Microsoft Office Live Meeting 2007 is a web conferencing solution suited well for both planned and ad hoc meetings. The solution boasts a large set of features which makes it a solid online collaboration tool suited for various usage scenarios.

Web conferences are easy to plan in Outlook and can be started quickly.

During the meeting the host can present documents in the online meeting room. The documents must be uploaded beforehand.

Bottom line: Usage is intuitive with Microsoft Office Live Meeting 2007, even though the tool offers a large set of functionalities. The online collaboration tool enables many usage scenarios. 

Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro Meeting offers a wide range of features and is remarkably well structured.

The large number of functionalities and adaptable settings makes the usage rather complex. Even the positive aspect that the handling of these functionalities itself is very intuitive is diminished by the sheer number. This drawback in user friendliness prevents a ranking of Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro among the top 5 solutions.

The general planning and creating of online meetings are comfortable to handle. The user can set up a meeting successively, uploading images and sorting and providing data bit by bit. The many features offered make the meeting itself an easy to handle experience. Another plus is that Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro Meeting does not allow anyone to enter a meeting room automatically. The host can approve or deny access to every participant.

Bottom line: Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro Meeting is a well constructed meeting tool for web conferences that are planned in advance.

Dimdim 5.5 Pro is a web-conferencing solution that supports both ad-hoc and scheduled online meetings.

The solution is limited to basic functionality only, limiting deployment scenarios. For example, the moderator can share his desktop screens with other attendees, but cannot give them keyboard and mouse control. What's more, there are no drawing or highlighting tools for use by moderators when sharing their desktops.

Instead of giving an onscreen presentation, moderators can upload documents to the Dimdim server and display these via Web browser. However, only documents in PowerPoint and PDF format can be imported.

Thanks to the use of browser technology, neither moderators nor participants have to install software applets locally. Moderators only have to install an applet if they want to share documents on their screens with meeting participants.

Bottom line: Dimdim 5.5 Pro is suitable for web meetings that focus on presenting documents or co-browsing on the Internet. Due to the limited scope of functionality, the solution is not so well suited for interactive virtual teamwork.

Version 3.0 of BeamYourScreen is a slim and easy-to-use approach to web conferencing and does not have to shy the comparison with the big players.

Installation and setup are easy and quick, a well-structured meeting planner is included, and high security standards round off the positive aspects of the solution.

The missing of a chat function and the minimum subscription duration of 12 months on the other hand bring down the overall score. Additionally the meeting protocols cannot be accessed directly through the meeting planner but rather require a login and an account.

Bottom line:
The range of functionalities and the structure provided are well-suited for an online meeting solution and make BeamYourScreen 3.0 a user-friendly tool.

InterCall boasts a large set of features and functionalities. The meeting host can make sure that the handling of the software is not too complex by defining individual settings per meeting, or by generally defining the set of functionalities he most frequently needs.

The host can easily plan a meeting via an Outlook add-on or on InterCall's online portal. In the online portal the host can also create and maintain his meeting calendar, create polls in advance, or browse the archive of his recorded web conferences - and these are only some exemplary features.

The Windows taskbar allows the host to start ad hoc meetings with one click. A bothersome detail is that after creating an ad hoc meeting you are asked to define what kind of phone conference will be needed and what the purpose of the web conference is, before the actual web meeting console opens.

When registering for a trial account the user should pay close attention to the region he selects, i.e. the region in which his company is located. If the "wrong" country is selected there can be complications. The information on the regions is located on the website's upper right. 

Bottom line: InterCall is a decent web conferencing solution, especially suited for meetings planned in advance.

Saba Centra for eMeetings offers an acceptable approach to web conferencing. A quick setup and the availability of the important basic functionalities, as well as their user-friendly arrangement, are a plus of the software.

The chat feature appears in a separate window during meetings, obstructing parts of the control panel and thus limiting the overall usability. The ability to chose the applications that are displayed in desktop sharing mode are a potentially positive feature. However, the use of this functionality is rather complicated.

