Best Automated Webinar Software: Top 8 Platforms (Pros & Cons)

Mar 28, 2023

Course creators utilize automated webinars in order to collect prospects and attract new students for their online courses. They create carefully-crafted webinars at the center of an evergreen funnel . They automate the selling process as they can and then put it on autopilot and redirect their time and energy towards other activities.

The choice of the ideal automated webinar software isn't easy. With so many options available and a variety of options, it is difficult to choose which one will be the best fit for your needs.

In this post, we'll explore the best seven webinar automation platforms for course creators and make the task of picking one as simple as is possible.

Jump ahead:

What are the reasons to use automated webinar software

Automated webinar software can be used to record and create webinars which run automatically. It's an effective way to get leads to you and guide them through the sales process without needing to be constantly on the air.

They are ideal for course creators since they permit you to create videos, slideshows, or other material and distribute the content to your viewers at any time even when you're not available. They also provide powerful analytics to help you measure the performance of each webinar and tweak it when needed.

Webinars are excellent for lead generation and sales conversion, but they're also an efficient method of building relationships with your audience. They allow you to connect prospective customers in a much more intimate manner and build trust by responding to the questions they have and showing your competence. Automating webinars makes it even easier to build these relationships.

Haley Burkhead, Founder and CEO of Recurring Profit specialises in helping creators of courses increase the revenue of their course or membership site by using automated webinars, just like she has done with her own business. She shares:

"I I grew my business to $400K+ A MONTH OF Recurring Revenue by deciding to auto-generate my webinar. By automating my SALES MACHINE, I CAN spend more time serving MY CLIENTS AND CREATING A VISION INSTEAD OF ALWAYS NEEDING TO BE IN SALES MODE."

In this webinar, which is free for 30 minutes, Haley explains her method and walks through the free webinar template she created in order to help you develop an automatized webinar of your own. (Since Haley's webinar is automatic, when you sign up for it, you'll be able to enjoy the opportunity to experience an automatic webinar as well! )

Choosing the best automated webinar software

One of the biggest benefits of having an online webinar that is automated is that it's open anytime, which means people can attend a webinar when it's convenient for them and without having to wait. You or anyone on your team don't need to attend or attend it in order to ensure it's successful.

Even if you're not being there, your webinar still needs to be engaging enough for viewers to be enticed to stay for the whole program and eventually become becoming a paid customer. To achieve this it is essential that the presentation be interactive and give attendees an opportunity to have answers to their questions. If you can find the software for automated webinars that make everything possible, you're 90 percent there.

In order to help you through selecting an automated webinar system to help you choose the right one, we've divided the features to look over the more closely in four categories:

  1.         Scheduling
  2.         Communication
  3.         Interactivity
  4.         Usability

FULL DISCLOSURE: This is a guest blog from eWebinar The only automated software for webinars that is that is 100% committed to automation and the sole one that is available through the App Store. Of course, we are bias towards our software, but this is only because we've had to contend through the flaws of the software we have and are now dedicated to fixing the issues. We have sought to be as objective as is possible in evaluating different solutions, to allow you to be able to make an informed choice as you go about picking one.

Scheduling

With live webinars, you're only ever able to schedule them when you are available to host them. It is all about what is compatible with your timetable. For automated webinars they're the reverse. It is important for your webinars to be accessible whenever potential customers wish to see the webinar, which may happen at any moment. That's why it's important! Pick a program that offers the registrants the most flexibility in choosing when to join your webcasts.

Here are five key questions to ask yourself about scheduling features:

  1. Does the software allow an recurring schedule? This includes the ability to add dates for the start and end date (with the option to have the webinar continue for an indefinite period) as well as recurring session time slots on any day of the week you prefer (i.e. 10am, 2pm and 4pm, Monday through Friday )?
  2. Do you have the ability to create sessions available in the local time zone of the attendees, so sessions are always at convenient times of day regardless of where attendees are located anywhere in the world?
  3. Do they have reliable just-in-time or on-demand features, so people can take part in an online webinar just moments after finding it, in the moment they are most focused? (This is critical! )
  4. Are people able to sign up to view a replay place of attending a normal session and enjoy it whenever they want, pause, skip ahead, or view at 2X speed?
  5. Can you enable all of the options above for the same webinar so that participants can choose when (and what) they'd like to attend your webinar so they actually will attend? !

