Video conferencing software · 13 alternatives

Zoom alternatives: 13 compared

Written by Connor Blake · Edited by Sebastiaan Smits · Fact-checked by Mateus Rocha · Published October 7, 2026 · Updated October 7, 2026

Teams that look past Zoom usually do so because the meetings tool is now one of many products on a larger bill, or because they already pay for a suite that includes video. Most go to Microsoft Teams or Google Meet; privacy-minded and education buyers go to open source software they host themselves.

Short answer: The closest replacements for Zoom in our video conferencing software ranking are Microsoft Teams, Google Meet and Cisco Webex. Choose Microsoft Teams if most of your staff already hold Microsoft 365 licenses. All 13 alternatives below are ranked products from Best Video Conferencing Software in 2026, and each says where it differs from Zoom and when Zoom is still the better choice.

Visibility in our rankings can be paid for. Payment moves a vendor's position within the shortlist; it never adds a vendor, and it never changes a word of the review or of this page. How it works: placement disclosure · editorial process.

Zoom at a glance

Headquarters: United States
Pricing model: Per user / month
Pricing: Per user per month on published tiers, with a free plan capped at 40 minutes per meeting; webinars, rooms, phone and larger meetings are add-ons.
Free option: Free plan
Built for: External-facing teams of any size
Wrong for: Companies deep in Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, whose meetings are mainly internal, will usually find a second paid platform hard to justify; they should use Teams or Meet.
Place in our ranking: #4 of 14
Website: zoom.com

Facts from our video conferencing software ranking, last checked October 7, 2026.

Why buyers look past Zoom

The meetings tool became a suite

Zoom now sells its free tier as Workplace Basic, with chat, mail, calendar, whiteboard and clips around the meeting. Buyers who only want a call room pay for a platform they use a fraction of, and ask what a plainer tool would cost.
Webinars, phone and rooms are separate purchases

Zoom's pricing page lists webinars and events as their own tiers, and a phone system as an Enterprise capability. A company that grows from meetings into webinars or telephony adds products rather than moving up one plan, so the total is hard to forecast.
A suite you already pay for may cover video

Companies on Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace already have Teams or Meet included in the plan. Running Zoom next to them means paying twice for the same job, and two sets of links for staff and guests to keep straight.

13 alternatives at a glance

Closest replacement first. The last column is our place in the full 14-product ranking.

#	Alternative	Headquarters	Pricing	Key difference	Switch if	Our rank
1	Microsoft Teams	United States	Per user / month; free trial	Meetings, chat and calling inside Microsoft 365	most of your staff already hold Microsoft 365 licenses	#5
2	Google Meet	United States	Per user / month; free plan	Browser-based meetings built into Google Workspace	your company runs on Google Workspace and wants no extra contract	#6
3	Cisco Webex	United States	Per user / month; free plan	Enterprise meetings, calling and room devices from Cisco	you want meetings, calling and rooms from one enterprise vendor	#7
4	GoTo Meeting	United States	Per organizer / month; free trial	Veteran meetings product from GoTo	you want a simple per-organizer meeting plan, not a full work suite	#8
5	Whereby	Norway	Per host / month; free plan	Browser-based meeting rooms with permanent links	you mostly meet clients and want a permanent link with no download	#1
6	Zoho Meeting	India	Per host / month; free plan	Low-cost meetings and webinars from the Zoho suite	you want cheap hosted webinars and already use other Zoho apps	#2
7	Jitsi Meet	United States	Open source + paid hosting; open source	Open source video meetings you can self-host	you want to self-host video and keep call data on your own servers	#3
8	RingCentral Video	United States	Per user / month; free plan	Video meetings bundled with RingCentral's cloud phone system	you want meetings and your business phone system from one vendor	#11
9	Dialpad Meetings	United States	Per user / month; free plan	Browser-based meetings with live transcription	transcripts and summaries matter more to you than a large app marketplace	#12
10	Pexip	Norway	Per room / month + quote; none	Secure video platform and room interoperability service	you must link existing meeting rooms to several platforms or run a secure deployment	#9
11	Nextcloud Talk	Germany	Open source + paid support; open source	Self-hosted chat and video inside Nextcloud	you already run Nextcloud and want video on the same servers	#10
12	BigBlueButton	Canada	Open source + paid hosting; open source	Open source virtual classroom built for online teaching	you teach online and need classroom tools in your learning platform	#13
13	Livestorm	France	Attendee credits / year; free plan	Browser-based webinars and virtual events for marketing teams	your main use of Zoom is webinars and you want attendee-based pricing	#14

