We have built numerous video conferencing systems with open source components for various customers. Here we provide an insight into our experiences. If you need support with evaluation or implementation, we would be happy to provide you with a quote.
Would you prefer to start a video meeting right away? The easiest way to do this is on fairmeeting.net - no registration required. Our hosting packages with a comparison of fairmeeting (based on Jitsi Meet) and fairteaching (based on BigBlueButton) can be found here.
Graphic created with the support of ChatGPT (OpenAI)
| Function | Jitsi Meet | BigBlueButton | OpenTalk | Nextcloud Talk | PlugNMeet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| audio / video communication max users per room (rec) |
2000 |
200-500 |
200? |
50? |
200? |
| presenter always in the foreground |
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| chat |
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| invitation by email |
(API) |
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(NC-Integration) |
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| breakout rooms |
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| presentations (PDF/PPT) |
(share) |
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| screen sharing |
(multiple screens) |
(one screen) |
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| secure file transfer |
(links, e.g. Nextcloud) |
presentation only |
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(Nextcloud) |
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| interactive whiteboard |
(Excalidraw) |
(tldraw) |
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(App) |
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| hand signals / polls |
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| moderation rights |
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| central mute function |
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| mouse / keyboard takeover |
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| participation via: | |||||
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browser (without plugin) |
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mobile apps |
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(iOS only) |
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telephone (audio) |
(SIP in/out) |
(SIP in) |
(SIP in with gateway) |
(SIP in) |
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| recording |
(Jibri) |
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(external) |
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| security | |||||
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end-to-end encryption |
(20 participants)
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waiting area |
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room passwords |
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| role-based rights management |
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(NC) |
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| Function | Jitsi Meet | BigBlueButton | OpenTalk | Nextcloud Talk | PlugNMeet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SIP telephone connection | full support via Jigasi incoming and outgoing | incoming SIP integration with a fixed number per conference | SIP support with high-performance backend | ||
| Whiteboard | excellent whiteboard integration, especially for teaching situations | separate whiteboard app required | integrated collaborative whiteboards | ||
| Recording | local recording with Chrome based browsers | with BBB downloads with PILOS-Frontend only (recommended) | external recording server required | Clou recordings with MP4-export | |
| Enterprise features | highly scalable, conferences can be distributed across multiple video bridges, cookie-free operation | focus on GDPR compliance | scalable architecture with LiveKit | ||
| mobile support | no app of its own yet (announced for iOS) | no native app (browser only) | no native app (browser only) |
Note on SIP: Jitsi Meet and Nextcloud Talk support SIP end devices without additional gateways. PlugNMeet offers RTMP streaming instead (e.g. for YouTube/livestreams).
| Use Case | Video Conferencing System |
|---|---|
| Education / Webinars | BigBlueButton or OpenTalk (optimized for teaching) |
| Corporate Communications | Jitsi Meet (maximum flexibility) or OpenTalk (security) |
| Nextcloud Environments | Nextcloud Talk (seamless integration) |
| Performance / Low latency | PlugNMeet (WebRTC optimized) |
| Cisco integration | Jitsi Meet with Jigasi or OpenTalk |
