Zoom Alternatives in 2026: Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Webex, GoTo Meeting, Whereby, Jitsi Meet and Livestorm

The best Zoom alternatives for most small businesses are Google Meet if you already use Google Workspace, and Microsoft Teams if your Microsoft 365 subscription includes it. Both offer free group calls for up to 60 minutes with 100 participants; choose a specialist only when client access, calling, self-hosting or webinars is the job your current tool cannot do.

Paying for a second meeting platform makes sense when it solves a recurring problem. It makes less sense when employees open it out of habit while an adequate alternative sits inside the office suite you already fund.

Pricing and limits verified against vendor pages on 9 November 2026. These are documentation-based comparisons, not hands-on call-quality tests. Prices below are in USD before tax; annual commitments, host licenses and attendee credits are identified separately.

Best Zoom alternatives at a glance

The free limits below describe group meetings. “Built-in AI” means the meeting vendor offers notes or summaries, not that its cheapest plan includes them. A transcript is a written record of speech; an AI summary condenses that record into decisions and follow-up work.

The figures come from the vendor pricing and support pages cited in each section. Free meeting capacity and free annual usage are different limits. Livestorm's credits cannot be read as “30 people in every meeting,” and Jitsi's lack of a published cap cannot be read as unlimited capacity.

How these alternatives to Zoom were picked

The order follows a small business buying decision: use the office suite already paid for, then consider a specialist. Google Meet and Microsoft Teams lead because they can remove a duplicate subscription. Webex earns its place for a broader meetings-and-calling requirement, GoTo Meeting for standalone paid meetings, Whereby for guest access, Jitsi Meet for open-source control, and Livestorm for audience events.

The comparison turns on five checks: how guests join, whether typical calls fit the free limits, what the entry paid plan buys, where AI notes become available, and which billing unit grows with usage. Those are more useful buying criteria than an unsupported claim that one app always has better video.

There is deliberately no universal performance score. A founder taking client calls from a laptop and an IT lead replacing a phone system are buying different outcomes. The decisive test is whether the proposed replacement can run your hardest recurring meeting without adding manual work.

The seven meeting tools, by the job they do

1. Google Meet: the default for a Google Workspace business

Google Meet, Google's video-meeting service, is the first option to try when your agency already works in Google Workspace. Free group meetings allow 100 participants for 60 minutes, and people can join from a computer browser without installing software. For a small agency's weekly client review, that is enough room to discuss the work without buying another host subscription. Choose Meet when the meeting belongs beside your calendar and documents; choose its edition according to what must survive after the call.

Best for: Google Workspace businesses and straightforward browser meetings.
Standout: Meeting records can stay connected to the Calendar event and the organizer's Drive.
Pricing: Business Starter starts at $7/user/month with a one-year commitment, billed monthly, on Google Workspace's pricing page.
Free trial: 14 days for Workspace; a separate free Meet option is available.

The important distinction is paid meetings versus paid meeting records. Business Starter is the entry business subscription, but it does not include Gemini in Meet. Business Standard includes meeting recording and Gemini-powered notes and summaries. A team replacing Zoom Pro should check those entitlements before assuming the cheapest Workspace edition replaces its entire workflow.

Consider an agency owner who runs a client review and then sends a list of approved changes to a designer. The video call is only the first part of that job. The practical test is whether the owner can find the notes, check the approvals and share the result with the right people afterward. Meet's notes can be saved in the organizer's Drive and attached to the calendar event, which makes that follow-up fit naturally into a Google-centered business.

That also exposes the wall: an eligible organizer edition and administrator settings determine whether note-taking is available. A colleague having access to a general AI chat product is not proof that your meeting organizer can generate Meet notes.

Try the complete Google Meet workflow

1. 1

   Schedule the kind of call you intend to move

   Create a Google Calendar event with Google Meet added. Invite a colleague and an external guest to rehearse the same joining path a client will use.

2. 2

   Configure notes on an eligible organizer account

   In the event's Video call options, open Meeting records and select Take notes with Gemini. Alternatively, join the call, select Take notes for me and then Start taking notes. Check who will receive the result.

3. 3

   Check the handoff after the call

   Find the notes through the Calendar event or the organizer's Drive. Review the decisions, confirm the intended recipients can open them, and correct the document before using it as a client commitment.

