Zoom enables up to 1,000 participants to join a conference with up to 49 participants being shown on screen at the same time. During webinars, where most users listen and watch rather than actively talk during a call, even more participants can be added.
However, adding large numbers of callers is not available with the free version of the software. When using Zoom free of charge, you can add up to 100 participants. One of the advantages of Zoom is that invitees are not required to sign up for an account, but can join a call using a web link.
The software has become popular because of its plethora of added functions:
- Text chat: Participants in meetings and conferences can communicate via chat
- Data transmission: Data can be easily shared via Zoom
- Screen sharing: The screen can be shared for multiple users to view
- Whiteboard: Participants can share ideas on a digital whiteboard during a meeting
- Flexible background: Participants can choose special backgrounds to hide their office or home office backgrounds
The software is available as a desktop version for Windows and macOS and can be installed on iOS and Android devices or accessed via a mobile browser. Various plug-ins for third-party software like Microsoft Outlook are available, making operations even easier.
However, Zoom has attracted some criticism because of its lack of data protection. For starters, administrators of Zoom conferences can view more details than participants may be aware of. For example, they can see which users are swapping to a different window. On the other hand, third-parties could gain access to sensitive user data because virtual meeting rooms aren’t very secure and can be easily hacked by cyber criminals. Following significant media pressure, the US company finally prohibited sharing of data with Facebook.