GoBrunch Reviews

I highly appreciate the team behind this software. They have created an innovative meeting environment and constantly update their software. Most importantly, their customer support is outstanding. Every time I report a software issue or a bug, they respond and take full responsibility for resolving it. If you are looking for a stable, long-term meeting tool with excellent customer support, I highly recommend using it.

My use of GoBrunch is for hosting live chats with various members of my own development team. It allows me to invite strangers to sit in a room that feels like a comfortable business lounge versus inviting them to a platform like Google Meets. There is a clear distinction between people on the stage and people who are listening in the audience. I think if I did this via Google Meets, fewer people would show up because it would feel as though they are more involved with the call than they really are, or that they are comfortable being. So that is the use case for me.

Initial setup did take some onboarding, but thankfully, this team has a lot of content around helping you craft the perfect space for what you need it to be. The setup wizard for each room could probably be more polished, but it works as is once you've spent some time clicking through all the buttons to learn how each can affect the space you're trying to build. It's not exactly Photoshop-level complexity, so I believe an hour or two of messing around with the settings while trying to create your space would do the trick.

I spent some time looking over their content, which showcases other creators and the unique and interesting ways they are utilizing this platform to form the space that they want. By doing so, it gives me a little bit of an idea and context on how I can grow my own if I choose to go that route. Some of the community members seem to really go all in to a level that I am not comfortable spending my time. So, I believe my use of this software is pretty basic, but it serves the use case that I need it for, and I do not regret buying into this project.

I highly recommend it for individuals that work with online crowds or anyone trying to build a community with a tool that adds a sense of presence to the entire experience without making the participants feel pressured or uncomfortable while being at an event because you can design your spaces in a way that makes it appropriate for each social interaction.

Honestly the thing that appealed to me most about GoBrunch was the fact that it doesn't look like a traditional "online meeting room," and in that, it does not disappoint! I love that I can change the backgrounds and that every face (or avatar) is visible. I also like the way meeting rooms can be kept open and the links reused. It makes sharing meeting info a lot easier to prep in advance! Add in unlimited recording space and no meeting time limits, and getting GoBrunch is a decision that I would make again and again.

I absolutely love GoBrunch 😊 My usecase is a fun meeting space for my community's monthly meetups, and I used it for two recorded courses, but that didn't go well (will explain more below). The concept is great, it's easy to use, the permissions features are granular, and branding options and customization are amazing. The concept itself is really fresh and fun, and makes me feel like I'm actually meeting with my community members, rather than get "Zoom fatigue" from another video meet with big boxes. ❤️

There are a few big issues for me though:
- Latency and freezing audio and video are an issue in sessions. Myself and attendees get dropped from rooms sometimes

- Using a locked room is not a fun experience. I love the knocking sound and notification, but if you miss the device dialogue box that pops up in your system tray (PC) to let an attendee in a room, it's gone forever until they try again, for some reason. I seriously cannot find an "admit" button in the actual GoBrunch meeting room itself; it just shows a message someone is trying to get in in the chat. Really annoying. I switched it to public or use an access code as a workaround. They need to add a clear, *on screen* button that admits people to the room if using the approval workflow, not just the system alert

- For scheduled GoBrunch rooms, you can't edit details about a meeting if it's too close to start time, or already started, so I only use the perpetual meeting room, just in case

- Recording quality and ease of use is terrible; the dialogue box that pops in Chrome for permissions won't got away, and since it's embedded in the Chrome UI, it warps the aspect ratio of the recording, so it makes my head look like a hotdog 😂 If you do record, there's isn't a clean, easy way to keep your aspect ratio and present things like slides or share your screen. It will mess up the recording beyond saving, again, because it warps the aspect ratio and squishes everything. So, I can't use this for classes or recording like I'd planned and tried. I have to redo the live classes with attendees that I've already recorded in another video meeting solution, because GoBrunch's recordings are unusable

- Trying to use the screenshare function in Chrome will mess up your session, so don't plan on using the screenshare function with GoBrunch. It will put in a permissions dialogue box that will persist until you close the tab or window, even if you stop screensharing. It's really annoying, and removes visible space/warps the aspect ratio of the GoBrunch room

They are a MVP for sure, but I hope they fix these issues! Again, concept, ease of use for the most part, and customization are fantastic. Fresh concept I haven't seen anywhere else. But my user experience has has some challenges.

I loved gobrunch. But it misses a really easy, yet profound feature: Meeting participants cannot react with emojis to posts in the chat. Therefore, my community is not using it at all, and we went back to Zoom. If that feature ever came. I would love to come back..