Those controls follow Google's note-taking instructions. The acceptance test is a usable follow-up document, not merely a successful connection.

2. Microsoft Teams: best when Microsoft 365 already runs the business

Microsoft Teams, Microsoft's meeting and collaboration app, is the strongest starting point for a business whose Microsoft 365 subscription already includes Teams. Essentials offers long paid meetings without buying a full office suite just for calls. A consulting firm that already manages its work in Microsoft should examine its existing licenses before renewing separate meeting seats. Teams wins when consolidating the work around a meeting matters as much as the call itself.

Best for: Microsoft 365 businesses and price-conscious paid meeting hosts.
Standout: Essentials supports meetings up to 30 hours with 300 participants.
Pricing: Essentials starts at $4/user/month, paid yearly, on Microsoft's business plan comparison.
Free trial: Trial offers are listed by plan; Teams Free supports 60-minute group meetings with 100 participants.

Check the words with Teams on your existing subscription. Microsoft sells Microsoft 365 options with and without Teams, so “we pay for Microsoft” does not settle whether the meeting product is included. A business administrator should confirm the assigned license before the owner counts any savings.

The second check is AI. Intelligent recap, the feature that produces AI meeting notes and recommended tasks, requires eligible base licensing plus Teams Premium or Microsoft Copilot. Microsoft's intelligent recap requirements also describe the transcription and recording policies involved. Essentials' starting price is therefore a meeting price, not an all-inclusive AI recap price.

For a small consultancy, start with the work people repeat: schedule a client review, admit an outside attendee, share the work and distribute follow-up. If those steps fit the licenses you own, a separate Zoom subscription needs a specific justification. If staff rely on a particular AI record after every call, price that requirement before deciding.

3. Webex: best when meetings are part of a calling and governance decision

Webex, Cisco's collaboration platform, deserves a shortlist place when the business is choosing meetings alongside business calling and organizational controls. The Meet entry plan includes AI Assistant, while its free option includes local recording and whiteboards. For an operations lead replacing several communication services, that broader path matters more than shaving a little off a meeting seat. Buy Webex for a defined communication requirement, not because “enterprise” sounds safer.

Best for: Businesses evaluating meetings alongside calling and governance.
Standout: AI Assistant is included in the first paid meeting plan.
Pricing: Webex Meet starts at $12/user/month, billed annually at $144, on Webex's pricing page.
Free trial: A permanent Free plan is available: 40 minutes and 100 attendees.

Webex Meet extends meetings to 24 hours and 200 attendees, with 10 GB of AI-powered cloud recording. The free tier also gives a buyer something concrete to evaluate: screen sharing with annotation, local recording, whiteboards and noise cancellation. A team considering a move can rehearse a collaborative review before committing.

Separate the meeting requirement from the phone requirement. Webex Suite adds a business phone number and calling; those are not automatically part of Meet because they share a vendor. Equally, the pricing page places FedRAMP-authorized security under Enterprise. That is a named US government security authorization, not a promise that every inexpensive Webex account satisfies every customer's compliance needs.

For an IT lead buying on behalf of a professional-services firm, the useful procurement question is specific: which plan, configuration and contract cover the controls the customer requires? Give the vendor that list. A generic security badge is not a substitute for matching the requirement.

Hosting is another distinction. Webex's pricing FAQ says participants do not need host licenses merely to attend, but additional concurrent meetings require additional host licenses. Count the people who independently run meetings, not everyone who receives an invitation.

4. GoTo Meeting: best for a standalone paid meeting service

GoTo Meeting is a standalone conferencing service for businesses that want scheduled meetings, screen sharing and dial-in without changing office suites. Professional covers 150 participants, which may suit a training consultant or a local business coordinating with outside suppliers. Guests can join without downloading software. Choose GoTo when you want a separate meeting service; price the renewal and the recording workflow before committing.

Best for: Businesses buying a dedicated paid meeting tool.
Standout: Personal meeting rooms, screen sharing and dial-in in a standalone product.
Pricing: Professional starts at $12/organizer/month, billed annually, under the first-year offer on GoTo's meeting pricing page.
Free trial: 14 days without a credit card; no ongoing free plan is listed.

