Best Webcasting Software: 8 Platforms Compared for 2026

Webcasting lets you broadcast live or pre-recorded video to large online audiences. Unlike standard video calls, webcasts are designed for one-to-many delivery – think corporate town halls, investor updates, product launches, and training sessions where hundreds or thousands of viewers tune in.

If you're short on time, here's the quick version: Digital Samba is our top pick for GDPR-compliant webcasting with full white-labelling and EU hosting. ON24 is the enterprise standard for marketing-driven webcasts. Zoom Webinars wins on scale and brand recognition. ClickMeeting offers the best value for small and mid-sized teams.

Read on for the full breakdown, including pricing, features, and the trade-offs you should know about.

Table of contents

1. How we evaluated these platforms
2. Best webcasting software at a glance
3. Digital Samba
4. ON24
5. Zoom Webinars
6. ClickMeeting
7. Riverside
8. GlobalMeet
9. Webex Webinars
10. Brightcove
11. How to choose the right webcasting platform
12. Webcasting vs webinar software – what's the difference?
13. FAQ

How we evaluated these platforms

We looked at eight webcasting platforms across seven criteria: ease of setup, video and audio quality, audience engagement tools (polls, Q&A, chat), scalability, security and compliance, branding and customisation, and pricing transparency.

We also checked each platform's current ownership status and recent changes – important because several major webcasting tools have changed hands in 2024–2025, which affects product stability and roadmap.

Every platform in this list was tested or researched directly. We verified pricing from official sources as of early 2026. Where pricing is custom or not publicly available, we note that clearly.

Best webcasting software at a glance

Digital Samba

Best for: Organisations that need GDPR compliance, full white-labelling, and the flexibility to both host webcasts and embed video into their own platforms.

Digital Samba is a European video conferencing platform founded in Barcelona in 2003. It offers two products: Digital Samba Free (a no-cost, browser-based video calling tool) and Digital Samba Embedded (a video API and SDK for developers).

For webcasting, Digital Samba supports live broadcasts to YouTube and Facebook, interactive sessions with polls, Q&A, and chat, plus breakout rooms for smaller group discussions within larger events. Everything runs in the browser – no downloads required for hosts or attendees.

What sets Digital Samba apart from most webcasting tools is its infrastructure. The entire platform is built and hosted in the EU on EU-owned servers, with no US hyperscaler dependencies. It's GDPR-compliant by design, supports end-to-end encryption, and includes full white-labelling (custom domain, logos, colours, fonts) for organisations that want to present webcasts under their own brand.

Key features:

• Browser-based access for all participants
• Live streaming to YouTube and Facebook
• Breakout rooms, polls, Q&A, whiteboard
• Full white-labelling with CNAME support
• REST API and client-side SDK for custom integrations
• AI-generated captions
• Cloud recording
• End-to-end encryption

Pricing: Digital Samba Free is genuinely free – no account required, no limits on calls. Digital Samba Embedded starts at €0.0040 per participation minute (standard rate), with volume discounts down to €0.0026/min. A free developer tier includes 10,000 participation minutes per month. The Create plan starts at €99/month for 25,000 minutes and 100 concurrent participants.

Pros:

• Fully EU-hosted – strongest GDPR positioning of any platform on this list
• No downloads for anyone – runs entirely in the browser
• Full white-labelling included, not locked behind enterprise tiers
• Usage-based pricing scales well for occasional or frequent webcasters
• 20+ years in video conferencing

Cons:

• Smaller brand recognition than Zoom or Webex outside Europe
• Advanced API integrations require developer resources
• Live streaming is to YouTube/Facebook – no built-in standalone CDN for massive view-only audiences

Best fit: European companies, healthcare and legal organisations with strict data residency needs, and SaaS businesses wanting to embed branded webcasting into their own products.

Try Digital Samba Free | Explore Digital Samba Embedded | View pricing

ON24

Best for: Enterprise marketing teams that want data-driven webcasting with deep CRM integration.

ON24 has been a dedicated webcasting and webinar platform since 1998, making it one of the longest-running players in this space. It's built specifically for B2B marketing teams that want to turn webcasts into measurable pipeline.

The platform's strength is its analytics engine. ON24 tracks attendee engagement at a granular level – which polls they answered, how long they watched, what resources they downloaded – and feeds that data directly into marketing automation tools like Marketo, HubSpot, and Salesforce.

Important update: In December 2025, Cvent announced an agreement to acquire ON24 for approximately $400 million. The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2026. ON24 continues to operate independently for now, but buyers should be aware that the product roadmap, branding, and support structure may change after the acquisition completes.

