Demio Review: Meet the Latest in Browser-Based Webinar Software

Interested in signing up for Demio? You can support us by getting started with this link.

I kind of hate the word “webinar.”

I’m not alone, either. You can find it in several lists of the English language’s biggest travesties. It’s a holdover from the heyday of lame Web 2.0 portmanteaus, alongside “webisode,” “netizen,” and “listicle.”

However you feel about the word, the webinar itself is anything but dated. The more work moves online, the more vital webinars become for drawing new clients (and keeping the old ones).

Despite this, it sometimes seems like no one’s fully figured out how to properly support webinars. Some software is inaccessible, some is unreliable. 

Can Demio, a browser-based webinar tool by Banzai, finally bring the best of both worlds? Let’s take a look.

What is Demio?

Founded back in 2014, Demio promises a solution to the user-unfriendly world of webinar tech. There are definitely new developments in the webinar world, especially after the pandemic. Still, some of the features Demio intends to fight, like requiring guests to download software to join, are still par for the course.

Demio’s solution: host webinars straight from your browser. In the age of SaaS dominance, you don’t need an app taking up space on your computer to access the software tools you need. Demio offers webinar tools built for the SaaS marketplace, but with convenience and quality that anyone can appreciate.

Getting started with Demio: Free trial and pricing

Since Demio is a SaaS company, getting started is as simple as heading to their site. Not sure if it’s right for you? They offer a 14-day free trial to get acquainted with Demio before you go all in.

Beyond that, they offer three tiers: Starter, Growth, and Premium. 

• The Starter tier is recommended for people and businesses just getting started with webinars. It allows for only one host and has a 3-hour, 50-attendee limit on sessions. $34/mo billed annually or $49/mo billed monthly.
• The Growth tier caters to mid-sized and growing companies. On top of the Starter features, it allows for custom branding, automated events, and lets you keep track of registrations. You can have up to 5 hosts on your account, 150 attendees, and 8-hour sessions. $69/mo billed annually or $99/mo billed monthly.
• Premium options for large companies and enterprises can be custom-built for your team’s needs. They allow for unlimited hosts and sessions of up to 10 hours with as many as 1,000 participants.

Demio’s free trial requires no commitment or credit card details. Just sign up, fill out a brief survey on how you plan to use the app, and you’re golden.

Demio features

Dashboard

When you sign in to Demio, you’re greeted with a friendly dashboard, complete with a list of all your scheduled sessions.

First nitpick: the dashboard has two tabs, Schedule and Events. I appreciate the ability to see a scroll of upcoming events right away, but you have to tab over to Events to create a new session. Can’t these just exist in one tab?

Events

You can create three types of events: Standard, Series, and Automated. 

Standard events are what you probably picture doing when you use a webinar service. You create a standalone webinar or series that people can sign up for and attend at a scheduled time.

Series events differ from Standard in that people are auto-registered for every session. With Standard events, people can choose which ones they’d like to attend. Series creates an ongoing list, making it perfect for internal conferences.

Automated events work the same way as standard events, with one key difference: sessions are pre-recorded and available on demand. This is one of Demio’s more unique features. Uploading pre-recorded content and having it play passively is a great way to get more engagement.

Webinars

Before you get started, you can check out the Customize tab in your event editor to change details. 

One of Demio’s big advantages over tools like Zoom is the ability to customize your event in advance. You can add pre-made presentation materials and polls, as well as customize the registration process.

Once you’re ready to get started, you can join your session in the Schedule tab. The layout is familiar, with speakers’ video taking up the left and center while the chat tab takes up the right side.

Only one person can be “on stage” at a time, but you can also add and access materials like slides and videos with the middle button on the bottom toolbar. Meanwhile, the + icon next to the chat box lets users access polls, links, and handouts.

Reports

After you close your session, you’re taken back to the event’s settings. Tab over to Activity to view an attendance report for your session. The stats are fairly simple, but they give you an idea of how many people registered, how many attended, and how long they stuck around.

You can also view a list of participants along with their emails, including who registered, who showed up, and who missed it. Download the lists as CSV files and you can follow up with your audience.

Integrations

I’d honestly like to see a little more variety from Demio’s integrations. On the one hand, their tilt towards martech integrations makes sense. Webinars are generally used for marketing, and being able to connect with Keap, Mailchimp, or your CRM of choice has obvious benefits.

Still, I think there’s a lot more potential to be had with connecting different software to a video conferencing tool. Translators, editing tools, OBS… the sky’s the limit. 

Perhaps the most useful integration is with Zapier. Their micro-integrations let you connect to PayPal, Gmail, Slack, and more.

Conclusion: Is Demio worth it?

If you’re seeking a platform to create engaging webinars, Demio is a great place to look. It’s as intuitive as they come, with a number of unique features that set it apart from the competition. Even among browser-based video tools, the fact that it works on any browser puts it ahead.

As of now, Demio is completely focused on webinars. It’s a leader in that market, so they’re clearly doing something right. Where it disappoints, however, is where it feels too laser-guided towards marketing. By just slightly expanding a few features (integrations, reports, in-call elements), I think Demio’s potential could be that much greater.

PROS

• Quick, easy setup
• Works in any browser
• Custom branding options
• Interactive elements
• Unlimited sessions
• Automated events
• Good customer service

CONS

• Few integrations
• Limited reports
• Lack of different event types

Overall rating: 8.9/10 ?

Ready to give Demio a try? Sign up here.