What is webinar software? The complete guide 2026
Webinar software lets you run interactive online seminars, presentations and training sessions live over the internet. Unlike simple video calls, webinar tools offer special features such as registration pages, attendee management, polls, Q&A sessions, chat and automatic recordings.
The market has developed considerably in 2026. While classic conferencing tools dominate, specialist providers such as Livestorm and Demio focus on browser-based solutions with built-in marketing tools. For companies in the DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland), the key criteria are above all GDPR compliance (the EU General Data Protection Regulation, “DSGVO” in German) and EU server locations.
Good to know
Pricing models differ widely: most providers charge by maximum room size (e.g. 50, 100 or 500 participants), Livestorm by attendees who actually show up, and GetResponse by the size of your contact list. A straight comparison of entry prices is therefore often misleading.
What should you look for in webinar software?
Choosing the right webinar platform depends on six key factors:
- Participant limit: decisive for price and scalability. Entry plans range from 25 (LiveWebinar) and 50 (ClickMeeting, Demio) up to 500 participants (GoTo Webinar Reach). Plan for your realistic peak number, not the average.
- Billing model: room size, participant credits or contact list – check which model suits your rhythm. If you broadcast rarely but to large audiences, credits often work out better; if you broadcast weekly, a fixed room does.
- Browser-based vs. app: browser-based tools (Livestorm, Demio, ClickMeeting, edudip) lower the barrier to entry for attendees – no download needed.
- Marketing features: registration pages, email automation, CRM integration and analytics are essential for lead generation. Check which plan they are included in: with Livestorm, HubSpot and Salesforce are only available on the Enterprise plan, while ClickMeeting offers CRM transfer from Essential.
- Recording & replay: all the providers compared offer recordings, but with different storage – ClickMeeting Essential, for example, only has 2 hours. Automated evergreen webinars are offered by Demio, WebinarJam, ClickMeeting (from Standard) and BigMarker, among others.
- Currency and tax: Demio, WebinarJam and BigMarker bill in US dollars – exchange rates and credit card fees come on top. Many providers quote net prices; for private individuals, VAT is added on top.
The best webinar tools in detail
Livestorm: pay only for real attendees
Livestorm is 100% browser-based and has switched its pricing model to participant credits: €2.50 per participant; the smallest package includes 400 credits (€1,000) and is valid for 12 months. Each person counts once per session – whether live, as a replay or on demand. Team members do not count. A sensible choice for teams with an irregular webinar schedule.
Demio: simple & effective
Demio stands out for its ease of use and browser-based attendance. Particularly strong: automated on-demand webinars that run as evergreen funnels. The Starter plan costs US$45 per month billed annually (US$63 monthly), but is limited to 50 participants and one host; Growth starts at US$117.
ClickMeeting: euro pricing & a broad feature set
The Polish provider ClickMeeting starts with the Essential plan at €35 per month (annual, 50 participants) or €39 monthly. Even this plan includes paid webinars with tickets, email automation and CRM transfer. Automated webinars and certificates are available from Standard (€69), and up to 1,000 participants on the Pro plan (€175).
edudip: servers in Germany
edudip says it stores personal data exclusively on German servers, and runs entirely in the browser. The Creator plan costs €24 per month on an annual subscription (€29 monthly), but is limited to 30 participants and 2 hours per webinar. For 100 participants and 8 hours you need Starter (€82.50), for 500 participants Premium (€166).
Costs & prices: what does webinar software cost?
Monthly entry costs for webinar software with annual billing range from €24 to just over €80 – for very different participant numbers:
| Provider | Entry/month | Participants (entry) | Max. participants | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| edudip | €24.00 | 30 | 500 | ❌ |
| LiveWebinar | €24.00 | 25 | 1,000 | ✅ |
| ClickMeeting | €35.00 | 50 | 10,000* | ✅ |
| WebinarJam | $39.00 | 100 | 5,000 | ❌ |
| Demio | $45.00 | 50 | 3,000 | ❌ |
| GoTo Webinar | €50.00 | 500 | 3,000* | ❌ |
| GetResponse | €50.84 | 100 | 1,000* | ❌ |
| Livestorm | from €1,000/year | 400 credits | 3,000 | ✅ |
| BigMarker | on request | 1,000 | 10,000* | ❌ |
* Highest tier only via sales (Enterprise or Complete). Prices according to the providers’ websites, October 2026, billed annually. GetResponse: net, excl. VAT.
Tip: for beginners and small groups, edudip Creator or LiveWebinar Basic are enough. If you plan larger sessions from the start, GoTo Webinar Reach gives you 500 participants for just €50 a month – the cheapest entry per seat in the comparison.
Cost example: a monthly webinar with up to 100 participants
Suppose you hold one webinar a month with up to 100 live participants and record it. The cheapest suitable plans with annual billing (prices according to the providers’ websites):
| Provider & plan | per month | per year |
|---|---|---|
| WebinarJam Starter (100 participants) | $39 | $468 |
| GoTo Webinar Reach (500 participants) | €50 | €600 |
| edudip Starter (100 participants) | €82.50 | €990 |
| Livestorm (12 × 100 = 1,200 credits at €2.50) | €250 | €3,000 |
The example shows the pitfalls of the credit model: with Livestorm, every single attendance is charged. With 100 people a month, that adds up to 1,200 attendances a year – €3,000 on paper, unless the price per credit falls with larger packages. If, on the other hand, you only broadcast four times a year with 100 people each, the 400-credit package at €1,000 is enough. With room-based plans such as GoTo or edudip, the number of webinars does not matter.
Live vs. on-demand vs. hybrid: which format fits?
- Live webinars: highest engagement, direct interaction. Ideal for product presentations, Q&A sessions and training. All providers support live formats.
- On-demand / evergreen: pre-recorded webinars that play automatically. Scalable without any time investment. Demio, WebinarJam and ClickMeeting (from Standard) offer dedicated automation for this; GoTo Webinar calls the format “Simulive”.
- Hybrid events: a combination of in-person and online attendance. According to the provider, BigMarker supports virtual, hybrid and in-person events.
Practical tip
Start with one live webinar and then reuse the recording as an evergreen webinar. That way you get several uses out of your content at no extra effort. With credit models, however, replay viewers count too.
Data protection & GDPR: what you need to know
Webinars process personal data (email, name, IP address). For GDPR-compliant webinars you should bear the following points in mind:
- Server location: edudip says it stores personal data exclusively on German servers. Livestorm offers a choice of video region (EU or US) as an add-on. With all other providers, ask where recordings and registration data are stored.
- Data processing agreement (“AVV” in German): conclude a data processing agreement with the provider. With US providers (e.g. GoTo, Demio, WebinarJam) you should also check their certification under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework.
- Cookie banner: if you embed registration into your own website, the embedded services belong in your cookie consent and privacy policy.
- Registration data: inform attendees transparently about data processing during registration. Separate consent is required for later marketing emails; double opt-in is recommended.
Last updated: October 2026