Screen sharing is an effective communication tool, transmitting visual content displayed on a person’s screen for more effective collaboration, training, and troubleshooting. A great free screen sharing software is easy to use, affordable, and offers the sharing feature in both desktop and mobile apps. To determine the top free screen sharing apps, we compared different platforms and outlined the six best software solutions for small businesses.
- Zoom: Best overall free screen sharing software
- RingCentral Video: Best for free unlimited video meetings
- Microsoft Teams: Best for collaborative workspaces
- Dialpad Ai Meetings: Best for voice intelligence
- Zoho Meeting: Best for affordability
- Google Meet: Best for streamlined productivity
Best Free Screen Sharing Software Compared
Providers | Monthly Starting Price | Key Features | FSB Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
| 4.70 out of 5 | |
 |
| 4.54 out of 5 | |
 |
| 4.31 out of 5 | |
 |
| 4.27 out of 5 | |
 |
| 4.24 out of 5 | |
 |
| 4.02 out of 5 | |
Screen sharing is an essential part of virtual conferencing. If you’re looking for more information on the top virtual meeting providers, check out our comprehensive guide: 7 best video conferencing software.
Zoom: Best Overall Free Screen Sharing Software
What We Liked
- User-friendly interface
- Full-featured mobile application
- Has over 2,400 third-party applications via the Zoom App Marketplace
Where It Falls Behind
- Basic plan lacks mail service features
- Free plan has a 40-minute meeting limit
- Lacks strong artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities
Zoom Monthly Pricing*
- Basic: Free for 40-minute meetings, 100 attendees, local storage, whiteboard, team chat, and clips basic
- Pro: $15.99 per user for 30-hour meetings, 100 attendees, 5GB cloud storage, co-hosting, and artificial intelligence (AI) companion
- Business: $19.99 per user for 300 attendees, unlimited team chat, recording transcripts, and branding
- Business Plus: $25 per user for 10GB cloud storage, notes, custom mail domain, translated captions, toll-free numbers, and unlimited auto-attendants, and interactive voice response (IVR)
- Enterprise: Custom pricing for up to 1,000 participants, unlimited local and cloud storage, and executive business reviews
*Pricing is based on monthly billing. Save up to 21% by opting for annual billing.
Zoom topped our list of best free screen sharing apps because of its user-friendly interface, robust mobile application, and feature-rich plan offerings. The basic plan lets you use Zoom’s product for free and host meetings for up to 100 people for a maximum of 40 minutes. All plans have essential meeting features like team chat, multiple whiteboards, breakout rooms, and waiting rooms.
All Zoom users can share their screen, desktop, or other content during meetings. Licensed meeting users can allow multiple participants to share their screens simultaneously during a meeting they are hosting. Zoom lets you share content, including locally stored videos, content from a second camera, one or multiple applications, a portion or entire desktop or phone screen, and audio play from the device.
Zoom is a complete unified communications (UC) solution, and its premium plan bundles video meetings and business phone features. However, while Zoom offers smart artificial intelligence (AI) features like meeting summaries and presentation skills feedback, Dialpad has more robust AI capabilities. This includes live call sentiment analysis, post-call summary, and real-time assist cards with tailored agent notes. Dialpad is better for customer servicing and real-time engagement support.
Zoom Features
Use Zoom’s side-by-side mode to see the shared screen and the speaker simultaneously. (Source: Zoom)
- Immersive background: Put meeting participants into a cohesive virtual background so everyone can communicate within a single virtual space. Select a background suited to the nature of your meeting. For example, use a classroom for training sessions or a boardroom for official meetings.
- Live closed captions: Closed captions allow non-English speakers to keep up with the discussion and participate effectively. This feature also helps improve information retention and compensate for poor audio quality.
- Meeting summary: Get a brief overview of your meeting, including a discussion summary and agreed next steps. Share the highlights with other meeting participants via email or team chat immediately after the meeting.
RingCentral Video: Best for Free Unlimited Video Meetings
What We Liked
- Offers robust integrations with popular apps
- Virtual background available on free plan
- No download requirement for webinar attendees
Where It Falls Behind
- Navigation and use require a bit of a learning curve
- Advanced analytics is a paid feature
- Free plan’s video recording limited to five hours
RingCentral Video Monthly Pricing*
- Pro: Free for up to 100 participants, 50-minute video meetings, collaborative notes, meeting insights and transcriptions, and robust mobile application
- Pro+: $10 per user for 200 attendees, 24-hour meetings, single sign-on (SSO), advanced analytics, and end-to-end encryption
- Webinar: $40 per organizer for private backstage, post-event reporting, Marketo integration, guided setup, and single-track events
- Rooms: $49 per room for one-click and touchless join meeting options, switch from mobile to room, wireless proximity share, and popular hardware compatibility
*Pay annually and save up to 25%.
