7 Best Free Screen Sharing Software
Corey McCraw is a staff writer covering VoIP and Unified Communications. Corey has over a decade of experience in marketing, tech writing, and corporate communications and has even penned content for the former First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative.
Marianne is a staff writer at Fit Small Business who covers business phone services, VoIP, and video conferencing tools.
This article is part of a larger series on Unified Communications.
The best free screen sharing software enables businesses to facilitate remote collaboration for less money. They offer a free-forever version with essential video meeting features like live captions and meeting recordings. Paid plans should be affordable, allowing users to scale up and down without exceeding their budget. In this guide, we compared dozens of options to arrive at the seven best free screen sharing software solutions and their best use cases.
- Zoom: Best overall free screen sharing software with intuitive and robust video conferencing tools
- Microsoft Teams: Ideal for teams looking for a virtual workspace with video meeting capabilities
- Zoho Meetings: Suitable option for small businesses looking for a free webinar platform
- Google Meet: Best for teams looking for a screen sharing app that integrates with Google Workspace services
- GoTo Meeting: Great for remote teams wanting to host and join virtual meetings from anywhere
- Webex Meetings: Top choice for companies needing artificial intelligence (AI) features to automate manual meeting tasks
- Skype: Ideal for solopreneurs looking for a no-frills video conferencing solution for one-off virtual meetings
Screen Sharing Software | Monthly Starting Price (per User) | Key Features | Simultaneous Screen Sharing | FSB Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Free or $14.99 |
| ✓ | 4.61 out of 5 |
 | Free or $4 |
| ✕ | 4.52 out of 5 |
 | Free or $3 |
| ✕ | 4.34 out of 5 |
 | Free or $4.20 |
| ✓ | 4.32 out of 5 |
 | Free or $12 |
| ✓ | 4.13 out of 5 |
 | Free or $14.50 |
| ✕ | 3.80 out of 5 |
 | Free |
| ✕ | 3.66 out of 5 |
Take the quiz to find out which screen sharing software suits your remote collaboration needs.
Which free screen sharing software is right for you?
Zoom: Best Overall Free Screen Sharing App
Overall Score:
4.61 / 5
What We Like
- Plenty of core features on the basic tier
- Modern and intuitive user interface
- 1,000+ third-party integrations
What's Missing
- Automated captions are only available in English
- Free plan only allows group meetings of up to 40 minutes
- Video transcript is unlocked on upper tiers
Zoom Monthly Pricing*
- Basic: Free for 100-participant video meetings for 40 minutes, screen sharing, team chat, virtual background, keyboard and mouse control, co-annotation, multishare, three whiteboards, and automated captions
- Pro: $14.99 per user for 30-hour video meetings, polling, streaming, co-host, reporting, and 5GB cloud recording
- Business: $19.99 per user for 300 video participants, admin portal, recording transcripts, branding, and language interpretations, unlimited whiteboards, and single sign-on
*Pricing is based on a monthly subscription option. Annual billing is available.
Zoom is our best overall free screen sharing app as it is relatively easy to use and has various video conferencing tools on the base-level plan. From screen sharing, whiteboard, and automated captions, all the basic video meeting features are in the free version. Plus, Zoom ensures quick adaptation to its user interface, making it easy to start, join, and schedule meetings across any device. This puts Zoom on our list of the best video conferencing software.
Make your meetings look professional and distraction-free with virtual backgrounds, noise suppression, advanced lighting, and appearance touch-ups. Keep it fun and engaging by using your slides as your backdrop. For those needing a complete unified communications (UC) solution, Zoom has a premium plan that bundles video meetings and business phone features.
Zoom’s free version has a time limit of 40 minutes for each session. If you want to stick with a free video conferencing solution that lets you host meetings for up to 24 hours, consider Skype. This provider has a daily usage limit of 24 hours for group video calls. Invite up to 99 participants and access basic video conferencing features like screen sharing and background blur.
Zoom Features
Zoom lets you arrange and resize participants’ video feeds for a truly immersive virtual meeting experience. (Source: Zoom)
- Enhanced data privacy: Zoom lets you know who will view and save all the contents shared before joining the meeting. It enables you to create waiting rooms, expel a participant, and embed a watermark on any shared content.
