6 Best Free Screen Sharing Software

6 Best Free Screen Sharing Software

Written By
Silvana Peters
Silvana Peters
Reviewed By:
Oct 16, 2024
13 minute read

The right screen sharing app can greatly improve collaboration and communication by allowing users to share visual content from their screens. A free screen sharing solution should be user-friendly, cost-effective, and available on both desktop and mobile apps, enhancing productivity and strengthening connections between teams and clients. To identify the top free screen sharing software, we compared various platforms to find the best solutions for small businesses.

Best Free Screen Sharing Software Compared

Best Free Screen Sharing SoftwareMonthly Starting Price (per User)Key FeaturesOur Rating out of 5
Zoom logo.$14.99
  • Desktop or phone screen sharing
  • Second-camera content sharing
  • Whiteboard use & sharing
4.84
Visit Zoom Workplace
The Zoho Meeting logo.$2
  • Browser-based (no download needed)
  • 60-minute meeting duration
  • Keyboard & mouse sharing
4.81
Visit Zoho Meeting
Google Meet logo$6.48
  • Up to 1,000 video & voice participants
  • Digital whiteboarding
  • Noise cancellation
4.70
Visit Google Meet
The Webex logo.$14.50
  • Up to 1,000 meeting attendees
  • Share multiple applications
  • Interactive whiteboarding
4.50
Visit Cisco Webex
FreeConferenceCall.com logo.$4
(Optional)
  • Desktop screen sharing
  • Up to 1,000 participants
  • Recording & playback
4.27
Visit FreeConferenceCall.com
ScreenLeap logo.$19
  • Screen or camera sharing
  • Installation-free viewing
  • Website integration
2.97
Visit Screenleap

Screen sharing is a vital feature of effective videoconferencing because it enables visual presentations and collaboration. To explore solutions that integrate seamless screen sharing with videoconferencing, check out our article on the best videoconferencing software, which highlights providers, their best use cases, features, and pricing details.

Zoom Workplace: Best Overall Free Screen Sharing Software

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  • Basic: Free for a single user, unlimited 40-minute meetings, 100 attendees, local storage and recording, team chat, three whiteboards, team chat, and clips basic
  • Pro: $14.99 for up to 9 users, 30-hour meetings, 100 attendees, 5GB cloud storage, cohosting, unlimited clips, and artificial intelligence (AI) companion
  • Business: $21.99 for 10 to 250 users for 300 attendees, custom mail domain, unlimited team chat, recording transcripts, unlimited whiteboards, and branding
  • Business Plus: $26.99 for 10 to 250 users, 10GB cloud storage, notes, unlimited regional phone, custom mail domain, translated captions, toll-free numbers, unlimited auto-attendants, Zoom Phone, and IVR
  • Enterprise: Custom pricing for more than 250 users, unlimited local and cloud storage, full-featured PBX phone, and up to 1,000 participants

Zoom is our best free screen sharing app 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.

Any Zoom user can share their screen during meetings, while licensed users can allow multiple participants to share simultaneously. You can share locally stored videos, content from a second camera, applications, or your entire desktop or phone screen, including device audio.

Zoom is a complete unified communications (UC) solution, and its premium plan bundles video meetings and business phone features. While Zoom offers robust collaboration tools, its free plan restricts meetings to just 40 minutes. For users seeking free screen-sharing software with extended meeting durations, Google Meet or Zoho Meetings is a great alternative, offering one hour of meeting time—ideal for longer sessions without interruptions.

  • 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.
Two simultaneous screens showing with a highlight on the side-by-side mode view option.
Use Zoom’s side-by-side mode to see the shared screen and the speaker simultaneously. (Source: Zoom)

Zoho Meeting: Best for Affordability

  • Free: 100 attendees, one-hour meeting cap, screen sharing, file sharing, meeting chat, and multiple video layouts
  • Meeting
    • Standard: Starts at $2 for 10 attendees, two cohosts, virtual backgrounds, recording, and integrations
    • Professional: Starts at $3 for 10 attendees, custom domains, multiple cohosts, 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
  • Free trial: 14 days

Teams looking for a free screen sharing solution with low-cost paid plans 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 backgrounds, 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 Zoom. It integrates seamlessly with over 1,000 other tools and collaborative apps.

