Function overview
Open source video conferencing systems
| Function | Jitsi Meet | BigBlueButton | OpenTalk | Nextcloud Talk | PlugNMeet |
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| 1) audio / video communication | 
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| 2) presenter always in the foreground |
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| 3) chat |
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| 4) invitation by email |
(API) |
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(NC-Integration) |
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| 5) webinar manager (breakout rooms) |
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| 6) presentations (PDF/PPT) |
(share) |
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| 7) screen sharing |
(multiple screens) |
(multiple screens) |
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| 8) secure file transfer |
(links, e.g. Nextcloud) |
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(Nextcloud) |
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| 9) interactive whiteboard |
(Excalidraw) |
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(App) |
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| 10) hand signals / polls |
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| 11) moderation rights |
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| 12) central mute function |
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| 13) mouse / keyboard takeover |
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| 14) participation via: | |||||
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(limited) |
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(SIP in/out) |
(SIP in) |
(SIP in with gateway) |
(SIP in) |
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| 15) recording |
(Jibri) |
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(external) |
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| 16) security | |||||
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| 17) role-based rights management |
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(NC) |
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Explanations
of some functions
| Function | Jitsi Meet | BigBlueButton | OpenTalk | Nextcloud Talk | PlugNMeet |
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| SIP telephone connection | full support via Jigasi incoming and outgoing | incoming SIP integration with a fixed number per conference | SIP support with high-performance backend | ||
| Whiteboard | excellent whiteboard integration, especially for teaching situations | separate whiteboard app required | integrated collaborative whiteboards | ||
| Recording | bei BBB Download nur mit PILOS-Frontend (empfohlen) | Cloud-Aufzeichnung mit MP4-Export | |||
| Enterprise features | highly scalable, conferences can be distributed across multiple video bridges, cookie-free operation | focus on GDPR compliance | scalable architecture with LiveKit | ||
| mobile support | no app of its own yet (announced for iOS) | no native app (browser only) | no native app (browser only) |
Note on SIP: Jitsi Meet and Nextcloud Talk support SIP end devices without additional gateways. PlugNMeet offers RTMP streaming instead (e.g. for YouTube/livestreams).
Recommendations
based on use case
| Use Case | Video Conferencing System |
|---|---|
| Education / Webinars | BigBlueButton or OpenTalk (optimized for teaching) |
| Corporate Communications | Jitsi Meet (maximum flexibility) or OpenTalk (security) |
| Nextcloud Environments | Nextcloud Talk (seamless integration) |
| Performance / Low latency | PlugNMeet (WebRTC optimized) |
| Cisco integration | Jitsi Meet with Jigasi or OpenTalk |
