To support your adoption of AlphaNow and help you transition from other platforms like Zoom, we have created the below tables. They provide an overview of key features in AlphaNow and Zoom, a walk-through guide showing how to run your Alpha in either of the two products, and side by side, detailed comparison tables showing differences between the AlphaNow and Zoom web, iOS and Android apps.
- Overview
- Running Alpha Online On Desktop and Mobile Web Browser
- Apps Comparison (Web)
- Mobile Apps Comparison
Overview
| CATEGORY | AlphaNow | ZOOM |
| PRICE | Free account with no time limitation and access to all available features. | Free account with a 40-minute limitation. Paid Pro account with no time limitation. |
| REDUCING DATA USAGE | Participants can choose between three data saving modes within the mobile app to reduce their data usage. The Standard mode (default option) allows the user to have the best available audio and video quality for the group video. The Alpha Video will be displayed in 720p resolution. The Low mode reduces the video quality for the group video. The Alpha Video will be displayed in 360p resolution. The Lowest mode | Participants can choose to join a meeting using audio only. |
| SAFEGUARDING | Guests remain in the waiting room until hosts open a small group with a minimum of 3 participants. Breakout room requires a minimum of three participants (one host needed). Guests can message everyone and their small group publicly. Private messages cannot be sent between guests. Guests can only send a private message to an administrator or host. Hosts can mute audio, turn off video, or remove a participant. | Participants remain in the waiting room until hosts allow them in. Hosts can disable chat or allow participants to message hosts only, everyone publicly, or everyone publicly and privately. Hosts can mute audio, turn off video, or remove a participant. |
| TRAINING | Alpha team training, Alpha best practices training, watch training videos, and read support articles available. | Register for basic Zoom training, watch training videos, and read support articles. |
| SUPPORT | Help website access, chatbot support, and National Alpha Office support available to all participants. | Free account has help website access only. Paid account has help website, live chat, and support tickets. |
| MyAlpha INTEGRATION | Admins and hosts use the same login credentials for AlphaNow as they do for MyAlpha. An Alpha and respective link are automatically generated for admins and hosts running an Alpha using the AlphaNow app. | Hosts need to create a Zoom meeting after creating an Alpha in MyAlpha. |
| THE ALPHA VIDEO | Hosts can play the Alpha Video from within the AlphaNow app allowing participants to view it simultaneously without having to leave the platform. | Hosts must share their screen to play the Alpha video. Alternatively, participants can watch the Alpha video on their own. |
| NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS | Currently we recommend a max of 6 small groups with a max of 16 participants for an optimal Alpha experience | A maximum of 300 participants can join per meeting. Paid add-on available for up to 500 or 1000 participants. |
| SPEAKER VIEW | Hosts can spotlight themselves as the main speaker on the screen using Broadcast feature. | Hosts can spotlight themselves and other participants as the main speaker on the screen. |
Running Alpha Online On Desktop and Mobile Web Browser
| RUNNING SESSION | AlphaNow | ZOOM |
| START SESSION | Host opens the waiting room. They can start the session when two or more participants in their small group have joined. | All hosts join the same Zoom meeting. Or Each small group has their own Zoom meeting. Hosts of the small group join their respective meeting. Guests are admitted by the host as they join the waiting room. |
| INTRO | Host broadcasts themself to welcome everyone. Host broadcasts a worship video from Vimeo. | Host spotlights themself to welcome everyone. Host screen-shares a worship video from YouTube. |
| WATCH ALPHA VIDEO | Host broadcasts the Alpha Vimeo link for everyone to view within the app. | Host screen-shares the Alpha video for everyone to watch in the app. Or Host pastes the Alpha Vimeo link in the chat. |
| SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION | Guests are already in small groups. | Host creates breakout rooms. Or Each small group has their own Zoom meeting that guests are already in. |
| PRAYER MINISTRY | Hosts can invite guests to a breakout room with a minimum of 3 participants (including a host). | Host can invite guests to a breakout room. |
| ENDING SESSION | Host clicks the End session button Or Admin can click End for All button from the dashboard. | Host clicks End Meeting for All button. |
Apps Comparison (Web)
| CATEGORY | FEATURE | AlphaNow WEB BROWSER APP | ZOOM DESKTOP APP | ZOOM WEB BROWSER APP |
| ACCOUNT | Join session directly from link | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Join session without login | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Guest login | Email + password, Google, Facebook. | Email + password, Google, Facebook. | ||
| Admin, Host, Helper login | Email + password | Email + password, Google, Facebook. | Email + password, Google, Facebook. | |
| Upload profile picture | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Change language | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Language support | English Spanish (Latin American) | Chinese (Simplified and Traditional) English French German Italian Japanese Korean Portuguese Russian Spanish Vietnamese | Chinese (Simplified and Traditional) English French German Italian Japanese Korean Portuguese Russian Spanish Vietnamese | |
| MANAGING COURSE | Create a recurring Alpha | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Share the Alpha link | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Preassign small groups | ✓ | Only for participants with a Zoom account. | ||
