Businesses are turning to video call and conference calls now more than ever. Jitsi has long been one of the solutions people consider when building live because of its low barrier to entry. The SDK is open source, making it very economical for users to get started.
However, many seek alternatives to Jitsi after integrating it into their apps since it offers a limited feature set, no collaborative elements, lacks support and has unreliable call quality.
And that's exactly what we talk about in this blog post. We review the nine best Jitsi alternatives available in 2024, so you can decide which suits your business needs. We'll explore each platform in-depth, from features and pricing to pros and cons.
Why look for a Jitsi Alternative?
Jitsi is a popular open-source video conferencing platform, but here are some of the limitations for Jitsi.
- Limited Scalability: While suitable for small to medium-sized meetings, Jitsi can face challenges in larger-scale deployments with hundreds of participants. Scaling it for such scenarios can be complex and resource-intensive.
- Security Concerns: Jitsi does consider privacy and security, but it's not immune to vulnerabilities. Regular updates and additional security measures may be necessary, especially for sensitive meetings.
- UI Challenges: Some users find Jitsi's user interface less polished or intuitive compared to commercial alternatives, potentially impacting ease of use, especially for less tech-savvy individuals.
- Lack of Advanced Features: Jitsi offers basic video conferencing features but may lack advanced capabilities such as Support for Multiple Audio I/O, Media Player, in-depth reporting, etc.
- Documentation and Support: While there is community support and documentation available for Jitsi, it may not be as comprehensive or easily accessible as support provided by commercial vendors. Users might rely on forums and online resources for troubleshooting.
- Server Management: Self-hosting Jitsi requires server infrastructure management, which could be a drawback for organizations lacking the technical expertise or developer bandwidth.
Now that we've discussed, why would someone building scalable, user friendly and secure video interaction look for an alternative to Jitsi meet, let's learn what to look for in a Jitsi Alternative.
What to Look for in an Alternative to Jitsi?
When it comes to choosing an alternative for Jitsi, you have a lot of options. You want something that offers reliable video conferencing capabilities, user-friendly features, and customization options. Here are some things to look out for when selecting an alternative:
- Customization - How easily can you create a UI that resonates with your brand? Do you need to code it from scratch, or does the tool offer a no-code way of building it? Does the tool provider offer any sample applications or code that you can use as a base when creating your app? Look to understand these questions.
- Support - See how quickly the support team is replying. Do they offer 24*7 support? See if they are available on the platform of your choice (Slack, call, chatbot, etc.).
- Compatibility - Ensure you can integrate the SDK across all devices, such as mobile phones, tablets, laptops, desktops, etc. This will ensure an easier time for the developers when building live and allow for smooth communication between participants without technical glitches or lag time.
- Security & Privacy - Ensure the product complies with any safety and privacy standards you need. Look for encryption, authentication, and data protection measures.
By weighing up the different features available in Jitsi alternative video conferencing tools, you can ensure you are making the right choice for your unique needs. With these factors in mind, you can find an alternative to Jitsi that checks all your boxes.
The 9 Best Jitsi Alternatives
Now that we've assessed Jitsi's limitations and what to look for in a Jitsi alternative, let's checkout top 9 Jitsi Alternatives including Dyte, Zoom Video SDK, Agora, Twilio, Tokbox [OpenTok], Daily, AWS Chime, Whereby and Mux.
Let's talk discuss and compare features, limitiations and pricing for each of these Jitsi competitors.
- Dyte
- Zoom Video SDK
- Agora
- Twilio
- Tokbox
- Daily
- AWS Chime
- Whereby
- Mux
Let's have a detailed look at the features that each product has to offer.
Dyte
Dyte is a video SDK platform designed to help organizations of all sizes quickly add high-quality live video into their applications. Dyte makes it easy to customize the live video experience with its UI kit and offers a jitter-free calling experience with built-in tools like auto-track management and smart bandwidth switching. The SDK provides 10,000 free minutes every month — so you can try out the complete product free of cost.
Pros
- The video conferencing SDK offers many collaborative features like chat, reactions, polls, and file sharing out of the box.
- The tool offers open APIs, which makes it easy to embed.
- It offers detailed analytics on video call metrics.
- It lets you do cross-platform streaming across YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, and more with RTMP built-in the platform.
- Participants have almost no voice and video lag, so they may readily communicate with one another.
Cons
- Not intended to consistently stream to big audiences [1000+] on WebRTC alone. However, the Dyte team is still working on upgrading this minor drawback. For now, you can simply move users to an HLS environment and host 10,000+ concurrent users.