What each alternative does differently

1. Microsoft Teams

Meetings, chat and calling inside Microsoft 365 · United States

Sold as part of Microsoft's suite, so video is bundled with chat, files and calling rather than priced as its own product. Strongest where staff already live in Office. External guests meet a heavier client than a plain meeting link.

Switch from Zoom if most of your staff already hold Microsoft 365 licenses.

Pricing: Included in many Microsoft 365 business plans or sold as Teams Essentials per user per month; phone, rooms and Copilot are extra. (free trial)

Full review: #5 of 14 in our ranking · Visit Microsoft Teams →

2. Google Meet

Browser-based meetings built into Google Workspace · United States

Part of Google Workspace and run from the browser, with no separate meetings contract. Google says Meet allows 100 participants on free accounts and up to 1,000 on premium accounts, with recording, captions and breakout rooms on paid tiers. Fewer events features than Zoom.

Switch from Zoom if your company runs on Google Workspace and wants no extra contract.

Pricing: Included in Google Workspace plans priced per user per month; free with a personal Google account with a 60-minute cap on group calls. (free plan)

Full review: #6 of 14 in our ranking · Visit Google Meet →

3. Cisco Webex

Enterprise meetings, calling and room devices from Cisco · United States

Cisco's meetings and calling product, aimed at larger organizations and room hardware. It suits larger organizations that buy meetings, calling and room devices from one enterprise vendor, and is a heavier purchase for a ten-person team.

Switch from Zoom if you want meetings, calling and rooms from one enterprise vendor.

Pricing: A free plan with 40-minute meetings for up to 100 attendees is listed; paid business and enterprise plans are sold through Cisco sales rather than at published prices, and calling, webinars and devices are separate. (free plan)

Full review: #7 of 14 in our ranking · Visit Cisco Webex →

4. GoTo Meeting

Veteran meetings product from GoTo · United States

A long-standing meetings product that GoTo sells per organizer with a 14-day trial. GoTo lists up to 250 attendees and HIPAA support. It is narrower than Zoom's platform and has fewer integrations, but the plan structure is simple to read.

Switch from Zoom if you want a simple per-organizer meeting plan, not a full work suite.

Pricing: Per organizer per month on published tiers, with a free trial; webinar and phone products are sold separately. (free trial)

Full review: #8 of 14 in our ranking · Visit GoTo Meeting →

5. Whereby

Browser-based meeting rooms with permanent links · Norway

Norwegian, browser-based rooms with permanent links, so guests join without installing anything. Whereby sells Meetings per user and a separate usage-priced Embedded product for developers. It lacks Zoom's webinar tier and phone, and suits small client-facing teams.

Switch from Zoom if you mostly meet clients and want a permanent link with no download.

Pricing: Per-host monthly plans for meetings with a limited free tier, and separate usage-based pricing for the Whereby Embedded API. (free plan)

Full review: #1 of 14 in our ranking · Visit Whereby →

6. Zoho Meeting

Low-cost meetings and webinars from the Zoho suite · India

Priced as per-host meeting and webinar plans, with a free plan that Zoho lists at 100 participants and 60 minutes. Standard plans allow 24-hour meetings. Fits companies already on Zoho apps, and offers fewer room systems and third-party apps than Zoom.

Switch from Zoom if you want cheap hosted webinars and already use other Zoho apps.

Pricing: Per-host monthly plans for meetings and for webinars, priced low, with a free plan allowing up to 100 participants for up to 60 minutes. (free plan)

Full review: #2 of 14 in our ranking · Visit Zoho Meeting →

7. Jitsi Meet

Open source video meetings you can self-host · United States

Open source (maintained by 8x8) that you can run on your own server, use free on meet.jit.si, or buy hosted as Jitsi as a Service. No account is required to join. You supply the admin work; there is no vendor suite around it.