RingCentral is one of our recommended best free screen sharing apps, especially for those needing free unlimited video meetings and team messaging. It offers a free video conferencing plan, unlimited 50-minute video meetings with up to 100 participants, and collaborative notes with rich editing capabilities. The free plan also includes whiteboard and content sharing for collaborative discussions and experiences across desktop and mobile applications.
Many providers unlock advanced meeting tools in higher tiers, but RingCentral Video’s free versions include key features such as team messaging, video recording, and meeting insights. However, RingCentral requires some setup and admin configuration. Smaller teams may find this overwhelming, especially if you only need basic virtual meeting capabilities. As an alternative, consider Zoom, a user-friendly video meeting platform with a generous free plan.
RingCentral Video Features
Establish a common space for informal interactions. (Source: RingCentral)
- Meeting insights: RingCentral’s conversational intelligence gathers key information discussed during a meeting, such as keywords, transcripts, and video highlight reels.
- One-click meeting scheduling: Start meetings or schedule a discussion without leaving your calendar. Users can sync their calendars with iCal, Google Calendar, and Microsoft Outlook. Send invitations by email and launch conferences directly from the invite link.
- Team huddle: Host ongoing meetings and allow your colleagues to come and go from virtual sessions as they please. These online meeting rooms are great for impromptu discussions.
Microsoft Teams: Best for Collaborative Workspaces
What We Liked
- Allows attendees to join meetings without an account
- Seamless Microsoft 365 integration
- Cheap monthly subscriptions
Where It Falls Behind
- All plans require annual commitment
- No meeting recording or transcripts in free plan
- Breakout room is a paid feature
Microsoft Teams Monthly Pricing*
- Free: 100 attendees, one-hour meeting limit, unlimited chat with friends and family, 5GB cloud storage, and data encryption for meetings
- Essentials: $4 per user for 300 attendees, 30-hour meeting length, English live caption, and 10GB cloud storage
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic: $6 per user for 30 languages for live captions, business-class email, and 1TB cloud storage per user
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard: $12.50 per user for webinar hosting, attendee registration, and customer appointment management
- Microsoft 265 Business Premium: $22 per user for advanced security, access and data control, and cyberthreat protection
*All plans are paid annually, and the price does not include tax.
The Microsoft Teams platform offers intuitive controls and seamless setup, along with all the essential features ideal for remote work and team collaboration. This digital workspace has integrated video meetings with tools like team messaging, file sharing, and task management. Show your entire screen, notifications, and other desktop activities, and the admin can give control to other participants when presenting or doing a demonstration.
As a Microsoft product, Microsoft Teams integrates seamlessly with Microsoft 365 products like Word and PowerPoint). Unfortunately, Microsoft Teams only offers an annual subscription. For budget-friendly options, consider Zoom. It’s one of the most user-friendly platforms for team collaboration and video conferencing. This provider has earned a reputation for its simplicity and reliability and offers monthly and annual payment options.
Microsoft Teams Features
Use the subtle portrait blur to put more focus on the speaker. (Source: Microsoft)
- Publish webinar recordings: Publish recordings directly in Teams after an event ends. Attendees will automatically receive an email that contains the link to the recording.
- Live transcriptions: During a Microsoft Teams meeting, start a live transcription of the proceedings. The text appears simultaneously with the meeting audio or video. The transcription shows both the name and time stamp for proper documentation.
- Town hall events: Host large-scale town halls using Microsoft Teams and invite up to 10,000 attendees or 20,000 in Team Premium. Town hall events can last for up to 30 hours.
Dialpad Ai Meetings: Best for Voice Intelligence
What We Liked
- Business and team messaging
- Audio chat rooms
- Real-time call transcriptions
Where It Falls Behind
- Only 10 video meeting participants allowed
- Meeting duration is limited to five hours
- Limited third-party integrations
Dialpad Ai Meetings Monthly Pricing*
- Standard: $23 per user for unlimited calling, meetings for up to 10 participants, transcriptions, and real-time analytics and reporting
- Pro: $35 per user for customer relationship management (CRM) integration, global SMS, 25 ring groups, and multiple phone numbers per account
- Enterprise: Custom pricing for 100% uptime, unlimited ring groups, data retention policies, and priority live agent support
*Standard plan pricing drops to $15 per user, monthly when you opt for annual billing.
