Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

RingCentral launches free videoconferencing service with no time limit

Image used with permission by copyright holder

This week, cloud-based communications provider RingCentral unveiled RingCentral Video, its new videoconferencing platform. A revamp of its previous Meetings service, which was one of our picks for best videoconferencing software, this release comes at a time when most of us are using such tools more than ever before both for meeting with work colleagues and for staying in touch with friends and family. Best of all, the service, which delivers high-def video and audio, is totally free.

Get Started Now

RingCentral Video features

Image used with permission by copyright holder
  • 24-hour meetings: Lest you think that nothing good ever comes for free, RingCentral Video is devoid of many of the limitations of its competitors’ free videoconferencing services. Zoom limits its meetings of three or more people to 40 minutes unless you pay for its service, while Google Meet and Cisco Webex limit their meetings to 60 minutes and 40 minutes, respectively. (Google has temporarily suspended its limitation until March 2021, however.) RingCentral Video meetings, on the other hand, can go all day and night (24 hours). Unless you’re hosting a virtual rave, it’s doubtful you would ever need that much time, but it’s still nice not to feel pressured by constraints.
  • Recording capabilities: RingCentral Video lets you record your meetings for later reference, which is only available as a paid feature on Zoom.
  • Team messaging: RingCentral Video adds in team messaging capabilities of platforms like Slack that so many of us use to collaborate with coworkers and that you don’t get with Zoom. This feature allows file uploads with no limitations on size or number. Plus, RingCentral Video’s messaging is equipped with a host of emoji reactions and a text formatting toolbar to add personality to your messaging. But if you need to take your messaging session to the next level, you can switch to videoconferencing with one click.
  • No download: RingCentral Video is entirely browser-based so there’s no file to download, and you can join a meeting with one click.
  • Task and calendar management: Aided by the ability to integrate your Microsoft 365 and Google Workplace calendars, RingCentral Video also allows for task and calendar management. And you can do this with just one click.
  • Switch devices: If you find that you need to switch from your desktop to your phone so you can take your conversation on the go, with RingCentral Video, you’ll be able to change devices during a meeting without interruption.
  • Share files: In RingCentral Video’s team messaging, you can drag and drop files to share them with other team members.
  • Assign tasks: You can use RingCentral Video’s task management to assign and check off tasks.
  • Meet with up to 100 people: Unlike other free videoconferencing, RingCentral Video allows you to meet with up to 100 people at a time.
  • Protect your meetings: Enterprise-grade security encrypts all your meetings and conversations. Plus, password-protect any meeting and control who can join.
  • Connect internal and external teams: RingCentral Video allows you to create messaging teams that include both internal and external teams.
  • Integrate other apps: RingCentral Video has the ability to connect apps like Mailchimp, Zapier, and GitHub to your team messaging.
  • Searchable archive: RingCentral Video lets you search your archive by keyword and filter the results by name, email, or team.

While RingCentral Video gives you a lot for free, you can also upgrade to the RingCentral Video Pro paid version that gives you even more for just $12 per month. With this premium edition, you get everything in the free version plus twice as many participants (200), 100 hours (10GB) of cloud recording per user, a single sign-on, the ability to call any phone from a meeting, and advanced analytics across video, messaging, and devices.

Seamless digital collaboration has become even more important as the COVID pandemic has affected the workforce. RingCentral Video provides a smart option for your business with features, integrations, and functions that truly bring your workforce and communication together in a simple, easily accessibly solution.

Get Started Now

Editors' Recommendations

Stephen Slaybaugh is a freelance writer with with more than 20 years experience. He’s written extensively about internet…
Best deal ever? Get 80% off PureVPN and an Uber Eats voucher

Everyone should sign up to a virtual private network, so if you're looking for VPN deals, here's one that you wouldn't want to miss -- two years plus three extra months of PureVPN's Max Plan at 80% off for just $4 per month, for a total of $108 for 27 months. That's $16 in savings per month for dependable online protection, and to top it off, you'll be getting an Uber Eats voucher worth up to $30. We're not sure how much time is remaining on this offer though, so if you're interested, you're going to have to sign up for the subscription immediately.

Buy Now

Read more
Razer’s most boring product is also one of its best

Razer isn't exactly known for subtlety. This is the company that released a Bane-like RGB face mask, a headset with haptic feedback, and most recently, a mouse pad that has RGB lighting from corner to corner. The Iskur V2 chair is an exercise in subtlety, however, and a change of pace that pays off for Razer in a big way.

There's nothing special about the Iskur V2 at first glance. It's a gaming chair fit with the usual racer-style back and some green trim to let you know it's a Razer product. But there are no motors promising immersive haptic feedback, and no RGB leaving you tethered to a wall outlet (yes, Razer has done both in a chair before). The Iskur V2 is just a well-designed, comfortable chair, and that's exactly why it's so impressive.
Out of the box

Read more
Best OLED monitor deals: Get an OLED screen from just $450

Up to a couple of years ago, OLED technology only really existed in OLED TVs and very-high-end monitors that cost thousands and thousands of dollars. Luckily, the prices have come down quite substantially, even on the best OLED monitors, especially as the market gets more saturated with options. That means that if you tend to use a monitor for the majority of your content consumption, such as gaming, then you can grab an OLED monitor for a great price and experience amazing visual fidelity and reproduction.

To that end, we've gone out and scoured all the major retailers and brands to find our favorite OLED monitor deals out there and compiled them below. That said, if you haven't quite found what you're looking for, or feel you aren't ready for an OLED monitor, be sure to check out some of these other great monitor deals.
LG UltraGear 27-inch gaming monitor -- $660, was $1,000

Read more