Imeet

iMeet

Elegant browser-based interface. Multi-client video chat. Custom URL.

Cons Expensive. Poor audio and video conferencing performance. No screen sharing. No mobile support. Limited online storage, especially considering the price.

Bottom Line

The idea of a browser-based personal meeting room built around audio and video conferencing is a good one. Unfortunately, iMeet doesn't yet execute its own vision.

Before I started using it, iMeet ($69/month) had me iSmitten. It's a compelling concept: Small businesses can rent a custom URL through which to host audio and video conference calls with up to 15 guests at a time. Even more compelling is the interface, which distills the traditionally cumbersome Web-conferencing experience into a friendly, cube-based experience that looks like it was cooked up in the Cupertino labs. What isn't compelling, alas, is the execution. Video stutters, audio lags, and, headsets—,a necessity for business clients—,cause audio to drop out altogether. If this is the price of browser-based Web conferencing, tether me to my desktop.

It's not as though iMeet is cheap, either. At a fixed $70 per month—,tiered pricing anyone?—,this is a fairly expensive "personal meeting room." While I commend the developers for consolidating services, bundling unlimited domestic dial-in and dial-out access, and permitting unlimited guests to register for a meeting (thought only 15 can be in an iMeeting at a time), this is the only solution that lacks desktop sharing—,even Skype (Free, 4.5 stars) has screen sharing. Microsoft Live Meeting ($4.50/user/mo, 3.5 stars) lets businesses scale services to their needs—,for a business with 8 employees, Live Meeting is half the cost of iMeet. Citrix GoToMeeting ($45, 3.5 stars) costs a little bit more, but supports 15 users and mobile platforms. For the full kit and caboodle, Editors' Choice pick Teamviewer ($719 lifetime, 4.5 stars) is the best overall solution: For less than a year's subscription to iMeet, you get a lifetime license for a product that equals or exceeds iMeet in most ways. In the context of this mature space, I cannot recommend iMeet until its features and performance match its premium pricing.

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