BigBlueButton vs Galene
BigBlueButton
bigbluebutton.orgGalene
galene.orgSide by side
| Figure | BigBlueButton | Galene |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 0 | 1 |
| Spec score · Video conferencing apps | 7.9 (#23) | 7.7 (#28) |
| Spec score · Video Conferencing Software | 8.0 (#22) | 8.0 (#23) |
| Spec score · Web Conferencing Software | 8.0 (#12) | 8.1 (#11) |
| Spec score · Secure Video Conferencing Software | 8.0 (#17) | 8.1 (#16) |
| Integrations | The product lists integrations with learning platforms including Moodle, Canvas, Schoology, Open edX and Sakai. | Galene lists an RTMP frontend usable with OBS Studio, an experimental SIP bridge, an LDAP integration and a sample third-party authorization server. |
| Privacy | BigBlueButton Inc. says it takes reasonable administrative, technical, and physical measures to protect personal information, while acknowledging it cannot eliminate all security risks. | The FAQ says the default client does not contact third-party servers or CDNs because its third-party assets are bundled with Galene. |
| Purpose | BigBlueButton is an open-source virtual classroom designed to help teachers teach and learners learn. | Galene is a low-resource videoconference system with a web client and server, designed for lectures, conferences and tutorials and also suitable for meetings. |
| Support | The site directs users to a searchable knowledge base, community support and commercial hosting or support providers. | The Galene mailing list is for both user questions and development discussions. |
Plans
In their own words
BigBlueButton
BigBlueButton has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
Galene
Galene is a free videoconference system with a browser client and self-hosted server, designed for lectures, conferences, and tutorials as well as meetings. Its server handles audio and video streams, multiple codecs, simulcast, and scalable video coding for VP8 and VP9. In the browser, participants can chat, share screens or windows, blur backgrounds, use activity detection and moderation, and transfer files peer to peer. The client can also broadcast audio and video from files on disk. Authentication options include usernames and passwords or token authorization, and an HTTP administrative API manages groups and users. Galene supports WHIP and lists an RTMP frontend for OBS Studio, an experimental SIP bridge, LDAP integration, and a sample third-party authorization server. Traffic is encrypted and authenticated between senders and the server, and between the server and receivers; however, media is decrypted by the server, so the system does not provide end-to-end encryption. The project estimates about 300 lecture participants per CPU core, or around 20 participants in a many-to-many meeting on one core. Its default client does not contact third-party servers or CDNs.