After a Windows update caused the sound on my desktop Windows 10 Pro computer to be distorted I booted a live Linux distribution and the sound was good so I archived, wiped and loaded Linux on it. I have used Linux on my laptop computer for many years so it was not a hard decision. Now I am focused on software that works on Linux. One of the things I was looking for was Unified communications as a service (UCaaS). I want it all! Audio and video conferencing integrated as a service. Please pipe in with UCaaS providers that you know because I am sure that there are more than what I have found so far.
I currently use Zoom Pro and Zoom Phone. While this is a good solution it is not Open Source. After watching the YouTube video titled " Zoom Privacy Concerns and The Open Source Alternative Jitsi Meet" (Thanks Tom) I circled back to 8x8 since they are a hosted VoIP provider that uses Jitsi for video conferencing to see if their UCaaS product works on Linux. Unfortunately their desktop phone client is not available for Linux at this time. When I asked about their plans for Linux they stated that the Windows client should work with Wine. I suspect that this is not a supported configuration so I am still using Zoom.
I use Google Meet for my business which is essentially Google Hangouts, Zoom for doing some of my interviews because it works so well offering local recordings very easily, Zulu for making calls via my FreePBX system at the office (it’s for Sangoma FreePBX only) and Jitsi for personal use. There is also https://github.com/LubosD/twinkle which is an open source SIP tool that I use if I have to test SIP services.
Personally, I ended up using a SIP Softphone app on my phone alongside Jitsi for video. It’s been working pretty well for calls and conferencing, and I’ve found it handy to have a reliable SIP client for iOS and Android. If you’re looking to expand your setup with a bit more control over the SIP side, you might want to check this out – it’s simple, integrates well, and gives me the flexibility I needed without sticking to just one platform.
For me, Google Meet is the best option today! I have been using it for a long time. I have a client who has Zoom because he signed up for it before the pandemic and at the time it was the best option. Today, he doesn’t want to change platforms for convenience. However, I believe that Meet is the best platform for video conferencing, followed by Teams and finally Zoom (which I think is the weakest of the three).
Although I really like open-source software, I don’t think Jitsi is a tool worth keeping. The server required, especially in terms of bandwidth, makes it expensive to maintain in a company, depending on the case.
I would only have it in very specific cases where a Google Meet account could not be used, for example.