BigBlueButton

Range: 2-300 active Effective: Jun 1, 2007 Official source Pricing page

Self-Hosted: Free Open source Hosted: $5-50/mo Varies by provider and capacity

Features Covered

Video Conferencing Screen Sharing Breakout Rooms Recording and Transcription Chat and Messaging Polling and Q&A Whiteboard

Timeline

Milestone	Date	Notes
Initial release	Jun 1, 2007	Open-source web conferencing for education
BigBlueButton 2.0	Jun 1, 2018	Major update with improved WebRTC support
BigBlueButton 2.5	Mar 1, 2022	Enhanced whiteboard and learning analytics
BigBlueButton 2.7	Aug 1, 2023	New webcam and screen share improvements

Provisions (7)

Video Conferencing

Implements: Video Conferencing active Effective: Jun 1, 2007

"BigBlueButton is purpose-built for online learning, giving educational institutions full control over their meeting infrastructure."

Requirements

Requirement	Details
Participant limit	Scales based on server capacity, typically 100-300 per session
Video quality	WebRTC-based adaptive video
Self-hosted	Deployed on institution-controlled infrastructure

Sources: BigBlueButton

Screen Sharing

Implements: Screen Sharing active Effective: Jun 1, 2007

"BigBlueButton ties screen sharing to a presenter role, reflecting its classroom-oriented permission model."

Requirements

Requirement	Details
Sharing options	Full screen or application window
Presenter role	Screen sharing tied to presenter role by default
Multi-user	Moderator can grant sharing rights to participants

Sources: BigBlueButton Docs

Breakout Rooms

Implements: Breakout Rooms active Effective: Jan 1, 2016

"BigBlueButton breakout rooms include per-room shared notes, a unique feature for collaborative educational exercises."

Requirements

Requirement	Details
Room creation	Moderator creates breakout rooms with configurable duration
Assignment	Random, manual, or allow users to choose their room
Shared notes	Each breakout room has its own shared notes pad

Sources: BigBlueButton Docs

Recording and Transcription

Implements: Recording active Effective: Jan 1, 2010

"BigBlueButton recordings synchronize slides with video playback, preserving the full classroom presentation experience."

Requirements

Requirement	Details
Server-side recording	Recordings processed on the BigBlueButton server
Playback formats	Browser-based playback with presentation and video synced
Recording management	Recordings managed via the hosting institution's integration

Sources: BigBlueButton Docs

Chat and Messaging

Implements: Chat Messaging active Effective: Jun 1, 2007

"BigBlueButton includes a collaborative shared notes pad alongside standard chat, supporting real-time note-taking in class."

Requirements

Requirement	Details
Public chat	Room-wide text chat visible to all participants
Private chat	Direct messages between individual participants
Shared notes	Collaborative notes pad available during meetings

Sources: BigBlueButton Docs

Polling and Q&A

Implements: Polling active Effective: Jan 1, 2014

"BigBlueButton's quick poll feature lets instructors launch instant comprehension checks without leaving the presentation."

Requirements

Requirement	Details
Quick polls	Pre-configured True/False, Yes/No, and A/B/C/D options
Custom polls	Custom poll questions with typed responses
Results display	Live results shown on the presentation area

Sources: BigBlueButton Docs

Whiteboard

Implements: Whiteboard active Effective: Jun 1, 2007

"BigBlueButton's multi-user whiteboard allows students and instructors to annotate directly on presentation slides."

Requirements

Requirement	Details
Multi-user whiteboard	Multiple participants can draw simultaneously
Annotation tools	Pen, shapes, text, and pointer tools
Presentation overlay	Whiteboard annotations layered on uploaded slides

Sources: BigBlueButton Docs