Webinars are a great way of sharing information or knowledge in an educational or business setting; however, this is not their only use. They can also be excellent tools for marketing and selling your products and services.
With the increasing popularity of video conferencing and live streaming over the past few years, webinars are more attractive than ever as a means of helping connect your business with clients, customers, students, and even your own employees.
Hosting a webinar on your WordPress site can be a great way to engage with a broader audience, but choosing the right plugin to add that functionality to your website usually feels like a daunting task. This article will go through the best WordPress webinar plugins and explain why we believe they could be a good fit for your business.
Why Host a Webinar?
A webinar (or web-based seminar) is a means of interacting and engaging with people remotely, often for business or education. There are a few different popular applications of webinars, including:
- Running information sessions for prospective or existing clients. For example, when your business is releasing a new product or service and you want to market it to help increase conversions.
- Delivering remote training or tutorials for new and existing employees.
- Making educational sessions or courses available for a wider audience.
In the last couple of years, we have seen an increase in courses and training sessions that are held online. For example, since 2020, about 98% of universities have moved their classes to the web, while 70% of students agree online lessons are better than those carried out in a more traditional classroom setting.
This switch is not just for convenience (or a response to circumstance). In fact, there are three main advantages of hosting a webinar over an in-person session:
- Wider reach: By offering your course, information session, or training online, you can increase its range to people who cannot or don’t want to attend in person. This helps you reach a much wider audience without students needing to leave their homes or offices. Webinars aren’t constrained by geography in the same way that in-person seminars are, so by bringing your course online, you can extend its reach globally.
- Lower cost: As webinars can be conducted entirely remotely, they are also typically less expensive to run than in-person events. This is because you don’t need to worry about finding a suitable venue to host your session.
- More formats: If the streaming platform you use for your webinar offers recording functionality, you can also provide your webinars in video-on-demand (VOD) format – which makes them accessible to users who can’t attend the live event, or want to go over the material again after the session.
How Do You Host a Webinar on WordPress?
The easiest way to host a webinar on your WordPress website is to use a plugin. There are many WordPress webinar plugins available, so you’ll want to ensure you choose one that meets the requirements of your event and your business.
We have put together a guide containing the most important things to consider when choosing the best WordPress webinar plugin for your next project.
Attendance Requirements
The attendance of your webinar will vary depending on its purpose. For example, a training session for your existing employees might only need to cater to a handful of people. In contrast, a marketing session for a new product might have tens or even hundreds of attendees.
For internal webinars such as private meetings or university seminars, it can also be beneficial to have the option to add password protection to your streams, to ensure only the right people can access your content. You need to ensure that your chosen WordPress webinar plugin can support your attendance requirements, both in terms of viewer numbers and stream privacy.
Interactivity
Often, webinars will be pretty interactive, so your WordPress webinar plugin must be capable of handling more advanced functionality. For example, you might want to interact with your attendees through a chat system. Or, if you are running a training session, you may need to ensure your employees can share their screens with others.
Monetization Options
Sometimes, offering a free seminar can be a great way of attracting new customers. However, sometimes you will want to add a fee to users wishing to access your webinar content. If this is your requirement, you should ensure that you choose a WordPress webinar plugin that offers monetization options. For example, a membership option or a pay-per-view model.
Integrations
It’s likely you will want to follow up with your attendees after a webinar is complete. The option to integrate your WordPress webinar plugin with email providers or automation services such as Zapier is, therefore, a definite bonus and something you will want to consider when looking for the perfect tool.
Top 6 WordPress Plugins for Webinars
Below, you will find a list of the best webinar plugins to use with your WordPress site and what makes them ideal for an educational business project.
WpStream
WpStream allows users to live-stream webinars directly to their WordPress site without using any third-party services. This tool gives you complete control over your stream content and works seamlessly with all modern browsers. It also lets you go live via computer, smartphone, or tablet in less than 3 minutes.