Dyte pricing
- 10,000 free minutes every month
- $0.001/min/user for Voice Conferencing
- $0.004/min/user for Video Conferencing
Dyte is known for its ease of use, customer support, features, pricing, and community. With Dyte, you can be sure of a flexible streaming solution tailored to your needs and budget, with excellent customer support if any issues arise. Get the most out of your live streams today. Dyte offers secure streaming and encryption, ensuring your content is safe and private. For tailored pricing get in touch with our Product Team or start building with 10,000 free credits.
Zoom Video SDK
Zoom Video SDK is a platform that allows businesses to add video call functionality to their applications. From one-on-one meetings to large-scale conferences, Zoom Video SDK offers many features needed to create an engaging and interactive video experience.
With support for both iOS and Android platforms, you can deploy your app across any device or platform. The APIs allow developers to create custom functionality and integrate with existing systems — giving you control over your application's design and implementation.
Pros
- Host up to 1,000 co-hosts/participants per session
- The platform supports seven major languages and offers an open translation extensibility feature, enabling any application to expand internationally and enhance the user experience.
- Stream your meetings on Facebook.
Cons
- No interactive features
- Limited customization to the live video
- The SDK can only manage the predetermined roles of the host and participant
- Laggard support can take over 48 hours to solve queries
Zoom SDK pricing
- 10,000 minutes free every month
- $0.0035/user/min for Video Conferencing
- Recordings $100 per month for 1 TB of storage
- Telephony at $100 per month
Checkout the detailed feature comparison for Zoom vs Jitsi.
Also, learn more about Zoom Video SDK pricing in a detailed blog
Agora
Agora is a provider of a real-time engagement platform as a service. The SDK provider wants to allow anybody to communicate with anyone, in any application, at any time, and from any location. Agora's platform provides developers with APIs to embed real-time video and voice engagement experiences into their products.
Pros
- Agora Video SDK offers a high degree of customization
- Each call can support 250 participants
Cons
- Its low-level nature makes it hard to get familiar
- The pricing structure can be complex and unsuitable for businesses with limited budgets
- Very lacking support
- Need to utilize multiple SDKs [video, stream, chat, and more] even if you just want to make a simple live video app
- Need to code in network degradation scenarios manually
Agora pricing
- $0.0009 /min/user for Voice Conferencing
- $0.0039 /min/user for HD Video Conferencing
- $0.0089 /min/user for Full HD Video Conferencing
If you're interested in delving deeper, we've written a comprehensive article on Agora pricing. Also, check out in-depth analysis for Agora v/s Jitsi.
Twilio Video
Twilio Video SDK is a cloud-based communication platform that enables developers to build custom video calls in their applications. It provides various features such as video calling, screen sharing, and recording.
In addition, Twilio also offers services like phone numbers and SMS automation so you can get up and running in no time. From startups to Fortune 500s, Twilio helps developers bring their ideas to life.
Pros
- Twilio Video SDK is designed to integrate easily with any web or mobile application
- The highly scalable platform allows applications to handle thousands of users without issues
- Twilio Video SDK works seamlessly across multiple platforms, including web, iOS, Android, and React Native
- It has a dashboard to track and analyze the errors
Cons
- Supports 50 viewers within a call
- It doesn't offer plugins for ease of product development
- It is very basic and only provides live video — no interactive elements like chat/reactions
- Pricing is very complex to calculate on your own
Twilio Video pricing
- $0.004/min/user for Video Conferencing
- Recordings cost $0.004/min
- Recording compositions at $0.01/mins
Learn more about Twilio Video pricing
If you haven't yet heard, Twilio is soon rolling back Twilio Video. So, in case you are looking for a Twilio Video alternative, checkout Dyte. Here's a guide to migrating from Twilio video to Dyte.
TokBox
Tokbox is a web-based real-time communications SDK that enables you to create a platform to help users to connect, collaborate, and communicate through real-time video, voice, and text chat.
The platform offers screen sharing, recording sessions, and secure messaging capabilities.
Pros:
- It does not require you to install an application to use it, but for mobile, we have installed an app.
- The SDK is compatible with various platforms, including mobile and web, making building applications for multiple devices easy.
- It encrypts voice, video, and signaling traffic using AES-128 or AES-256 encryption.
Cons:
- The platform doesn't take care of the live video backend, leaving you to invest resources in building edge case management capabilities.