Dialpad is built on a speech recognition model with features like real-time transcription and customer sentiment analysis, making it a leader in voice intelligence. Dialpad Ai utilizes natural language processing (NLP) to provide agents with prompts and automatically takes notes as the inbound or outbound call persists. Dialpad makes it easy to share your screen during conference calls and video meetings, even with participants who haven’t downloaded the app.
While Dialpad has built-in machine learning technology, it lags behind other providers when it comes to the number of video conferencing participants. Dialpad users get unlimited meetings, but even on the Enterprise plan, the platform only accommodates 10 participants for up to five hours. For more attendees, consider a provider like RingCentral, which has a starting attendee count of 100.
Dialpad Ai Meetings Features
Work from anywhere on any device with Dialpad’s call flip feature. (Source: Dialpad)
- In-meeting chat: Send and receive messages during an active meeting and coordinate with participants without interrupting the presentation. This feature is available to all Dialpad Meeting users.
- Call flip: This feature allows you to quickly flip calls from device to device without ending the call. Use this when you’re on the go and need to move from your desktop to your mobile phone during an active call.
- Real-time recommendations: Dialpad offers agents real-time suggestions and answers to customer inquiries or concerns. This AI tool helps your team resolve client issues more effectively.
Zoho Meeting: Best for Affordability
What We Liked
- Instant meeting and reminder setting available
- Advanced moderator settings
- Embed registration widget
Where It Falls Behind
- No custom background in free plan
- Remote control is a paid plan feature
- Integrations are limited to the Zoho ecosystem, and the Gmail add-on is not available in the free plan
Zoho Meeting Monthly Pricing*
- Free: 100 attendees, one-hour meeting cap, screen sharing, file sharing, meeting chat, and multiple video layouts
- Meeting
- Standard: Starts at $2 per host for 10 attendees, two co-hosts, virtual backgrounds, recording, and integrations
- Professional: Starts at $3 per host for 10 attendees, custom domains, multiple co-hosts, file management, and recording transcripts
- Webinar
- Standard: Starts at $9 per organizer for 25 attendees, co-branding, 24-hour meeting length, and webinar recording
- Professional: Starts at $19 per organizer for 25 attendees, source tracking, custom domain, registration moderation, and livestreaming
*Save more than 15% by paying annually. Volume discounts are likewise available.
Teams looking for a low-cost free screen sharing solution will find Zoho Meeting’s free version a great fit for their needs. Its paid plan starts at $2 per host, monthly and already accommodates 10 participants. This is great for startups, small businesses, and freelancers because it lets users host unlimited meetings and webinars for up to one hour per session. You can share files through chat and share your screen using the desktop and mobile applications.
Zoho Meetings offers excellent value for your money because its free plan includes basic tools like virtual background, whiteboards, chat, and multiple video layouts. However, its third-party integrations are primarily within the Zoho ecosystem. If you’re looking for extensive integration with other applications, consider Microsoft Teams. It integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft products and hundreds of collaborative apps.
Zoho Meeting Features
Zoho Meetings make meetings fun and interactive with emoji reactions. (Source: Zoho)
- Emoji reactions: Use emoji reactions to interact with participants without having to use words or speak. Anyone in the meeting can clock on these emojis at any time and react to what is being shared, discussed, or asked. Each emoji briefly appears on the screen and can be seen by all participants.
- Lock meeting: This security feature prevents unauthorized or new participants from joining a webinar or meeting. This eliminates distractions and allows you to gatekeep your event.
- Files tab: The files tab allows you to manage and access your videos, recordings, and documents easily. Upload materials you want to share before or during the meeting.
Google Meet: Best for Streamlined Productivity
What We Liked
- Wide range of integration
- Industry-standard security features
- Dial-in numbers
- Easy to use, even for beginners
Where It Falls Behind
- Some features are not available on the mobile version
- Lacks real-time customer support
- No noise cancellation in free and business starter plans
Google Meet Monthly Pricing*
- Free: 100 attendees, one-hour meeting limit, and whiteboard
- Business Starter: $7.20 per user for 100 participant video meeting, 30GB pooled storage per user, and business email
- Business Standard: $14.40 per user for 150 video meeting participants, meeting recording, and 2TB pooled storage per user
- Business Plus: $21.60 per user for eDiscovery and retention, 500-participant video meeting, recording, attendance tracking, enhanced security, and 5TB of pooled storage per user
- Enterprise: Contact sales for a quote, 1,000 participants, advanced security, and livestreaming
*Google Meet is included in the Google Workspace subscription plan, and annual pricing discounts are available.