- Language interpretation: Assign up to 20 users as language interpreters during a meeting. Each interpreter has their own audio channel for the language they are translating. Attendees have the option to mute the original audio and select the audio channel to hear their preferred translated language.
- Immersive view: Recreate the atmosphere of your online meetings by placing up to 25 participants onto a single virtual background. Select a preloaded scene or upload an image for added personalization.
Learn what makes Zoom the leading video conferencing app in the market in our expert Zoom review.
Microsoft Teams: Best for Virtual Workspaces
Overall Score:
4.52 / 5
What We Like
- Combines video meetings with team workspace in one platform
- Provides all the basic collaboration tools in the free version
- Free plan has a longer meeting duration than Zoom
What's Missing
- Annotation and whiteboard use requires an Azure AD Identity account
- No monthly payment option
- Web-based screen sharing only supports Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome
Microsoft Teams Monthly Pricing*
- Microsoft Teams Free: Free for up to 100 users, unlimited 1:1 meetings for 30 hours, 100-participant video meetings for 60 minutes, screen sharing, custom backgrounds, 5GB cloud storage, scheduled meetings, live captions in English, noise suppression, and team chat
- Microsoft Teams Essentials: $4 per user for 300-participant video meetings for 30 hours, 10GB cloud storage, and 24/7 phone and web support
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic: $6 per user for meeting recording and transcripts, breakout rooms, live captions in 34 languages, 1TB per user, and 250 integrated apps
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard: $12.50 per user for webinar hosting, attendee registration, reporting tools, and desktop version of Office apps
- Microsoft 365 Business Premium: $22 per user for advanced security, access and data control, and cyberthreat protection
*All plans are paid in full annually.
Microsoft Teams is a team collaboration solution that includes video conferencing features. It’s ideal for companies wanting an all-in-one platform for all their virtual communication needs. The entry-level plan includes access to 5GB of file storage, task management, and polling. It is also our best team chat app, allowing real-time collaboration with Microsoft Office products such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
Unlike Zoom, Microsoft Teams provides additional 20 minutes for its free group meetings. It also compares favorably to other providers in this list because it offers over 30 languages for its live caption feature.
In Microsoft Teams, webinar hosting is only available in its highest plan. If you want to host webinars without paying for a premium subscription, choose Zoho Meetings. This provider lets you host unlimited webinars for free, including access to analytics, attendee engagement features, and registration tools.
Microsoft Teams Features
Live translated captions enable users to see captions translated into their preferred language. (Source: Microsoft Teams)
- Speaker coach: This feature leverages AI to guide users who want to speak more confidently in meetings. It privately assists you on your pace, notifies you if you’re interrupting someone, and reminds you to check in with the audience.
- Noise suppression: Adjust the noise suppression level of your mic in a meeting. This feature analyzes the audio feed from your mic and removes unwanted noise.
- Live captions: Activate live captions to display the language spoken in a meeting while you follow along in real time. It also lets you select up to 40 languages you want your captions translated into.
Learn more about Microsoft Teams as a virtual workspace, including its collaborative features, in our Microsoft Teams review.
Zoho Meeting: Best for Free Webinar Functionalities
Overall Score:
4.34 / 5
What We Like
- Allows webinar hosting on the free plan
- No software download required
- Lacks meeting transcript
What's Missing
- No polling feature on the Meeting plan
- Integrations are limited to Zoho products
- Cloud storage depends on the number of meetings instead of the file size
Zoho Meeting Monthly Pricing*
- Free: Free for 100-participant video meetings and webinars for 60 minutes, screen sharing, team chat, virtual background, hand raising, multiple video layouts, whiteboard, polling, keyboard and mouse sharing, co-host, reporting and analytics, meeting lock, and custom registration
- Meeting: $3 to $18 per user for 10 to 250 video participants, 10 recorded meetings storage, branding, and Zoho product integrations
- Webinar: $19 to $360 per user for 25 to 3,000 webinar participants, 25 recorded webinar storage, live streaming, custom registration, co-organizers, email customization,
- Free trial: 14 days
*Volume discounts are available on both monthly and yearly billing.