The first-year qualification matters. GoTo states that the advertised annual price is not valid for renewals or existing customers. A buyer planning a long-term move should obtain the renewal cost before treating the entry offer as a permanent saving. Keep the quote with the renewal date rather than relying on the number visible during signup.

GoTo also has native AI summaries, but the support documentation calls the feature an English-only beta on select plans. It requires administrator enablement, cloud recording and transcription, and a recorded session. Only the scheduling organizer can generate the summary and action items. Those are practical conditions, not a reason to mark the entire product simply “AI: yes.”

For a consultant who promises clients written actions after a call, rehearse that exact sequence during the trial. Confirm the offered plan includes the needed recording and summary features, generate the result as the organizer, and check that it can be shared appropriately. GoTo's AI summary instructions explain the prerequisites and generation process.

This is a narrower recommendation than “the cheapest Zoom replacement.” Teams has a lower verified entry rate, while Meet may already be included in your suite. GoTo earns its place when a dedicated meeting service is the desired purchase.

5. Whereby: best for simple client calls without guest accounts

Whereby runs browser-based meeting rooms whose guests do not need a login or download. That makes it a sensible shortlist option for a solo agency owner who wants to send a memorable room link to a client. The free tier, however, is small: four participants and 30 minutes. Choose Whereby for the guest joining experience, not for a generous free group-meeting allowance.

Best for: Solo professionals and businesses prioritizing straightforward client access.
Standout: Reusable room URLs and guest joining without accounts.
Pricing: Pro displays $10.99 per host per month on the monthly view of Whereby's pricing page.
Free trial: Free plan available; a 14-day trial is advertised for Business.

Pro removes the meeting time limit, supports 100 participants and provides three room URLs. It also includes custom branding and local recording. For an independent consultant, the useful idea is a familiar meeting place: a client can return to the same room instead of navigating another account or application.

That convenience deserves an operational habit. Check the room's access controls before using a persistent link across clients. Whereby provides locked rooms; the buyer's task is to rehearse admitting the intended guest and keeping unrelated visitors out. A reusable URL should be treated as a managed meeting place, not an invitation to leave the door open indefinitely.

There is a second capacity distinction: Pro's 100-participant capacity is not the same as 100 simultaneous video feeds. Its pricing table lists 12 active videos. A small client review and a workshop where everyone must remain on camera therefore present different requirements.

No native AI meeting-summary entitlement is listed on the Meetings pricing page. That is a purchasing limitation, not proof that an integration could never provide notes. If automated follow-up is central to your work, verify the complete setup before choosing Whereby for its simpler front door.

6. Jitsi Meet: open source video conferencing with an operating tradeoff

Jitsi Meet is free, open-source video-conferencing software that you can use through a public service or run on your own infrastructure. It supports screen sharing, meeting URLs and chat, making it a credible option for a technically capable small team. The product page advertises all-day use, but it does not establish a numerical participant guarantee. Choose Jitsi for control over the software and its operation; do not mistake a free license for a managed-service commitment.

Best for: Technical teams that value open-source software or self-hosting.
Standout: The option to operate your own meeting service.
Pricing: Jitsi Meet software is free; no standard paid per-user ladder is published.
Free trial: Free software and public service, rather than a timed paid-plan trial.

Self-hosting means your organization operates the servers instead of relying on someone else's public instance. That changes the buying decision. A technical consultancy with an infrastructure owner may welcome the control; a small agency with no one to maintain the service should compare that work with buying managed meetings.

The public service has an important identity distinction. The room creator on meet.jit.si must sign in, while subsequent participants do not need accounts, according to Jitsi's security policy. The older product-page language saying no account is ever needed should not guide a client invitation workflow.

A Zoom alternative free no time limit: what Jitsi does and does not promise

Jitsi's all-day-use positioning makes it relevant when a free group call must run longer than the limits above. It does not establish unlimited simultaneous capacity, guaranteed availability or a universal experience across every Jitsi installation. Those are different questions from whether the software has a subscription timer.

For a distributed development shop, rehearse the largest regular meeting on the exact instance you intend to use. Include the screen-sharing pattern and guest devices that matter to the business. The outcome you need is a meeting that works under your conditions, not a participant number borrowed from an unrelated deployment.

