Connect, communicate, and collaborate with HD video meetings
Visit WebsiteThe Bottom Line
Entry price
Free plan available, paid tiers above
Biggest pro
Reliable video quality
Biggest con
Free plan has time limits
TL;DR - Zoom
- Video conferencing platform
- Meetings and webinars
- Screen sharing and recording
What is Zoom?
Available on: Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Reliable video quality
- Easy to use
- Good for large meetings
- Breakout rooms
Cons
- Free plan has time limits
- Security concerns historically
- Can be resource intensive
Ratings Across the Web
Zoom holds an aggregate rating of 3.7 out of 5 from 73,247 reviews across G2, Capterra and Trustpilot, last checked August 25, 2026.
Ratings aggregated from independent review platforms. Learn more
Preview
Key Features
Pricing
Zoom offers a generous free tier with optional paid upgrades for advanced features.
Is Zoom worth the price?
Zoom Pro at $13.33/user/month (annual) remains the baseline for professional video conferencing, but the real cost is in add-ons.
Cloud storage fills up at 10GB (about 10-15 hours of recordings), Zoom Phone adds $13-22/user/month, webinars start at $66.67/month, and Zoom Rooms cost $49/room/month. A 50-person company using Pro + Phone + basic webinars easily spends $25,000+/year.
The AI Companion (meeting summaries, smart recording) is included free on paid plans, a genuine competitive advantage over Google Meet and Teams, which charge extra for comparable AI features. But the free Basic plan is now outclassed: 40-minute meeting limits feel punitive when Google Meet offers 60 minutes and Microsoft Teams offers 60 minutes with 100 participants for free.
Hidden Costs & Gotchas
Cloud recording storage fills fast
Pro and Business include only 10GB (about 10-15 hours of recordings). Additional storage costs $10/month for 30GB or $40/month for 25GB depending on the add-on tier. Enterprise gets unlimited recording storage, the only plan where this is not an issue.
Zoom Phone is a major add-on
Not included in any standard Workplace plan except Business Plus. Metered calling starts at $10/user/month, US/Canada unlimited at $18/user/month. International calling rates range from $0.02 to over $1.00/minute depending on destination. Power Pack (call queues, analytics) adds another $25/user/month.
Webinar pricing is steep
Starts at $66.67/month for 300 attendees and requires a Zoom Workplace Pro subscription as prerequisite. 500 attendees costs $95/month. Zoom Events (with registration, expo floor) starts at $149/month. These are per-account, not per-user, but they add up fast.
Large meeting upgrade
Standard plans cap at 100 (Pro) or 300 (Business) participants. Upgrading to 500 or 1,000 participants costs $50-100/month as an add-on.
Zoom Rooms hardware
$49/room/month for the software license alone. Hardware (cameras, displays, speakers) runs $2,000-$15,000 per room. A 10-room office spends $6,000/year on licenses plus $30,000-$100,000+ on hardware.
AI Companion custom add-on
Basic AI Companion is included free, but the Custom AI Companion add-on (custom knowledge base, advanced AI features) costs $12/user/month extra.
Annual billing lock-in
Monthly prices are 20-35% higher than annual. Pro is $13.33/month annual vs $16.99/month monthly. But annual plans do not offer prorated refunds for early cancellation.
Zoom Whiteboard premium
Basic whiteboard is included. Premium features (unlimited boards, advanced templates) cost $2.49-6.99/user/month.
International toll-free numbers
Premium audio add-on for international dial-in numbers costs $100-240/month depending on countries covered.
Reviews
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Zoom FAQ
How does Zoom facilitate large-scale communication?
Which teams benefit most from using Zoom?
How does Zoom's free tier compare to its paid plans?
Can Zoom be used to host webinars?
What kind of limitations should users be aware of when considering Zoom?
How does Zoom's meeting capacity compare to Microsoft Teams?
Source: zoom.us