NOTE: The last question is the most important one of all. Several solutions offer all of these features however, only a handful of them allow each of them for the same webinar. Some solutions, for instance, have on-demand webinars, but they can only be on-demand; you can't also offer sessions on a recurring schedule to the identical webinar.

Communication

If people are attending an online webinar, they might want or expect to be in a live chat with an individual. In the simplest sense they'd like to know that they can answer their questions in a timely way. This obviously becomes a challenge with automated webinars, since you won't always be around to reply to emails in real time. You would not like to be present at every event to interact with the attendees as that could defeat the purpose of round-the-clock scheduling.

In contrast from a selling perspective this is an excellent chance you shouldn't be missing to engage with prospective customers to answer questions and address any concerns they might have while they're watching your webcast as well as deciding -- in that very instant -- whether or not to buy your course.

It is then important to find software that gives you the best of both worlds, being able to join into a live chat with other attendees whenever you are able, however the ability to reply to messages later by email in the event that you aren't able to.

To keep this in mind there are four important questions to ask yourself related to chat capabilities of any software you are looking at:

  1. Does the program give you the flexibility to chat live with your guests whenever you want, including notifications of any new messages as well as chat administrators that are mobile-friendly for when you are on the go?
  2. Can you respond to questions from attendees by mail even if you're free to chat live (or when the program isn't able to support live chat with the ability to let you join in when necessary)?
  3. Does the program encourage conversation among attendees by providing features like automated welcome messages, schedule private messages and private chat (since people are much more comfortable with asking questions in private than publically)? Or does it discourage or stop them altogether?
  4. What is the way that the program handle attendees' expectations when you're not available to chat (or cannot chat with them because of the limitations of the software) to ensure that they don't get felt unappreciated and dissatisfied?

Note: Certain software can support virtual chat. It creates the illusion that the chat room is live, even though it does not, and the user will get a response from you , even though they can't. It is not recommended to use this function. You don't want to risk losing your reputation.

Interactivity

With an automated webinar, it is unlikely that you will be present to share it live. You will not always be available to chat live with participants also. So your webcast must be engaging enough to hold viewers' attention even without having you there.

A well-structured, compelling presentation is essential to this. Although chat can aid in this process as well, if you wish to keep your audience engaged to the time of the webinar (which typically is when you make your offer to purchase), it must have interactivity elements such as polls, questions, suggestions along with other things which allow them to be part of the process. Otherwise, they will get bored and then leave.

Interactivity has two functions. Apart from keeping the attendees entertained, it also gives you an opportunity to gain information from them, like the responses to certain questions about sales, feedback regarding whether or not the webinar was successful and/or data for segmenting your attendees for following-webinar automated marketing.

With these things in mind, here are a couple of questions you can ask your self about the interactive functions of webinar software automated:

  1. Does the software offer a wide variety of interaction, like polls, question suggestions, guides to downloads, contact forms, downloads as well as more? So you can have a variety of options at your disposal to keep the attendees interested?
  2. Does it make sense to incorporate interactions into your webinar or are they interspersed and conflict with one another (or do they take too much time to include in the process of creating a webinar)?
  3. Do they support audience reactions (i.e. "likes) which give the audience an additional way to engage in the experience and that, ideally, accumulate over the course of time?
  4. Do you have the ability to integrate your data from interaction with CRM software or the email software you use in order to effectively market to attendees after the event?

