RingCentral vs Zoom: Which is Best in 2023?
It’s pretty tough to imagine the modern workplace without video conferencing calls, online meetings, and remote conferences.
No wonder so many software tools exist to capture this market share.
The top two video conferencing software tools are Zoom and RingCentral.
But which of them takes the top spot?
That’s what I’m going to explore in this post today.
In this post, I’ll give you a detailed comparison of each tool and how it might apply to your business.
Let’s get started with this detailed comparison of RingCentral vs. Zoom.
RingCentral vs. Zoom: Overview
Before comparing RingCentral vs. Zoom, let’s take some time to understand each company and product.
What is RingCentral?
When it comes to long-distance communication and video conferencing, RingCentral is one of the market leaders.
The company offers businesses cloud-based communication and messaging solutions, ranging from video conferencing to screen-sharing tools.
RingCentral was started in 1999 by Vlad Vendrow and Vlad Shmunis and has emerged as an expert in this space.
The company offers services such as VoIP, Fax, and PBX systems for large and small businesses.
Although I’ll be talking primarily about the brand’s video conferencing solutions, it offers much more than that.
Several products are under the RingCentral brand, such as RingCentral Meetings, RingCentral Office, and their latest acquisition: Glip.
Some Key Features Of RingCentral’s Video Communications Solutions Include:
- Multiple Participants: RingCentral’s video solutions allow you to invite up to 200 participants
- Superb Clarity: Lets you experience fully HD audio and video
- Comprehensive Security: Password-protected meetings that prevent unauthorized access
- Ease of Use: Simple and intuitive meeting setup
- Global Coverage: Presence in more than 80 countries all over the world
What is Zoom?
Zoom needs minimal introduction in today’s world, where web conferencing has become part and parcel of work.
It’s a cloud-based team communication tool that small and medium businesses and large corporations use.
Apart from video calling, the company has launched Zoom Phone, Zoom Rooms, and Zoom Video Webinars.
It’s also prevalent worldwide for holding online classes and real-time training and onboarding.
As a platform, Zoom is very easy to use and flexible.
You can use it to start business communications within seconds.
It has several other features, such as file sharing, remote access, and real-time editing.
Some Key Features That Zoom Offers Include:
- Global Coverage: Audio and video calls all over the world
- Detailed Analytics: Reports and after-meetings analytics that reveals essential insights
- Multiple Integrations: Easily integrates with crucial apps such as Slack and Gmail
- Recording Features: Screen capture as well as session recording
- High Clarity: Clear audio and video reception
In a nutshell, both apps are great for video meetings, but I’ve found that their focus is slightly different.
While RingCentral focuses on providing unified communications solutions based on its internet protocol ecosystem, Zoom is more concerned with quick video and audio meetings.
Another difference is that all participants must download and install the app to use Zoom.
In the case of RingCentral, only the host needs to download the app, and the other attendees can join via any browser, such as Chrome.
If you feel that RingCentral or Zoom isn’t quite the right video conferencing tool for you, check out my Zoom alternatives post.
RingCentral vs. Zoom: Pros and Cons
When you’re looking for the best HD video tool, then there are a lot of complementary and conflicting features that you have to consider.
After all, each platform has so many features that it can get somewhat mind-boggling.
To help you overcome this confusion, here’s a quick breakup of the pros and cons of each.
RingCentral Pros And Cons.
Pros:
- High video quality
- Easy and intuitive interface
- Easily make switches between mobile and desktop
- Excellent messaging features, including GIFs, emojis, and memes
- Easily scalable
- Unlimited domestic calling
- Focus on internal and external communications
- Unlimited storage
- Document sharing
- Multiple invitation channels
- Advanced features and integration with apps like Google Workspace, Microsoft Office 365, and Microsoft Teams
- Single-click group chats
- Fully customizable dark mode
Cons:
- Too many updates
- Multiple products can get confusing
Zoom Pros And Cons.
