Best Free Webinar Software in 2026
Short answer: Zoom's free Basic plan is the default pick, 100 participants free for 40 minutes, Pro from $16.99/mo once a session needs to run longer. Google Meet keeps that same 100-person cap but stretches free sessions to 60 minutes, and Webex allows unlimited 40-minute meetings back to back instead of one longer one. For a public broadcast rather than a private room, StreamYard and Restream both stream free to YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn at once. OBS Studio and Jitsi Meet carry no attendee cap and no paid tier at all.
Eight tools compared on what their free plan actually lets you host live, attendee caps and time limits included, prices checked on vendor pages in September 2026.
Zoom's free Basic plan is the best all-around free webinar option in 2026: 100 participants free for 40 minutes, with Pro raising the clock to 30 hours per meeting once a session needs to run longer. If attendee count matters more than the clock, Google Meet holds the same 100-person cap but stretches free sessions to 60 minutes on any personal Google account, no download required.
Toolradar data: of the 36 webinar tools we track, 36% ship a free or freemium plan and 22 (61%) are paid only, so genuinely usable free tiers are the exception in this category, not the rule. Most of the dedicated webinar platforms built for gated registration and lead capture, Livestorm, Demio, BigMarker, dropped their free plans entirely; what's left free is general meeting software and live-streaming studios pressed into webinar duty.
This guide is the free companion to best webinar platforms, which ranks the paid, registration-and-analytics tools; see Zoom alternatives if the 40-minute cap rules it out. For a booking link or a group poll instead of a live session, see best free meeting scheduling tools.
How we ranked: these 8 were picked from webinar software for whether the free tier hosts a real live session today, not whether a trial exists. Every attendee cap and time limit was verified on the vendor's pricing page in September 2026, and none of these placements is paid.
Top Picks
Picked by editorial review, informed by G2 and Capterra review volume and rating and by media mentions, the signals behind our category rankings. How we rate
| Tool | Starting price | Rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoom | Free; Pro $16.99/mo | 2.81,412 reviews | Anyone hosting a one-off session where attendees already know how to join a Zoom link |
| Google Meet | Free; Business Starter $7/user/mo | 4.42,964 reviews | Teams already living in Gmail who want the longest free session without a download |
| Webex | Free; Enterprise custom | 4.120,107 reviews | Anyone who'd rather restart a fresh 40-minute session than pay to remove the cap |
| Microsoft Teams | Free; Teams Essentials $4/user/mo | 4.430,473 reviews | Solo hosts or small teams who already use Outlook and want one login for everything |
| StreamYard | Free; Advanced $68.99/mo | 4.7409 reviews | Creators and small teams broadcasting a public session rather than hosting a private room |
| Restream | Free; Professional $49/mo | 4.4899 reviews | Hosts who want to reach a YouTube and a LinkedIn audience simultaneously for free |
| OBS Studio | Free, no pricing page | 4.71,212 reviews | Technical hosts who want full production control and are willing to set it up themselves |
| Jitsi Meet | Free, no pricing page | 4.379 reviews | Ad hoc sessions where signing attendees up for another account is the actual dealbreaker |
Anyone hosting a one-off session where attendees already know how to join a Zoom link
Zoom Webinars pricing is expensive, especially for larger attendee counts.
Teams already living in Gmail who want the longest free session without a download
Google Meet's pricing is fair, especially with a robust free tier and competitive paid options.
Watch out
Storage limits can be restrictive for larger teams.
Anyone who'd rather restart a fresh 40-minute session than pay to remove the cap
Webex's pricing is generous for small teams with its robust Free tier offering unlimited meetings up to 40 minutes and 100 attendees.
Solo hosts or small teams who already use Outlook and want one login for everything
Microsoft Teams is the most cost-effective business communication platform when bundled with Microsoft 365.
Creators and small teams broadcasting a public session rather than hosting a private room
It's best for individuals and small to medium businesses looking for a reliable, feature-rich live streaming platform.
Hosts who want to reach a YouTube and a LinkedIn audience simultaneously for free
Restream is the leader in multistreaming.
Watch out
Free tier watermark
Technical hosts who want full production control and are willing to set it up themselves
OBS Studio offers an incredibly generous pricing model as it is 100% free and open-source.
Ad hoc sessions where signing attendees up for another account is the actual dealbreaker
Jitsi Meet's pricing, as presented, is quite generous, especially with a robust 'Free' tier.
Watch out
No clear mention of recording storage limits
What counts as free webinar software here
None of these 8 tools is a dedicated webinar platform with a genuinely free tier; that category, registration pages, lead capture, post-event analytics, mostly went paid-only in 2026. Livestorm now charges per attendee credit, and Demio and BigMarker start at $45/mo and quote-only.
What remains free splits into three shapes. General meeting software, Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Webex, hosts a live session for anyone with a link, capped by time or headcount. Live-streaming studios, StreamYard and Restream, broadcast that session to YouTube, Facebook or LinkedIn at once. Two tools carry no cap and no paid tier: OBS Studio, self-hosted broadcast software, and Jitsi Meet, an open-source call with no account.