TIP: If you're looking to know whether or not the experience of your scheduled webinar is as interactive and engaging as you'd like it be, you should attend a webinar hosted using the software you are considering. Was the program able to keep your interest even though it was pre-recorded? Did you feel that you got your concerns answered? Was the experience one-way and passive or two-way and interactive? Consider if this is the one you'd want to provide your customers.

Usability

If you've ever used software for webinars before, you probably already know it can be very difficult to master. When you are evaluating software, ensure that you're confident with its process of learning and how difficult or straightforward it's going to be to use on an ongoing basis.

The easiest way to determine how easy the product for webinars is to use is to register for a free trial and build a new webinar with no instruction.

When you are done, ask yourself the following questions:

  1. What time did it take you? It was more Than 10 minutes?
  2. What was the number of times must click to display the options available? More than 10 times?
  3. Have you ever needed to seek help?
  4. Did you need to see a helpful video?
  5. Would you think it would be simple to recall where everything was when you went back in to make changes?
  6. Can you imagine the final product be like for the audience as you were editing? Or did you have to think about it?
  7. How did the overall experience make you feel? Confused and frustrated? Or did it put you at ease regarding the learning curve?

The kind of test you can do, especially when you are comparing two different products, is incredibly revealing. Don't rush this part of the software evaluation process as it could affect the decision you make for a long time.

Note: While the functions that we have discussed previously are the most crucial to take into consideration when choosing automated webinar software however, there's a number of other features you need to examine to see if that they are able to meet your requirements. These include registration pages as well as registration widgets (especially in the event that you wish to utilize a third-party registration page) emails, integrations (if you are using an email marketing or CRM platform) as well as analytics.

Top 8 webinars that are automated software platforms

We've compiled a list of the top eight automatic webinar software solutions which you could consider using to boost the popularity of your online course or program. Each one of the products has been discussed below within the context of three of the four groups of features that we have previously discussed: scheduling communication, and interactivity.

Let's look at the best eight webinar automation platforms to help you make an an informed decision about which one is right for you:

  1.    eWebinar
  2.    EasyWebinar
  3.    Demio
  4.    WebinarGeek
  5.    EverWebinar
  6.    BigMarker
  7.    Click Meeting
  8.    Zoom

An important note on pricing: Most course creators have a single automatic sales webcast. The following table shows for each product the month-to-month rate you would pay if you did exactly the same. Certain products don't offer automated webinars on their lower tiers. Others offer discounts if you sign up for a yearly.

eWebinar

eWebinar is entirely focused on automated webinars. From the beginning to be a complete solution, eWebinar is the only automated webinar software on this list that offers all the functions that meet all the criteria described above.

If you'd like more information more information about eWebinar or even go through it yourself as an attendee take part in our on-demand 20-minute demo or sign up to get a trial for free. eWebinar receives a five-star review on Capterra. Read the reviews.

Scheduling: You have the option of enabling all key scheduling features at the same time in any webinar you host, giving your audience the best choice in choosing when and when to participate in your webinar. This includes the ability to create a regular schedule (that can show session times according to the time of the attendees' local zone), just-in-time webinars, and replays of webinars that are available on demand.

Communication: eWebinar's private chat function is its distinctive and unique feature. It works in a way that you are notified whenever someone sends you a message (by an email, browser notification or via Slack, if you've enabled an integration). When you're off from your computer, you'll be in a position to quickly respond via the chat administrator on your mobile (or via the Slack application on your smartphone). If you or the team aren't free to chat live You can respond to the person who attended and get your response by email. No other software gives you this level of flexibility. Chat features that are unique include automated welcome messages and private messages scheduled for the future, an autoresponder, an unlimited number of team members who can assist you to manage chat, and the ability to automatically email transcripts of chats.

Interactivity: eWebinar has 12 kinds of interaction, which is higher than any other program, so your webinars will be exciting, fun and fun. Utilize them to collect vital data from your audience as well as to boost your webinar's duration to 90 percent or more.