Pros:
- High-quality video
- On-site as well as cloud recording of phone calls
- Easy group video call and conferencing features
- Single-click meeting creation
- Dedicated Zoom Meetings hardware in the form of Zoom Rooms
- Dedicated customer support
- Extreme ease of use
- Support for a large number of participants
- Smooth integration with third-party apps such as Google Calendar
Cons:
- A large number of subscriptions and add-ons
- The need to download and install the app
RingCentral vs. Zoom: Comparison
Now that you know the basics about RingCentral and Zoom and clearly understand each platform let’s compare each according to its significant features.
I’ll cover the essential aspects of both platforms here.
Before starting the comparison, let’s clarify: Zoom and RingCentral have multiple products for facilitating team communication.
I’ve compared Zoom Meetings with RingCentral Meetings and Glip to keep the comparison at par.
Another reason for focusing on Glip is that it’s an apples-to-oranges comparison when comparing Zoom with RingCentral Meetings or RingCentral Office.
Glip and Zoom Meetings, on the other hand, are both dedicated to video meetings and can be compared.
1. Video Conferencing Call Quality
RingCentral boasts a nearly 100% uptime, and you’ll seldom find the service glitching.
With HD video calls at 30fps and dynamic resolutions, you’ll get that face-to-face feeling that comes with an actual meeting.
Along with the above, RingCentral allows you to test the live stream before starting the meeting.
Your connection is stable, and you don’t struggle with maintaining communications.
Another aspect of the RingCentral app I like is its multiple screen views, including draggable and adjustable screens, active speakers, and galleries.
It even provides tools for reducing background noise to enhance the audio experience.
Like the RingCentral video app, Zoom offers high-quality 30fps video and multiple screen views.
However, the one respect where Zoom has an advantage over RingCentral is that it can show up to 49 active screens, whereas RingCentral supports just 16.
The Zoom app lets you apply multiple video filters that enhance your appearance on video.
You can even adjust the video quality based on the ambient lighting.
Zoom and RingCentral let you use virtual backgrounds such as a company logo or custom wallpaper.
Winner: Zoom
While both apps offer similar capabilities, Zoom has the edge over RingCentral because it provides a more significant number of simultaneous meeting screens.
It’s also more customizable as it provides video filters and ambient lighting modifications.
2. Scheduled Meetings
Zoom and RingCentral are again comparable when it comes to scheduling meetings.
Both services let you switch easily from chat messages to video conferencing.
You can use either the iOS or Android mobile app or the web app for Zoom.
You can also schedule meetings from these apps if you’ve integrated Zoom with Google Calendar or Outlook.
It all depends on the plan you’re subscribed to and your permission level in the app ecosystem.
After you’ve scheduled the Zoom meeting, you can protect it using a password.
You can also name and topically categorize the meeting and generate a meeting ID to share with other participants.
Using Zoom, you can set up meetings to be one-time affairs or even recurring ones. For alerting participants, you get to use email or push notifications.
If you’re using RingCentral Glip, the functionalities are similar in that it also lets you schedule meetings from the app and other calendar integrations.
Glip even incorporates a dedicated calendar that you can use to keep track of meetings.
Winner: RingCentral
Regarding scheduling, RingCentral’s Glip has the edge over Zoom with its native calendar.
It lets you create teamwise events, automatically link to every participant’s calendar, and even color-code the meetings.
3. Collaboration During Video Meetings
RingCentral and Zoom are team collaboration solutions, and each app provides several features to facilitate smooth team communication.
A. Zoom Collaboration Features
Zoom’s integrated team chatting tool lets you send direct and team-wide messages.
Zoom lets you use social media features such as mentions and tags.
You can also share screen captures, use emojis and upload files, all from the comfort of your chatbox.
From presentations to spreadsheets, Zoom supports it all.
Your chats are automatically synced if you use the Zoom smartphone app on multiple devices.
You can also search your chat histories and mark important channels and contacts to locate them quickly.
Users also get a presence indicator that lets them know the exact status of all team members.
You can share ideas using the virtual whiteboard and use unique features such as remote access and a pass presenter.
All this makes Zoom ideal for webinars and training.
Finally, Zoom’s screen-sharing features are one aspect that exceeds the competition.
Participants in a Zoom meeting can share a view of individual windows or the entire desktop.
