10 screen-sharing apps offer easy collaboration

There’s no shortage of collaboration tools that let you screen-share with your colleagues, clients and customers, but it’s easy to get bogged down by all the specs and price points. Finding the right collaboration tool to fit your needs requires a little research into features, security, pricing models and reliability.

These 10 collaboration apps offer some unique benefits, including screen-sharing, video chat and more. There’s an app to fit any business need and any budget.

ScreenMeet approaches screen-sharing in a different way than most apps — it’s targeted at mobile users who need to project a smartphone to a larger display. It’s designed for sales teams to quickly share presentations and demos with as little hassle as possible, allowing for up to 50 viewers per meeting. All you do is start a ScreenMeet session, share the custom URL and then anyone can instantly view your display without a meeting ID, login, software, or password.

Meetings are HIPAA and FINRA compliant, screen data is encrypted and you can opt to use passwords or “knock-to-join” for another layer of security. It works across tablets, desktops and smartphones, and you can sign up with a work email to get a free trial with five free meetings. Paid subscriptions start at $15 per month or $150 per year for mobile access, while a plan with desktop access is $25 per month or $249 per year.

ScreenShare is aimed at anyone who wants to screen share between two mobile devices. You need to install the app on both devices, so it’s not ideal if you’re working with outside clients. However, for personal or inter-office use, it’s an easy solution — it’s completely free and ad-free. The company states that the app is free “in order to serve as a reference implementation for Spring Design and its company’s patents with multi-screens applications.”

It’s a little more complex than other apps, and reviews are mixed — but it will allow you to share files, stream browser content and videos from one device to another. If anything, it’s worth checking out to see if it will suit your needs since it’s free to use without ads.

BlueJeans promises to connect you with up to 100 colleagues across multiple platforms for quick, easy collaboration. With enterprise accounts, you can even hold interactive meetings with thousands of participants. It’s also compatible with Slack, so if you’re already using the popular collaboration tool, you’ll get seamless integration.

What makes this cloud-based collaboration tool unique is that it lets you to stream multi-party, interactive broadcasts over Facebook Live, allowing you to connect directly with customers. You can try Blue Jeans for free, but pricing starts at $9.95 per month for a personal account, while enterprise accounts depend on the size of your business and the features you need.

Appear.in lets you quickly create a room right on the home page — you can choose “room name” and if it’s taken you’ll be prompted to choose something else. Or, if you already know the name of your chat, you’ll be able to instantly start video chatting. Once you create a link, just share it and start chatting instantly — you can screen share, join from any device and set the room to private. If anyone “knocks” while you’re in a private chat, you can check to see who it is through the video function before you let them enter.

It’s free to use, while premium accounts start at $12 per room and allow for up to 12 people per room. With premium accounts, you can also screen share and video chat at the same time. That way, participants can see you while you present. It also includes more security features and other functionality for businesses that rely on video conferencing and screen sharing. It’s a great choice for quick collaboration between remote teams, without the added hassle of downloading software.

Screenleap is another easy-to-use platform that allows you to screen share almost instantly. On the homepage, you select “share your screen now” to instantly start sharing your screen with any device that has a browser, including smartphones and tablets. It does require a download, but it’s quick and painless — and you only have to do it once. Once you start sharing your screen, you’ll see a link and PIN that you can send to participants to join.

The only person who needs to download the app is the person who will be sharing their screen. Viewers will not need to download any apps or create an account. All they need is a web browser, the link you provide and the PIN number to enter. A free account gives you one-two hours a day and eight viewers per meeting. From there, you choose from different account levels, including Basic, Pro and Company.