  • 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.
Zoho Meeting invite participant link interface with an overlay of the emotion options.
Zoho Meetings make meetings fun and interactive with emoji reactions. (Source: Zoho)

Google Meet: Best for Productivity

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  • Free: 100 attendees, one-hour meeting limit, and whiteboard
  • Business Starter: $6.48 for 100 participant video meeting, 30GB pooled storage per user, standard support, and business email
  • Business Standard: $12.96 for 150 video meeting participants, appointment booking pages, meeting recording, and 2TB pooled storage per user
  • Business Plus: $21.60 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 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.

When you switch to another Google app, Google Meet automatically minimizes the meeting screen, allowing you to watch the meeting while working. This is ideal for Google Workspace users who want to multitask during meetings.

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, which offers up to 30 hours per meeting for users subscribed to paid plans.

  • 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.
Google Meet interface for virtual background and effects.
Generate backgrounds suited to the meeting you’re participating in. (Souce: Google Meet)

Cisco Webex: Best for Large-scale Webinars & Training

  • Basic: Free for 100 attendees with a 40-minute time limit, local recording storage, screen sharing, and unlimited whiteboards
  • Starter: $14.50 for 150 meeting attendees with a 24-hour time limit, 5GB cloud meetings storage, closed captions, live polling, and close captions
  • Business: $20 for 10GB cloud meeting recording storage and 200 participants
  • Enterprise: Custom pricing for 1,000 participants, advanced calling features, unlimited local and cloud recording, and FedRAMP authorization

Webex is the best free screen sharing solution for training and webinars because it supports large-scale meetings, allowing up to 1,000 participants, and advanced audience engagement tools like polling, Q&A, and hand-raising. Use the interactive whiteboard for collaborative work and assign multiple cohosts to manage the sessions. The free plan comes with breakout rooms and up to 81 videos in grid view, which is great for session documentation.

Easily share your screen, whiteboard, or specific application with a few clicks. Webex lets you establish sharing permissions for files, presentations, videos, and screenshots with any active participant. Unfortunately, while Webex offers a straightforward download and installation process, less tech-savvy users might find it challenging. For simpler alternatives, consider Google Meet or Zoom, which are known for their user-friendly interfaces.

  • Livestreaming: Administrators and hosts can broadcast meetings and events in real time through platforms like Facebook Live and YouTube.
  • Mobile screen sharing: Share an app or your entire screen in real time from any device, including smartphones. Both hosts and participants can share content, such as documents, which everyone in the meeting can annotate simultaneously.
  • Vidcast: An asynchronous video messaging tool that minimizes the need for live virtual meetings. You can record your webcam, screen, or voice and easily share the recording via a link across any platform.
Cisco Webex meeting interface with the share content options pop up showing screen and apps to select.
Share 4k content on Cisco Webex and share practically any type of content. (Source: Webex)

FreeConferenceCall.com: Best for Nonprofits & Charities

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FreeConferenceCall.com is completely free, but businesses may pay what they can:

  • Suggested amount: $4 monthly
  • Average amount (what most people choose): $8.21 monthly
  • Market rate (what other videoconferencing solutions charge): $15 monthly

FreeConferenceCall.com is one of the best free screen sharing apps for nonprofits and charities, serving as a great resource for engaging constituents and diverse audiences. It supports up to 1,000 participants and unlimited session durations, so organizations can host large-scale sessions without time restrictions. It includes drawing tools to engage their audience while effectively communicating their messages visually.

Use the broadcast and radio features to reach larger audiences, regardless of their location or far-flung area. Unfortunately, FreeConferenceCall.com integrates with only five applications, specifically Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, Slack, Dropbox, and Evernote. If you are looking for a platform with robust integrations, check out Zoom and connect your business app to your virtual conferencing tool for greater efficiency.

  • Chat: Depending on the features enabled by the host, meeting participants can chat with hosts via private message, send public messages that can be seen by everyone, and message other participants. Chat settings can be managed via the website access or your desktop or mobile app.
  • International calling: FreeConferenceCall.com features domestic or international calls in local languages using a local in-country dial-in number followed by the host’s access code. Users get global access with teleconference numbers for 76 countries.
  • Meeting wall: This is your personal meeting space, complete with a custom URL, profile photo, company logo, and description. You can upload and share documents or links on your Meeting Wall, making them accessible to participants for viewing or downloading before or after your meeting.
FreeConferenceCall.com's meeting wall showing audio information, host information, calendar, and meeting resources.
Your meeting wall shows key details like joining info, host, schedule, and resources. (Source: FreeConferenceCall.com)