Key features:

• Interactive webcasting console with polls, surveys, Q&A, and resource downloads
• Deep marketing automation integrations (Marketo, Salesforce, HubSpot)
• On-demand and simulive webcasting modes
• AI-powered content engine (ACE) for repurposing webcast content
• Engagement scoring and real-time analytics dashboard
• Custom branding for webcast console

Pricing: ON24 does not publish pricing. Based on third-party sources, annual contracts typically start at around $10,000/year, with a reported median cost of approximately $38,750/year for enterprise customers. Pricing varies by features, attendee capacity, and contract length.

Pros:

• Industry leader for marketing-focused webcasting (ranked #1 in G2's Winter 2026 Enterprise Grid for Webinars)
• Strongest CRM and marketing automation integrations of any platform on this list
• Mature engagement analytics with per-attendee behaviour tracking
• Simulive and on-demand modes for scalable content reuse

Cons:

• Expensive – not viable for small or mid-sized teams
• No self-service pricing; requires sales engagement
• Cvent acquisition introduces uncertainty about product direction
• Some users report a steep learning curve and an interface that feels dated
• US-hosted – GDPR compliance requires additional configuration

Best fit: Enterprise B2B marketing teams running regular webcast programmes tied to lead generation and pipeline reporting.

Zoom Webinars

Best for: Organisations that want massive reach with a platform most attendees already know.

Zoom needs little introduction. Its webinar product extends the familiar Zoom Meetings interface into one-to-many broadcast mode, supporting up to 50,000 view-only attendees on custom enterprise plans.

The biggest advantage of Zoom Webinars is adoption. Your attendees almost certainly have Zoom installed already, which removes the friction of asking people to download new software or create accounts. For internal town halls and broad-audience events, that familiarity matters.

Key features:

• Support for up to 50,000 view-only attendees (enterprise tier)
• Live polling, Q&A, reactions, and chat
• AI Companion for meeting summaries and catch-up prompts
• Live streaming to YouTube, Facebook, and custom RTMP destinations
• Registration pages and email reminders
• Cloud recording with transcription
• Breakout rooms (on Webinars Plus and Events plans)

Pricing: Zoom Webinars requires a Zoom Workplace Pro subscription ($13.33/user/month) as a base. Webinar pricing starts at $79/month for 300 attendees, $95/month for 500 attendees, and scales up from there. Webinars Plus starts at $99/month (100 attendees) with added features. Zoom Events starts at $149/month. Enterprise pricing for 10,000+ attendees is custom. All prices are based on annual billing.

Pros:

• Highest brand recognition – almost everyone knows how to use Zoom
• Scales to very large audiences
• AI Companion included for summaries and attendee catch-up
• Reliable streaming quality
• Extensive third-party integration ecosystem

Cons:

• Webinar is an add-on – you need a Workplace Pro subscription first, so total cost adds up
• Limited branding customisation compared to dedicated webcasting tools
• Analytics are basic compared to ON24 or GlobalMeet
• US-hosted by default – data processing concerns for EU organisations
• Renewal pricing can increase significantly (reported 5–40% uplifts)

Best fit: Companies already in the Zoom ecosystem that need to host large-scale one-off or regular webcasts without onboarding a new tool.

ClickMeeting

Best for: Small and mid-sized teams that want affordable webcasting with solid engagement tools.

ClickMeeting is a browser-based webinar and webcasting platform from Poland that's been around since 2011. It positions itself as a simpler, more affordable alternative to enterprise tools like ON24 or Zoom Events.

What makes ClickMeeting stand out at its price point is the automation. Even on lower-tier plans, you can create automated webinars that run on a schedule without a live host – useful for lead generation, product demos, and training content that you want to reuse.

Key features:

• Live, automated, on-demand, and paid webcasting modes
• Polls, surveys, Q&A, chat, and whiteboard
• Breakout rooms (up to 800 attendees across 20 rooms)
• Custom branding for registration pages and webinar rooms
• CRM integrations via API and Zapier (4,000+ apps)
• Recording with cloud storage
• EU data centre option available

Pricing: The Live plan starts at $32/month ($26/month on annual billing) for up to 25 attendees. Pricing scales with attendee count. The Automated plan adds evergreen and on-demand webcasting. Enterprise plans support up to 10,000 attendees with custom pricing. A 30-day free trial is available with no credit card required.

