Table of Contents
- What is a Zoom Webinar?
- Zoom Meeting vs. Zoom Webinar
- How to Choose the Right Option
- ND Studios Webinar Services
- Webinar Cost Structure
- Purchasing a Zoom Webinar License
- Zoom Webinar Training
What is a Zoom Webinar?
Zoom Webinar is a Zoom product that lets you broadcast an event to as many as 10,000 attendees, depending on your license level. Webinar licenses are available in several sizes. The most common are 500- and 1,000-participant licenses, but larger licenses are available for up to 10,000 participants.
The host or panelists can share screen, video, and audio. Attendees can use chat or Q&A to interact with the host and panelists.
If you are deciding between Zoom Webinar and Zoom Meetings, first review the Zoom Meeting and Webinar comparison.
Note: Zoom Webinars do not have breakout rooms, and attendees cannot speak during the session.
Zoom Meetings can also be configured and managed, at no additional cost, to replicate many of the features of the Webinar product. For more information on setting up a Zoom Meeting for a large audience, see:
- Recommended Settings for Hosting a Large Zoom Meeting
- Best Practices for Hosting a Large Zoom Meeting
Zoom Meeting vs. Zoom Webinar
| Feature | Zoom Meeting | Zoom Webinar |
|---|---|---|
| Participants | Up to 300 | 500 or more, depending on license |
| Content sharing | All participants | Host, co-host, and panelists only |
| Audio and video | All participants | Host, co-host, and panelists only |
| Chat | Host-to-all and participant-to-participant chat; hosts can disable public or private chat | Available for all roles; hosts can disable participant chat completely |
| Polling | Available | Available |
| Breakout rooms | Available | Not available |
| Q&A | Not available | Available |
Use cases
| Use case | Best option | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Staff or team meeting | Meeting | Works well for up to 300 people with full audio, video, and content sharing for everyone. |
| Regular meeting | Meeting | Best when all participants need to see and interact with each other. |
| Class under 300 | Meeting | Best for interactive classes and small-group breakout sessions. |
| Virtual conference | Webinar | Better for larger events with host-controlled audio, video, and content sharing. Polling can help with attendee engagement. |
| Town hall meeting | Webinar | Best for large public events with limited interaction. |
| Class over 300 students | Webinar | Works like a large lecture hall and lets students use Q&A to ask questions. |
How to Choose the Right Option
- Use Zoom Meeting if you want open participation, breakout rooms, and more direct interaction.
- Use Zoom Webinar if you need a larger audience, more host control, or Q&A instead of full participant access.
- If you choose Zoom Webinar, decide whether you need Supported Webinar or Self-Managed Webinar.
- If you plan to host webinars often, or need registration or reporting, consider an annual webinar license.
- Submit your request to ND Studios.
ND Studios Webinar Services
Zoom Webinar services are offered by ND Studios as either Supported Webinar or Self-Managed Webinar. To schedule or plan a Zoom Webinar, submit a request at https://oit.nd.edu/nd-studios/request-our-services/ or contact ND Studios at: studios@nd.edu 574-631-2200.
Supported Webinar
ND Studios fully supports your webinar event. This includes consultation, pre-event testing, configuration, security, live event support, and post-event analytics. A supported webinar can use technology in the Martin Media Center for a professional production, or it can be supported remotely by ND Studios engineers. In either case, ND Studios applies the appropriate security and webinar settings for your virtual event.
Self-Managed Webinar
A Self-Managed Webinar is best for teams that want to run the event with less hands-on support from ND Studios. It is a good choice when your team is comfortable managing setup, testing, and the live event.
Compared with a Supported Webinar, a Self-Managed Webinar requires more of your own planning and event management. Contact ND Studios if you need help deciding which option fits your event.
Webinar Cost Structure
Webinar Cost Structure - Supported
- Webinar configuration: $270.40
- Webinar license rental: $55 per day for up to 500 participants
- Support staff charges for event and testing time: $91.94/hr
- Events using the Martin Media Center will incur additional costs. A quote will be provided for review.
Note: Pricing for Self-Managed Webinar is not listed here. Contact ND Studios for pricing details.
Purchasing a Zoom Webinar License
Following consultation with OIT staff, a department or institute may decide to purchase a webinar license for continued use.
Dedicated annual license rate
This annual license provides unlimited use during the license term.
- Currently under $621 per calendar year for a 500-participant license
- Currently under $2,955 per calendar year for a 1,000-participant license
Important: These prices apply to the full license term from August 15 through August 14 of the following year. The cost decreases as the year goes on. For example, if you purchase the license halfway through the term, the price will be about half of the listed cost.
An annual Zoom webinar license is useful if you want to register participants or generate reporting for your events.
To purchase an annual Zoom webinar license, please submit a request using this form. In most cases, OIT can procure and provision the license to your account within 2 to 3 weeks. More information can be found here.
Zoom Webinar Training
Training for administering a webinar is available directly from Zoom.
For self-paced tutorials, see Zoom video tutorials, including Zoom Webinar.
Suggested titles:
- Zoom Webinar Service Options and Pricing
- Choosing Between Zoom Meeting and Zoom Webinar
- ND Studios Zoom Webinar Support and License Information