Screenleap: Best for Client Interfacing

  • Free: 40-minute daily limit, 8 viewers, 2 scheduled meetings, computer audioconferencing, presenter swap, and public broadcasts
  • Basic: $19 for 30 viewers, 8-hour daily time limit, unlimited scheduled meetings, private share and broadcast, control sharing, and viewer mouse
  • Pro: $39 for 150 viewers, unlimited daily meeting time, and custom broadcast messages
  • Company: Starts at $19 per user for custom branding, account management, centralized billing, and screen recording

Screenleap provides seamless, installation-free screen sharing across desktops, tablets, and smartphones, allowing clients to join instantly from any device. This makes it ideal for quick, professional meetings. With features like automatic email invitations and real-time screen annotations, it’s our recommended free screen sharing software for client meetings and presentations.

For instance, during a client presentation, you can send automatic email invitations for easy access and use real-time screen annotations to highlight key points or adjustments directly on the screen. These tools are crucial for client engagement and clear communication.

Screenleap is ideal for client presentations and team meetings but lacks key features like mobile screen sharing, whiteboard, and breakout rooms. Additionally, its free plan has a 40-minute daily limit, while the basic plan allows up to eight hours. Competing platforms like Zoom and Webex offer these essential tools and impose a 40-minute meeting limit per meeting, while Zoho and Google Meet have a one-hour time limit per meeting.

  • Screenleap for Education: Teachers can share their screens with their students and record them for viewing later. Use this for professional development within your team and connect Screenleap with your learning management system. Instructors can record sessions and track learner engagement.
  • Viewer mouse: See the cursor of specific viewers on your screen and interact with them by pointing out specific items. The viewer’s name will appear beneath their cursor, allowing you to easily identify whose cursor is being shown.
  • Viewer registration: Capture viewer information before they access your screen share. This is a great tool for marketing and sales webinars because you can export data to your customer relationship management software for effective documentation and follow-up.
Share video pop-up with an entry bar for video URLs to be sent to meeting participants.
Screenleap’s video sharing feature allows you to share videos directly with your viewers. (Source: Screenleap)

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 software for screen sharing by clicking on the tabs below:
Methodology weights
Pricing 20%
General Features 30%
Niche Features 20%
Customer Support 15%
Expert Score 15%
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.
In our evaluation of the different free screen sharing software, we compared providers based on the number of features they offer, specifically whether essential videoconferencing tools like whiteboard, breakout rooms, and collaboration features are available to subscribers. We gave points to apps with videoconferencing in the free plan, third-party integrations, and screen sharing on both desktop and mobile applications.
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.
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.
We analyzed different 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)

How do I know if participants can see my screen share?

To determine if participants can see your screen share in online videoconferencing tools, look for visual indicators provided by the platform. For example, Zoom has a notification at the top of your screen when you’re presenting, while Google Meet has a “Presenting” label. To check if participants can see your screen, greet the meeting attendees and ask, “Can everyone see my slides?” before starting your discussion.

How do I mirror one computer screen to another?

To mirror one computer screen to another, use the built-in display settings on your operating system. On Windows, right-click on the desktop, select “Display settings,” and choose “Duplicate these displays.” On a Mac, go to “System Preferences,” click on “Displays,” and check the “Mirror Displays” box. Additionally, you can use third-party software or apps for more advanced mirroring options.

Does screen sharing use a lot of internet bandwidth?

No, screen sharing typically does not use a significant amount of bandwidth. It generally consumes between 25MB and 100MB per hour, which is less than video calls but more than audio calls. However, if other participants have their videos turned on, your data usage may increase because of simultaneous uploading and downloading. Overall, while screen sharing requires more bandwidth than audio alone, it remains a manageable option for most internet connections.

Bottom Line

Selecting the right screen sharing software can empower teams to connect seamlessly, share ideas, and present projects with clarity. When exploring free screen sharing solutions, prioritize user-friendly interfaces, value for money, and essential features that facilitate teamwork. 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.

Silvana Peters

Silvana Peters

Staff Writer, Office Technology at Fit Small Business

Silvana is an office technology writer at Fit Small Business, focusing on unified communications, virtual phone systems, and voice-over-internet protocol. She’s passionate about giving small business owners the information they need to succeed. Silvana’s been engaged by various businesses and organizations to produce technical reports and content ranging from current events, business, technology, lifestyle, and development.

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