Co-browse for web chat vs. screen share feature matrix

On January 27, 2025, Genesys will no longer support the legacy co-browse for chat and voice functions in Genesys Cloud. Genesys encourages its customers to migrate to the new co-browse for Messenger, which supports web messaging and voice. For more information, see Deprecation: Legacy co-browse and screen share.

Genesys Cloud co-browse for web chat and screen share let customers share what they are looking at with agents. However, each offers different functionality and requires different implementation steps. Use this table to help you decide which is best for your goals.

Feature description Co-browse Screen share
Mirror web pages X X
Mirror desktop applications X
Mirror the entire desktop, including operating system controls X
Configurable masking of private data X
Option for zero end-user downloads X X
Show click annotations X
Viewer take control of web page X
Viewer take control of desktop application
Agent can start from voice interaction X X
Agent can start from web chat interaction X X
Option for embedding screen share client in your proprietary desktop application X
End-user browser compatibility

Most recent version of:

  • Google Chrome
  • Mozilla Firefox
  • Safari
  • Safari Tech Preview
  • Internet Explorer
  • Edge 

If you choose to implement screen share from a web browser, end users can share from the most recent version of:

  • Google Chrome
  • Firefox
End-user operating system compatibility

Any desktop operating system that can install a supported web browser, such as:

  • Mac OS
  • Windows

Screen share technology works with the following operating systems:

  • Windows
  • Mac OS

If you want to use your own application as a screen share client,  then you must build a screen share client that is compatible with any operating system that you want to support. 
Bandwidth requirements

Low–medium:

  • Co-browse sends mostly textual data. Bandwidth requirements vary based on the size of images on the mirrored site.
  • 1–2 Mbps when a new page is loaded.
  • < 500 Kbps after a page is loaded, unless the page includes many animated or video assets.

Medium–high:

  • Screen share sends a video stream of the sharer’s screen to Genesys Cloud. Video generally requires more bandwidth than text.
  • 2–4 Mbps average, but varies depending on shared screen resolution and what is shared.
Sharing technology WebSockets WebRTC