Google Meet is part of the Google ecosystem, which offers a complete suite of digital tools and services to support an organization’s productivity requirements. Google’s services include a search engine, a free web-based email, online word processing, spreadsheets, and a web mapping service. Google Meet seamlessly integrates with other Google products and includes essential tools like in-meeting chat and screen sharing.
A free version of Google Meet is available for Google account owners, and a Google Workspace plan unlocks additional features like noise cancellation and breakout rooms. However, Google Meet’s maximum meeting length is only 24 hours. If you host meetings and events that require longer meeting durations, check out Zoom and Microsoft Teams. These providers offer up to 30 hours per meeting for users subscribed to paid plans.
Google Meet Features
Generate backgrounds suited to the meeting you’re participating in. (Source: Google Meet)
- Hand raising: There are times when meeting participants speak simultaneously, making conversations hard to follow or confusing. The “raise hand” button allows people to indicate they have something to say without disrupting the discussion.
- Custom backgrounds: Google Meet allows users to use virtual backgrounds or blur their surroundings to minimize distractions and put focus on the speaker.
- Spotlight: Pinning participants is a great way to keep everyone focused on the speaker or person being mentioned. It steers attention onto the participant or screen, which should be the point of focus.
How We Evaluated the Best Free Screen Sharing Software
To assess which of the different free screen sharing software is best, we created a rubric that includes the priorities of small businesses. This includes affordable pricing, feature-rich solutions, user-friendliness, and responsive customer support. Our expert opinion also formed part of the evaluation, specifically on how valuable each platform would be for small businesses.
Learn how we evaluated the best free screen sharing software by clicking on the tabs below:
20% of Overall Score
Affordable pricing is critical for small business owners, so we prioritized providers with free versions. We also looked at whether platforms offer free trials and affordable paid subscriptions. Higher points were awarded to solutions with annual subscription discounts because this gives businesses greater savings.
25% of Overall Score
In our evaluation of the different free screen sharing software, we compared providers based on the number of features they offer, specifically whether essential video conferencing tools are available to subscribers. We gave points to apps with team collaboration features, third-party integrations, and screen sharing on both desktop and mobile applications.
20% of Overall Score
Screen sharing is a useful tool because it allows users to “show” rather than just “tell” others about a subject matter. With this in mind, niche features we considered in our evaluation include remote screen control, meeting duration, social media integration, and participant capacity. We also assessed providers with simultaneous screen sharing higher because this allows for real-time comparisons.
10% of Overall Score
We evaluated ease of use by trying out each free screen sharing app and determining the level of expertise required to not only set up the solution but operate it as well. Part of our review examined whether software providers make it easy for users to navigate its interface and system.
10% of Overall Score
We analyzed customer support offerings because accessing help when solutions are not operating properly is crucial to small businesses with limited human resources and IT expertise. We looked at the different channels of support available, including phone support, email support, live chat, and each provider’s hours of operation.
15% of Overall Score
We analyzed the best free screen sharing apps by looking at their offerings in totality—standout features, ease of use, popularity, and overall value for money. To determine their popularity and value for money, we considered our personal experience with each app and feedback left by small business owners on popular review sites.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes, while different service providers have varying levels of built-in security, often essential security features like two-factor authentication and encryption are in place. On your end, to minimize unintended information sharing, turn off your notifications to protect your privacy and prevent distractions when sharing your screen. These measures ensure you’re only sharing what you mean to display.
No, it does not use that much bandwidth. Audio calls use less data, but generally, sharing your screen only costs you between 25MB and 100MB per hour. However, if other participants have their videos turned on, you may end up using more data because you’re uploading and downloading data simultaneously. Sharing your screen requires more bandwidth than just listening to audio because you’re uploading data to stream your screen.
Bottom Line
Screen sharing shows your device screen, facilitating better engagement and online collaboration. Based on our evaluation, Zoom is the top-ranked free screen sharing software because it’s affordable, user-friendly, and lets you share a single document or application or your entire screen. Zoom lets users share only the audio from computers, like audio clips and content from a second camera, not just computer screens.
Sign up for a free account and download the Zoom desktop client or mobile app to fully explore its services.