Bottom line: Saba Centra for eMeetings covers most of the basic functionalities needed for online conferences. Due to the mentioned shortcomings and a missing transparency of pricing the software cannot be ranked higher.

IBM LotusLive Meeting is a web conferencing solution that offers a well sorted arrangement of functionalities. Operation of the software is very intuitive and the range of functionalities is ideal for interactive virtual team meetings.

Next to starting the software, the host has to start the meeting separately. Otherwise the other participants have no chance of logging in.

If the organizer decides to host a meeting on a PC he has two options: He can either import a presentation into the online room and then present it to the participants, or he can display selected applications or documents on his desktop. Meeting hosts with other operating systems cannot utilize the desktop-sharing functionality.

The integrated webcam functionality is generally a nice extra feature. Unfortunately, with IBM LotusLive Meeting only one webcam – that of the current presenter – can be displayed.

Bottom line: A good and easy to use solution for virtual meetings. Offers a wide range of functionalities and allows for interaction between the participants.

omNovia is suitable for ad-hoc and well-planned web conferences and allows the organizer to present previously uploaded documents, visualize ideas by using the whiteboard, or show movies.
While presenting documents, the moderator and the attendees can use annotation tools to highlight elements in the presentation.
To schedule a web conference and invite people, the moderator can use the Event Manager. This feature allows the moderator to set up invitation and reminder emails, and to define an event-specific registration process. The Event Manager is particularly suitable for formal web conferences - but a little too complicated for less formal meetings (e.g. with a virtual team). In this case, the moderator may want to install an Outlook plug-in to ease and speed up the scheduling process.
During our assessment we encountered difficulties in using the application and desktop-sharing functionalities. The application-sharing applet projector can only be installed on a Windows PC. Furthermore, the Magic Wand-feature allowed us to share only sub-regions of an application. Finally, sometimes we had problems in stopping the app-sharing feature and thus had to abort the feature by using the task manager on the PC.
By clicking on the respective name, the meeting organizer can grant attendees control to upload documents and use the whiteboard.
Finally, omNovia allows the moderator and the participants to show their webcam live. However, the video transmission minimizes the available space for presenting documents or viewing shared applications in your web browser. Therefore, we recommend users to reduce media richness to ensure readability and accessibility of shared documents.

Bottom line: omNovia is suitable for structured and well-planned web conferences which focus on one-to-many communication. The software lacks features for effective interactive teamwork and cannot score with user friendliness.

MegaMeeting Professional offers the most important functionalities for collaboration over the Internet, including a rapid display transfer rate.

The online conferencing solution can be integrated into Outlook and other programs via API. This feature enables quick meeting setup. Yet, mail programs cannot be accessed from the Online Meeting planner.

The handling of MegaMeeting is not always intuitive. E.g changes to the attendees’ administration rights must be made in a submenu and cannot be made via click on the attendees’ name. Also the numerous extra windows for features and communication are rather annoying than helpful.

Bottom line: MegaMeeting Professional is well-suited for online collaboration. The laborious handling and missing transparency in regards to pricing prohibit a better ranking.

GatherPlace features a limited set of functionalities, which makes for instant understanding of the tool. The web conferencing solution is intuitive in its usage and offers the meeting host all essential functionalities, such as screen sharing, switching of mouse and keyboard control, change of presenter, and recording of web conferences.

The tool offers an interesting feature which is unique among the most common web conferencing solutions. The meeting host can create sessions and save them as meeting master copies. These master copies can be used and re-used any time, which is extremely useful for regular meetings with the same set of attendees. The host can specify the type of meeting, who may participate, and which phone conference will be used. Unfortunately the host can not specify a date for a meeting or even schedule a recurring meeting.

