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Blackboard Collaborate vs Zoom comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 3, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Blackboard Collaborate
Ranking in Virtual Meetings
28th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Zoom
Ranking in Virtual Meetings
1st
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
209
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Virtual Meetings category, the mindshare of Blackboard Collaborate is 0.4%, down from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zoom is 11.1%, down from 14.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Virtual Meetings
 

Featured Reviews

YN
Useful in webinars, meetings and online classrooms
One of the features that people enjoy is the whiteboard, providing opportunities for academics to present content and for students to contribute. The platform also allows for the creating of different rooms, enabling large classes to break into smaller groups for discussions. Students can then return to the main classroom to share their opinions. It integrates with LMS.
Kallol Chaudhuri - PeerSpot reviewer
Helped us tremendously in collaborating with each other and getting our work done and offers the breakout rooms feature.
We are a team located across various locations. Not in the same geographic location. We are distributed. And it's not possible to physically travel and meet people. Sometimes it's simply not possible. But Zoom has helped us tremendously in collaborating with each other and getting our work done. Without Zoom, it would have been very, very difficult. The breakout rooms feature is also helpful. For example, I have a meeting attended by hundreds of people and want to create subgroups. I typically use it for different role-play scenarios during training if we are trying to conduct some training on presentation skills. So there's a large group, which is initially trained by an instructor. Then you get instructions that the room will be split into smaller breakout rooms. I'll give you a topic, and you'll practice in these smaller groups. That's one way I use it. So it's like a simulation of a real brainstorming session I'd have in a physical space.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Document loading and annotation."
"One of the features that people enjoy is the whiteboard, providing opportunities for academics to present content and for students to contribute. The platform also allows for the creating of different rooms, enabling large classes to break into smaller groups for discussions. Students can then return to the main classroom to share their opinions. It integrates with LMS."
"The solution allows me to connect and collaborate with my classes."
"The standout feature of Zoom is its excellent connectivity, offering high-quality audio and video. Additionally, its familiarity stems from being an early adopter in the field of online communication during the onset of epidemics. Previously, I had used a different system for video conferences in another company, which primarily relied on room-based conferences rather than peer-to-peer video conferencing. However, with the need to communicate directly with peers, Zoom emerged as the first and preferred choice for me. Overall, I consider it the top option and the primary tool I use. Additionally, the solution has all the functionality I need."
"There are lots of great features available to every user."
"The performance is good."
"The ability to share graphics and visuals."
"The most valuable feature of Zoom is user-friendliness."
"I have found the product to be scalable."
"The product is easy to use."
"Some of the most valuable features are the performance and ease of use. Also, since everyone knows about and is familiar with Zoom, you don't need to teach them how to use it."
 

Cons

"The system can overload when too many try logging in."
"We faced outages when the user limit went over a certain number."
"If there were maybe more tutorials outside of what I'm aware the university is suggesting, I would take more tutorials on effective ways to deliver content. I come from the industry and content was always needed when people that were observing were smart and involved and decision-makers instead of so passively just trying to pass the course. In my imagination, the tutorials would be a tool where the learners themselves can have much more hands-on learning during a Collaborate session."
"Technical support is in need of improvement."
"When the firewall is turned on, there have been issues with congestion that affects performance."
"The time limitations for the free version should be increased from 40 minutes."
"Our licensing model prevents us from switching off the meeting recording functionality"
"When a lot of people join a meeting it is not possible to shrink the pictures and show them on a single screen."
"Zoom's user interface could be improved. For example, it could have bigger buttons for elderly people."
"While the communication and video-audio conferencing features on Zoom are excellent, unlike Microsoft Teams, there is no direct integration with SharePoint. For us, that is the disadvantage of Zoom."
"I would say that Zoom should support more platforms. I think it has some limitations. It should be supported on all platforms."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"The cost of Zoom is approximately $150 USD annually."
"I have been using the free version of Zoom."
"There is a free version of Zoom which allows you a certain limited amount of time usage and there is a corporate version of the solution where you have to pay."
"There is a 40-minute time limit when you use the basic version, which is free."
"It is an inexpensive product."
"Zoom is available with an open license that can support meetings of up to 40 minutes."
"It is reasonable. It has a monthly license."
"The personal version is free. However, there are fees required to use the solution for business."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Educational Organization
92%
University
1%
Financial Services Firm
1%
Computer Software Company
1%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Blackboard Collaborate?
One of the features that people enjoy is the whiteboard, providing opportunities for academics to present content and for students to contribute. The platform also allows for the creating of differ...
What needs improvement with Blackboard Collaborate?
We faced outages when the user limit went over a certain number.
What is your primary use case for Blackboard Collaborate?
We use the solution in web seminars, online classrooms, and meetings.
LucidChart vs LucidSpark for brainstorming sessions over Zoom
Hi @Krista Thompson ​ - Yes, LucidSpark is a much more nimble and, in some ways, user-friendly tool than LucidChart. LucidSpark is designed to do a better job managing multiple users participating ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zoom?
There is a concern about the free version's forty-five-minute limit. For education use, having more affordable access through institutions would be beneficial.
 

Comparisons

No data available
 

Also Known As

Blackboard Mobile
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

University of Derby Online, Universty of Warwick, University of Liverpool, City College Norwich, Northumberland College, Mid-Kent College, Watson Pharmaceutials, Capella University, Shore Tel Sky, Lincoln PD, City of Somerville MA, Somerset County Council
Fortinet, Veeva, Proofpoint, Box, Ticketmaster, Trend Micro, Caesars Entertainment, Santa Clara University, Pandora, Stanford Continuing Studies
Find out what your peers are saying about Blackboard Collaborate vs. Zoom and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
845,849 professionals have used our research since 2012.