features like events management and social media tools.

Zoom focuses more on digital meetings/events, so where marketing is concerned, they’re not as geared up as WebinarJam.

7. WebinarJam vs Zoom: Integrations

WebinarJam

WebinarJam integrates with an extensive list of third-party tools – including marketing solutions, shopping carts, CRMs, and many more. Popular integrations include MailChimp, ConvertKit, iContact, ActiveCampaign, Zapier, Twilio, and, of course, YouTube Live.

WebinarJam Integrations
Source: WebinarJam

Zoom

Zoom also integrates with other platforms through Zapier, including Outlook, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Skype, and Microsoft (One Drive).

Zoom App Marketplace & Integrations
Source: Zoom

Integrations: The Verdict

WebinarJam

Overall, WebinarJam wins here for several reasons. Firstly, it offers a broader selection of integrations – especially where marketing is concerned. Plus, WebinarJam offers plenty of plugins that assess how attendants respond to your pitch. Did they watch you live or on replay? Were they on time? Did they watch throughout, etc.? With this info to hand, you’ll get a better feel for who your audience is, so you can market to them accordingly.

8. WebinarJam vs Zoom: Pricing

WebinarJam Pricing

How much does WebinarJam cost?

WebinarJam has three paid-for plans, each of which comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee:

  1. Basic: $499/year
  2. Professional: $699/year
  3. Enterprise: $999/year

The Basic plan provides:

  • Unlimited webinars
  • Presenter limit: 2
  • Maximum of 500 attendees
  • Webinar duration capped at 2 hours

With the Professional plan, you get everything included in the Basic package, plus:

  • Maximum of four presenters
  • Maximum of 2,000 attendees
  • Extended webinar duration to 4 hours per webinar
  • An “Always-On” live room assigned to your company with your own branded URL that’s available 24/7.
  • A Panic Button: So you can reboot in 10-15 seconds if there’s a live technical issue

The Enterprise plan gives you everything in the Professional plan plus:

  • Maximum of 6 presenters
  • Maximum of 5,000 attendees
  • The Control Center: Staff can manage and moderate the event while you’re presenting.

At the time of writing, WebinarJam was offering a 14-day trial for just $1.

WebinarJam Pricing
Source: WebinarJam

Zoom Webinar Pricing

Zoom has four price plans:

  1. Basic: This is free
  2. Pro: $14.99/mo per host (up to 9 licenses)
  3. Business: $19.99/mo per host (starting at 10 licenses for $199.90/month)
  4. Enterprise: $19.99/mo per host (starting at 50 licenses for $999.50/month)

Basic gives you:

  • Unlimited 1-to-1 meetings
  • Unlimited meetings
  • You can host 100 participants
  • A maximum of 40-minutes per meeting
  • Video Conferencing
  • Web Conferencing

Pro includes everything in the Basic plan, plus:

  • No time cap on the duration of your meetings
  • Group messaging
  • Desktop & application sharing
  • Local & cloud recording capability
  • Custom personal meeting ID
  • Admin controls

The Business plan comes with everything in the previous two packages, 10 or more host accounts, and:

  • You can host 300 participants
  • On-premise options
  • Branding
  • Single sign-on
  • Dashboard & user management
Zoom Pricing
Source: Zoom

Enterprise comes with all the above features, 100+ hosts, and:

  • You can host between 500-1,000 participants
  • Enhanced admin features
  • Extended support and customization options
  • Additional integration options
  • Optional professional services

Pricing: The Verdict

WebinarJam

Yes, Zoom boasts well-structured pricing packages, a generous free option, supports multiple hosts in its paid plans, and you have the option of paying monthly (unfortunately, WebinarJam doesn’t offer this – you have to pay annually).

That said, you can host a higher number of attendees with WebinarJam that you can do with Zoom.

In the end, you need a plan with the features you need to scale your business, and it’s worth budgeting for that consideration. As such, we feel WebinarJam’s prices win out.

9. Who Should Use These Platforms?

WebinarJam

WebinarJam doesn’t hide the fact it’s more than just a communication tool. Its own homepage says, “Increase Your Sales and Engage More Customers.” Throughout its website, it says you’ll “increase your customers” by talking to thousands of people using WebinarJam.

Their claims aside, it’s clear WebinarJam’s more geared up than Zoom not only for webinars but also for marketing in general. Its integrations and analytics capabilities alone make it stand out as a great marketing tool.

Zoom

Essentially, Zoom’s great for hosting online meetings, but it’s not tailored for purposes broader than that. Its home page emphasizes connection, not sales, saying: “In this together. Keeping your securely connected wherever you are” and that its “committed to safety, security, and privacy for all Zoom customers.”

What You Should Consider When Choosing a Webinar Software

Each individual and every company has slightly different needs and requirements when it comes to webinar software. Here we’ve outlined 9, in our opinion, the most important factors that you should consider when picking your webinar platform.

1. Pricing

For most people, pricing is one of the most important factors when it comes to choosing software, and webinar platforms are no different. There’s a delicate balance between saving money for your company and sacrificing quality—fortunately, there plenty of reasonably priced webinar tools with a wide array of features out there.

