Zoom webinars are designed so the host and panelists can share their video, audio and screen. Attendees cannot share their video, but have the ability to interact via Q&A, Chat, and answering polling questions. The host can unmute the attendees. Attendees in webinars cannot rename themselves as well.
The key difference is that Zoom meetings are interactive while webinars limit the attendees participation. For a full list of differences and features see below.
CWRU faculty and staff can host Zoom meetings for up to 500 participants. CWRU students can host Zoom meetings for up to 300 participants. CWRU faculty and staff can host webinars for up to 500 attendees. Create your meeting or webinar from the Zoom web portal.
Zoom Meeting vs Zoom Webinar feature comparison
| Feature | Meeting | Webinar |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | Faculty & staff: up to 500 participants Students: up to 300 participants | Up to 500 attendees |
| Participant roles |
|
|
| Audio sharing |
|
|
| Video sharing | All participants | Hosts and panelists |
| Screen sharing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Participants list | Visible to all participants | Visible to host and panelist |
| Email reminders | N/A | If registration is enabled |
| Chat | In-meeting Chat | Webinar chat |
| Meeting reactions | ✓ | Only raise hand |
| Q&A | N/A | ✓ |
| File transfer | ✓ | No |
| Whiteboard | ✓ | ✓ |
| Annotation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Polling | Polling for meetings | Polling for webinars |
| Livestream | Facebook, YouTube, Workplace by Facebook, Custom Streaming Service | Facebook, YouTube, Workplace by Facebook, Custom Streaming Service |
| Registration | Registration for meetings | Registration for webinars |
| Closed captioning | ✓ | ✓ |
| Recording | ✓ | ✓ |
| Breakout rooms | ✓ | No |
| Practice session | N/A | ✓ |
| Waiting room | ✓ | No |
| Require password to join | ✓ | ✓ |
| International dial-in numbers | ✓ | ✓ |
*Note: If the host or co-host enables "Allow to talk" for an attendee, they will be able to enable their microphone as well as mute and unmute themselves.