Most providers unlock webinar features in their premium plans or package them as an add-on service. With Zoho Meeting, users are able to host webinars for free. The free version lets you organize 60-minute webinars for up to 100 attendees. Attendee engagement tools let you launch polls, start a Q&A session, and allow attendees to be presenters. Analyze your webinar performance with post-webinar analytics, registrant report, and follow-up emails.
On top of its webinar feature, Zoho Meeting has an online meeting platform. Basic features include screen sharing, virtual backgrounds, whiteboarding, and meeting polls. Paid plans are priced differently for meeting and webinar plans. Pricing depends on the number of attendees per session.
Integrations are limited to Zoho products only. If you want your video conferencing app to connect with your third-party business tools, check out Zoom, which offers up to 2,000 software integrations. Choose from a wide variety of integration categories, such as analytics, customer relationship management (CRM), ecommerce, and marketing.
Zoho Meeting Features
Moderator controls let you remove participants when they are no longer part of the discussion. (Source: Zoho Meeting)
- Co-host: Share hosting responsibilities with another meeting attendee in case you’re unavailable. A co-host has the ability to manage participants, control screen sharing permission, and lock meetings.
- Moderator controls: A set of controls to help you manage meeting participants and ongoing discussions. It lets you lock meetings, mute/remove/rename participants, and enable auto-recording and screen sharing permissions.
- Embed meeting widget: Embed meeting links on your company’s website to enable users to join meetings by simply entering an email address. This saves everyone’s time instead of looking for the meeting link or email invitations.
Google Meet: Best for Google Workspace Users
Overall Score:
4.32 / 5
What We Like
- Integrates with Google Workspace products
- Solid system security
- User-friendly design
What's Missing
- Live caption is only available in English
- Lacks advanced video meeting tools like keyboard and mouse control
- Paid plans require a Google Workspace membership
Google Meet Monthly Pricing*
- Google Meet Free: Free for 100-participant video meetings for one hour, screen sharing, hand raising, live captions, in-meeting chat, whiteboard, and host controls
- Business Starter: $4.20 per user for 100-participant video meetings for 24 hours and U.S. or international dial-in phone numbers
- Business Standard: $9.60 per user for 150 video participants, noise cancellation, meeting recording, polling, Q&A, and breakout rooms
- Business Plus: $18 per user for 500 video participants and attendance tracking
- Enterprise: Contact sales for pricing and in-domain livestreaming
*Introductory price is only available for the first 20 users for 12 months—no annual billing option.
Google Meet is a video conferencing service, part of the Google Workspace suite of applications. It integrates seamlessly with productivity tools like Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Calendar. Anyone with a Google account can use Google Meet as a standalone app. So if you have used any Google product before, you will appreciate the familiar look and feel of Google Meet’s interface.
Google Meet takes pride in its security and privacy features to keep video meetings safe. These include anti-hijacking controls, data encryption, and multiple verification options. Google Meet provides users the option to enroll in the Advanced Protection Program (APP), which offers the strongest protection against phishing and account hijacking.
With Google Meet’s straightforward functionalities, many users will find plenty of missing features like transcription and annotation. In this case, consider Zoom, one of the most comprehensive video conferencing platforms on the market. Popular features include whiteboarding, filters, and language interpretations.
Google Meet Features
Dial-in phone numbers will appear in your calendar listing and Meet app.
(Source: Google Workspace)
- Multipinning: Highlight a meeting participant or presentation by pinning them on your screen. Google Meet lets you pin up to three items at the same time.
- Audio and video lock: Lock participants’ cameras or mics to prevent anyone from accidentally sharing their audio or video in a meeting. This feature only applies to meeting attendees.
- Dial-in phone number: Create a dial-in number for your meetings to enable attendees to call into a meeting even on the go without data or Wi-Fi.
Get to know the different use cases of Google Workspace’s video conferencing platform in our comprehensive Google Meet review.