Switch from Zoom if you want to self-host video and keep call data on your own servers.

Pricing: Free and open source for self-hosting; the public meet.jit.si service is free, and 8x8's hosted Jitsi as a Service is billed by monthly active users. (open source)

Full review: #3 of 14 in our ranking · Visit Jitsi Meet →

8. RingCentral Video

Video meetings bundled with RingCentral's cloud phone system · United States

Video bundled with RingCentral's cloud phone system. RingCentral advertises a free tier with 50-minute calls and paid plans for 24-hour meetings. It makes sense if phone and video should sit under one vendor, and less if you only need meetings.

Switch from Zoom if you want meetings and your business phone system from one vendor.

Pricing: Free meetings users get 50-minute meetings for up to 100 participants; paid meetings seats and RingEX phone plans raise that to 24-hour meetings for up to 300. (free plan)

Full review: #11 of 14 in our ranking · Visit RingCentral Video →

9. Dialpad Meetings

Browser-based meetings with live transcription · United States

Browser-based meetings from Dialpad, which sells them alongside its calling plans. Real-time transcription, summaries and action items are part of the pitch, and a Large Meetings add-on lifts capacity to 1,500. Smaller ecosystem than Zoom's, and no equivalent of its marketplace.

Switch from Zoom if transcripts and summaries matter more to you than a large app marketplace.

Pricing: A free sign-up tier with limits on meeting length and participants; paid meeting seats are charged per user per month, and meetings also sit alongside Dialpad's calling plans. (free plan)

Full review: #12 of 14 in our ranking · Visit Dialpad Meetings →

10. Pexip

Secure video platform and room interoperability service · Norway

Norwegian video platform for secure deployments and for connecting rooms across Teams, Zoom and Google Meet. It sells Connect for interoperability and Secure Meetings for government-style needs. Not a general replacement for everyday staff meetings; it is infrastructure.

Switch from Zoom if you must link existing meeting rooms to several platforms or run a secure deployment.

Pricing: Pexip Connect Premium room interoperability is sold online at a published per-room price billed annually; Secure Meetings, self-hosted Infinity deployments and larger interoperability deals are by quote. (none)

Full review: #9 of 14 in our ranking · Visit Pexip →

11. Nextcloud Talk

Self-hosted chat and video inside Nextcloud · Germany

German open source chat and video inside Nextcloud, self-hosted, with optional enterprise support and a high-performance backend for bigger calls. It reads as a module of a file-sync platform, so it suits organizations that already run Nextcloud.

Switch from Zoom if you already run Nextcloud and want video on the same servers.

Pricing: Free open source software; Nextcloud Enterprise subscriptions priced per user per year add support and the high-performance backend for larger calls. (open source)

Full review: #10 of 14 in our ranking · Visit Nextcloud Talk →

12. BigBlueButton

Open source virtual classroom built for online teaching · Canada

Open source virtual classroom, originally from Carleton University in Canada, built for teaching rather than office meetings. Offers whiteboard, polls, breakout rooms and shared notes, and ships as the default classroom in several learning platforms. Weaker for sales calls.

Switch from Zoom if you teach online and need classroom tools in your learning platform.

Pricing: Free to self-host under an open source license; managed hosting from its founders and from third-party providers is sold separately. (open source)

Full review: #13 of 14 in our ranking · Visit BigBlueButton →

13. Livestorm

Browser-based webinars and virtual events for marketing teams · France

French browser-based webinar platform that charges per attendee through yearly credit packs, with team members free. Sessions run up to 4 hours on Pro. It replaces Zoom Webinars, not Zoom Meetings, and gets expensive for big recurring audiences.

Switch from Zoom if your main use of Zoom is webinars and you want attendee-based pricing.

Pricing: Pay per attendee: the Pro plan sells a yearly pack of attendee credits (from about 2.50 euros per attendee, team members free), a limited free plan allows up to 30 attendees, and Enterprise is quoted. (free plan)

Full review: #14 of 14 in our ranking · Visit Livestorm →

When Zoom is still the right choice

Stay with Zoom if guests and customers already join your calls through Zoom links, if you run webinars at a scale of hundreds or thousands of attendees, or if you depend on its app marketplace and room hardware. Zoom's own pages list webinars up to 100,000 attendees on higher tiers. If video is the one thing you need from it, the move buys little.