Usability: eWebinar's interface is clear and intuitive. It is a simple five-step wizard that guides you through the creation process. The features do not hide in the sub-tabs or accordions. It is possible to see all the possibilities in just eight clicks. You can also preview your project as you go. The time required for someone to set up their first eWebinar is under 10 minutes without instruction.

  Packaging and pricing  
  • 14-day trial for free
  • Level 1 - - $49/month
  • Level 2 at $99 per month
  • Level 3 $99/month
  • Niveau 4: $250/month or more
  Other features worth noting:  
  • Only product listed that fully meets the criteria and is equipped with all the features outlined in this article
  • The only product that integrates with and is available on their application store
  • Includes 3 no-cost templates for webinars and a host of other online resources designed specifically for course creators

EasyWebinar

EasyWebinar can provide live and automated webinars and can be a great choice for course developers, specifically people who are new to webinar marketing.

EasyWebinar is rated 4.4 out of five ratings on Capterra. Check out the user reviews.

Scheduling: EasyWebinar has a regular schedule which allows participants in local time zones, replays, and just-in-time registrations.

Communication: They don't offer live chat in the automated webinars they offer, but attendees can respond to messages by email.

Interactivity: EasyWebinar has two types of interactions that include polls and deals.

  Packaging and pricing:  
  • 14-day free trial
  • Standard - - $78/month
  • Professional at $129/month
  • Enterprise - $499/month
  Other features worth noting:  
  • Convert live webinars to automated webinars within the platform
  • Four registration page designs that were created specifically for sales webinars.
  • Social Share incentive program for helping increase the number of visitors to your registration page

Demio

Demio is primarily known for its live webinar service but it was later adapted to accommodate automated webinars. Demio is popular among SaaS firms.

Demio is 4.8 out of 5 ratings on Capterra. Review the comments.

Communication and scheduling Scheduling and chat functions are incorporated within Demio and provide two fundamental paths:

  1. A regular schedule and live chat (though you must join every session in order to participate)
  2. webinars that are on-demand and the capability to answer any questions asked by attendees via email

Interaction: Demio has three types of interactions: CTAs (which can be utilized to promote your offer for purchase) as well as polls and handouts.

  Pricing and packaging:  
  • 14-day trial trial free
  • Starter - $49/month
  • Growing - $99/month
  • Premium - please contact us for prices
  Other noteworthy features include:  
  • Either schedule webcasts for your webinar, or make it available on demand instead
  • Modern style with straightforward setup process
  • Knowledge base that includes extensive documentation and good help

WebinarGeek

WebinarGeek is a one-stop webinar solution, which offers live as well as automated webinars.

WebinarGeek is rated 4.6 out 5 ratings on Capterra. Check out the user reviews.

Scheduling: You have two options for how you organize your webinars with WebinarGeek that can be mutually exclusive. They are: Recurring schedules in all timezones of attendees or only on demand sessions.

Communication similar to scheduling, you can choose two alternatives that are not mutually exclusive in how to set up chat in WebinarGeek: live chat exclusive (with emails notified of any new messages) OR questions of attendees being sent directly to an email address.

Interactivity: WebinarGeek has four types of interaction options such as CTAs and polls, info boxes, and quizzes.

  Packaging and pricing:  
  • 14-day trial trial free
  • Starter - $22/month
  • Premium - $67/month
  • Advanced - Contact us to inquire about prices
  Other noteworthy features include:  
  • Make a live video and then utilize the recorded video to create an automated webinar.
  • Consistent Editing experience across email notifications as well as registration pages
  • Simulated chat gives attendees the impression they are viewing a live webcast

EverWebinar

EverWebinar is a software for automated webinars developed by Genesis Digital a company that also makes the live webinar software WebinarJam.

EverWebinar offers 3.8 out of 5 rating on Capterra. Review the comments.

Scheduling EverWebinar allows recurring program that includes sessions within the attendee's time zone as well as sessions that are just-in-time. replays.

Communication: EverWebinar does not have live chat. Attendees are able to send queries by email via replays, but only in.