Why the specific cap decides which one fits
A "free webinar" claim is only as good as the number attached to it. Zoom and Webex both cap free sessions at 100 attendees, but Zoom's 40-minute clock runs on one meeting while Webex lets you restart a fresh 40-minute meeting right after, unlimited times a day. Google Meet drops that headcount edge but adds 20 extra minutes, useful for a Q&A that always runs long.
The streaming studios change the trade entirely: StreamYard's free plan carries a visible logo, caps local recording at 2 hours a month, and locks its gated webinar mode, registration, a "backstage" green room, behind a paid plan; the free plan is a live-streaming studio, not a webinar room. Restream streams to 2 destinations at once with no such gate but caps on-screen guests at 6. OBS Studio and Jitsi Meet skip caps altogether, at the cost of handling registration yourself.
Key Features to Look For
Attendee cap on the free tier (Essential)
Zoom and Webex both stop free sessions at 100 attendees. Google Meet matches that cap but adds 20 minutes of runtime; Microsoft Teams Free publishes only a 60-minute limit, no attendee number.
Session time limit (Essential)
Zoom's free plan cuts a single meeting at 40 minutes; Webex matches that per meeting but allows unlimited meetings back to back. Google Meet and Microsoft Teams Free both stop at 60 minutes.
Multi-platform broadcasting (Important)
StreamYard streams free to multiple destinations at once but caps local recording at 2 hours a month and keeps its own logo on the stream. Restream streams to 2 destinations with 6 hours of recording per stream.
Registration and gated access (Important)
None of these 8 free tiers includes a branded registration page with lead capture. StreamYard's is the closest, and it sits behind a paid Advanced plan, not the free tier.
Branding on the free plan (Important)
StreamYard and Restream both keep their own logo on free-tier streams; removing it needs a paid plan on either. Zoom, Google Meet, Webex, Teams, OBS Studio and Jitsi Meet carry no such watermark.
No account, no cap (Nice to have)
Jitsi Meet needs no signup and publishes no attendee limit. OBS Studio is free, open-source broadcast software with no cap of its own, since viewers watch wherever you stream to.
Recording on the free plan (Nice to have)
Zoom's free plan records locally only, no cloud storage. StreamYard allows 2 hours of local recording a month; Restream includes 6 hours of cloud recording per stream, kept 15 days.
What to settle before you pick one
Decide whether attendee count or session length matters more: Zoom and Webex win on headcount, Google Meet and Teams Free win on time.
For a public broadcast rather than a private room, StreamYard or Restream fits better than a meeting tool, but expect a visible logo on the free tier.
Check whether you actually need registration and lead capture; none of these 8 free tiers includes it, that feature sits on a paid webinar platform.
Evaluation Checklist
On Google Meet, confirm every co-host signs in with the personal Google Account tier, not a Workspace account with different limits.
On StreamYard, check whether your audience needs a gated registration page; if so, price out the paid Advanced plan before committing to the free tier.
On Restream or StreamYard, test the free recording length, 6 hours per stream on Restream, 2 hours a month on StreamYard, against your actual session.
Pricing Overview
No cap, no paid tier at all
OBS Studio, self-hosted broadcast software with no attendee limit of its own, and Jitsi Meet, an open-source video call with no account and no published participant cap.
$0
Free with a headcount or time cap
Zoom (100 attendees, 40 minutes), Webex (100 attendees, 40 minutes, unlimited meetings), Google Meet (100 attendees, 60 minutes), Microsoft Teams Free (60-minute group calls).
$0 up to the limit
Free live-streaming studio, logo attached
StreamYard (6 on-screen guests, 2 hrs local recording/mo) and Restream (2 destinations at once, 6 on-screen guests, 6 hrs cloud recording/stream).
$0, logo on stream
Paid, once the free cap is the blocker
Longer sessions, more attendees, no logo, and registration pages once a free tier's limit stops working for you.
$4 to $89/mo
Pricing Comparison
| Tool | Published price | What that price buys | Billing |
|---|---|---|---|
Zoom | Free, Pro $16.99/mo | 100 participants for 40 minutes, local recording only. Pro raises the limit to 30 hours per meeting and adds 10GB cloud recording. | Per license, monthly or yearly |
Free, Business Starter $7/user/mo | 100 participants for 60 minutes, any personal Google account. Starter keeps the cap but adds no recording. | Per user, yearly for the quoted rate | |
Free, Teams Essentials $4/user/mo | 60-minute group calls free for individuals. Essentials adds 300 participants and 30-hour meetings. | Per user, yearly for the quoted rate | |
Webex | Free, Enterprise custom | Unlimited 40-minute meetings, up to 100 attendees, no card required. Enterprise scales to 1,000 attendees. | Per user, custom on Enterprise |
Free, Advanced $68.99/mo | 6 on-screen guests, 2 hours of local recording a month, logo on stream. Advanced adds On-Air webinars. | Per seat, monthly or yearly | |
Restream | Free, Professional $49/mo | 2 destinations at once, 6 on-screen guests, 6 hours of cloud recording kept 15 days. | Per workspace, monthly |
Free, no paid tier | Unlimited local recording and streaming to any destination you configure, no account. | No billing | |
Free, no paid tier | Unlimited video calls, no signup, no published attendee cap, no tier to upgrade into. | No billing |
Prices and limits verified on each vendor's pricing page in September 2026, including Zoom pricing, Google Workspace pricing, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams pricing, Teams Free, Webex pricing, StreamYard pricing, Restream pricing and OBS Studio. Jitsi Meet publishes no pricing page; it carries no paid tier at all.
