Livestorm versus Zoom:
Which Is Best for B2B Marketers?
Choosing the Right Digital Event Platform
Finding the right platform to scale your webinar and digital event programs can be difficult. There are so many options available, and they all seem to offer a similar but different experience. It can be tough to decide which one is right for your unique situation. We feel your pain!
If youâre deciding between Livestorm and Zoom, youâve come to the right place. Weâve compared both platforms to help you see which one best fits your strategy.
Livestorm versus Zoom
Hereâs a quick breakdown of the features and functionality offered by each SaaS platform and how they compare.
Livestorm
Livestorm is a video engagement platform to manage meetings, webinars, and virtual events. Small businesses use Livestorm to unblock traditional video conferencing silos.
Livestorm is an excellent tool for simple webinars, but it falls short when it comes to using webinars for demand generation. Specifically, Livestorm lacks the functionality to drive MQLs, track pipeline created and influenced, and create a âwowâ experience for prospects and customers.
Affordable for small businesses
On a tight budget? No problem. Livestorm uses a âfreemiumâ model with one free plan and then paid plans starting at only $88 per month. This is a great fit for small businesses hosting intimate, no-frills webinars.
â
Keep in mind, these lower-tier options lack advanced features and functionality, and they can get pricey as you scale programming. After the free version, the pricing is based on âactive contacts,â which includes anyone who registers for an event. So, you pay even for contacts who donât actually join your event.Easy-to-use registration page templates
Many users find that Livestorm is easy to use and appreciate the built-in landing page templates. This allows organizers to quickly spin up pages on the fly with little to no help from other teams, like design.
Basic engagement features like chat, Q&A & polls
While theyâre not best-in-class, Livestorm supports basic engagement features like live chat, the ability to launch polls, and a dedicated Q&A. Itâs not fancy, but it does the job. Livestorm also supports private chat for speakers and moderators.
Ability to organize both live and pre-recorded webinars
Live? Pre-recorded? Why not both? Livestorm allows organizers to host live events, play a pre-recorded webinar, or do a mix of both. This gives event planners the freedom and flexibility to plan dynamic content experiences.
Easy-to-use interface
One of Livestormâs strongest benefits is its ease of use. Customers find the platform intuitive and easy to navigate, which makes onboarding new speakers, moderators, and users quick and painless.
Not built for mid-market and enterprise B2B companies
While Livestorm is ideal for small businesses and startups, it lacks the advanced customization and flexibility that enable modern B2B companies to stand out in todayâs crowded market. The pricing model also gets expensive as teams scale their event programming. Demand generation teams will likely need the enterprise plan to unlock key features and functionality.
AV issues during live sessions
Many reviews mention AV issues during live events. Specifically, attendees called out audio and video lag that impacted the overall event experience. Livestorm does not offer a âlite modeâ to help mitigate attendee bandwidth issues.
Lower-tier plans donât offer proactive support
Marketers on lower-tier plans are on their own when it comes to learning the platform. Livestorm does not offer onboarding support or a dedicated success team.
Basic connectors with marketing tools
While the Livestorm marketplace touts over 1,000 connected apps, most of these are only available via a third-party connector, like Zapier. And many essential marketing tech integrations, like CRM and MAP connectors, are only available on the premium plan.
Doesnât have UX translation features
Livestorm isnât a good fit for companies that host global events or are invested in event accessibility. The platform doesnât offer live translation support during events.
The Details: Livestorm Pros & Cons
To summarize, hereâs a simplified chart that outlines the top pros and cons of Livestorm.
.svg)
.svg)
Zoom
Zoom is a browser-based video communication platform that grew rapidly during the pandemicâwhich makes sense! Many teams were already using Zoom for 1:1 or 1:few video meetings, so it made sense to use an internal tool for other things, like webinars.
â
Zoom now offers dedicated webinar software to support external use cases. While the webinar tool provides a few more features than standard meetings, it still lacks the sophistication to build highly engaging and interactive events. Zoom lacks deep, native integration with marketing tools that allow marketers to use webinars and events for demand generation. And Zoom video webinars look and feel like a Zoom meeting, not a beautifully branded experience.
â
Using a video conferencing solution for webinars is convenient but also has drawbacks. Letâs explore more.
Ease of use
Itâs no surprise that Zoom is one of the easiest platforms to use. Theyâre already widely used for video conferencing, so most folks know exactly what to expect. The user-friendly and familiar experience makes onboarding new users and speakers easy.
Live streaming to media platforms
For increased reach, event organizers can live stream webinars to YouTube, Facebook, and other social media channels. This is perfect for broadcast-style events where you want to reach a large, passive audience.
Enhanced audio and video quality with filters and studio effects
Video quality is always a top concern, and Zoom offers a built-in studio with fun filters, backgrounds, and effects. This is especially handy for at-home recordings.