Pros:

• Most affordable platform on this list for SMBs
• Automated webcasting included even on mid-tier plans
• 30-day free trial (longer than most competitors)
• Browser-based – no installs for hosts or attendees
• EU data centre available for European customers

Cons:

• Video and audio quality can be inconsistent with large audiences
• Interface is functional but not as polished as Zoom or Riverside
• Limited mobile experience compared to desktop
• Enterprise plan pricing is not transparent

Best fit: Marketing teams, trainers, and educators at SMBs who run regular webcasts and want automation features without enterprise pricing.

Riverside

Best for: Content creators and marketers who want studio-quality recording with live streaming capability.

Riverside started as a podcast recording tool and has expanded into webinars and live streaming. Its core strength is recording quality – it captures separate audio and video tracks locally on each participant's device, then uploads them, resulting in studio-grade output even with unstable internet connections.

For webcasting specifically, Riverside supports live streaming to multiple platforms simultaneously and can host interactive webinars for up to 1,000 guests. It's a good fit if your webcasts double as content you'll repurpose – the AI editing tools can turn a one-hour webcast into social media clips, transcripts, and show notes automatically.

Key features:

• Separate track recording (up to 4K video, 48 kHz audio)
• Live streaming to YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitch, and custom RTMP
• AI-powered editing: Magic Clips, text-based video editing, audio cleanup
• Automatic transcription in 100+ languages
• Live call-ins for audience participation
• Webinar mode for up to 1,000 guests
• Teleprompter

Pricing: A free plan includes 2 hours of recording at 720p with watermarks. The Standard plan costs $19/month (annual) for unlimited recording at 1080p. The Pro plan costs $29/month (annual) for 4K recording, 15 hours of transcription, and advanced editing tools. Teams pricing is $24/user/month (annual). Business pricing is custom.

Pros:

• Best recording quality of any platform on this list
• AI editing tools save hours of post-production work
• Free plan available for testing
• Simultaneous streaming to multiple platforms
• Clean, modern interface

Cons:

• Webcasting isn't its primary focus – it's a recording tool that added live features
• No dedicated engagement analytics like ON24 or Zoom
• US-hosted – limited options for EU data residency
• Large video files can cause latency in the platform
• Customer support response times are inconsistent according to user reviews

Best fit: Podcasters, content creators, and marketing teams that want high-quality recordings they can repurpose, with live streaming as a secondary feature.

GlobalMeet

Best for: Fortune 500 companies running managed, high-stakes corporate webcasts.

GlobalMeet is a dedicated enterprise webcasting platform now owned by Pivotal Group (acquired from PGi in 2023). It's a managed-service platform, meaning GlobalMeet's event production team can plan, run, and support your webcasts – from technical setup to live monitoring.

This managed approach makes GlobalMeet well-suited for high-profile events where technical failure isn't an option: investor days, earnings calls, global town halls, and compliance-sensitive broadcasts.

Key features:

• Managed event production services (setup, rehearsal, live monitoring)
• Scalable to 100,000+ attendees
• Simulive and on-demand webcasting
• Real-time audience analytics and sentiment tracking
• CRM integrations (Salesforce, Marketo, Eloqua, Dynamics 365)
• Custom branding and registration pages
• Operator-assisted audio conferencing

Pricing: GlobalMeet uses custom enterprise pricing. There is no self-service plan. Pricing depends on attendee capacity, number of events, and level of managed services required.

Pros:

• White-glove managed service – dedicated production support for critical events
• 25+ years in the webcasting space
• Proven at very large scale (100K+ attendees)
• Strong CRM and marketing automation integrations
• Cvent Attendee Hub integration available

Cons:

• No self-service option – requires sales engagement for everything
• No pricing transparency
• US-hosted – limited EU data residency options
• Primarily targets Fortune 500; not practical for SMBs
• PGi brand legacy creates some market confusion

Best fit: Large enterprises running mission-critical corporate communications where professional event production support is essential.

Webex Webinars

Best for: Organisations already in the Cisco ecosystem that need enterprise-grade webcasting.

Webex Webinars (previously Webex Events) is Cisco's webcasting product, supporting up to 100,000 attendees. It's tightly integrated with the broader Webex Suite and Cisco's security infrastructure, making it a natural choice for companies that already use Cisco for IT and communications.