Screens can be shared side-by-side, along with detailed annotations.
Overall, Zoom takes every measure to ensure that you and your team members are on the same page every step of the way.
B. RingCentral Collaboration Features
RingCentral’s Office package offers messaging, video calls, and a business phone system.
Glip, dedicated to video calls and meetings, provides screen sharing and remote access functionality.
Its chat tool is similar to Zoom’s in terms of usability and supports private and public messages.
You can also create message threads and search past messages for retrospective communication.
RingCentral Glip makes team creation possible both before and during video calls.
It also lets you share and store files through a Google Drive integration.
As a result, you can access all essential project documents from a single interface.
The RingCentral app offers a note-taking tool, which is immensely useful, especially for longer meetings.
The tool lets users see past messages and shared notes and even share notes from their accounts.
Another aspect where RingCentral’s Glip has the edge over Zoom is its built-in task management feature.
Using it, you can create, assign and track tasks for your team members.
It even provides a simple checklist to keep track of all completed tasks.
Winner: RingCentral
Zoom and RingCentral both offer similar features when it comes to core functionalities.
I feel the Glip interface is more user-friendly and intuitive.
Add the task management and note-taking features to that, and you have a standout collaboration tool.
The only thing which the RingCentral app lacks is a whiteboard tool. However, you can overcome this limitation using third-party integrations.
4. Recording Features (Including Screen Sharing)
Recording live meetings are essential for posterity and reference, and both RingCentral and Zoom allow recording.
However, the length of the recordings and the storage provided vary with each tool and plan.
Zoom provides local recording features with its free plan, while the paid plans give you a choice between local and cloud storage.
It’s important to remember that only hosts can initiate the recording: participants get a notification to inform them about it.
Along with recording meetings, Zoom automatically stores a meeting log.
Meetings can be recorded both on iOS as well as Android devices.
You also get features such as auto-transcription of audio, the ability to record audio-only, and even auto-deletion capability.
RingCentral lets you record audio and video similar to Zoom, but if you’re using Glip, you can record a maximum of 100 hours of video in the cloud.
Also, all meetings are auto-deleted one year after being recorded.
Both apps can send out meeting recordings and snippets to the team members.
Participants can glean valuable information from the meetings and share it with upper management if needed.
You can pause and resume if you want to skip recording certain parts of the meeting.
You can also preserve privacy and provide the scope for informal conversation.
Winner: Zoom
Although RingCentral is easier to use, Zoom’s recording and sharing features are superior.
Also, the fact that Zoom has the provision for auto-transcription of meetings gives it the upper hand.
5. Number of Integrations
First, let’s talk about the Glip app; naturally, it integrates with many apps, such as Office 365 and G-suite.
But to be able to use these integrations, you’d have to upgrade to a paid plan.
Here’s a list of some apps that Glip can integrate with:
- Microsoft Teams
- Slack
- Asana
- Zendesk
- Salesforce
- Zapier
- Mailchimp
- Social media apps (think Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
In contrast, Zoom’s free plan allows you to integrate with multiple apps and provides a more significant number of integrations than Glip.
It even has a dedicated Zoom marketplace from where you can find apps for integrating with Zoom.
Here’s a list of some apps that integrate with Zoom:
- Salesforce
- Skype
- Google Drive and G-Suite
- Dropbox
- Zapier
- Office 365
- Glip
Winner: Zoom
When it comes to integrations, Zoom is the clear winner.
It provides dedicated APIs for enabling such integrations even on the free plan.
In contrast, RingCentral often has to face a lot of flak from users due to integration problems.
6. Compatibility
Zoom and RingCentral started as desktop apps, and it’s no wonder the desktop versions have greater functionality.
The services are available on Mac and Windows, not iOS and Android.
As you can probably tell, mobile apps are a bit limited compared to desktop apps.
For instance, the Zoom mobile app lets you see a maximum of four video screens simultaneously, apart from screenshots and chat features.
However, most users have complained that the chat features are cumbersome on a small screen.
You can also send and receive files, share screens, and co-annotate documents along with the above.
Glip’s mobile app is better designed than Zoom’s and provides all of the Zoom app’s features.
