Use BigBlueButton for Free: A Guide for Teachers and Administrators
BigBlueButton is an open-source virtual classroom software that enables teachers and businesses to conduct live online sessions. Whether you're an independent teacher or a business administrator, BigBlueButton offers a free tier that lets you explore its features without any cost. Let's dive into how you can use BigBlueButton for free and what to expect.
BigBlueButton DEMO is FREE to TRY for anyone
For teachers looking to engage with students online, BigBlueButton is a great option to explore a better option from the general meeting or conferencing platforms.
At demo.bigbluebutton.org anyone can sign up, create their rooms, and conduct sessions.
While this free-to-use DEMO is officially for testing or demo purposes, many educators find it perfectly suitable for regular use.
The DEMO includes most of the essential features like real-time sharing of audio, video, slides, chat, and screen. It also supports breakout rooms, polls, and emojis, enhancing the interactive learning experience.
Limitations:
- For trial use and not meant for production.
- Each session can last up to 60 minutes, but total sessions are unlimited.
- Limited to 25 users per session
- Student webcams are only visible to the Moderator.
- Doesn’t allow recording the sessions.
BigBlueButton Free for Administrators and Businesses
Business or Organizations can register and create an account, and obtain REST API credentials to integrate BigBlueButton with their platforms.
This integration allows businesses to host meetings with similar limitations.
This free tier is particularly useful for small businesses or startups that want to try BigBlueButton before making any decisions.
It allows to explore the platform’s common & basic capabilities and assess its suitability for their needs without any financial investment.
Understanding the Limitations
While the Free Tier is good enough, it’s important to be aware of its limitations.
The service is for Trial use and not meant for production, meaning there might be performance issues.
- Maximum meeting duration of 60 minutes
- Limited to 25 users per session
- Recordings available for 7 days – not downloadable
- Student webcams are only visible to the moderator
Despite these limitations, the Free tier is valuable for those who want to explore BigBlueButton’s capabilities and make decisions further.
How BigBlueButton.Host add value?
At BigBlueButton.Host, we offer a range of services to meet different needs:
Shared API Access for Development and Testing
- Available for just $1 per week.
- No feature limitations, making it ideal for development and testing purposes.
- This option is not intended for production use.
- Available at $3.50 per day.
- Provides dedicated infrastructure, ensuring guaranteed performance.
- Suitable for both testing and production use, allowing clients to confidently explore & test our services for production usage.
- Tailored for clients who require reliable and hassle-free performance for regular sessions.
- Ideal for production use, ensuring optimal performance without any interruptions.
Our services at BigBlueButton.Host are designed to offer flexibility and confidence to our clients, whether they are in the testing phase or need a robust solution for production use.
Conclusion
BigBlueButton’s free tier provides a fantastic opportunity for teachers and administrators to experience its virtual classroom capabilities without any cost. Whether you’re teaching a class or testing integration for your business, BigBlueButton has you covered.
And for those who need more unrestricted accesses, BigBlueButton Host offers a variety of flexible and cost-effective solutions to meet your needs.
Explore BigBlueButton today and discover how it can enhance your virtual sessions!
Sign up for the free tier to get started.
Consider BigBlueButton Host for an unrestricted, dedicated, and reliable virtual classroom experience.
