Webinar vs. meeting: the difference and when to use which

From the outside, a webinar and an online meeting look the same: people join a link, someone shares a screen, there's a chat. So it's natural to run everything as a meeting, because that's the tool everyone already has open. Often that works fine. Sometimes it creates problems nobody planned for, like a stranger unmuting in the middle of your talk, or a list of attendees you can't follow up with.

This article explains how the two formats differ, and gives you a simple way to decide which one a session needs.

The basic difference: who talks

A meeting is a conversation. Everyone has a camera and a microphone, everyone can speak, and everyone sees everyone. It's built for a group that works together: a team, a client call, a class of fifteen.

A webinar is a broadcast. One or a few people present, on what's often called the stage, and the audience watches. Viewers take part through the chat, questions and polls, and the host can bring someone on stage when it makes sense. The audience doesn't see each other's faces, and nobody can unmute by accident.

Almost every other difference follows from this one.

Who sees whom

In a meeting, every participant's name and face is visible to every other participant. Among colleagues that's normal. With an audience of customers, members or strangers, it can be a problem. Some people don't want their face or name shown to a room full of people they don't know, and some just want to listen in their pajamas.

In a webinar, viewers don't appear on screen at all unless the host brings them up, and they don't see each other. People can join without worrying about how they look, which tends to make them more willing to come at all.

Control over the room

In a meeting, the host can mute people and remove them, but control is reactive: something happens, then you deal with it. With a large group, one open microphone with a barking dog in the background is enough to derail a talk.

In a webinar, the defaults are the other way around. Viewers start without a microphone or camera. The chat can be moderated, slowed down or closed. Questions go into a separate list you can sort and mark as answered, so a good question doesn't scroll away in a busy chat. If there are two of you, one can present while the other runs the chat and the polls behind the scenes.

Registration and who gets in

A meeting usually runs on a link you send to people you know. For a team, that's enough.

A webinar usually starts with a registration page. People leave a name and an email, get a personal link and a reminder before the start. That gives you something a meeting link doesn't: a list of everyone who was interested, whether or not they came. You can also decide who gets in. Some sessions are open to anyone, some are for an invite list, and some are only for your members. Our article on members-only webinars goes into that last case.

How it looks

A meeting looks like the meeting software: its logo, its colors, its waiting room. For an internal call, nobody cares.

A webinar is often the first time an audience meets your organization, so it matters more that the registration page, the emails and the room look like you. More on this in branded webinars.

After the session

After a meeting, you might have a recording and some notes.

After a webinar, there's usually more to work with: who registered, who came and how long they stayed, the questions that were asked and the ones that weren't answered, poll results and feedback. That's what lets you send the recording to everyone, follow up with people who were interested, and plan the next session. See what to do after a webinar for how to use it.

When to choose a meeting

• The group is small enough that everyone can actually talk, and you want them to.
• Everyone knows each other, or should: a team, a board, a project group.
• The point is a decision, a discussion or work done together.
• There's nothing to follow up on with the attendees afterwards beyond the minutes.

When to choose a webinar

• There's a clear speaker or panel, and an audience that mainly listens.
• The audience is larger than a conversation can hold, or you don't know how many will come.
• Attendees don't know each other, and some would rather stay anonymous.
• You want registration, a reminder, a list of attendees or a recording to send afterwards.
• The session represents your organization: a lecture, a launch, an open day, a members' evening, a training for customers.

The cases in between

Some sessions sit between the two. A workshop of thirty people where you want some of them to talk. A Q&A with members where the questions are the content. A class that's mostly a lecture with a discussion at the end.

For these, a webinar with an open door often works: you present from the stage, viewers ask to join when they want to speak, and you bring them up one at a time. You keep control of the room, and people still get to speak. If the group is small and everyone is expected to take part from the start, a meeting is simpler.

A quick test: if you'd be uncomfortable with any participant unmuting at any moment, you probably want a webinar.

If you're running your first one, our guide on how to host a webinar goes through it step by step.

Try it without committing

In Kolcast, your audience joins from the browser on a computer or a phone, with no app and no account, and you can bring guests on stage or let viewers ask to join. Each webinar can be open, with registration, for an invite list only, or for your members only. You can run your first webinar free, and see how it looks from the audience's side in the live demo. The webinars page lists what the room includes.