Interactivity: EverWebinar has seven types of interactions: stickers, handouts, surveys, advertisements, polls and announcement banners, and handouts.

  Packaging and pricing:  
  • 30-day money back guarantee
  • Monthly Plan - - $99/month
  • Annual Plan - $42/month
  • Biennial Plan - $34/month
  Other notable features:  
  • Import live webinars recorded on WebinarJam to use as evergreen webinars
  • Registration page library templates, as well as the capability to divide test them
  • Live chat simulation, simulating attendees and simulated sales notifications

BigMarker

BigMarker is a webinar platform and virtual event platform that shines at live webinars and other events.

BigMarker is rated 4.8 out 5 ratings on Capterra. Check out the user reviews.

Scheduling: BigMarker supports a regular schedule that includes sessions within attendees' local time zones, just-in-time sessions, and replays (though replays must be created in a separate webinar).

Communications: BigMarker has public, live chat, which includes SMS or Slack alerts of messages that have been sent. The company does not provide a option to reply to attendees' concerns via email after the webcast.

Interactivity: BigMarker offers eight types of interactions: polls, questions handouts, giveaways, sticky notes, chat message, attendance monitor, and post-webinar feedback.

  Pricing and packaging  
  • 7-day free trial
  • Starter - $99/month
  • Elite - - $189/month
  • Premier - $399/month
  • White Label - Call for pricing
  Other noteworthy features include:  
  • Slack integration that allows you to reply to public chat messages
  • Emoji audience reactions
  • Attendance monitor, survey after-webinar

ClickMeeting

ClickMeeting is a web-based webinar platform that is focused on branding.

ClickMeeting has 4.3 out of 5 stars on Capterra. Review the comments.

Scheduling The software supports a recurring schedule in participants' time zones, just-in-time sessions, and replays.

Communication: ClickMeeting provides live chat for the public and emails that notify you of messages. The company does not provide a way to respond to attendee queries via email following the webcast.

Interactivity: ClickMeeting has six different types of interactions: polls, surveys, Q&As, info boxes, offers, and the sharing of files.

  Pricing and packaging  
  • 30-day free trial
  • Basic - - $25/month
  • Standard - $41/month
  • Advanced $83/month
  • Pro - $166/month
  • Enterprise - Call for price
  Other noteworthy features include:  
  • Customizable registration and thank-you/follow-up pages
  • Live analysis of polls
  • In-webinar surveys
  • Simulated attendees give an impression that the webcast is live

Zoom Webinar

Zoom Webinar makes up the Zoom suite of products that includes videoconferencing software and.

Zoom Webinar has 4.6 out of 5 rating on Capterra. Review the comments.

Scheduling: Zoom Webinar supports an recurring schedule for the time zone of attendees as well as just-in-time session replays.

Communication: Zoom Webinar offers public live chat and email notification of messages that have been added. Additionally, they offer the option to answer questions from attendees by email after the webinar.

Interactivity Zoom Webinar features seven kinds of interactions including surveys, polls, Q&As, info boxes, files sharing, as well as whiteboards.

  Packaging and pricing:  
  • Free version
  • Pro - $14.99/month/host
  • Business -- $19.99/month/host
  • Enterprise - Contact for price
  Other noteworthy features include:  
  • Templates for registration pages
  • In-webinar surveys
  • Simulated participants to create an illusion that the event is live
  • Zoom Rooms integration for larger in-person events
  • HIPAA compliance is available in the Enterprise Plan.

It's time to make your choice

One of the biggest problems course creators have to face is figuring out how to grow their revenue and sales after they have reached the maximum amount they can achieve on their own with simply willpower. Automated webinars are an established method for pushing past those limits to higher levels of achievement as well as revenue, not forgetting to mention the advantages of having a shorter time.

We hope this guide has provided you with an understanding of the capabilities and features available in the most popular automated webinar software solutions currently available. Whichever webinar software program you pick the automated webinar sales funnel has significant impact on the success of your business.