Together with the invitation process, the scheduling of meetings is the weak point of GatherPlace. After creating a session or opening an existing one the host can invite attendees with the integrated email client. However, these invitation emails do not include a date for the meeting. This means that if the host does not want to have an ad hoc meeting he will have to take the following steps to invite attendees:

1. Create session
2. Copy the session to clipboard (functionality: "invite someone by instant messenger")
3. Open local mail client, create an appointment in calendar and send it to attendees

Bottom line: GatherPlace is a simple and easy-to-use web conferencing solution. Al the functionalities essential to web conferencing are included and well structured, so that the handling of the tool is intuitive.

With version 3.1 Fuze Meeting has improved its placement in our ranking of web conferencing solutions. Some significant changes have been implemented, including the "remote desktop control" functionality and the invitation process.

Fuze Meeting offers the host two basic options: He can either import documents into the virtual room and then present them to attendees, or he can present them directly from his desktop. The screen-sharing mode makes it possible to switch control of keyboard and mouse to participants, thus enabling them to work on a document together.

Setting up a web conference with Fuze Meeting happens through the solution's web portal. Version 3.1 allows the meeting host to invite attendees through his local email client, enabling him to access his local address list.

Unfortunately the host currently cannot distribute documents to participants through the web meeting console. Conducting polls is also not possible.

Bottom line: Fuze Meeting is developing into a web conferencing solution that is not only useful for the presentation of material but rather can be used for collaboration.

Netspoke's web interface is well-structured and makes the tool easy to use. The web conferencing solution offers the meeting host numerous features and functionalities, which makes Netspoke a tool that can be used for various types of conferences and web meetings. What also needs to be mentioned is that Netspoke is one of the few providers whose prices include a specific contigent of phone conferencing. Most vendors demand these expenses in addition to the licensing cost for the tool. But: Netspoke only publishes the pricing information on its American website.

Next to these positive aspects there are some weak spots to the solution which prevent Netspoke from entering our top ten. One of the weaknesses is that the web conferencing solution does not offer an Outlook integration, which makes the invitation process a bit tedious. Another one is the fact that the user cannot access Netspoke directly through the taskbar or his desktop. Rather, users have to log into the online portal to plan web meetings or initiate ad hoc conferences.

Bottom line: Netspoke is a web conferencing solution that offers intuitive usage. Yet, the invitation process is a bit complicated and the user cannot access a web meeting from his local desktop.

Elluminate vOffice is a web conferencing solution that originated from an eLearning environment. This becomes fairly obvious when looking at the range of functionalities offered. Nonetheless, this online meeting solution can also be utilized for virtual teamwork.

In Elluminate vOffice the organizer can create an online meeting room, which can be used anytime. However, simultaneous web meetings are not possible. The organizer can either invite the participants directly from the website or by providing the link to the virtual room with his or her local email client. What weighs in negatively is that participants of previous web meetings can enter the  meeting room any time, since no meeting ID is generated and the leader cannot create a password for a meeting.

On the plus side Elluminate vOffice has integrated VoIP. So there is no need for participants to dial into a telephone conference.

Bottom line: The software is a good solution for teamwork. The sheer amount of features offered makes the usability a bit awkward, though. Also the leader has next to no options to make attendance meeting-specific or denying access to a meeting.

we:presenter is a solution being suitable for virtual project coordination and virtual team work. The tool provides functions to support effective team work as follows:

• Brainstorming: integrated forum platform on which ideas can be published and scored by all participants
• Breakout rooms: teams can be split up in sub-groups using breakout rooms to work on specific tasks; this feature supports the concepts of dialectical inquiry or devil's advocate for effective team work in a virtual environment
• Team room: documents, which are relevant for the team can be posted in the "team room" and hence, all participants can access these documents

The rather complicated multi-stage invitation process that is not integrated in the local email client is a shortcoming of this tool.

Bottom line: we:presenter is appropriate for recurring virtual team meetings or online trainings.

