What do virtual classrooms do?
Virtual classrooms provide an online learning environment for students and teachers to interact and conduct class online.
Virtual Classroom Software
Virtual Classroom Software Overview
Top Rated Virtual Classroom Products
These products won a Top Rated award for having excellent customer satisfaction ratings. The list is based purely on reviews; there is no paid placement, and analyst opinions do not influence the rankings. Read more about the Top Rated criteria.
Virtual Classroom Products
(1-25 of 26) Sorted by Most Reviews
The list of products below is based purely on reviews (sorted from most to least). There is no paid placement and analyst opinions do not influence their rankings. Here is our Promise to Buyers to ensure information on our site is reliable, useful, and worthy of your trust.
Zoom is a unified communications platform primarily known for its use as a web conferencing tool. It features HD video and audio, collaboration tools, chat functionality, and an enterprise cloud phone system.
Key Features
- Desktop sharing (684)90%9.0
- High quality video (691)86%8.6
- High quality audio (689)86%8.6
Webex Meetings is a video conferencing platform with built-in AI and machine learning capabilities to eliminate tasks from users’ plates. It supports team meetings, webinars, online training, real-time technical support, and conference calling.
Key Features
- Desktop sharing (654)89%8.9
- High quality audio (661)89%8.9
- Meeting initiation (655)86%8.6
From GoTo (formerly LogMeIn), GoToMeeting is an online meeting, desktop sharing, and video conferencing software that enables users to connect via the internet. It hosts a suite of online meeting tools, including real-time screen sharing and integrated audio.
Key Features
- Desktop sharing (219)85%8.5
- High quality video (218)83%8.3
- High quality audio (223)83%8.3
Schoology aims to combine as many parts of the learning process as possible into a single platform for K-12 students. By doing this they aim to simplify the learning experience for students, parents, and teachers.
Key Features
- Assignments (41)78%7.8
- Course authoring (39)76%7.6
- Mobile friendly (39)56%5.6
Adobe Connect is a web conferencing platform that enables users to create presentations, online training materials, and learning modules. The product is entirely Adobe Flash-based and has several add-ons for customizing its software to suit each users’ unique needs.
Key Features
- Desktop sharing (52)83%8.3
- High quality video (51)75%7.5
- High quality audio (51)73%7.3
Blackboard Collaborate is an online, collaborative learning platform well-suited for the education industry and corporate learning needs. It includes features such as screen and application sharing, web conferencing, and integration with Blackboard Learn.
Key Features
- Desktop sharing (30)86%8.6
- High quality audio (30)81%8.1
- High quality video (30)79%7.9
WizIQ LMS is designed to meet both teaching and training needs and to give users more control over the learning process. Users can build their learning environment within minutes, add and manage multiple teacher accounts, create online courses, and schedule live classes. This solution…
Key Features
- Learning content (7)59%5.9
- Progress tracking & certifications (7)57%5.7
- Mobile friendly (7)56%5.6
Panopto is a video management platform for businesses and universities from the company of the same name in Seattle, supporting the recording, sharing, live streaming, and (after recording) sharing via LMS or internal video site, video search, and virtual classroom.
Key Features
- Video link sharing (9)93%9.3
- User management (9)90%9.0
- Internal video (9)90%9.0
Class for Zoom, from Class Technologies, is a toolset that helps K-12 schools and institutions of higher education create a virtual classroom environment from Zoom. This adds to Zoom the ability to take attendance, track and encourage student engagement and monitor class participation,…
Digital Samba in Barcelona offers Samba Live, a webinar solution with editions supporting virtual classroom and Samba Live for OEM, a customizable white label webinar platform built entirely in HTML5 and WebRTC.
Google Workspace for Education includes Google products like Classroom, Meet, Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides, to create an online ecosystem for learning. The Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals edition is available at no per student cost to available institutions.…
Lumicademy aims to make experiencing live, synchronous video easier. To that end, they’ve developed a suite of video-collaboration tools that are customizable and consumable through a low-code, API-first approach. Lumicademy helps companies expand the reach of their own products…
BigBlueButton is an open-source web conferencing platform designed for online learning.