No native AI summary entitlement is listed on the product page. Treat automated notes as a separate requirement to verify, especially if you are choosing Jitsi partly to control where meeting data goes. Adding another service for transcripts changes the system you are evaluating.

7. Livestorm: for Zoom webinar alternatives, not ordinary team calls

Livestorm is a browser-based event platform for webinars and customer education, with registration, reminders, audience interaction and replay workflows. It belongs here when a growth lead is replacing a customer event, not when a founder wants a cheaper weekly staff call. Its current billing unit is attendee credits rather than employee seats. Choose Livestorm when attracting and following up with an audience is part of the job.

Best for: Webinars, customer education and audience events.
Standout: Registration pages, email follow-up, polls, questions and replays around the live event.
Pricing: Pro starts at $1,200/year for 400 attendee credits, displayed as $3 per attendee on Livestorm's pricing page; there is no per-user equivalent.
Free trial: Evaluation-oriented Free plan with 30 attendee credits per year and 30-minute events.

The credit rule is the part a buyer must understand. An external attendee uses a credit for each session they join. Watching that same session live and then its replay counts once; joining a different session consumes another credit. Internal team members and no-shows do not consume credits.

For example, 100 external attendees joining each of four different customer-training sessions consume 400 credits, even if the same people return. That is an illustration of billing, not a claim about customer results. Forecast sessions and attendance together, rather than counting only the unique names in the customer database.

The current attendee-credit documentation describes the new Free allowance and annual Pro packages. A separate concurrent Free participant cap was not established in that documentation, so the comparison does not turn the yearly credit allowance into a room-capacity claim. On Pro, exhausting credits can prevent new attendees from joining until the allowance is increased.

AI Studio is a paid add-on for repurposing webinar content. Do not treat that as a verified base-plan entitlement to ordinary meeting notes. A marketing team that wants clips after an event should evaluate that output; a manager who wants decisions after a staff call should evaluate meeting summaries.

For the broader event purchase, use the webinar platform comparison. That is where registration, replay and audience follow-up should drive the decision. Livestorm's place on this list is intentionally specific.

Free Zoom alternatives: which limit matters first?

Google Meet is the default free pick for a straightforward business group call, with Teams Free a close alternative for people who prefer Microsoft's environment. Both allow 60 minutes and 100 participants. Choose between them by rehearsing the invitation and follow-up with the people who will use it.

Whereby fits a smaller conversation, but four people and 30 minutes leave little room for an extended client review. Webex's free local recording and whiteboards can be useful, but its 40-minute cap does not solve a buyer's need for longer free group sessions. Jitsi addresses all-day use with a different operating model; confirm the actual instance rather than assuming a managed guarantee.

For a small business, identify the failure that would interrupt revenue-generating work. A client unable to join, a workshop cut short and missing notes after a sales conversation are different failures. The free product should be chosen against the relevant one.

What Zoom still does better

Zoom remains a defensible choice when you want a standalone meeting subscription with long calls, cloud recording and AI notes together. Pro combines up to 30-hour meetings, 100 participants, 10 GB of cloud recording per license and unlimited AI note-taking and summaries. That is a meaningful bundle compared with an entry meeting plan whose recap needs additional licensing.

Zoom Workplace's plan ladder: Basic free → Pro $14.16/user/month → Business $18.33/user/month → Enterprise custom, with paid displayed rates billed annually on Zoom's pricing page.

Staying also has practical value if your customers and colleagues already have a working meeting routine. That is an operational judgment, not a claim that Zoom always has superior audio or video. Switching to save a modest amount is less attractive when it creates recurring problems with invitations, recordings or follow-up.

Zoom's own licensing explanation distinguishes hosts from participants: guests can attend without accounts or licenses, while people independently scheduling meetings need their own appropriate licenses. Audit those roles before assuming every attendee needs a paid seat. Avoid both overbuying licenses and replacing them with shared credentials.

Keep Zoom if its included meeting records are used every week and the proposed replacement does not reproduce that workflow at the quoted price. Move if the office suite you already own covers the work and Zoom has become a duplicate bill. That is the decision rule.

The ones to avoid

Avoid Livestorm for ordinary internal meetings when your only objective is a cheaper meeting subscription. Its audience workflows and annual credit model solve a different problem.

Avoid Whereby Free for a larger client review or a call likely to exceed 30 minutes. The guest experience does not remove the plan's capacity and duration limits.

