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.
Businesses, schools, and individuals who need to hold video or audio meetings, webinars, or team chats with remote or distributed participants.
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.
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.
Where Zoom stands out
Verified capabilities most alternatives don't have.
Why people leave Zoom
Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.
Sign in to add a reason — new reasons go through moderation before appearing.
Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
Feature comparison
Rows come from the Video conferencing checklist (16 rows). Human-verified cells only. ? means the value has not been verified.
| Video conferencing checklist | Zoom | Webex | GoTo Meeting | Zoho Meeting | Google Meet | Whereby |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
| Starts at | ||||||
| License | ||||||
| Platforms | ||||||
| Max participants (free / paid) | ||||||
| Meeting duration limit (free) | ||||||
| Recording (local / cloud) | ||||||
| Transcription & captions | ||||||
| Breakout rooms | ||||||
| Virtual backgrounds | ||||||
| Browser join without app | ||||||
| E2E encryption | ||||||
| Webinar mode | ||||||
| Calendar integrations | ||||||
| Whiteboard | ||||||
| Dial-in numbers |
Every fact and feature listed for Zoom is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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License Proprietary verified 2026-07-11
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
https://www.zoom.com/en/trust/terms/ -
Pricing model Freemium verified 2026-07-11
In addition to the Basic (free) plan, Zoom offers subscription services with additional features.
https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0060423 -
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web verified 2026-07-11
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.
https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0060928 -
Status active verified 2026-07-11
June 22, 2026
https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0061222 -
Max participants (free / paid) Yes verified 2026-07-11
100 participants max per meeting
https://www.zoom.com/en/small-business/meetings/ -
Meeting duration limit (free) Yes verified 2026-07-11
Almost all meetings scheduled and hosted by Basic (free) users, on Free and Paid accounts, are limited to 40 minutes.
https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0067966 -
Recording (local / cloud) Yes verified 2026-07-11
Yes, local recording is available with all Zoom Workplace plans, including the free (Basic) plan.
https://www.zoom.com/en/products/virtual-meetings/features/free-video-conferencing/ -
Transcription & captions Yes verified 2026-07-11
Also known as live transcription, this feature automatically generates real-time subtitles during Zoom meetings
https://www.zoom.com/en/products/virtual-meetings/features/free-video-conferencing/ -
Breakout rooms Yes verified 2026-07-11
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.
https://www.zoom.com/en/products/virtual-meetings/features/free-video-conferencing/ -
Virtual backgrounds Yes verified 2026-07-11
virtual backgrounds and filters let you showcase your brand or add some fun to meetings
https://www.zoom.com/en/products/virtual-meetings/features/free-video-conferencing/ -
Browser join without app Yes verified 2026-07-11
The Zoom Web App allows joining a Zoom meeting or webinar in a web browser without downloading any plugins or software.
https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0064261 -
E2E encryption Yes verified 2026-07-11
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.
https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0065408 -
Webinar mode Yes verified 2026-07-11
Host virtual events for 10 people or 100,000. Same quality either way — no capacity anxiety
https://www.zoom.com/en/products/webinars/ -
Calendar integrations Yes verified 2026-07-11
Calendar integration is compatible with Google Calendar, Office 365, and Exchange.
https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0068615 -
Whiteboard Yes verified 2026-07-11
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.
https://www.zoom.com/en/products/virtual-meetings/features/free-video-conferencing/ -
Dial-in numbers Yes verified 2026-07-11
Zoom has toll numbers available for many countries that are included with all plans.
https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0060564
FAQ
Yes. Webex, Zoho Meeting and Google Meet have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
Jitsi Meet, MiroTalk and BigBlueButton — every license claim links its source.
Jitsi Meet, MiroTalk and BigBlueButton can be self-hosted. Cells marked ? mean we have not verified a self-host path yet.