The browser-based web conferencing solution ReadyTalk is easily and intuitively to use. The functionality and structure of the tool are similar to the web conferencing solution provided by Digital Meeting.
Meetings can either be started ad hoc or planned and scheduled well in advance. After every meeting the host receives a reporting that includes an overview of all participants as well as a protocol of the chat communication during the meeting. In desktop sharing mode the host cannot hide the own desktop.
 A ReadyTalk scheduler can be integrated into Microsoft Outlook, but not into Outlook Express.

Bottom line: What makes ReadyTalk attractive is the ease of use. The web conferencing solution offers the basic functionalities. However, here and there the user would appreciate an extra feature such as the possibility to exchange data or secure desktop mode. ReadyTalk is a bit too minimalistic and cannot be seriously compared to top ranked online meeting solutions.

Spreed web meeting is available free or in a variety of licensed packages. The free edition supports up to three attendees with a maximum meeting length of 90 minutes. The solution is platform-independent and runs under Windows, Linux and Mac OS X.

The moderator can grant an attendee moderator privileges at any time. These allow the attendee to import presentations and display his or her screen to other participants.

During our tests we noticed that the Mmeting planning functionality is not integrated with the local e-mail client, so the meeting organiser has to maintain a separate address book to invite attendees.

On the positive side, Web meeting attendees can open and share multiple whiteboards and mind maps. Content can be saved locally (pdf or mm format).

Bottom line: Because of the restrictions on meeting duration and number of attendees, the free Web conference solution is not recommended. The licensed edition can be used for online presentations with imported documents and for brainstorming meetings using whiteboards or mind maps, but not for working jointly on documents located on an attendee's local PC.

Voxwire offers all functionalities essential to web conferencing, but unfortunately the use of those functionalities is not very intuitive. We were especially disappointed by the following test results:

• If the host wants to do a presentation in a virtual room he has to go through a three-step-process.
• If the host wants to activate application sharing he has to install a software, which is a common practice. However Voxwire demands that the host closes his browser after the installation, which means he has to leave the meeting and reenter again.
• It remains unclear how one can actually end a meeting. The easiest and most intuitive way is naturally closing the browser window. However, if the host does this the meeting still continues for the other participants.

Bottom line: Voxwire offers the basic functionalities needed in an online collaboration solution. The usage of the software is not very intuitive, though. It seems as if the tool had been left unfinished by the developers.

Fastviewer is a web conference solution that easily enables users to conduct ad-hoc web meetings.
The solution offers you all the basic features you need for collaborating online.
A telephone conference service is integrated in the solution. However, the service provider offers only dial-in numbers for Germany, Austria and Switzerland. 
Bottom line: fastviewer could be used for  virtual team meetings.

TeamViewer 5.0 is a web conferencing solution that allows for easy setup and conducting of ad hoc online meetings. In comparison to version 4.0 the number of functionalities has been increased, e.g. by including VoIP and video.

Which functionalities can actually be utilized depends on the approach of the host and the participants. If participants log in through their web browser they cannot present their own desktop. Additionally, in that scenario the user menu is rather complicated and makes the usage less intuitive.

Bottom line: TeamViewer 5.0 is a good tool for ad hoc web conferences with few participants, if no change of the presenter role is required.

VIA3 Professional focuses on online meetings within the VIA3 network. This leads to excellent usability within the network, on the other hand meetings with external contacts need preparation time since all prospective attendees must at least open a VIA3 account.

The tool is easy to use with minor constraints and offers an appropriate choice of functionalities. The so-called ‘Launch Pad’ and the meeting tool itself are well-arranged, the icons are self-explanatory and make the software easy to use without having to consult handbooks or plow through FAQs.

Marking-tools cannot be used in desktop-sharing mode and the switching of mouse and keyboard control is rather hard to find in this mode.

Bottom line: VIA3 is an easy to use web conferencing solution. The proprietary approach to online meetings  is a major restriction since all users must be within the VIA3 network.

Vyew offers a free Web conferencing solution for up to 20 participants. With this free version, advertising banners are shown on the user console.

