The best replacement depends on what you need after the session ends. Sellers want replays and offers, marketing teams want attendee data in their CRM, and community hosts want regular events in one place. Check how people register and join too. Below are seven webinar platforms, listed in no particular order.
Most webinar tools look alike on the registration page. The differences show up after the session ends, when you're looking for the recording, the replay link and the list of people who stayed to the end. WebinarNinja, now under the ProProfs name, sells itself on live, automated and hybrid webinars that turn attendees into leads. Here are seven alternatives for marketers and trainers who host webinars and online events.
Joining on the day and what you keep afterwards
The thing to test in any replacement is how attendees register and join, and what hosts get after the session: recordings, replays and leads. Those two moments decide whether a webinar was worth running.
On the joining side, check whether people can watch in a browser without installing anything, how reminder emails work and what happens when someone arrives late. On the follow-up side, check how quickly the recording is ready, whether you can turn it into an automated or evergreen replay, and how attendee details reach your email tool or CRM. Tools in this category split by who they're built for and how much you set up yourself, so run the same real event through each before you decide.
Webinar platforms compared
| Tool | Style | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| BigMarker | Webinar and marketing suite | Webinars with marketing built around them |
| Crowdcast | Community events | Creators and communities running regular online events |
| Demio | No-download webinars | Marketers who want attendees to join without installs |
| EasyWebinar | Live and automated webinars | Turning one strong live session into an automated replay |
| Livestorm | Webinars for marketing teams | Branded events that sync engagement data to a CRM |
| WebinarJam | Live and evergreen sales webinars | Selling during live or recorded events |
| Zoho Webinar | Webinars and video meetings | Webinars and video conferencing from a single account |
Selling, marketing or community
Webinars that sell
WebinarJam and EasyWebinar both cover live and automated sessions with selling in mind. The first talks about one-click sales offers during the event, and the second about turning your best live session into an automated webinar that keeps running.
Webinars for marketing teams
Livestorm, Demio and BigMarker focus on marketing. The first syncs engagement data to your CRM, the second leads with a no-download experience for attendees, and the third pairs webinar software with a wider set of marketing features.
Community events and all-round meetings
Crowdcast is built for communities running regular online events in one place. Zoho Webinar comes from a larger software company and offers webinars alongside video conferencing.
All seven, in alphabetical order
In no particular order beyond A to Z. Each line reflects the vendor's own description of its product.
BigMarker
Best for: Event and marketing teams wanting webinar hosting and marketing features in one end-to-end product, which is how the vendor positions it.
Crowdcast
Best for: Creators and community builders running regular online events, with the vendor's pitch being every event in one place, no switching tools.
Demio
Best for: Marketers who want attendees to join without downloading anything, with marketing tools included and a free plan named on the vendor's site.
EasyWebinar
Best for: Sellers who run live browser-based sessions and then turn their best one into an automated webinar, using the vendor's CRM or their own; a free plan is named.
Livestorm
Best for: In-house marketing teams running branded webinars and syncing engagement data to their CRM to show results, with AI features, per the vendor.
WebinarJam
Best for: Online sellers hosting live or evergreen events with HD streaming, one-click sales offers and built-in marketing, as the vendor puts it.
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Zoho Webinar
Best for: Businesses that want webinar hosting and video conferencing from one vendor, pitched as webinar software for companies of every size.
My advice for marketers and trainers who host webinars
Be clear about the job your webinars do. If they sell a course or product, judge each platform on replays, offers and how easy it'd be to run the same session again without being there. If they feed a sales team, judge it on registration data and how cleanly leads land in your CRM. If they're training or community sessions, attendee experience and recordings matter most.
Think about the size of your audience too, because some platforms are built for small interactive groups and others for large broadcasts. My guide to webinar software for very large audiences covers the big end, and my explainer on the difference between a webinar and a meeting helps if you're deciding whether you need a webinar tool at all.
Finally, look at the presenter side, not only the attendee side. Hosts need a simple green room, an easy way to share slides and video, and a clear view of chat and questions while they talk. If your presenters dread the software, your sessions will show it. Ask the person who'll present most often to run the dry run below, and take their view seriously.
A dry-run webinar before you switch
- Set up one short internal session on each shortlisted platform with the same title and slides.
- Register as an attendee from a personal email address and check every reminder you receive.
- Join from a phone and from a work laptop with strict settings, without installing anything.
- Run a poll, a question and a chat message during the session.
- Check how soon the recording is ready and whether you can set it up as a replay.
- Look at what attendee data reaches your CRM or email tool, and how it's labelled.
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Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a live and an automated webinar?
A live webinar happens in real time with a presenter. An automated webinar plays a recording on a schedule, often with chat or offers timed to appear, so it runs without you.
Do attendees need to download software to join a webinar?
Not on many platforms, which run in a web browser. Check each tool's joining process on a phone and a work laptop before your first public event.
Can I move my webinar recordings to a new platform?
Usually you can download recordings and upload them again. Registration pages, replays and integrations will need setting up from scratch.
How do webinar leads get into my CRM?
Most platforms connect through built-in integrations or a connector tool. Test with one registration to check which fields come across and how they're labelled.
How long should a webinar be?
Long enough to deliver what you promised on the registration page. Many hosts plan for under an hour including questions, and keep replays shorter.
Can I use a video meeting tool instead of a webinar platform?
For small, interactive sessions, often yes. Webinar platforms add registration pages, reminders, replays and attendee data that meeting tools usually lack.
