# Alternatives to Zoom

The pandemic-era default for meetings.

Zoom ranks #2 of 12 in Video conferencing, with an Alt Score of 100. It is proprietary, freemium and available on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android and Web. 12 of 12 checklist rows are verified against a public source.

Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/zoom/
Category: Video conferencing

## Where Zoom stands out

- **Dial-in numbers** — 5 of 10 apps with a verified answer have this
- **E2E encryption** — 5 of 11 apps with a verified answer have this
- **Recording (local / cloud)** — 5 of 12 apps with a verified answer have this

## Overview

- **Who it's for**: Businesses, schools, and individuals who need to hold video or audio meetings, webinars, or team chats with remote or distributed participants.
- **What you get**: Zoom provides video/audio meetings, webinars and virtual events, team chat messaging, cloud-based phone (VoIP) calling, and an AI Companion that generates meeting summaries and highlights. It supports screen sharing, recording, and integrations with calendar and productivity tools, and works across desktop, mobile, and web browsers.
- **How it works**: Users start or schedule a meeting and share a join link or meeting ID; participants join via the Zoom app or browser using that link, camera, and microphone. Hosts can manage the session (screen share, recording, breakout rooms) while AI Companion can generate a summary and action items afterward.

## Profile

- **License**: Proprietary (verified 2026-07-11)
- **Pricing model**: Freemium (verified 2026-07-11)
- **Starts at**: ?
- **Platforms**: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web
- **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-11)

## Ranked alternatives

| # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms |
|---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------|
| 1 | [Webex](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/webex.md) | 100 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Web, iOS |
| 2 | [GoTo Meeting](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/goto-meeting.md) | 89 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Web, iOS |
| 3 | [Zoho Meeting](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/zoho-meeting.md) | 85 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS |
| 4 | [Google Meet](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/google-meet.md) | 74 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |
| 5 | [Whereby](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/whereby.md) | 74 | Proprietary | Web |
| 6 | [Livestorm](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/livestorm.md) | 70 | Proprietary | Web |
| 7 | [Jitsi Meet](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/jitsi-meet.md) | 66 | Apache-2.0 | Web, iOS, Android |
| 8 | [Gather](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/gather.md) | 62 | ? | Web, Windows, macOS, iOS |
| 9 | [MiroTalk](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/mirotalk.md) | 48 | AGPL-3.0 | Web |
| 10 | [BigBlueButton](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/bigbluebutton.md) | 40 | LGPL-3.0 | Web |
| 11 | [Element Call](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/element-call.md) | 32 | AGPL-3.0 | Web |

Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/

## Feature comparison

Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified).

| Video conferencing checklist | Zoom | Webex | GoTo Meeting | Zoho Meeting | Google Meet | Whereby |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Subscription | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starts at | ? | ? | ? | $1/host/month | €6.80/user/month | $10.99/month |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web | Windows, macOS, Web, iOS, Android | Windows, macOS, Web, iOS, Android | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web | Web, iOS, Android | Web |
| Max participants (free / paid) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Meeting duration limit (free) | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Recording (local / cloud) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Partial | Partial |
| Transcription & captions | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes |
| Breakout rooms | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Partial | Partial |
| Virtual backgrounds | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Browser join without app | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| E2E encryption | Yes | Yes | Partial | Partial | Partial | Partial |
| Webinar mode | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | ? |
| Calendar integrations | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Whiteboard | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Partial |
| Dial-in numbers | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Partial |

## Sources

Sources for Zoom. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.

- **License**: Proprietary — <https://www.zoom.com/en/trust/terms/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Under no circumstances will you be deemed to receive, have, or be granted title to all or any portion of the Services, Software, or Documentation, title to which at all times vests exclusively in Zoom”
- **Pricing model**: Freemium — <https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0060423> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “In addition to the Basic (free) plan, Zoom offers subscription services with additional features.”
- **Platforms**: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web — <https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0060928> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “From the Download Center, you can download the Zoom desktop app for macOS, Windows, or Linux, as well as the Zoom mobile app for iOS or Android.”
- **Status**: active — <https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0061222> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “June 22, 2026”
- **Max participants (free / paid)**: Yes — <https://www.zoom.com/en/small-business/meetings/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “100 participants max per meeting”
- **Meeting duration limit (free)**: Yes — <https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0067966> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Almost all meetings scheduled and hosted by Basic (free) users, on Free and Paid accounts, are limited to 40 minutes.”
- **Recording (local / cloud)**: Yes — <https://www.zoom.com/en/products/virtual-meetings/features/free-video-conferencing/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Yes, local recording is available with all Zoom Workplace plans, including the free (Basic) plan.”
- **Transcription & captions**: Yes — <https://www.zoom.com/en/products/virtual-meetings/features/free-video-conferencing/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Also known as live transcription, this feature automatically generates real-time subtitles during Zoom meetings”
- **Breakout rooms**: Yes — <https://www.zoom.com/en/products/virtual-meetings/features/free-video-conferencing/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “You can use breakout rooms for small-group discussions by assigning rooms at random, pre-assigning participants to specific rooms, or letting participants choose their own to join.”
- **Virtual backgrounds**: Yes — <https://www.zoom.com/en/products/virtual-meetings/features/free-video-conferencing/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “virtual backgrounds and filters let you showcase your brand or add some fun to meetings”
- **Browser join without app**: Yes — <https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0064261> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “The Zoom Web App allows joining a Zoom meeting or webinar in a web browser without downloading any plugins or software.”
- **E2E encryption**: Yes — <https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0065408> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Yes, free and paid Zoom accounts joining directly from Zoom's desktop or mobile app, or from a Zoom Room, can host or join an E2EE meeting if enabled in the Zoom web portal.”
- **Webinar mode**: Yes — <https://www.zoom.com/en/products/webinars/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Host virtual events for 10 people or 100,000. Same quality either way — no capacity anxiety”
- **Calendar integrations**: Yes — <https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0068615> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Calendar integration is compatible with Google Calendar, Office 365, and Exchange.”
- **Whiteboard**: Yes — <https://www.zoom.com/en/products/virtual-meetings/features/free-video-conferencing/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “The free Zoom Workplace Basic plan includes Zoom Meetings for free video conferencing along with Zoom Chat, Clips Basic, Mail and Calendar, Docs Basic, Tasks Basic, Whiteboard Basic, and Notes.”
- **Dial-in numbers**: Yes — <https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0060564> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Zoom has toll numbers available for many countries that are included with all plans.”

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Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/