# Jitsi Meet vs BigBlueButton

> Pick Jitsi Meet if you want quick, account-free video meetings that are easy to host; pick BigBlueButton if you run online classes and need whiteboards, breakout rooms and recordings.

## Verdict

Jitsi Meet is the simpler choice for everyday video calls: guests join from a link, and it installs from Debian packages or Docker. BigBlueButton is a virtual classroom built for teaching, with a multi-user whiteboard, breakout rooms, polls and recordings, but it needs a dedicated Ubuntu server and more resources.

- Best for Jitsi Meet: Ad hoc team calls and meetings that guests join from a link
- Best for BigBlueButton: Schools, universities and trainers running live online classes

## Key differences

| Aspect | Jitsi Meet | BigBlueButton |
|---|---|---|
| License | Apache-2.0 | LGPL-3.0 |
| Architecture | WebRTC app on the Jitsi Videobridge SFU, with Prosody for signaling | Full classroom stack (HTML5 client, media server, recording) installed on one Ubuntu host |
| Standout features | No account needed to join, screen sharing, lobby, end-to-end encryption option | Multi-user whiteboard, breakout rooms, polls, shared notes, session recordings |
| Hardware needs | Runs on a modest VPS for small meetings and scales out with more videobridges | Needs a dedicated Ubuntu server; the install docs list specific CPU and memory minimums |
| Integrations | Embeddable via iframe API; mobile SDKs | Integrates with Moodle, Canvas and other LMSs; Greenlight front end |

## GitHub numbers

| Metric | Jitsi Meet | BigBlueButton |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 30,044 | 9,236 |
| Forks | 8,074 | 5,974 |
| Commits, last 12 months | 797 | 1,497 |
| Last commit | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
| Latest release | stable/jitsi-meet_11248 | v3.0.39 |
| License | Apache-2.0 | LGPL-3.0 |
| License type | Open source | Open source |
| Language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Docker image | Yes | No |
| Repository | https://github.com/jitsi/jitsi-meet | https://github.com/bigbluebutton/bigbluebutton |

App pages: [Jitsi Meet](https://appsgit.com/apps/jitsi-meet), [BigBlueButton](https://appsgit.com/apps/bigbluebutton)

## FAQ

### Is BigBlueButton better than Jitsi for teaching?

Yes. BigBlueButton was designed for online classes, with whiteboards, breakout rooms, polls and recordings built in, plus LMS integrations.

### Does Jitsi Meet have mobile apps?

Yes. Jitsi Meet has official Android and iOS apps, and you can point them at your own server.

### Can I run BigBlueButton in Docker?

The officially supported install is a script for a dedicated Ubuntu server. Community Docker setups exist, but the project recommends its standard installer.

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Canonical page: https://appsgit.com/compare/jitsi-meet-vs-bigbluebutton
Source: appsgit (https://appsgit.com), the app store for github. Data from the GitHub API, refreshed nightly.
Machine access: JSON API https://appsgit.com/api/v1/apps (OpenAPI: https://appsgit.com/openapi.json), MCP server https://mcp.appsgit.com/mcp, full index https://appsgit.com/llms-full.txt.