Key features:

• Support for up to 100,000 attendees
• Live polling, Q&A, reactions, and breakout sessions
• AI-powered meeting assistant for summaries and highlights
• Simultaneous interpretation in 100+ languages
• Stage customisation and co-hosting
• Integration with Salesforce, Marketo, and other enterprise tools
• FedRAMP authorised (for US government webcasts)

Pricing: Webex Webinars pricing is not fully transparent. Plans are typically bundled with Webex Suite subscriptions. Enterprise pricing is custom and requires sales engagement. Expect costs starting around $150+/month for webinar capabilities, scaling significantly with attendee count.

Pros:

• Massive scale (100K attendees)
• Cisco's enterprise security and compliance framework
• Strong simultaneous interpretation support
• FedRAMP authorisation for government use
• AI assistant for post-event summaries

Cons:

• Pricing is opaque and typically expensive
• Interface can feel complex compared to simpler tools
• Heavily tied to the Cisco ecosystem – less appealing if you're not already a Cisco customer
• Branding customisation is more limited than ON24 or Digital Samba
• Configuration for EU data residency requires specific setup

Best fit: Cisco shops, government agencies, and large enterprises that need high-security webcasting at scale.

Brightcove

Best for: Media companies and large enterprises that need enterprise video hosting with live streaming capability.

Brightcove is not a webcasting tool in the traditional sense. It's an enterprise video platform that includes live streaming, video hosting, monetisation, and analytics. Think of it as the infrastructure layer – you'd use Brightcove if you need to host, stream, and monetise video content at scale, rather than run interactive webinars.

Important update: Brightcove was acquired by Bending Spoons in late 2024. The company has been pushing an AI-focused 2026 roadmap, but also underwent significant layoffs in January 2026. Buyers should evaluate platform stability and support continuity.

Key features:

• Live streaming with 4K support and low-latency delivery
• Server-side ad insertion (SSAI) for monetised streams
• Video hosting with DRM and content protection
• AI-powered captioning, translation, and metadata generation
• CDN delivery for global audiences
• Analytics dashboard with engagement metrics
• OTT app support

Pricing: Brightcove uses custom enterprise pricing across three tiers: Communications Studio, Marketing Studio, and Media Studio. No self-service pricing is available. Based on third-party data, SMB customers pay an average of approximately $50,000/year, with enterprise customers averaging around $95,000/year.

Pros:

• Enterprise-grade video infrastructure
• 4K streaming with global CDN delivery
• Strong monetisation tools (SSAI, DRM, OTT)
• AI-powered content management and translation
• Designed for massive-scale video delivery

Cons:

• Expensive – pricing starts well above most webcasting tools
• Not designed for interactive webcasting (no native polls, Q&A, or breakout rooms)
• Recent acquisition and layoffs create uncertainty
• Steep learning curve – requires dedicated video team
• No self-service option

Best fit: Media companies, broadcasters, and large enterprises with dedicated video teams that need hosting, streaming, and monetisation in a single platform.

How to choose the right webcasting platform

The right platform depends on what kind of webcasts you run and what matters most to your organisation. Here's a simple decision framework:

• If data privacy and EU compliance are your priority: Digital Samba is the only platform on this list that's fully built and hosted in the EU with no US hyperscaler dependencies. For organisations in healthcare, legal, finance, or government where data residency matters, this is a significant differentiator.

• If you're a B2B marketing team focused on pipeline: ON24 is purpose-built for this. Its engagement analytics and CRM integrations are the deepest in the market.

• If you need maximum reach and minimum friction: Zoom Webinars. Everyone knows Zoom, and that alone removes a major adoption barrier.

• If you're a small team on a budget: ClickMeeting offers the most features per pound at its price point, including automated webcasting.

• If recording quality matters more than live interaction: Riverside gives you studio-grade recordings you can repurpose, with live streaming as a bonus.

• If you need white-glove event production: GlobalMeet's managed services take the technical burden off your team for high-stakes events.

• If you're in the Cisco ecosystem: Webex Webinars integrates naturally and offers enterprise-grade security.

• If you need video infrastructure, not just webcasting: Brightcove provides the hosting, streaming, and monetisation layer for organisations with dedicated video operations.

Webcasting vs webinar software – what's the difference?

The terms 'webcast' and 'webinar' are often used interchangeably, but there's a practical difference. Webcasts are typically one-to-many broadcasts – a speaker presents to a large audience, with limited two-way interaction. Webinars tend to be more interactive, with smaller audiences, more Q&A, and closer to a workshop format.

In practice, most modern platforms support both modes. The platforms in this article can all handle large-audience broadcasts and smaller interactive sessions. The line between webcasting and webinar software has blurred considerably.

For a more detailed comparison, see our guide to webinar vs webcast differences.

FAQ