VISO TeacherView from Radix Technologies in Israel is a cloud-based classroom management solution that provides educators with the tools to facilitate collaborative distance learning in or outside the classroom. Users can share a screen, video camera and whiteboard in lecturer mode…
Newrow is a virtual classroom software solution, now from Kaltura (acquired January 2020).
K12, now Stride, Inc (rebranded November 2020 following a couple of acquisitions) is a provider of K-12 educational resources and complete online courses, both free and tuition based.
Smart Classes is a coaching class management system/software with a mobile app, an ERP system along with online virtual classroom & Online teaching app. Smart Classes mobile application will help Coaching Classes (Coaching center), Small/Medium/Large Institutes and private teachers…
Tutor Ocean is a platform for tutoring businesses. The software includes scheduling, booking, payment management, live whiteboard classroom, and more in one place, to make managing a tutoring business easier. Tutor Ocean's global tutoring marketplace enables learners to connect…
Graphy is a platform that empowers creators and educators to scale their online brand and business by launching their online courses and sell them via white-labelled websites and mobile apps, from Unacademy headquartered in Bangalore.
MeritHub is a platform purposely built for interactive online teaching. It is designed to cover all aspects including audio/video communication, tabbed whiteboards, drawing & annotation, screen sharing, breakout rooms, and lesson recording in MP4 format. The user can store &…
Learn More About Virtual Classroom Software
What is Virtual Classroom Software?
Virtual Classroom Software provides an online learning environment for students and teachers to interact in real time. The software provides this environment through a combination of video conferencing and other collaboration tools. Virtual classrooms are part of the broader learning management system (LMS) market. Virtual classroom software is usually focused on academic use cases, but there are some business-focused corporate learning management systems that offer virtual classrooms as well.
Virtual classrooms provide more flexibility and accessibility than traditional classroom environments. The main benefit of virtual classrooms is enabling remote learning and nontraditional education environments. Remote learning makes learning more accessible and reduces the costs of relocation and travel that in-person classrooms often require. Some virtual classrooms, particularly those that are part of a larger LMS, also allow for easier asynchronous learning outside of scheduled class sessions.
Virtual Classroom Software Features & Capabilities
Virtual classrooms usually have a range of features. Any virtual classroom should have most or all of these core capabilities:
Video conferencing
Interactive whiteboard
Live chat
Breakout rooms
Recording
Content/File sharing
Some virtual classrooms will also include extended academic features, such as attendance tracking and built-in assessment capabilities. Some virtual classrooms are also browser-based or browser-accessible, so students don’t have to download a separate program on their computers to access the virtual classroom.
Virtual Classroom Software vs. Learning Management Systems
Virtual classrooms are often related to learning management systems, since they both focus on digital education. However, virtual classrooms focus directly on providing an environment for student/teacher interactions, while LMS’s provide a platform for the broader suite of education processes, such as grading and content management.
Some learning management systems will include virtual classroom capabilities natively. However, others will opt to simply integrate with 3rd party video conferencing software to deliver similar functionality in the aggregate. While some leading video conferencing products can deliver many virtual classroom capabilities, some of the specialized academic features like attendance tracking will likely be sacrificed in the process.
Virtual Classroom Software Comparison
When comparing different virtual classroom software, consider these key factors:
Scalability: Will the virtual classroom be used for individual tutoring, small classrooms, or high volume classrooms like MOOCs? Virtual classrooms’ scalability can be measured in how many participants are supported in a single session, including the price tag associated with that scalability. Buyers should also consider how effective and easy to use the participant management and administrative tools are at scale.
Hybrid Classroom Support: Does each product enable a classroom environment with a mix of in-person and virtual learners? Hybrid classroom environments are becoming more common, and the ability of teachers to manage the virtual classroom interface in addition to the in-person environment will make those products far more flexible long-term.
Browser-Based: Some products are usable within the student’s browser, eliminating the need for a separate application download. However, these versions may be more lightweight than agent-based virtual learning environments.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are the benefits of virtual classroom software?
Virtual classrooms enable remote learning without sacrificing student-teacher interactions.
What’s the difference between virtual classrooms and video conferencing software?
Virtual classrooms should have extended features, like whiteboards, breakout rooms, and attendance tracking, while standard video conferencing software will not necessarily have these extra functions.