Vyew provides the user with two basic alternatives: either the moderator imports a document that is presented during the web meeting or he presents his desktop with all the open applications. With the first alternative the moderator and participants can mark the document with comments - but not edit it. With the second alternative only the user whose desktop is released can edit the documents as the mouse and keyboard control cannot be transferred.

Vyew is not integrated with Outlook and therefore requires e-mail contact addresses to be added manually when inviting participants to a meeting.

Bottom line: The solution is only suitable for presentations that focus on "one-way" communication - but not for joint cooperation.

The web conferencing solution offered with InstantPresenter reflects a thoroughly and well-planned structure. This assessment is reflected best by the tool’s account manager, which allows for intuitive usage. With the account manager meeting hosts can schedule, prepare, and start a meeting. The optional registration form for attendees serves two purposes: On the one hand it increases security and is an additional aid for meeting reports. On the other hand the feature makes InstantPresenter an ideal tool for webinars, which actually is the main focus of the software.

The weaknesses of InstantPresenter come to light when using desktop-sharing mode. Control of mouse or keyboard cannot be transferred during a meeting and using only selected applications is also not possible. As far as the process of inviting attendees is concerned, InstantPresenter lacks the option of overall integration into local email clients.

Bottom line: The focus of the offered functionalities reveal that InstantPresenter is a tool created primarily for webinars. In areas that are essential to web conferencing, such as desktop sharing and integration into local email clients, the software does not measure up to the standards set by the competitors.

The web conferencing solution AT&T Connect offers all the essential functionalities needed to plan a meeting and hold it. If the host decides to show a presentation he can either import it and show it to the attendees on the virtual room, or he can simply share his screen and start the presentation on his local PC.

Usage is not always intuitive - especially for new users. This is basically due to the arrangement of the menu which is spread over multiple horizontal and vertical levels. So new users should set some time aside to get familiar with the tool.

Next to this flaw in usability we noticed two other soft spots during our tests:

1. Even though AT&T offers its web conferencing solution to customers outside the US, you can only register for a test account by providing a US phone number.
2. AT&T also does not offer information on pricing and licensing models on the website.

The tool does not create a meeting-specific ID when the host schedules a web conference. As a consequence anybody who knows the URL for a meeting room could log in to a meeting, even if not invited. The host can avoid this risk by locking the meeting room as soon as all invited attendees are present.

Bottom line: AT&T offers the essential functionalities of a web conferencing solution. The software requires patience from the user, though, when registering for a test account or when learning how to use the tool.

At first glance the iLinc interface looks tidy and offers many useful features. Unfortunately, the handling of the web conferencing tool is not very intuitive. This especially makes the first couple of sessions a rather tedious experience.
Many of the icons irritate the user more than they are helpful. E.g. the icon to leave desktop sharing mode is a red dot – easily to confuse with a ‚record’ function.
iLinc has integrated audio- (VoIP) and video next to the actual web conferencing functionality. The tool can either be used with pay-per-use, a monthly flatrate, or by purchasing the software. As an additional feature iLinc offers a „greenmeter“, which displays the amount of CO2-emissions saved by each online meeting.

Bottom line:  Many functions are slow in loading and the handling of the tool is not intuitive, which spoils the fun of web conferencing, even though many good and useful features are offered.

Bridgit Conferencing is simple and puristic web meeting, which is only suitable for ad-hoc meetings because invitation emails containing the unique meeting ID can only be sent after launching the meeting.

During our assessment we encountered time delays in transmitting the moderator's screen to the participants' PC. Moreover, the organizer has only limited control over the meeting because participants can start sharing their screens - without any coordination by the moderator. A further point - Bridgit Conferencing only runs under Windows.

Bottom line: The solution is appropriate for ad-hoc meetings but we cannot recommend the solution for professional use.

