Senior author, Open Source enthusiast.

Saturday, January 30, 2021 at 19:51

List of Free, Open Source Video Call Alternatives (Jitsi, Mattermost)

What is your choice after switching from Zoom? You should choose Free Libre Open Source Software solutions like mentioned in this article. This list offers you choices of video call platform which are accessible using both computer & phone, free at no cost access, and also do not require you to install app. I wish this list helps every student, teacher, school, and university in the world. Please help me share!

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Forewords

I teach computer course in Indonesia with Telegram as the classroom and Jitsi as the video conferencing. I present this list for everyone who need the best video calls and as always they are free software, free services. This is motivated a lot by my #Messengers poll at Mastodon in general, then my #BetterThanZoom post, and a member of FSF India in particular (thank you all friends who have been participated).

(Better Than Zoom | This attracts so many people at Mastodon | Important: the correct RocketChat address should be https://rocket.chat)

1. Jitsi

“More secure, more flexible, and completely free video conferencing” - the best conferencing I use in my classroom that is the easiest for everyone to join and just work. No signup needed. There are a lot of Jitsi servers which can be accessed for free (gratis). Where to join? Official instance (recommended, no limits) | Framasoft Jitsis | LibreHost Jitsis.

2. BigBlueButton

“Engage Your Online Students” - widely used in schools and has integration with learning platforms like Moodle, it is the crystal clear voice and video conferencing BBB. It features share screen, whiteboard, and file sharing. Registration needed. Where to join? Official instance (recommended (60 min. limit)) | Framasoft BBBs | LibreHost BBBs.

3. Element

“Element is a messenger and collaboration app.” - the full featured federated messenger with video conference, file sharing, and screen sharing ability. It is built on a network called Matrix. Where to join? Official instance (recommended, available in all devices).

4. Movim

“The universal messaging standard” - Movim is a web based Xmpp, with full featured social networking with voice and video call as well as whiteboard, file sharing & screen sharing aside from groups and channels (similar to Telegram) which can be used in education. Registration required, but phone number or email not required. Where to join? Movim (recommended).

5. Mattermost

“Mattermost is a high trust, open source collaboration platform built for developers.” - it is the enterprise grade, full featured Slack alternative with voice and video conferences. Registration required. Where to join? Official instance.

6. Rocket Chat

“The ultimate communication platform.” - a professional grade group communication suite with voice and video conference (Jitsi) features. It is proud to be Zoom alternative. It requires registration for both organizer and participants. Where to join? Official instance.

7. P2P Chat

“No-nonsense video calls. No logins. No tracking. Free forever.” - a peer to peer video conferencing via web browser. Very easy to use. Can be used for desktop and phone. No screen sharing at the moment. Where to join? Official instance.

Note: if you know programming, please consider to help the development.

8. Nextcloud Talk

"Screensharing, online meetings & web conferencing without data leaks." - the professional server storage and communication solution. Registration required for both organizer and participants. Where to join? Official choices.

Worth Mentioning

There are other alternatives which are seriously capable in voice and video calls mentioned below. All available in all major operating systems.

Jami – an official part of GNU Operating System, serverless communication with group chat and crystal clear video conferences capability. See our Jami Tutorial.

OBS – Open Broadcaster Software is a magic used by Free Software Foundation to stream international video conferences with the ability to combine multiple of your apps screens at once.

OpenMeetings – similar video call solution like Jitsi from the infamous Apache Foundation rich of features.

Afterwords

That's all. There are still many other choices like Signal or Threema so I suggest you to see my Mastodon poll What is your choice?. Finally, I wish this list helped you find your best conferencing.