What to expect when you switch from Zoom

Export recordings before cancelling

Zoom's API documents recordings in MP4 and M4A, transcripts in VTT, chat in JSON and polls in CSV, and says deleted recordings can be recovered within 30 days. Pull everything you need before the plan ends, and check retention on your own account, since admins can set it.
Meeting links are what breaks

Recurring invitations, calendar entries, personal meeting IDs and room hardware all point at Zoom. Plan to reissue links, update calendar series and test room systems. A parallel run of one to two billing cycles lets external guests find the new link without missed calls.

Questions and answers

Can I export my Zoom recordings and transcripts?

Yes. Zoom's recording API offers MP4 and M4A media, VTT transcripts, JSON chat and CSV poll data. Download requires an authorized OAuth app or the account's own access.

What is the free Zoom plan limit?

Zoom's pricing page lists the free Basic plan at 40 minutes per meeting and up to 100 participants. Paid Pro raises the duration to 30 hours, and Business raises the participant cap to 300.

Is there a free alternative to Zoom with no time limit?

Yes. Jitsi Meet is open source and free on meet.jit.si and can be self-hosted, and BigBlueButton and Nextcloud Talk are free to self-host. Hosting and admin work then fall on you.

Which alternative is easiest if we already use Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace?

Microsoft Teams or Google Meet, because each comes with its suite. Google lists Meet as a core part of Workspace; Teams ships with Microsoft's suite, though we could not load Microsoft's plan pages to confirm which tiers include it.

Does Zoom Webinars have an equivalent elsewhere?

Yes. Livestorm and Zoho Meeting both sell webinars, Livestorm per attendee and Zoho per host. Zoom lists Webinars at up to 500 attendees on the base tier and up to 100,000 on larger events.

Will guests need to install anything on the new tool?

Often not. Whereby, GoTo Meeting, RingCentral and Dialpad Meetings all say guests can join from a browser, and Jitsi works without an account. Check the specific plan, since some features require the app.

Sources

Prices, plan limits and product facts about Zoom on this page were checked against the vendors' own pages on October 7, 2026. Vendors change both without notice, so treat the figures as of that date.

Zoom pricing: Free plan at 40 minutes and 100 participants, Pro and Business tiers.
Zoom Meetings plans: Workplace Basic free plan, 30-hour and 300-participant tiers, bundled suite products.
Zoom Webinars: Webinars, Webinars Plus and Events tiers, 500 to 100,000 attendees.
Zoom Meetings API documentation: Recording export formats and 30-day recovery.
Google Meet: Participant limits, free-account limits, Workspace inclusion, premium features.
Jitsi Meet: Open source, self-hosting, meet.jit.si, JaaS, 8x8 as trademark holder.
Nextcloud Talk: Self-hosted open source video, high-performance backend.
BigBlueButton: Open source virtual classroom, features, LMS adoption.
Pexip: Secure Meetings and Connect interoperability for Teams, Zoom, Google Meet.
Livestorm pricing: Attendee credit pricing, 4-hour sessions, team members free.
Whereby: Browser-based rooms, permanent links, Meetings and Embedded products.
Whereby pricing: Per-user Meetings pricing and usage-priced Embedded.
Zoho Meeting pricing: Per-host plans, 24-hour meetings, 14-day trial.
Zoho Meeting: Free plan at 100 participants and 60 minutes.
GoTo Meeting: 250 attendees, 14-day trial, HIPAA, browser join.
RingCentral video conferencing: Free 50-minute calls, 24-hour meetings on paid plans, browser join.
Dialpad Meetings: Browser-based, transcription, 1,500-person add-on.

Who wrote this

Connor Blake, Senior Analyst, Finance & People Systems, wrote this page. Covers accounting, payroll and the HR stack, where a migration mistake shows up on someone's payslip.

Mateus Rocha, Senior Analyst, Revenue & Operations Software, checked the facts. Sebastiaan Smits edited it. Last reviewed October 7, 2026. How we review.