Post-webinar surveys
Looking to collect post-event feedback? Zoom support seamless surveys in a variety of formats, including single-choice, multiple-choice, a rating scale, and open-ended. This makes it simple to collect real-time attendee feedback.
Multiple engagement options (chat, reactions, and polling)
Zoom offers webinar organizers table-stakes audience engagement features like live chat, screen sharing, polls, Q&A, and peer-to-peer messaging. And since Zoom is widely used, many attendees already know how these features work.
No embedded CTAs or resources
Zoom doesnât allow CTAs to be embedded into webinars, which is a bummer if youâre a marketer looking to drive leads from digital events. Additionally, Zoom does not support hosting additional resources, like blogs, e-books, etc. While an organizer can drop these links into the chat, this doesnât collect the engagement data, like clicks over to the resources.
App-based platform
Attendees must download the Zoom mobile app to participate in events on their phones or tablets. This may be a concern for event accessibility and convenience.
Limited interaction and networking
Zoom webinars are designed for events that do not require much interaction. In these cases, they function more like a virtual lecture hall or auditorium and are ideal for events open to the public or large audiences.
Not built for B2B marketers
Zoom is a great webinar tool for small to mid-sized organizations and educational institutions. However, it is not the best platform for B2B marketers. Zoom offers few customization opportunities and production capabilities. And Zoom lacks the deep, native integrations that help marketers automate and scale digital event programming.
Breakout rooms only on Elite
Zoom webinar packages do not have breakout rooms as a feature, which is limiting if youâre hosting a large community event designed for networking. This feature, and others, are only available on the âeliteâ (see also: most expensive) package.
The Details: Zoom Pros & Cons
To summarize, hereâs a simplified chart that outlines the top pros and cons of Zoom.
.svg)
.svg)
Goldcast: The Revenue-Driven Event Marketing Platform
Goldcast is a digital event platform purpose-built for B2B marketers to create engaging experiences, from small webinars to large-scale virtual and hybrid conferences. More importantly, Goldcast enables marketers to showcase event ROI and scale event programming.
Drift, Salesloft, Lattice, Definitive Healthcare, and other high-growth companies use Goldcast to run demand-generation events like webinars and recurring series. Enterprises such as GitHub, Pure Storage, Zuora, and Amplitude use Goldcast for events across teams, including marketing, sales, product, and more.
Our customers love Goldcast for its ability to provide an exceptional attendee experience and drive high-quality audience engagement. They also dig the post-event insights that the platform provides and can easily be shared across your existing marketing tech stack, like MAPs, CRMs, and more.
Proven results
Rate
every month
That was the best partâwe made the decision to pivot on a Friday, and I didnât have to work or stress over it on the weekend. I knew that Iâd be able to move the whole event into Goldcast on Monday. It wasnât even a concern.
Goldcast was super easy to use compared to other platforms for both our employees as well as our guest speakers
Our MQL goals saw an increase of 20% through Goldcastâs video production capabilities. The experience was super engaging and very modern!
Goldcast enables B2B marketers to create incredible experiences and engage prospects and customers like never before
Flexibility: Goldcast can support a plethora of B2B use cases, which include community events, webinars, product launches, demos, field events, hybrid events, user conferences, and more
With Goldcast, you can embed CTAs and resources in your event to drive conversions and engagement
Built-in audience engagement features like chat, polls, and text and video Q&A in a completely customizable interface, which helps keep attendees engaged throughout the event
Video production tools that include overlays, lower thirds, and tickers for an elevated attendee experience
Templates that can be duplicated, making it easy to create, manage, and scale events of any size and complexity
Accessibility: Goldcast makes accessibility simple with captioning, subtitles, and translation in 14+ languages
Actionable insights in the form of post-event analytics. Organizers have access to 16+ engagement points that are synced into CRMs and MAPs. This allows you to track and measure your event's success in real-time.
Easily integrates with your existing MarTech stack: Deep, native integrations with popular tools like HubSpot, Marketo, Pardot, and more
Slack + Salesforce integration sends notifications to sales teams when prospects engage in the event, which ensures timely and relevant post-event follow-ups
On-demand access to all recordings within 24 hours
Dedicated customer success team with live customer support for ALL your events
Generous pricing model that allows multiple teams to scale digital events
Frequently Asked Questions
Goldcast is fully customizable and supports a variety of use cases, including webinars, community events, product launches, hybrid events, and employee engagement events.
With deep, native CRM and MAP integrations, Goldcast provides you and your sales team with robust analytics. You'll have everything you need to set up and run pipeline-driving events.
â
The support you get with Goldcast is second to none. You can count on us from set-up to execution and beyond.
Want to see how easily you can start scaling your webinar program?