| WAITING ROOM | Guests can join waiting room before scheduled Alpha time | Host must open the waiting room first. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Enable/disable waiting room | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Host see list of all participants in the waiting room | See names of those in your small group and hosts. Can see the total joined per group. | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Admit participants from the waiting room | Host chooses to admit all participants and close the waiting room for their small group. Once done, users will join straight into the small group without entering a waiting room. | Host can choose to admit some participants while leaving others in the waiting room. Host is notified each time a new participant is in the waiting room. | Host can choose to admit some participants while leaving others in the waiting room. Host is notified each time a new participant is in the waiting room. | |
| Configure who goes into the waiting room | All participants go to the waiting room. | Host can choose who can bypass the waiting room. | Host can choose who can bypass the waiting room. | |
| ALPHA SESSION | Grid View | See up to 16 people at once. | See up to 49 people at once. | See up to 49 people at once. |
| Speaker View | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Change audio/video settings | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Reactions | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Screenshare | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| HOST CONTROLS | Spotlight speaker | Any host can broadcast themselves as the main speaker. | Host can spotlight anyone as the main speaker. | |
| Host can mute audio, turn off video, or kick out a participant | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| End session | Host can end their small group only. Admins can end the session for all small groups. | Host can end the session for all participants or make someone else the host when they leave. | Host can end the session for all participants or make someone else the host when they leave. | |
| CHAT | Send message to everyone | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Send Message To Small Group | ✓ | |||
| Private messaging between host/admin and guests | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Private messaging between guests | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Send emoji | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Send file, image, GIF | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| BREAKOUT ROOM | Host creates breakout room | Manually select people to join a breakout room. Create one breakout room at a time. | Manually select, autogenerate, or participants can choose their room. You can create multiple breakout rooms at the same time. | Manually select, autogenerate, or participants can choose their room. You can create multiple breakout rooms at the same time. |
| Breakroom created | 3 participant minimum (including one host) | No minimum. | No minimum. | |
| Host can end the breakout room | Breakout room closes when there are no more hosts in the room. | Host can end breakout room after a countdown, or manually end them. | Host can end breakout room after a countdown, or manually end them. | |
| Countdown timer | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Broadcast message to all breakout rooms | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| MYALPHA INTEGRATION | Login with same MyAlpha login | ✓ | ||
| Autocreate the Alpha from MyAlpha | ✓ | |||
Mobile Apps Comparison
| CATEGORY | FEATURE | AlphaNow ANDROID / iOS APPS | ZOOM ANDROID / iOS APPS |
| DATA CONSUMPTION | Audio Only Session | Data Consumption mode: Lowest for audio only group video session with 360p Alpha video. | Phone call into the meeting or run Zoom in the background. Participants can’t see the Alpha video if shown in Zoom. |
| Reduce Alpha Video Quality | Data Consumption mode: Standard = 720p Low = 360p Lowest = 360p | Participants can’t control the Alpha video resolution within Zoom. Video resolution can be changed outside of Zoom. | |
| Reduce Session Data Usage | Data Consumption mode: Standard = no bandwidth restrictions Low = reduced bandwidth Lowest = audio only for group video | Phone call into the meeting or run Zoom in the background for audio only session. | |
| ACCOUNT | Join Session Directly From Link | ✓ | |
| Join Session Without Login | ✓ | ||
| Guest Login | Email + password, Google, Facebook | ||
| Admin, Host, Helper Login | Email + password | Email + password, Google, Facebook | |
| Upload Profile Picture | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Change Language | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Language Support | English Spanish (Latin America) | Chinese (Simplified and Traditional) English French German Italian Japanese Korean Portuguese Russian Spanish Vietnamese | |
| MANAGE COURSE | Create Recurring Alpha | ✓ | |
| Share Alpha link | ✓ | ✓ | |
| WAITING ROOM | Guests Can Join Waiting Room Before Scheduled Alpha Time | Host must open the waiting room first. | ✓ |
| Enable/Disable Waiting Room | ✓ | ||
| Host Sees All Participants In Waiting Room | ✓ | ||
| Admit participants from the waiting room | Host can choose to admit some participants while leaving others in the waiting room. Host is notified each time a new participant in the waiting room. | ||
| Configure who goes into the waiting room | All participants join the waiting room. | Host can choose who can bypass the waiting room. | |
| ALPHA SESSION | Grid View | Shows up to 4 people at once. | Shows up to 4 people at once. |
| Speaker View | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Change Audio/Video Settings | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Reactions | ✓ | ||
| Screenshare | ✓ | ✓ | |
| HOST ABILITIES | Spotlight Speaker | Host can spotlight anyone as the main speaker | |
| Mute audio, Turn Off Video, Remove A Participant | ✓ | ||
| End session | Host can end the session for all participants or make someone else the host when they leave | ||
| CHAT | Send Message To Everyone | ✓ | ✓ |
| Send Message To Mmall Group | ✓ | ||
| Private Messaging Between Host/Admin and Guests | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Private Messaging Between Guests | ✓ | ||
| Send Emojis | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Send File, Image, GIF | ✓ | ||
| BREAKOUT ROOM | Host Creates Breakout Room | Manually select, autogenerate, or participants can choose their room. You can create multiple breakout rooms at the same time. | |
| Breakroom created | 3 people minimum (including one host) | No minimum. | |
| Host can end the breakout room | Breakout room closes when there are no more hosts in the room. | Host can end breakout room after a countdown, or manually end them. | |
| Countdown timer | ✓ | ||
| Broadcast message to all breakout rooms | ✓ | ✓ |