We mentioned how important it is to offer your content in different formats. With WpStream, you can stream your webinars live or make them available as VODs for users who can’t attend live.
This is why WpStream is our first choice for a WordPress webinar plugin. Here are some of the features which make it stand out from other tools when it comes to creating and broadcasting webinars:
- Fully customizable: With WpStream, you have full control over your stream and its content. You won’t be subjected to ads or censorship, and, as WpStream is a fully white-label solution, you can add your own logo, branding, and identity easily.
- Integrations: WpStream integrates with many of the most popular streaming software to allow you to add greater functionality. For a more professional broadcasting experience, you can integrate WpStream with software like OBS, Wirecast, or vMix. You can also connect WpStream to any platform that supports a custom RTMP connection, allowing you to work with multistreaming platforms like Restream, design platforms like Streamyard, or even conferencing platforms like Zoom.
- Stream attendance options: WpStream supports streams of all sizes, with pricing plans available for up to 25,000 concurrent viewers. If you need support for even more simultaneous viewers, WpStream can prepare bespoke costs for you. WpStream also supports both public and private webinars via password-protected live streams, allowing you to ensure only authorized viewers can access your private stream content.
- Monetization options: Through integration with WooCommerce, WpStream lets you offer three pricing models for your webinars: free, subscription-based, or pay-per-view. This means you can easily monetize your streams in line with the needs of your business.
WpStream offers a range of pricing plans based on the requirements of your business and includes a helpful pricing calculator to assist you in working out exactly which plan works best for you. No features are gated behind more expensive plans – the different alternatives simply determine the amount of streaming and storage data you get and the number of concurrent channels you can run.
Pricing starts from $19/month, with a free trial to test the plugin. You also aren’t tied into a pricing plan for longer than a month at a time, as billing is monthly, and there are no cancellation fees. You can sign up for a month at a time whenever you need to stream, rather than paying for a service you don’t need for the whole year.
WebinarPress
WebinarPress allows you to host live, automated, or recurring webinars directly from your WordPress site in just a few clicks without relying on third-party platforms. You also don’t need any technical expertise to use the plugin.
Some key features of WebinarPress include:
- Live questions: Interact with your attendees through a live chat and a dedicated question-and-answer section. You can prevent responses from being lost in the general discussion and efficiently run attendee polls.
- Notifications: WebinarPress supports custom notifications and email reminders, as well as webinar countdowns to help boost your webinar attendance.
- Personalize the look: The plugin includes several customization options for your webinar registration pages to match your brand identity.
- Monetization: You can monetize your webinars through integration with WooCommerce.
- Integrations: The tool works seamlessly with popular email marketing tools like MailChimp and Drip, as well as automation tools like Zapier.
A free version of WebinarPress includes unlimited attendees and live webinars. However, to run recurring or recorded webinars and to access any of the features listed above, you’ll need the paid version of the plugin. Prices start from $197/year for a single site.
WebinarIgnition
WebinarIgnition provides an all-in-one solution for webinar creation, hosting, and management. This WordPress webinar plugin allows you to host live or automated webinars and embed video feeds from popular streaming providers like YouTube Live, LiveStream, Facebook live, Twitch, and more.
Some other key features include:
- Interaction: WebinarIgnition includes a ‘live console’ for managing attendee questions, call-to-action (CTA) messages, and analytics reports.
- Integrations: The plugin can work with email marketing providers like MailChimp, as well as AWeber, GetResponse, and more.
- Personalization: You can customize your webinar templates, add branding colors, or remove elements. All users also get 13 Elementor page builder templates and one pop-up template.
- Monetization: The tool includes a few monetization options through integration with WooCommerce.
A free version of WebinarIgnition is available, which includes support for live webinars and some limited analytics features. You will need the ‘ultimate’ version of the plugin to gain access to all other functionalities, which costs $197/year for a single site license.
