Virtual Classroom Watch

Whereby

Range: 2-200 active Effective: Jan 1, 2013 Vendor: Whereby AS Official source Pricing page
Free: $0/mo 4 attendees, 30-min limit, 1 room Pro: $10.99/mo 100 attendees, unlimited duration, local recording Business: $13.99/host/mo 200 attendees, minimum 3 hosts

Features Covered

Video Conferencing Screen Sharing Breakout Rooms Recording and Transcription Chat and Messaging

Timeline

MilestoneDateNotes
Launch as appear.inJan 1, 2013Browser-based video meetings with no downloads required
Rebranded to WherebySep 1, 2019Company renamed from appear.in to Whereby
Whereby Embedded launchOct 1, 2020API for embedding video calls in third-party apps
Breakout Groups addedJun 1, 2021Support for splitting meetings into smaller groups

Provisions (7)

Video Conferencing

Implements: Video Conferencing active Effective: Jan 1, 2013
Whereby pioneered the no-download, browser-based meeting experience with simple persistent room links.

Requirements

RequirementDetails
Participant limitUp to 200 participants on Business plan
Video qualityHD video, browser-based with no download
Room linksPersistent room URLs that can be reused
Sources: Whereby

Screen Sharing

Implements: Screen Sharing active Effective: Jan 1, 2013
Whereby's screen sharing requires zero plugins or extensions, working entirely through browser-native APIs.

Requirements

RequirementDetails
Sharing optionsEntire screen, application window, or browser tab
No plugin requiredScreen sharing works natively in the browser
Participant sharingAny participant can share their screen
Sources: Whereby Features

Breakout Rooms

Implements: Breakout Rooms active Effective: Jun 1, 2021
Whereby added breakout groups to support workshops and collaborative sessions for its small-team user base.

Requirements

RequirementDetails
Breakout groupsSplit meetings into smaller groups
Manual assignmentHost assigns participants to groups
RejoinParticipants can return to the main room
Sources: Whereby Features

Recording and Transcription

Implements: Recording active Effective: Jan 1, 2020
Whereby offers both cloud and local recording options, giving hosts flexibility in how they capture meetings.

Requirements

RequirementDetails
Local recordingMeeting recordings saved locally to the host device
Cloud recordingAvailable for Whereby Embedded, not the Meetings product tracked here
Recording indicatorVisual notification when recording is active
Sources: Whereby Features

Chat and Messaging

Implements: Chat Messaging active Effective: Jan 1, 2013
Whereby keeps in-meeting chat simple and lightweight, consistent with its minimal-friction design philosophy.

Requirements

RequirementDetails
In-meeting chatText chat during live meetings
Emoji reactionsQuick emoji reactions during calls
Chat historyChat persists for the duration of the meeting
Sources: Whereby Features

Polling and Q&A

Implements: Polling limited Effective: Jan 1, 2022
Whereby added polling to give small teams and embedded meeting experiences lightweight engagement tools.

Requirements

RequirementDetails
Native pollingNot listed for Whereby Meetings in the current official feature matrix
AlternativesUse chat, reactions, or an external polling tool
Sources: Whereby Features

Virtual Backgrounds

Implements: Virtual Backgrounds active Effective: Jan 1, 2021
Whereby processes virtual backgrounds client-side in the browser, requiring no server-side rendering.

Requirements

RequirementDetails
Background imagesSelect from built-in backgrounds or upload custom images
Background blurBlur background to reduce visual distractions
Browser-basedVirtual backgrounds processed entirely in the browser
Sources: Whereby Features

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