Mistakes to Avoid
- ×
Picking Zoom for a 90-minute session without checking the 40-minute free cap, then scrambling to upgrade mid-planning.
- ×
Assuming a live-streaming studio like StreamYard or Restream includes registration and lead capture; that layer is missing on both free plans.
- ×
Choosing OBS Studio for a first webinar without a test run; its production power comes with a setup curve StreamYard skips entirely.
Expert Tips
- →
Start every headcount-first decision on Zoom's or Webex's free plan, both capped at 100 attendees, and switch to Google Meet only if the extra 20 minutes matters more.
- →
If the audience is public rather than invited, test StreamYard's free plan first: the multistream and layout tools cover most of what a paid webinar platform charges for, minus registration.
- →
Pair OBS Studio with a free destination like YouTube Live for zero attendee cap, and handle sign-ups outside the tool.
Red Flags to Watch For
- !
A StreamYard quote that assumes the free plan includes webinars. On-Air webinar mode with a backstage room is locked to the $68.99/mo Advanced plan.
- !
A Livestorm, Demio or BigMarker plan pitched as free. All three dropped their free tiers; Livestorm now bills per attendee credit with no free plan.
- !
A Microsoft Teams estimate that assumes free personal accounts get the same 300-participant capacity as paid Teams Essentials; the free page states only a 60-minute limit.
The Bottom Line
Choose Zoom for the most familiar free stand-in, 100 attendees for 40 minutes, Pro once that clock is the blocker. Choose Google Meet for the same cap with 20 extra free minutes and zero download, or Webex for unlimited back-to-back 40-minute sessions instead of one longer meeting.
For a public broadcast instead of a private room, StreamYard and Restream both stream free to multiple destinations at once, though StreamYard's real webinar mode needs a paid plan. OBS Studio and Jitsi Meet carry no cap and no paid tier at all, at the cost of handling registration yourself. Cite this: Toolradar, "Best free webinar software 2026", September 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best free webinar software in 2026?
Zoom's free Basic plan is the best all-around option: 100 participants for 40 minutes at no cost, with Pro raising the clock to 30 hours per meeting once you need longer sessions. Google Meet matches Zoom's 100-attendee cap but allows 60 minutes free on any personal Google account, and Webex matches Zoom's cap and time limit while allowing unlimited free meetings back to back.
Is Zoom free, and how much does it cost once you outgrow the free plan?
Zoom's free Basic plan hosts up to 100 participants for 40 minutes per meeting at no cost, verified on Zoom's pricing page in September 2026. That is a regular meeting used as a webinar, not Zoom's dedicated Webinars product, a separate paid add-on with registration and reporting.
Does Livestorm still have a free plan?
No. Livestorm's pricing page now shows only a Pro plan billed at $3 per attendee credit and a custom Enterprise plan, with no free tier, confirmed in September 2026. Demio and BigMarker, two other dedicated webinar platforms, have also dropped free tiers.
What's the difference between Zoom and Google Meet for a free webinar?
Both cap free sessions at 100 participants, but Zoom stops a single meeting at 40 minutes while Google Meet allows 60 minutes free on any personal Google Account. Zoom is a separate app most attendees already have installed; Google Meet runs entirely in the browser.
Can I stream a free webinar to YouTube and Facebook at the same time?
Yes. Restream's free plan streams to 2 destinations simultaneously with 6 on-screen participants and 6 hours of cloud recording per stream. StreamYard also multistreams free but keeps its own logo visible; removing it needs a paid plan.
Is there completely free webinar software with no attendee limit at all?
OBS Studio and Jitsi Meet carry no paid tier and no attendee cap of their own. OBS streams to whatever destination you configure, so the real ceiling is that destination's limit, not OBS. Jitsi Meet needs no account and publishes no participant cap.
Does Microsoft Teams have a free webinar option?
Teams Free hosts 60-minute group calls at no cost with no attendee cap published on Microsoft's own Teams Free page. Webinar hosting with attendee registration and reporting is a paid Microsoft 365 feature; Teams Essentials, from $4/user/mo billed yearly, adds 300-participant capacity.
Cite this page: Toolradar, "Best Free Webinar Software in 2026", updated September 2026, https://toolradar.com/guides/best-free-webinar-software