Zoom
Free planVideo meetings for 100 to 1,000 people, with team chat, phone calling and AI meeting notes in one app.
Best for businesses that host scheduled video calls with clients and outside guests
Facts checked November 4, 2026 · First written by Mutuo Mbilla
The short answer
Zoom suits anyone who sends meeting links to people outside the company, because guests can join from the desktop app, a phone or a web browser. The free Basic plan holds 100 people but ends every meeting at 40 minutes, so anyone who hosts regular calls needs Pro at $16.99 a user a month ($14.16 billed yearly), which allows 30-hour meetings and 10 GB of cloud storage. Business raises the cap to 300 participants and adds single sign-on. The full AI assistant, ZoomMate, is a separate $20 a user a month subscription, so teams that want unlimited AI notes and agents pay for two plans.
Choose it if
- You run sales calls, client check-ins or interviews and want a meeting link that guests can open in a browser
- Your meetings regularly run past 40 minutes, so Pro's 30-hour limit and cloud recording earn their $16.99 a month
- You need room for up to 300 people on Business, or 1,000 on Enterprise, for town halls and all-hands calls
- You want chat, VoIP calling, a booking page and a whiteboard from the same account instead of four separate tools
- Your team uses Linux desktops, which Zoom supports on Ubuntu, Mint, Red Hat, Debian and Arch
Skip it if
- Your calls are free one-off chats that go past 40 minutes, since Google Meet's free plan allows 60 minutes for group calls and no limit on one-to-one calls
- Your company already pays for Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, which include Meet or Teams at no extra cost
- You want unlimited AI note-taking and agents without paying a second per-user subscription on top of your Workplace plan
- You only call friends and family on your phone, where WhatsApp handles group video calls of up to 32 people with no time limit
- You need live phone support on a small account: Zoom offers live phone help only on subscriptions over $200 a month
Main features
Video meetings
Host meetings of 100 people on Basic and Pro, 300 on Business and 1,000 on Enterprise. Guests can join from the desktop app, the mobile app or the web app in a browser.
Cloud recording
Pro and Business save recordings to Zoom's cloud with 10 GB per user, and Enterprise removes the storage cap. You can share a recording link after the call instead of sending a large file.
AI meeting summaries
Basic gets summaries for three hosted meetings a month, and Pro and Business remove that cap. The paid ZoomMate add-on adds unlimited AI notes, custom summary templates and agents that act on what was said.
Team Chat
Every plan, including Basic, includes Zoom's chat app for direct messages and group channels, so a team can keep talking between calls without a separate chat tool.
Phone calling
Basic includes VoIP calling, and Enterprise adds a full PBX phone system with 24/7 live chat and phone support.
Scheduler
Share a booking page so clients can pick a time for an appointment with you. Basic allows one personal booking page, and Business makes them unlimited.
Whiteboard
Sketch ideas and plan work on a shared online board with your team. Basic keeps three editable boards, and Business allows unlimited boards.
Clips
Record a short video message with a screen recording to send instead of booking a meeting. Basic allows five two-minute clips, and paid plans make them unlimited.
Webinars and Rooms
Enterprise includes webinars for 500 attendees and Zoom Rooms software for conference rooms, so one account covers both online events and meeting spaces.
App Marketplace
Zoom says it connects with thousands of apps through its marketplace, and it also offers an Outlook plug-in and a browser extension.
Pricing
US dollar prices checked November 4, 2026 on zoom.us/pricing. Prices are per user; the yearly figures are the monthly equivalent of paying for a year up front. ZoomMate is sold separately and only works with eligible paid Workplace plans.