WebHuddle is a free solution that only has a very limited range of functions and in our tests was only graded as "poor". The reasons for the poor grade include:

• In shared applications the images transferred only had poor picture quality.
• Keyboard and mouse control cannot be transferred to the participants so only the moderator can edit the open applications/documents.
• The integrated VoIP solution was not persuasive as the participants could hear echoes and sometimes the sentences were not transferred in full but rather only as broken words.

Bottom line: We cannot recommend these solutions for professional use.

The web conferencing solution provided by Glance only offers a small range of functions. Features that enable interaction between participants, such as chat, polls, whiteboards, or tools for marking documents and desktop items are not included in the conferencing solution.

Additionally, meetings can merely be secured with a meeting-specific ID and it is not possible to transfer data 128-bit SSL encoded.

Bottom line: The software provides easy access to desktop sharing. The cost of use ranges with that of the top tools, which is not even nearly justified by Glance’s functionalities.

iVocalize is a solution with a very limited range of functions. The greatest deficit of the solution is that it is not possible to share applications or the desktop. This means that meeting participants can only view previously imported presentations or websites opened in the browser. The content of the imported presentations cannot be changed as the individual slides are shown as images.

When the moderator ends the meeting, the web meeting of the other participants does not end automatically - rather the participants can still scroll through the presentation used.

Bottom line: iVocalize is not suited to interactive, virtual teamwork nor to customer presentations.

"pcvisit WorkTogether" is the successor of "pcvisit 4 Business Meetings" and has some improvements in store. E.g. VoIP has been included in the service. he performance of the software has also improved when it comes to allowing access to specific applications.

Despite the improvements "pcvisit WorkTogether" cannot compete with the top 10 solutions, since there remain some significant weak spots:

• There is no integrated invitation process and it is thus not possible to schedule meetings in advance. This means that the host has to start the application before he can provide the attendees with the meeting-ID.
• No possibility to mark documents.
• The chat function is not included in the central control panel but in a separate pop-up window.

Bottom line: pcvisit WorkTogether is only applicabel to internal, ad-hoc online meetings.

First and foremost, drop.io is a tool that allows you to exchange, present, and store data and documents. In comparison to other tools we tested, drop.io lacks the ability of desktop sharing and video conferencing.

Any user can create a new drop with only two clicks on drop.io’s website. This newly created platform is then accessible with any internet browser under http://drop.io/xxx. In the administrative section of the drop, settings pertaining to password security and the administrative rights of users can be handled. Depending on these settings every guest can upload documents directly onto the platform or attach the documents to an email to the drop address xxx@drop.io. Documents with a combined total of 100 MB can be stored in a drop in the cost-free version.

drop.io is not integrated into an email client, which means that the administrator must write invitations himself and provide guests with the information they need in order to join. However, guests can automatically be invited via Facebook. As an additional feature, information about updates can be obtained via email, RSS, SMS, Twitter, and Facebook.

Bottom line: drop.io’s major advantage is the ease of data exchange and the simplicity of implementation. The deficits weigh in heavily though. Difficulties regarding collaboration an the partly non-intuitive and complicated overall handling of the service keep drop.io from being compared to the top services in the field of web conferencing.

Microsoft's Web conferencing solution, NetMeeting, is included free with Windows operating systems (Windows XP or earlier). In contrast to other Web-conferencing solutions, this tool must be installed locally on the user's PC.

Microsoft recommends Microsoft Office Live Meeting - tested fully by us and included in our comparison for small and medium-sized companies. Individuals are advised to use Windows Meeting Space.

NetMeeting is unsuitable for interactive online meetings, primarily for the following reasons:

• The role of presenter cannot be passed on to other attendees
• Control of keyboard/mouse cannot be transferred to all participants
• There is no integrated invitation mechanism
• It lacks mark-up tools (for highlighting information in documents during a presentation)

Microsoft has discontinued development of this solution. It is not included with Vista, the latest Windows operating system. As a result, we have not included NetMeeting in our comparison.