In simple English
You can host private video calls without paying a monthly fee or sharing your data with a big company. It works right inside your web browser or on your phone. You can use their public website for free, or install the software on your own server to keep total control. Setting up your own server takes technical skill and a machine with enough memory to handle live video streams. The software is free to use under the Apache-2.0 licence.
What it is
Jitsi Meet is a set of open-source programs for running encrypted video conferences with high-definition video and audio. It includes tools for desktop browsers, mobile apps, and server deployments.
What it is good for
Solo builders who want to embed video calls into their own web apps, or teams who need a private video meeting room on their own server.
- Works straight in any modern web browser without installing extra software.
- Includes chat, polls, screen sharing, and virtual backgrounds out of the box.
- Can be embedded into your own web applications using native software development kits (libraries of pre-written code for building apps).
- Running your own server requires advanced technical knowledge of Linux networks and domain routing.
- Video streaming demands significant memory and a fast server connection to avoid lag.
- Managing updates and monitoring server health takes ongoing maintenance time.
Zoom
Docker
- bigbluebutton/bigbluebutton9.2k stars
An open-source virtual classroom platform designed for online learning and large lectures.
- element-hq/element-web14k stars
A secure collaboration app that supports encrypted group video calls through Matrix servers.
- shaka-project/shaka-packager2.6k stars
Cuts a video file into the pieces and index files that a browser needs in order to stream it.
- mpv-player/mpv38k stars
A command-line media player that handles most audio, video and subtitle formats and can be driven entirely from scripts.
- snapcast/snapcast8.0k stars
A server and clients that play one audio stream in several rooms, kept in time with each other.
docker compose up -d