Basic
$0
Meetings up to 40 minutes for 100 people, Team Chat, VoIP calling, one booking page, three whiteboards, five clips, Mail and Calendar, 3 AI meeting summaries and 20 AI queries a month
Pro
$16.99 / user a month, billed monthly ($14.16 billed yearly)
Meetings up to 30 hours for 100 people, 10 GB of cloud storage per user, unlimited clips, unlimited meeting summaries and live chat support
Business
$21.99 / user a month, billed monthly ($18.33 billed yearly)
Everything in Pro plus meetings for 300 people, unlimited booking pages and whiteboards, single sign-on, managed domains and device management
Enterprise
Meetings for up to 1,000 people, webinars for 500 attendees, Zoom Rooms, a full PBX phone system, unlimited cloud recording and translated captions; contact sales
ZoomMate (add-on)
$20 / user a month, billed monthly ($16.67 billed yearly)
2,200 AI credits a month, unlimited AI note-taking, custom summary templates, custom and prebuilt agents, deep research and live audio translation in meetings
Reviews
Write a reviewNo reviews yet. If you use Zoom, yours would be the first.
Alternatives to Zoom
| Product | Choose it instead if | Starts at |
|---|---|---|
| Google Meet | You want longer free calls (60 minutes for groups, no limit one to one) or your team already pays for Google Workspace | Free |
| Slack | Most of your calls are quick team check-ins started from a chat channel, with huddles of up to 50 people on paid plans | Free |
| You call friends, family or a small team from your phone and want free group video calls of up to 32 people with no time limit | Free |
Questions people ask
Is Zoom free?
Yes. The Basic plan costs nothing and lets you host meetings for up to 100 people, but each meeting ends after 40 minutes. It also includes Team Chat, one booking page, three whiteboards and a small monthly allowance of AI summaries and queries.
How long can a free Zoom meeting last?
Free Basic meetings last up to 40 minutes, and Zoom's pricing page lists no exception for one-to-one calls. Pro, Business and Enterprise allow meetings of up to 30 hours.
How much does Zoom Pro cost?
Pro costs $16.99 a user a month on monthly billing, or $14.16 a user a month when you pay for a year (prices checked November 4, 2026). It includes 30-hour meetings for 100 people and 10 GB of cloud storage per user.
How many people can join a Zoom meeting?
Basic and Pro allow 100 participants, Business allows 300, and Enterprise allows up to 1,000. For larger online events, Enterprise also includes webinars for 500 attendees.
Does Zoom take AI meeting notes?
Yes. Basic gets meeting summaries for three hosted meetings a month, and paid plans include unlimited summaries. Unlimited AI note-taking, custom templates and AI agents need the separate ZoomMate subscription at $20 a user a month, or $16.67 billed yearly.
Can people join a Zoom meeting without downloading the app?
Yes. Zoom has a web app, so guests can join from a browser on a computer. On phones and tablets, they install the Zoom Workplace app for iPhone, iPad or Android.
Is Zoom better than Google Meet?
It depends on what you already pay for. Zoom gives paid users phone calling, booking pages and whiteboards in the same account, while Google Meet comes with Google Workspace and its free plan allows 60-minute group calls, 20 minutes longer than Zoom Basic.
Sources we checked 12
- zoom.us/pricing for plans, US dollar prices, participant and time limits, plan contents, support by plan checked November 4, 2026
- zoom.us/pricing/aic for ZoomMate add-on price, AI credits and features checked November 4, 2026
- zoom.com/en/products/ai-assistant for ZoomMate Basic allowance on the free plan checked November 4, 2026
- zoom.com/en/products/collaboration-tools for Workplace apps, platforms (iPhone, iPad, Android, web app, browser extension), integrations count, ZoomMate eligibility checked November 4, 2026
- zoom.us/download for Outlook plug-in, browser extension, Android app checked November 4, 2026
- support.zoom.com/hc/en/article for desktop platforms: Windows, macOS and Linux distributions checked November 4, 2026
- apps.apple.com/us/app/zoom-workplace/id546505307 for iPhone, iPad and Apple Vision support, seller name checked November 4, 2026
- zoom.com/en/about for founding year, founder, 2024 rename to Zoom Communications checked November 4, 2026
- zoom.com/en/trust/terms for company address in San Jose, California checked November 4, 2026
- workspace.google.com/products/meet for Google Meet free plan limits used in comparisons checked November 4, 2026
- teams.live.com/free for Teams Free 60-minute meetings used in comparisons checked November 4, 2026
- whatsapp.com/calling for WhatsApp 32-person group calls used in comparisons checked November 4, 2026