Table of contents:
- Bunch (up to 8 people)
- Jitsi Meet (no person limits)
- Google Hangouts (up to 10 and 250 people)
- TrueConf (up to 3 and 120 people)
- Zooroom (up to 12 people)
- Smoothy (up to 8 people)
- Google Duo (up to 8 people)
- Zoom (up to 100 people)
A few days ago the news went viral in the media. Houseparty, the popular group video calling app, had allegedly been hacked. The creators of the tool have already denied these accusations, although the doubt remains among users. For this reason we have compiled some alternatives to Houseparty to make group video calls from the mobile with many people, regardless of the operating system.
index of contents
Bunch (up to 8 people)
The perfect alternative to Houseparty. Bunch inherits the original idea of the video calling application by integrating a series of online games to participate in video calls with up to 8 participants maximum. As of today, the application has several drawing games, general culture and puzzles, with titles such as Draw Party, Superhighway, Mars Dash, or Flappy Lives.
As if this were not enough, it is compatible with third-party applications and games, such as Minecraft, Roblox or PUBG Mobile. In this way, we can play online with our friends through a process that will run in the background and that will allow us to communicate through voice and video.
Jitsi Meet (no person limits)
One of the best alternatives to Houseparty, precisely because of the number of participants that can join the calls and because it is an Open Source software. In fact, the application does not have a limit of people, the maximum number is determined by the limitations of the server that the host is using or the network to which it is connected.
It has an application for Android and iOS, although from tuexperto.com we recommend going directly to the web version of the platform. The good news is that it doesn't require any kind of registration to create meetings or join calls. It also has different functions that allow us to share the computer screen. And yes, it is totally free.
Google Hangouts (up to 10 and 250 people)
The Google application developed exclusively for group video calls has a maximum limit of 10 people in its free version; 250 if we opt for the business version. By depending on a Google account, we will not have to use third-party services to access the application.
It has a desktop version, which also adds some additional functions, such as the ability to share screen from the computer.
TrueConf (up to 3 and 120 people)
"Create and participate in multi-group video conferences with up to 120 users." This is how this application is announced that allows us to make videoconferences with more than 100 people through mobile phones if we choose the paid version. The free version has a maximum limit of 3 people and integrates with Google, Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Given the low consumption of the application, some users have chosen to use TrueConf as a surveillance camera for the little ones in the house.
Zooroom (up to 12 people)
Another application that has managed to become popular in the quarantine due to the coronavirus is Zooroom, which has nothing to do with the Zoom tool. The maximum limit of participants of the application is 12 people. Although its biggest advantage is that it does not require registration of any kind, like Jitsi.
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Zooroom is its optimization for mobile devices: it barely consumes data and battery compared to other applications such as Skype. It also has some messaging functions to share images and text messages, among others. In fact, its behavior is more like a social network than a common video conferencing application.
Smoothy (up to 8 people)
This application with the name of shake has recently reached the application stores and today it is proclaimed as one of the best alternatives to Houseparty. Like the latter, the maximum limit of participants is 8 people. It has fun filters based on Augmented Reality and a social section quite similar to what applications like Snapchat offer.
It also allows us to create a virtual avatar to represent ourselves through a character similar to Apple's Memoji. Its consumption, yes, is somewhat high, something that affects both the battery and the amount of data required.
Google Duo (up to 8 people)
This is the natural evolution of Hangouts. The application in question is a kind of vitaminized WhatsApp with messaging functions and the possibility of creating high-quality, fidelity group video calls with up to 8 people.
It has a low light mode that allows us to adjust the brightness of the camera to the lighting conditions. Similarly, Duo is pre-installed on all Android phones, so we will not have to download any client from the Google store. Of course, it has a desktop client for full browsers.
Zoom (up to 100 people)
The most controversial quarantine app, along with Houseparty. Apparently, Zoom does not encrypt the data of its end-to-end conversations, as advertised on its website. Likewise, it remains one of the most complete video conferencing applications that exist today.
Zoom has a maximum call limit of 40 minutes if we make a group video call with two or more people. This time limitation disappears if we make individual video calls, that is, with a maximum of two people. Regarding the Zoom participant limit, the application offers calls of up to 100 participants in its free version and up to 500 in its versions intended for companies.
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