May Be Able to Replace Sessions (RIP)
UPDATE: Based on the comment here from the team and via help from their chat support, I was able to remove the Meet Hour logo in the branded conference setting. Chat support was prompt and very helpful. I am now even more confident in my 5 star rating. Original review below:
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This is a provisional 5 stars - I have yet to test this with a live class but so far so good. Lots of great options. User interface is clean. Nice little bells and whistles here and there, like sound reaction emojis (and you can turn the sound off). I got Tier 1 and may go for Tier 3.
Generous storage with the option to directly save recordings to Dropbox. It would be nice if they offered other cloud hosting services as well.
Polls and whiteboards are integrated.
Downsides: At lower tiers there is a LARGE, and I mean LARGE, Meet Hour logo on the upper left hand corner. They should shrink this down; at this size it's enough to turn off a free user! I get that they need to market to people to compete with Zoom, but it can be done far more discreetly. The massive logo also shows up on recordings. This is really counterproductive and will probably be a dealbreaker for many people, which is a shame. (Note to company - don't market yourself to the point of turning off paying customers!)
No option to use "original sound," which is helpful for musicians.
I don't see automated transcripts; it was on their roadmap for last year, so maybe soon? Same with breakout rooms.
I have one permanent "personal room" but would like to be able make unlimited others as with Sessions, which is useful for classes where I don't want to set up recurring times. Perhaps I'll get more with more hosts?
Overall, the strengths are bigger than the weaknesses, but the proof will really be how this handles a group of people on a call, which I haven't had a chance to test yet. However, I wanted to be generous to give them a little help here. Clearly, they've put a lot of work already into this product. I hate Zoom with a passion, and Zoom always hangs for me lately, so I really really want more alternatives. PS Guys, consider buying Sessions.
Muqeet_MeetHour
Oct 24, 2024Thank you so much for your kind words! We’re glad you're enjoying the platform so far. Upgrading to Tier 3 will indeed unlock many additional features and benefits. Just a heads-up: our current pricing on AppSumo is for a limited time, and prices may increase later, so it’s a great time to upgrade!
Regarding storage options, we offer three options for recording storage: Dropbox, Meet Hour Cloud Recording, and AWS S3 Bucket. The AWS S3 option is available in higher-tier plans, but not included in the PRO plan. The PRO plan includes 15GB of Meet Hour cloud storage, with storage capacity increasing based on the plan. You can also download recordings locally if needed.
We understand your feedback on the logo. It’s there to represent the Meet Hour brand, but we do recognize that the size may not be ideal for all users. In our upcoming UI redesign, we’ll address these concerns. In the meantime, you can remove the Meet Hour logo and use your own branding by setting up a branded conference, which is available even in Tier 1. With Tier 3, you can completely remove all Meet Hour branding from the conference and recordings. There are also many customization options available in the UI, like changing the background color. For more details, you can check our articles and tutorials or reach out to our live chat support for assistance.
As for "original sound," it’s currently in our roadmap and we're working hard to bring this feature to the platform. While we don’t have it yet, our current system audio works well for most users, including musician groups like Educationvilla and Sahana Music, as it automatically filters out background noise.
Regarding automated transcripts and breakout rooms, both features are in beta and will be released soon.
Lastly, the personal room is designed to be a permanent space that you can use anytime. You can schedule or create instant meetings without limitations. You also have the ability to change the prefix (meeting ID) to personalize it further, making it more convenient for recurring meetings.
We truly appreciate your feedback and support! We’re continuously working to improve Meet Hour, and we hope it serves you well for your classes and beyond. Feel free to test it out with your group, and if you need anything, our team is always here to help!