Avoid self-hosted Jitsi without an infrastructure owner. Free software does not assign someone to maintain the meeting service or help colleagues when it fails.

Avoid buying Teams Essentials on the assumption that it includes intelligent recap. Verify the complete licensing requirement first.

For notes rather than a new meeting room, Fireflies, MeetGeek and Krisp are AI note-taking options, not Zoom replacements; see the meeting-notes comparison.

Pick the replacement by your next real meeting

Start with Meet if Google Workspace runs the business, or Teams if your Microsoft 365 plan includes it. An existing subscription is the first place to look, provided its exact edition covers the work.

Move Webex to the front when calling and specific organizational controls are part of the purchase. Try GoTo when a dedicated standalone meeting service is the goal, and Whereby when a straightforward client entrance matters most. Choose Jitsi when you want open-source control and accept the operating responsibility. Evaluate Livestorm when registration, audience participation and follow-up define success.

Before cancelling the old service, rehearse the replacement with an external guest. Check joining, screen sharing, duration, access to meeting records and the follow-up you normally send. Save any recordings and documents you need to keep, replace recurring invitations, and move a low-stakes meeting first. Do not make a paid client session the first experiment.

Questions about switching from Zoom

What is the best free Zoom alternative?

Google Meet is the default for most small-business group calls: up to 100 participants for 60 minutes, with computer browser joining. Teams Free has the same group duration and capacity. Jitsi is worth evaluating when longer free sessions and open-source control matter more than a managed plan.

Zoom vs Teams for a small business: which should you choose?

Choose Teams first if your existing Microsoft 365 subscription includes it and covers your workflow. Choose Zoom when its standalone combination of meetings, recording and AI notes is worth paying for. Compare the required recap licensing before treating Teams Essentials as an equivalent replacement for Zoom Pro.

Is Google Meet free?

Yes. A Google Account can host a free group meeting with up to 100 participants for 60 minutes. Workspace adds business capabilities, but its entry Starter edition does not include Gemini in Meet.

What are some apps similar to Skype?

For business video calls, start with Google Meet, Microsoft Teams or Webex. Choose by the meeting and guest workflow you need; if the requirement is calling telephone numbers, compare calling plans separately from video meetings.

Does anybody use Zoom anymore?

Zoom continues to offer its Workplace meeting plans. Its long paid meetings, cloud recording and AI-note bundle remain reasons to keep it. A decision to switch should follow your requirements, not an assumption that the product is obsolete.

What are the benefits of using Zoom?

Zoom Pro combines long meetings, cloud recording and AI notes in a standalone subscription. Guests do not need a Zoom account or paid license merely to attend, and a familiar existing workflow can reduce the need to retrain participants.

Is Zoom free still only 40 minutes?

Yes. Zoom Workplace Basic lists a 40-minute meeting limit. Meet and Teams offer 60-minute free group meetings, while their paid options and Zoom's paid options serve longer meetings.

How do I bypass the 40 minute Zoom limit?

For an uninterrupted longer session, use an appropriate paid Zoom plan or select a service whose published allowance fits the meeting. Do not base a client session on an assumed workaround for the free limit.

How much does Zoom cost?

Zoom has free Basic, followed by Pro and Business subscriptions and a custom-priced Enterprise option. The verified annual-billing rates appear in the Zoom plan ladder above; check the billing term before comparing a monthly quote.

What is the cheapest way to get Zoom?

Basic is free if its limits fit. If you need paid hosting, count the people who must independently schedule meetings rather than buying a license for every attendee. Compare the current billing terms against the length of your commitment.

What are five disadvantages of using Zoom?

For a small business, the five buying tradeoffs are Basic's 40-minute limit, Pro's 100-participant base capacity, separate licensing for independently scheduling hosts, a limited Pro cloud-recording allowance, and a possible duplicate bill alongside an office suite. These matter only when they conflict with your workflow.

Is Google Meet better than Zoom?

Meet is the better starting point for a Google Workspace business whose edition already covers the meeting and follow-up. Zoom can be the better standalone purchase when its included recordings and AI notes replace features you would otherwise need to add or upgrade.

Use the AI business workflow audit checklist to identify which meeting subscriptions and follow-up tasks your business can consolidate.