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Looking for a BigBlueButton virtual classroom alternative?

Digital Samba Embedded is a prebuilt, EU-hosted virtual classroom you can embed in your LMS or app with a modern API and SDK. No servers, no maintenance – just teaching. 

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Trusted by leaders in online education

Venueless, a digital event platform for online and hybrid conferences, powers its live streaming rooms and interactive networking experiences using Digital Samba Embedded. 

Switch to Digital Samba Embedded

A next-generation virtual classroom, built to be embedded. Drop in our prebuilt UI via API and SDK, and replace complex BigBlueButton infrastructure with a simple, hosted service. 

npm install @digitalsamba/embedded-sdk

import DigitalSambaEmbedded from '@digitalsamba/embedded-sdk';
const sambaFrame = DigitalSambaEmbedded.createControl({ url: YOUR_ROOM_URL });
sambaFrame.load();

Modern teaching teams and online learning platforms power their live classes with Digital Samba Embedded

Why look at screenshots when you can try it yourself?

Jump straight into our live demo and see how Digital Samba feels in action. 

Please wait until we set up your room

What makes Digital Samba different?

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Unified virtual classroom platform

Host classes, workshops and large-scale training all in one secure, always-ready environment. No piecemeal add-ons or server assembly required.

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Data privacy – built in, not bolted on

Every classroom and recording is handled in strict accordance with EU GDPR. Your data is always hosted in Europe – never shared, profiled or repurposed.

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Launch and scale instantly

Spin up new virtual classrooms or events in minutes – no technical setup, no deployment headaches. Perfect for educational teams ready to grow without barriers.

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Fully branded, fully yours

Lock in your brand identity from login to classroom. Deliver sessions under your custom domain with your colours and logo – nothing reveals it's hosted by us.

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Real expert support for every step

Get responsive, knowledgeable assistance from dedicated engineers – not just community forums or generic help docs.

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Flexible integration via API & SDK

Integrate with your LMS or any web platform using robust APIs and a prebuilt UI, for maximum control over roles, features and branding.

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Enterprise reliability, zero server stress

Digital Samba's hosted infrastructure means you never worry about server load, upgrades or media security – just click and teach.

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Continuous innovation, always included

Get new features and improvements automatically, from modern engagement tools to advanced AI moderation – no manual updates or maintenance cycles.

Experience the difference yourself – sign up for a free developer account and test Digital Samba Embedded in your own environment.

Digital Samba Embedded vs. BigBlueButton

Digital Samba Embedded
BigBlueButton
Product type
Prebuilt, embeddable virtual classroom. No servers to run or maintain. Add to any app with API or SDK.
Open-source classroom server, usually self-hosted or provided by partners. Requires technical setup and DevOps resources.
Time to launch
Ready to use for simple cases in minutes. Full integrations and enterprise-scale launches go live quickly with onboarding support.
Setup time varies. Requires installation, configuration and ongoing administration. Launch depends on infrastructure and admin resources.
Pricing and cost control
Simple monthly plan plus usage. No setup fees. Free Starter plan with 10,000 participation minutes per month.
Free open-source software, but server hosting, scaling, upgrades and commercial support require additional contracts and infrastructure spend.
Privacy & compliance
Data is always stored and processed in Europe under strict GDPR rules. DPA is provided for every customer on request.
Compliance depends on how and where you host. No unified DPA; privacy and security are DIY or partner-dependent.
Security management
We manage all security, encryption, compliance and system monitoring.
Security and reliability require ongoing active management by your IT team or hosting provider.
End-to-end encryption (E2EE)
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Two-factor authentication (2FA)
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Scalability
Automatic scaling for sessions from one-on-one to large classrooms. No extra configuration or hardware required.
A single server supports around 200 concurrent users. Larger deployments require Scalelite (a separate load balancer) and a pool of BigBlueButton servers under customer management.
Stability
Reliable performance across devices and network conditions, including large virtual classrooms.
Stable for small-group and one-to-one lessons. Scaling for larger classes depends on server setup and ongoing admin work.
Maintenance & updates
Agile, customer-informed roadmap with new releases every two weeks. Priorities adapt quickly to customer feedback.
Updates and new features require manual upgrades by server admins or hosting providers.
White labelling and branding
Full control: logo, colours, custom domain (CNAME) for a seamless brand experience.
Interface theming possible (logo and colours via Greenlight), but URLs and system identity remain tied to the BigBlueButton server and are not fully white-labelled.
Role & permission control
Custom roles and permissions are defined and managed via dashboard or API. Granular, programmable assignment for educators, assistants, admins and attendees.
Moderator, presenter and user roles native. Further custom roles or advanced permissions require admin setup or coding.
Customer support
Partner-style support with free onboarding and integration assistance from real engineers. Private Slack channel available.
Community-based support (forums, wiki, mailing lists). Commercial support is optional, via chosen hosting partners.
Analytics & monitoring
Detailed usage analytics via API and dashboard, integrated with billing and quality metrics.
Learning Analytics Dashboard with attendance, participation, speaking time and engagement metrics. Native since 3.0. Deeper integrations require plugins.
Content management
Persistent content library: upload, organise and reuse materials via dashboard, room or API.
Files are session-based. No cross-room or persistent media library natively included.
Recording & storage
Built-in cloud recording billed from €0.003 per stored hour, with no time limit on storage duration.
Recordings stored on your server. You manage archiving, deletion and storage space.
Whiteboard
Multi-user collaborative whiteboard, persistent across sessions. Works in breakout rooms.
Multi-user whiteboard with live drawing and text. Infinite canvas. No template library or persistent storage across sessions.
Breakout rooms
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Waiting room / lobby
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Shared notes
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Polls / voting
Multiple poll types with results export and persistent storage across sessions.
Multiple poll types (yes/no, multiple choice, custom).
Q&A module
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Live captions and transcriptions
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AI summaries
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Total technical lift
Minimal. The platform is managed, so educators and teams focus on teaching, not operations.
Significant. Operating requires server management, DevOps resources, upgrades, scaling and compliance work.