While small businesses have an abundance of options when it comes to picking the best-suited webinar platform, larger companies might have to be willing to spend a bit more if they want to invite more people to their webinars.

2. Number Of Attendees You Anticipate

As you scale your business, likely more people will join your webinars. Your webinar tool should be able to scale with you. When choosing the right platform, make sure that the capacity won’t limit you anytime soon. That being said, don’t overspend on the most premium plan from the very beginning when your business needs don’t justify it. Most webinar platforms offer tiers, so it’s always possible to start with the most cost-effective option and upgrade as you grow.

3. Number Of Panelists/Presenters

How many presenters do you anticipate? Many webinar tools limit the number of hosts to no more than 1-2 at the time. While you don’t want to overcrowd your webinar with too many panelists, it’s good to have an option to add guest presenters when you wish to do so. Make sure to consider your typical usage and pick a webinar tool that best suits your business’ needs.

4. Video/Audio Quality

When it comes to video and audio quality, webinars are very similar to video or audio communicators. The audiovisual quality defines the experience your attendees will have over the duration of the webinar and will leave a long-lasting impression of your brand. Pick the webinar tool that offers maintains both the audio and visual quality at high levels. When you test the quality, make sure you use high-speed internet. Otherwise, your internet speed might become a bottleneck.

5. Video Recording And Storage

Recording your webinars comes handy if you want to capitalize on your past webinars by editing and selling them as a course or using them as a content upgrade. During your selection process, make sure that your webinar tool allows you to record and save sessions either locally or in the cloud. This feature will enable you to cut down on the number of live webinars you need to host

6. Customer Service

When it comes to webinars, top-notch customer service is crucial. No matter the provider, at some point, you will find yourself in a sticky tech situation where excellent customer service will save your day. You should always try to pick a webinar software that has onboarding help or even dedicated account managers that will help you as long as you stay with them as a customer.

7. Attendee Participation

Have you looked at attendee participation features? A good webinar platform should offer at least a few ways in which attendees can engage with organizers. The most popular features include audience chats, polls, and promoting an audience member to ask their questions via video as a presenter. Don’t underestimate those functionalities as a highly engaged audience is more likely to convert as a future customer.

8. Reporting

More and more businesses notice the opportunity to leverage webinars as a lead generation opportunity. Webinars became much more than just a presentation; they are a business opportunity. That’s where reporting comes in. Make sure that your webinar tool is equipped with a robust reporting section where you analyze the behavior of your attendees and much more.

9. Security

Last but not least, you should ensure that your webinar tool provides a certain level of data security. As webinars become more popular, data breaches are becoming a new normal. You will often find yourself collecting sensitive data from your attendees who will trust you to handle their data. Don’t let that trust go away because your webinar company didn’t put certain security features in place.

WebinarJam / Zoom Alternatives

As you might expect, there are way more webinar providers than Zoom and WebinarJam that we’ve focused on in this article. If you want to consider additional options, check out:

WebinarJam vs Zoom: FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q: How to use Zoom Webinar?

1. Purchase a Webinar plan – To host a webinar, you must purchase a webinar plan of 100, 500, 1000, 3000, 5000, or 10000 participants.
2. Schedule a webinar and create a registration page – Webinars can require preregistration before the event. In this case, you should create a registration page with a webinar description, agenda, and timing. Alternatively, the host can turn off registration for the webinar. The attendees will still be required to enter their name and email address upon joining the webinar session.
3. Invite attendees and panelists – When a webinar is a closed event, make sure to send invitations to your attendees. In the case of holding a publicly available webinar, make sure to promote your webinar to get the desired number of signups.
4. Approve attendees – Don’t forget to approve your attendees if auto-registration has been turned off.
5. Start a webinar – Go to Zoom web portal and click ‘Webinars’ and go to the tab ‘Meetings’, and click ‘Start’. Alternatively, if you have added the webinar to your calendar, you click on your webinar id link displayed on the event.

Q: Does WebinarJam offer a trial period?

Yes, WebinarJam offers 14 days trial for $1 and a 30-Day Risk-Free Money-Back Guarantee, which means that you are getting a total of 44 days trial.

WebinarJam vs Zoom: In Summary

So there you have it, our take on WebinarJam vs Zoom. We think Zoom is a solid online meeting platform, while WebinarJam is a powerful marketing tool.

For enterprises and solopreneurs alike, WebinarJam’s got the power to host large scale events and boasts better marketing capabilities. For instance, its pre-configured video injections allow to include client testimonials, data analytics enable to track attendee engagement and follow up tools make selling easier after the webinar ended.

Why not give WebinarJam a try and let us know how you get on scaling your business? Good luck!

Still not sure whether WebinarJam is the right choice for you? Read our in-depth WebinarJam review to learn more.

Axel Grubba is the founder of Findstack, a B2B software comparison platform, with his background spanning management consulting and venture capital where he invested in software. Recently, Axel has developed a passion for coding and enjoys traveling when he is not building and improving Findstack.
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