Zoom review
Bottom line
Zoom remains the easiest video meeting to join for people outside your company, which is why customer-facing teams keep it even when they have Teams or Meet. Call quality on poor connections is still the best, and Zoom Workplace now folds in chat, docs, whiteboard, scheduler and the AI Companion at no extra cost on paid plans. The 40-minute free limit is the pain point for small businesses, and the add-on model (webinars, phone, events) means the real bill grows if you want more than meetings.
What is Zoom?
Zoom is the meeting tool most people outside your company already have installed, which is still its biggest advantage. The free Basic plan allows meetings up to 40 minutes with 100 participants; Pro removes the time limit and adds cloud recording, and Business adds larger meetings, SSO and managed domains. Zoom Workplace folds in team chat, a whiteboard, scheduler and the AI Companion for meeting summaries at no extra cost on paid plans. Phone, webinars, events and contact-center products are separate add-ons. Audio and video quality on poor connections remain better than most rivals.
Who it's for
- Sales, consulting and client-service teams that meet with people on other platforms
- Businesses that want AI meeting summaries included rather than as an add-on
- Organisations with mixed devices and spotty connections
Who should look elsewhere
- Teams already on Microsoft 365 that just need internal meetings; Teams is included
- Businesses that want webinars or phone without paying separate add-ons
- Companies that want one app for chat, docs and files first; Zoom's are secondary
Typical uses
- Client and prospect meetings with recording and AI summaries
- Internal team meetings and ad-hoc calls from chat
- Webinars and large events (add-on)
- Scheduling with booking links and calendar sync
Key features, tested
Meetings
HD video and audio with noise suppression, gallery and speaker views, breakout rooms, polls, reactions and screen sharing with annotation. Pro raises the limit to 30 hours and Business to 300 participants.
AI Companion
Meeting summaries, action items, in-meeting catch-up questions and smart recordings with chapters, included on paid plans. Quality is good enough to replace a note-taker for most internal meetings.
Recording and transcripts
Local recording on every plan; cloud recording with transcripts, highlights and shareable links on Pro and above (5GB included, more purchasable).
Workplace apps
Team Chat, Docs, Whiteboard, Notes, Clips and Scheduler come with the client. They are capable but most teams still pair Zoom with Slack or Teams for day-to-day collaboration.
Ecosystem and hardware
Thousands of app integrations, Zoom Rooms for conference rooms, and certified hardware from most AV vendors; add-ons extend to Phone, Webinars, Events and Contact Center.
Screenshots
Zoom pricing 2026
Basic
Meetings up to 40 minutes with 100 participants, chat, whiteboard and limited AI.
- 40-minute meetings
- 100 participants
- Team Chat
- Whiteboard, Notes and Clips (limited)
- AI Companion (limited)
Pro
30-hour meetings, cloud recording, AI Companion, Docs.
- Meetings up to 30 hours
- 5GB cloud recording
- AI Companion summaries
- Zoom Docs
- Scheduler and Clips
Business
300 participants, SSO, managed domains, custom branding, unlimited whiteboards.
- 300 participants
- SSO and managed domains
- Custom branding
- Unlimited whiteboards
- Phone and chat support
Enterprise
Larger meetings, Zoom Rooms, advanced governance and support.
- Up to 1,000 participants
- Zoom Rooms
- Translated captions
- Compliance and governance
- Dedicated support
What the sticker price leaves out. Pro is limited to 9 licences; larger teams move to Business. Webinars (from $79/month), Zoom Phone (from $10/user), Events, extra cloud storage and large-meeting capacity are add-ons. Monthly billing is about 13% higher than annual. Pricing varies by region and device, and promotions are frequent.
Starting price is about average for Video Conferencing tools we list (median $14.16/user/mo). Prices checked October 31, 2026; confirm on the vendor's pricing page before buying.
Video Conferencing feature checklist 8 of 8
The features buyers in this category ask for most, and whether Zoom includes them on a plan you can actually buy. Percentages show how many video conferencing buyers call each one essential.
Zoom integrations 20 listed
Apps Zoom connects to, as published by the vendor and checked by us. Native integrations sync directly; others go through a connector such as Zapier or webhooks. Click a logo to read our review of that product.
Zoom has a public API and a Zapier app, so apps not listed here can usually be connected with a developer or a no-code automation tool.
Deployment, support and company details
Deployment
- Windows app
- Mac app
- Linux app
- iOS app
- Android app
- Web client
- Zoom Rooms hardware
Platforms
- Web
- Mac
- Windows
- iOS
- Android
- Linux
- App Store ↗
- Google Play ↗
Support
- Chat (paid plans)
- Phone (Business+)
- Help center
- Community
- Premier support (Enterprise)
Training
- Zoom Learning Center
- Documentation
- Live training webinars
- Certification programs
Typical customers
- Freelancers
- Small businesses
- Mid-size companies
- Enterprises
- Education
Industries
- Education
- Healthcare
- Financial services
- Professional services
- Government
- SaaS and technology
Languages
- English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean and 8 more
Security & compliance
- SOC 2 Type II
- ISO 27001
- GDPR
- HIPAA (with BAA)
- FedRAMP Moderate
- End-to-end encryption option
- SSO (Business+)
- Two-factor authentication
Buying details
- Monthly
- Annual (save up to 16%)
- Cancel anytime
- Pro limited to 9 licences
- Typical setup: Minutes
- Public API: Yes
Vendor
- Founded 2011
- San Jose, CA
- 7,000+ employees
- Zoom Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZM)
- zoom.com ↗
Zoom pros and cons
Pros
- Reliable call quality and the lowest friction for external guests
- AI Companion summaries and action items are included on paid plans
- Rich ecosystem of integrations, hardware and apps
Cons
- 40-minute cap on free meetings
- Webinars, phone and large meetings are all separate paid add-ons
- Team chat and docs are weaker than Slack or Teams if you want one app for everything
Zoom user reviews
No published reviews yet. Be the first.
Zoom alternatives and comparisons
Best for organizations already on Microsoft 365 that want meetings, chat and files in one place
$4/user/mo · free plan
All Zoom alternatives · Best video conferencing software 2026
Zoom FAQ
How much does Zoom cost?
The Basic plan is free with a 40-minute limit. Pro is $14.16 per user per month billed annually ($15.99 monthly) and Business is $18.33 billed annually ($21.99 monthly). Enterprise is quoted.
How do I remove the 40-minute limit on Zoom?
Upgrade to Pro or higher. Paid plans allow meetings up to 30 hours. There is no way to extend free meetings beyond 40 minutes apart from restarting the meeting.
Zoom or Microsoft Teams?
If your company already pays for Microsoft 365, Teams is included and integrates with Outlook and SharePoint. Zoom is simpler for external guests, has better audio and video on weak connections and includes AI summaries on paid plans. Many businesses use Teams internally and Zoom for clients.
Is AI Companion included?
Yes, on paid Zoom Workplace plans at no extra cost. The free Basic plan has limited AI features. A separate Custom AI Companion add-on exists for advanced capabilities.
What are the best alternatives to Zoom?
In Video Conferencing, the closest alternatives we rate are Microsoft Teams (83/100). See the full list of Zoom alternatives for a side-by-side comparison.
Related categories
How we reviewed Zoom
We score every product on four weighted criteria: ease of use (25%), features (30%), value (25%) and support (20%), from hands-on testing of the plans buyers can actually purchase, the vendor's published pricing and documentation, and verified user reviews. Vendors cannot pay for a higher score or a better rank; paid placements are labelled. This review was last updated on October 31, 2026. Read the full methodology.