Disclaimer: Information about BigBlueButton is based on publicly available documentation and sources as of July 2026. While we strive to provide accurate and fair comparisons, we recommend contacting the provider directly to verify specific features, technical specifications, or compliance practices relevant to your use case.

Hear it from those who made the switch

saber-maram-4 We couldn't be happier

 

"Our platform was in production, so we were a little concerned about the effect of a switch. But the DS team made themselves available to support the entire transition. It felt like they were part of the WebConnect team. When it comes to quality, we have no complaints, and Digital Samba is superior to tools like Teams or Zoom. We couldn't be happier."

Saber Maram
CEO, WebConnect World

jordan-fleming-4 Samba is really easy to integrate

 

"We made the switch to Digital Samba. Samba is really easy to integrate, and you get direct access to their team, which is a huge plus. They helped us work through the integration. In retrospect, we should have gone with a customisable prebuilt solution from the start."

Jordan Fleming
CEO, smrtStudio Global

Here are some answers to the questions you may have

What is the best BigBlueButton alternative for virtual classrooms in 2026?

It depends on the trade-off you want. BigBlueButton is a powerful open-source virtual classroom that you self-host and maintain. Digital Samba Embedded is the prebuilt, EU-hosted alternative: a managed virtual classroom API and SDK with the UI, recording, AI features and scaling included. 

Does Digital Samba integrate with Moodle and other LMS platforms?

Yes. Digital Samba Embedded offers a REST API, JavaScript SDK and webhooks that integrate with Moodle, Canvas, Open edX and any LMS that supports custom video providers. The Tresipunt team, a Moodle Partner, uses Digital Samba Embedded as the live class layer in their Moodle deployments. 

What is the cost difference between self-hosted BigBlueButton and Digital Samba Embedded?

BigBlueButton software is free, but you pay for VPS infrastructure, optional Scalelite load balancing for scale, DevOps time and ongoing maintenance. Digital Samba Embedded starts at €0 for the free Start tier (10,000 participation minutes per month) and scales up through published tiers, with all infrastructure, maintenance and updates included. The 50% migration discount applies to the base subscription of any paid plan for the first 12 contracted months. 

How does Digital Samba scale compared to BigBlueButton with Scalelite?

A single BigBlueButton server supports around 200 concurrent users. To scale beyond that you need Scalelite, a separate load balancer that distributes load across a pool of BigBlueButton servers, which you operate and maintain yourself. Digital Samba Embedded scales automatically across our managed multi-node architecture up to 2,000 participants per session, with no extra infrastructure to deploy. 

Is Digital Samba GDPR-compliant like a self-hosted BigBlueButton in the EU?

Yes, and with stronger guarantees. Digital Samba Embedded is hosted exclusively on EU-owned infrastructure (Leaseweb in the Netherlands, Scaleway across the EU, Exoscale in Switzerland for overflow). No US sub-processors in the session-data path. GDPR-compliant by design, with a DPA available on request. A self-hosted BigBlueButton can be GDPR-compliant if you control where it runs, but you carry the responsibility for hosting choices, sub-processor management and compliance documentation. 

How do I migrate recordings and integrations from BigBlueButton to Digital Samba?

Sign up for a free Developer account, embed the SDK, and our team will help you map session, role and recording flows from your existing BigBlueButton setup, including any Moodle or LMS integrations. BigBlueButton customers migrating to a paid plan receive 50% off the base subscription for the first 12 contracted months. 

Ready to give it a try?

Create a free developer account that you can use to build, test, and even run small-scale deployments.
LIMITED OFFER

Want a 50% discount on a paid plan?

Get in touch if you are looking to switch from BigBlueButton* 
  • This offer is valid exclusively for companies presently using BigBlueButton and intending to migrate their user base to Digital Samba. The discount applies to the base subscription fee of a paid plan for the initial twelve (12) contracted months and excludes all variable or usage-based charges. 
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