GoTo Meeting: Best for Remote Teams
Overall Score:
4.13 / 5
What We Like
- Robust security compliance capabilities
- No meeting time limits
- Unlimited recording storage
What's Missing
- Volume discounts are only offered to Enterprise subscribers
- Free plan only supports three video participants
- No monthly subscriptions, users have to make annual pre-payments
GoTo Meeting Monthly Pricing (per User)*
- Free: Three participant-video meetings for 40 minutes, in-meeting chat, and screen sharing
- Professional: $12 for 150 video participants, unlimited meeting duration, breakout rooms, hand raising, and workflow integrations
- Business: $16 for unlimited cloud recording, transcription, virtual assistant, note taking, drawing tools, meeting lock, and keyboard and mouse sharing
- Enterprise: Contact sales for pricing, customer success manager, onboarding, volume discounts, and conference room integration
*All plans should be paid annually.
GoTo Meeting offers a mobile conferencing app that gives you the freedom to host meetings from anywhere without worrying about distractions, network reliability, and cellular data. The mobile app introduces the commuter mode, which saves up to 90% of data usage and provides crystal-clear audio quality even on an unreliable mobile network. It also has a simplified user interface that turns your mobile screen into a color-coded audio/mute button.
On GoTo Meeting’s website, users will find three pricing plans for different business needs. However, they also grant a free version for meetings with small groups of three to four people. This gives you access to screen sharing, in-meeting chat, and crystal-clear audio.
GoTo Meeting unlocks most of its features on its advanced plans. You must also purchase the GoTo Suite add-on to access advanced webinar tools. This can get expensive for large teams wanting to take full advantage of its video conferencing software.
If you’re looking for a full-featured video meeting and webinar app, check out Zoho Meetings. It lets you host meetings and webinars for free, including access to rich conference features like whiteboarding, moderator controls, and calendar integrations.
GoTo Meeting Features
GoTo Meeting lets you convert presentation slides into a shareable PDF. (Source: GoTo Meeting)
- Smart assistant: A virtual meeting assistant that automates manual meeting tasks, such as note taking, detecting meeting highlights, and transcribing conversations.
- Drawing tools: Sketch out your ideas in real time or highlight key points in presentations using a variety of annotation tools, such as the spotlight laser pointer, highlighter, and pen.
- Slide to PDF: Automatically captures the presentation slides and places them in chronological order within a portable document format (PDF). GoTo Meeting lets you download and share the PDF file with attendees.
Visit our GoTo meeting review page to learn more about its features and see if it provides solutions to your business needs.
Webex Meetings: Best Automation & AI Features
Overall Score:
3.80 / 5
What We Like
- Captions available in Spanish, German, and French
- Artificial intelligence (AI) features like voice commands
- Encrypted meetings
What's Missing
- Real-time translation requires an annual pre-payment
- App download is required to use all Webex features
- Paid plans are more expensive than other providers on this list
Webex Meetings Monthly Pricing*
- Basic: Free for 100-participant video meetings for 40 minutes, screen sharing, interactive whiteboarding, noise removal, virtual backgrounds, team chat, and breakout rooms
- Meet: $14.50 per user for 200-participant video meetings for 24 hours, 10GB cloud storage, closed captions, live polling, meeting transcript, voice command, file sharing, and livestreaming
- Enterprise: Contact sales for pricing, 1,000 video participants, unlimited cloud storage, and simultaneous interpretations
*Annual billing is available for the Meet plan only.
Webex Meetings is a video conferencing platform that utilizes AI to make meetings actionable and productive. The Webex Assistant is an interactive virtual assistant that automates common meeting tasks, such as live transcription, closed captioning, post-meeting editing, and sharing highlights. This is a perfect tool for teams who want to use voice commands to take notes and identify action items, allowing them to focus on the discussion.
Webex Meetings has a free plan with access to various virtual meeting tools like screen sharing, noise cancellation, polling, and interactive whiteboarding. It also has a team chat feature that lets you create conversation threads and share files, emojis, and GIFs.