Also, since it lets you seamlessly switch back and forth between desktop and mobile meetings, I’d say it’s the more versatile of the two.
Winner: RingCentral
The RingCentral Glip app is more user-friendly and intuitive, and since it allows switching between mobile and desktop, it’s decidedly the winner in this category.
User reviews also testify to the same.
7. Analytics Features
Two of the biggest problems with virtual meetings are the lack of attendance and engagement.
Thankfully, both RingCentral and Zoom offer analytics and reporting features to help keep track of these metrics.
RingCentral provides detailed data on attendance, participant duration, and actions taken during a meeting.
This data can help to devise strategies for enhancing meeting efficacy and participation.
Zoom offers a greater granularity in that it tells who attended a meeting, for how long, and from which device.
It even lets you know about the top ten participants based on the interaction level, time spent, and geographic location.
Winner: Zoom
Zoom takes the upper hand regarding analytics due to its more detailed data points.
Also, Zoom offers decent analytics even on the free plan; in contrast, RingCentral only provides analytics features with paid options.
8. User Experience
In terms of user experience, both apps have their pros and cons, as we saw above.
While RingCentral Glip and Office provide smooth video using a centralized UCaaS framework, Zoom is easier to set up and use.
However, Zoom has recently had some severe complaints about security lapses.
Zoom might not be ideal if you’re a security-minded person and your meetings involve exchanging confidential data.
Winner: Zoom And RingCentral
The winner in this category depends on the use case.
If you’re looking for a fast and easy way to set up online collaboration, go with Zoom.
If security is the primary concern during a meeting, RingCentral is better suited.
9. Pricing Plans
RingCentral Glip and Zoom follow the freemium model, while RingCentral Office is a fully paid option.
I will break down the pricing plans for each service in the following sections.
Pricing Plans For RingCentral Office:
- Core Plan for $20/user/month
- Advanced Plan for $25/user/month
- Ultra Plan for $35/user/month
Pricing Plans For Zoom Meetings:
- Basic Plan for $0
- Pro Plan for $149.90/year/license
- Business Plan for $199.90/year/license
- Business Plus for $250/year/license
- Enterprise Plan on request.
All prices mentioned are for annual payment cycles; you can get discounts if you buy for many participants.
Winner: RingCentral And Zoom
Price-wise, both RingCentral and Zoom offer multiple plans which users can choose from as per their requirements.
Zoom provides a greater variety, while Glip is the more affordable.
To see how Zoom stacks up against other video conferencing and webinar tools, check out my review of Zoom vs. three other competitors.
Users That Can Benefit From Video Conferencing Software
Video conferencing software such as RingCentral and Zoom can benefit various users.
Businesses that need to communicate with remote teams, educational institutions looking to facilitate distant learning, and individuals wanting to stay connected with loved ones over long distances are all prime candidates for taking advantage of video conference services.
Businesses adopting video conferencing often find that improved collaboration between remote teams increases productivity and effectiveness.
By removing geographical barriers from communication, ideas can be discussed in real-time and problems solved more quickly.
It also allows virtual face-to-face meetings, where body language and nonverbal cues help build team rapport and trust.
For educational institutions, video conferencing offers the opportunity to provide students with instructions even if they are not physically present.
This ability is especially beneficial for those who cannot attend classes due to health reasons or financial constraints.
It also allows universities or schools to reach beyond their immediate vicinity, potentially opening the door to international collaboration with other higher learning establishments.
Even individuals can use video conferencing software to keep in touch with family or friends far away.
With high-quality audio and video streaming available on mobile devices and desktops, it has never been easier to make virtual visits regardless of physical distance.
If used correctly, this technology can act as a bridge between people separated by geography but still connected through shared experiences.
Who’s The Overall Winner: RingCentral or Zoom?
Now that we’ve come to the end of this comparison, it’s pretty evident that both Zoom and RingCentral offer top-tier products.
Zoom is ideal for a large enterprise looking for fast and easy video meetings.
RingCentral Office is a better contender in terms of security.
The bottom line is that you should make the final choice based on your requirements and preferences.