WP GoToWebinar
WP GoToWebinar allows you to integrate the popular webinar platform GoToWebinar with your WordPress site. The webinar plugin provides shortcodes that enable you to embed your course or registration page on any page of your WordPress site.
Other features include:
- Calendars: Display upcoming webinars from your GoToWebinar account in a table, calendar, or widget format.
- Anti-spam features: Includes Google reCaptcha support to prevent spam registrations and malicious users trying to access your courses.
- Access to GoToWebinar’s full feature set: Access GoToWebinar’s most popular features, such as recording, analytics, polls and surveys, and more.
WP GoToWebinar is a free WordPress plugin, but you will still need a GoToWebinar account. Plans start from $49/month (though for support for monetization, recorded events, and integrations, you will need to opt for one of the more expensive options).
It is also worth noting that GoToWebinar has participant limits, starting from 250 people on the ‘Lite’ plan up to 3,000 on the most expensive ‘Enterprise’ plan.
Video Conferencing with Zoom
Zoom is one of the most popular digital meeting platforms, and Video Conferencing with Zoom allows you to integrate the platform directly with your WordPress site. This helpful tool can enable you to easily manage your Zoom webinars without having to move between multiple platforms. Some other features of the plugin include:
- WordPress-centered: Manage meetings, attendees, and recorded sessions directly from your WordPress dashboard.
- Shortcodes: Display webinars on your landing page, or anywhere else on your site using a provided shortcode. The plugin also supports Elementor and Gutenberg blocks.
- Advanced features: Bring the popular features of Zoom to your WordPress webinars, including file sharing, digital whiteboards, and recording.
Video Conferencing with Zoom is a free plugin, but as with WP GoToWebinar, you will need a separate account for Zoom itself. There is a free plan that limits your webinars to 40 minutes and does not include any cloud recording storage. Paid plans start from $149/year.
If you want to add monetization options to your meetings (for example, pay-per-view or membership-only viewing), you will need to purchase the WooCommerce extension, which costs $34/year. To add an option for recurring meetings or webhook integrations, you will need the pro version of the plugin, which also costs $34/year.
eRoom
eRoom is another plugin that allows you to integrate Zoom meetings with your WordPress site easily. The plugin has built-in features to help you manage your Zoom conferences directly from your WordPress dashboard. Aside from this, eRoom comes with other notable benefits, including:
- Shortcodes: Use shortcodes and modules to add Zoom meetings to any page of your site.
- Calendar sync: Sync meetings with popular calendar apps like iCal and Google Calendar.
- Reporting: Track the performance of your webinars through engagement reports.
- Zoom-friendly: Includes all of Zoom’s popular features, depending on your chosen Zoom plan.
A free version of eRoom is available, though many of the best features are gated behind the pro version of the plugin. For example, monetization through WooCommerce, the ability to set up recurring meetings, and more advanced functionality. The pro version starts at $29.99/year for a single site.
As with Video Conferencing with Zoom, you’ll also need a Zoom plan to get started. Paid plans start from $149/year.
Bring your online courses and events to a wider audience with a WordPress webinar plugin
Webinars can help you to reach a wider audience, are more accessible than in-person seminars, and are typically cheaper to run. If you want to create and manage webinars more efficiently, it’s a good idea to use a WordPress webinar plugin. With it, you can support much more interactivity, integrations, customization of your webinar appearance and branding, add monetization options, and more.
WpStream is the best plugin for hosting webinars on your WordPress site because it offers:
- Fully customizable stream content and appearance.
- Integrations that allow you to extend the functionality of your stream as required.
- Easily implementable monetization options.
- Competitive pricing with no features gated behind expensive plans.
WpStream offers a range of flexible plans based on the requirements of your business. You can scale up your plan based on your stream data or recording requirements, the number of attendees, and the number of concurrent streams you need to run. Check out WpStream’s pricing calculator to see which plan works best for you, or sign up for a free trial.