Suggestions appear as you type. Use the up and down arrows to choose one and Enter to open it.

This page's audience our own tag's counts — open to see them
–Visits
–Page views
–Clicks to vendors
–Time on page
–Reading now
Clicks to vendors, by tool
  • –
Top countries
  • –
Devices
  • –

– · visits, page views and clicks counted by our own tag, which counts more than our checked analytics; every figure rounded down · how we count

Head-to-head · Virtual Classroom Software

BigBlueButton vs MeritHub

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 5 checks side by side
Higher score BigBlueButton #1 in Virtual Classroom Software 9.3/10 Open source Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit BigBlueButton
MeritHub #9 in Virtual Classroom Software 7.6/10 Pricing on request · 14-day trial Free trial✓ 4 of 4 features Visit MeritHub

BigBlueButton leads on 0 checks, MeritHub on 0, and 5 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 5 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreBigBlueButton · 9.3/10
  • Free planonly BigBlueButton
  • Free trialonly MeritHub

BigBlueButton scores higher on our rubric for virtual classroom software: 9.3 against 7.6 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #9.

BigBlueButton is the better fit for LMS-centered education teams on a budget. MeritHub is the better fit for training businesses needing administration and payments.

  • BigBlueButton fits best

    LMS-centered education teams on a budget

  • MeritHub fits best

    Training businesses needing administration and payments

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature BigBlueButton 9.3/10 Visit ↗ MeritHub 7.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.3 7.6
Ranking #1 in Virtual Classroom Software #9 in Virtual Classroom Software
Best for LMS-centered education teams on a budget Training businesses needing administration and payments
Pricing model Free Paid
Starting price Open source Pricing on request · 14-day trial
Free plan ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Free trial — 14 days
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted, Browser extension Cloud, Mobile
Platforms Web, Linux Web, iOS, Android
Support Community, Docs Email, Phone, Docs
Integrations 6 integrations 4 integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features BigBlueButton 4/4 · MeritHub 4/4
Breakout rooms ✓ ✓
Attendance tracking ✓ ✓
Class recording ✓ ✓
Interactive whiteboard ✓ ✓
Specs
Maximum participants Not checked yet Not checked yet
Supported platforms All All
Our review
Pros
  • Open-source model with a free plan
  • Breakout rooms, polling, recording, and interactive whiteboard
  • Integrates with Canvas, Moodle Cloud, Sakai, and other LMSs
  • Live classes include whiteboards, breakout rooms, recordings, and content sharing.
  • Handles scheduling, attendance, assessments, analytics, learners, tutors, and payments.
  • Supports web, desktop, mobile, API, LMS, SSO, Stripe, PayPal, and Razorpay workflows.
Cons
  • Primarily self-hosted, so teams take on server administration.
  • Platform coverage is narrower than a broad all-in-one classroom suite.
  • Hosted pricing varies by independent providers.
  • Contact-sales pricing makes plan-to-plan value comparisons difficult.
  • The platform’s broad feature set may exceed the needs of simple virtual classes.
  • Participant limits for the lowest paid tier are not stated.
Our verdict

BigBlueButton is an open-source virtual classroom system for teachers, learners, and education teams that center their work in a learning management system. It brings live audio and video conferencing, presentation and document sharing,…

Read the review →

MeritHub is a cloud-based virtual classroom and learning platform for tutors, tutoring companies, schools, universities, and corporate training teams. Its scope extends beyond live teaching: organizations can manage tutors, students,…

Read the review →
  1. BigBlueButtonVirtual Classroom Software 9.3Open source
  2. MeritHubVirtual Classroom Software 7.6Pricing on request · 14-day trial

Strengths and trade-offs

  • BigBlueButton — where it wins

    • Open-source model with a free plan
    • Breakout rooms, polling, recording, and interactive whiteboard
    • Integrates with Canvas, Moodle Cloud, Sakai, and other LMSs

    Where it doesn't

    • Primarily self-hosted, so teams take on server administration.
    • Platform coverage is narrower than a broad all-in-one classroom suite.
    • Hosted pricing varies by independent providers.

  • MeritHub — where it wins

    • Live classes include whiteboards, breakout rooms, recordings, and content sharing.
    • Handles scheduling, attendance, assessments, analytics, learners, tutors, and payments.
    • Supports web, desktop, mobile, API, LMS, SSO, Stripe, PayPal, and Razorpay workflows.

    Where it doesn't

    • Contact-sales pricing makes plan-to-plan value comparisons difficult.
    • The platform’s broad feature set may exceed the needs of simple virtual classes.
    • Participant limits for the lowest paid tier are not stated.
  • BigBlueButton9.3/10 · Open source

    A free, LMS-connected virtual classroom focused on core online teaching tools.

    Visit BigBlueButtonFull verdict →
  • MeritHub7.6/10 · Pricing on request · 14-day trial

    A broad virtual classroom suite for training businesses that need administration and payments.

    Visit MeritHubFull verdict →

More comparisons

All virtual classroom software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update