- It only supports 55 participants per call.
- The company offers chat-based support that can take 72 hours to respond to your request.
TokBox pricing:
- Plans start at $9.99/month, with 2,000 minutes included in all plans.
- $ 0.00395/min/user after the 2,000 minutes are consumed.
Learn more about Tokbox pricing
Daily
Daily is a live video SDK that enables developers to build scalable real-time video and live streaming in their apps.
Daily provides two primary options for building real-time video and audio calls. The first is to utilize Daily Client SDKs, which allow for creating customized user interfaces by interacting with Daily's core APIs. The second is Daily Prebuilt, an embeddable video chat widget that can be integrated into any web application with just a few lines of code.
Pros
- Offers collaborative features like HD screen sharing, breakout rooms, raise a hand, live transcription, and whiteboard
- Allows you to host interactive real-time calls with 1,000 people
- Access logs around the event and media quality metrics from every client in every session
Cons
- Limited customization options
- The project's mobile SDKs are still in beta, so it's uncertain how they will evolve and whether they can solve your use cases.
- Support may take up to 72 hours to resolve your issues.
- The tool can't manage users' live video interactions on its own. You need to add publish-subscribe logic to it.
- The platform lacks edge case management capabilities.
Daily pricing
- 10,000 free minutes refreshed per month
- $0.004/min/user for video calls
- $0.00099/min/user for audio calls
- $0.0012/min/user for streaming
AWS Chime
AWS Chime is an online video call SDK from Amazon. It enables you to host your meetings online with up to 250 people. Focused on business users, Amazon Chime SDK allows users to join from any device, chat with others on the call, share their screen, and record the calls for later use. AWS Chime also provides end-to-end encryption.
Pros
- It lets you conduct and attend online meetings with HD video/audio
- It offers collaborative features like screen-sharing, remote desktop control, and individual/group text-based chats
- It can host team meetings of up to 250 participants
Cons
- The platform solely permits recording audio content in .m4a format and doesn't provide an option to record attendees.
- Additionally, session analytics are only available with the expensive enterprise plan.
- Furthermore, the platform lacks edge case management capabilities, which may require additional effort.
Amazon Chime pricing
- Free tier: Includes 1-on-1 audio & video calls and group chat
- Plus tier: $2.50/user/month
- Pro tier: $15/user/month
Whereby
Whereby is video conferencing SDK that helps you integrate add video and audio chat to your web and mobile applications. The Whereby Video SDK provides a simple and customizable way for developers to integrate video communication into their apps without extensive technical knowledge.
With the SDK platform, you get control over the different UI elements of your live video experience – from custom backgrounds to screen-sharing capabilities.
Pros
- Fast and simple to use, perfect for drop-in call
- No third-party app to install on the computer
- Easy to create a "room" and invite guests to it and have a good quality video call
Cons
- Issues with dropping off
- Slows down the meeting
- Switching between small and big rooms can be confusing
- It only offers a basic set of collaborative features
Whereby Pricing
- Free: free with up to 4 participants and 1 room
- Pro: $9.99/month for 2,000 participant minutes and then pay $0.004 per additional minute.
- Grow: Get in touch with the sales team for information
Checkout an in-depth analysis for Whereby vs Jitsi
Mux
Using the Mux API, developers can integrate live and on-demand video features into their applications. This tool facilitates the broadcasting of real-time sessions to millions of viewers through live streaming, followed by an immediate on-demand version after the session.
Pros
- Supports web, iOS, and Android SDKs
- In a webRTC environment, each call allows for the participation of up to 100 individuals with their video turned on in real-time.
- Open APIs
- Volume discounts
Cons
- There is no built-in assistance available to manage interruptions during a video call.
- No inbuilt collaborative features
- No support for plugins
- No prebuilt apps or UI — you need to build it from scratch
- No interactive features built-in; you need to integrate another SDK for this
Mux Pricing
- One-time $20 in credits for new sign-ups
- $0.004/min for real-time video
- $0.04/min for encoding
- $0.003/min for storage
- $0.0012/min for streaming
Final Verdict
Choosing the right video conferencing tool isn't always easy, but we hope this guide helped you get a direction for figuring out the best Jitsi alternative for you.
We would nudge you to consider Dyte because, unlike Jitsi, Dyte actually allows you to create live experiences in under 10 minutes and get 24*7 support for ongoing support.
Don't believe us? Check out Dyte's Quickstart guide and explore the sample apps built on top of Dyte.
Start building!