While Webex Meetings offers real-time translation, users must purchase the add-on, which requires an annual prepayment of $25 per month. Try Microsoft Teams if you want to access this feature without incurring additional costs. At $6 per user, monthly, Microsoft 365 Business Basic provides up to 30 languages for live captions.
Webex Meetings Features
Gestures are a great way to express yourself in a meeting without interrupting anyone. (Source: Webex Meetings)
- Immersive share: Immerse yourself into the content you’re sharing by adding an overlay of your video feed within the presentation channel. This allows your audience to focus both on the presenter and the content.
- Calendar integrations: Keep track of your upcoming meetings by connecting your Google or Microsoft 365 calendar with your Webex app.
- Gesture recognition: Use basic hand gestures to enable the confirmation timer to capture your action. Meeting participants will see an on-screen notification if someone has a reaction or question.
Discover Webex as a unified communications solution, including its business phone system and webinar features, in our Webex Review.
Skype: Best for One-off Video Meetings
Overall Score:
3.66 / 5
What We Like
- No account required to host meetings
- Simple and straightforward interface
- Longest meeting duration among other similar providers
What's Missing
- No whiteboard feature
- Minimal feature set
- No paid plan for premium users
Skype Monthly Pricing
- Free: 100-participant video meetings for 24 hours, screen sharing, background blur, meeting chat, live captions, and cloud recording for 30 days
Skype is a perfect fit for freelancers and solopreneurs looking for a no-frills, free video conferencing solution with no commitment. This Microsoft–owned platform lets users start a video meeting without creating an account, making it ideal for one-off business calls. It also gives access to all essential video meeting tools, such as screen sharing, live captions, hand raising, meeting recording, and chat.
Since Skype has a very limited feature set and only supports up to 99 participants, it may not be suitable for enterprises and teams with advanced collaboration needs. Microsoft Teams is the best Skype alternative, combining video conferencing and workspace tools in one platform.
Skype Features
Skype lets you customize your reaction picker to have your favorite emojis at your fingertips. (Source: Skype)
- Background effects: Customize your virtual background by applying a visual effect (blur) or uploading a photo.
- Skype translator: Translate real-time conversations in up to 40 languages. A text translator is available in over 60 languages for seamless instant messaging.
- Custom reactions: Customize your message reaction picker to highlight the most frequently used emojis. This saves time instead of having to dig through hundreds of reactions.
How We Evaluated the Best Free Screen Sharing App
To determine the best free screen sharing software, we looked at dozens of video conferencing platforms offering a free-forever plan. From there, we chose the top seven providers that offer enough features for small business needs. We also considered the number of features included in the free plan, ease of use, and the affordability of paid plans.
Learn how we evaluated the best free screen sharing app by clicking on the tabs below:
25%
Pricing
30%
General Features
20%
Advanced Features
25%
Expert Score
25% of Overall Score
For this list, we prioritized providers with free versions. We also looked deeper into their pricing structure by checking whether they offer affordable paid plans, allowing users to move into a premium plan without breaking the bank.
30% of Overall Score
Since we’re evaluating free screen sharing apps, we compared providers based on the number of features offered in the free plan. We gave points to apps with third-party integrations, team collaboration tools, and mobile screen sharing.
20% of Overall Score
What makes screen sharing apps so compelling is the unique capabilities provided apart from their general features. In this case, we looked at how providers add value to their free and paid plans, such as remote screen control, maximum meeting duration, livestreaming, and simultaneous screen sharing.
25% of Overall Score
We examined the overall quality of each platform by looking at its standout details. 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.
*Percentages of overall score
Bottom Line
Screen sharing is an essential tool for remote communication, enabling users to facilitate online collaboration even from a distance. It also creates a more engaging approach in video presentations, allowing the host to clearly demonstrate their point. With so many free screen sharing apps in the market, the choice comes down to which provider offers more value to its free services.
Our top pick for the best free screen sharing software is Zoom. Not only is it user-friendly, but it also provides comprehensive video conferencing tools on its free version. Its paid plans allow businesses to scale up affordably and access key features to enhance remote collaboration. Sign up for a free account and download the Zoom desktop client or mobile app to fully explore its services.
