Zoom Alternatives by Cost

Pros

• +Included in M365 — not an extra cost if you already pay for Exchange/SharePoint
• +1,000 participant meetings on all paid plans
• +Teams Phone add-on ($8/user/mo) for PSTN calling
• +Deep Microsoft integrations (SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook)
• +Teams Rooms hardware ecosystem (comparable to Zoom Rooms)
• +Microsoft Copilot for meetings (AI summaries, action items)

Cons

• −Heavier client — higher CPU usage than Zoom
• −UI is more complex, steeper learning curve
• −Video quality slightly behind Zoom in high-latency situations
• −Large org rollouts require IT change management

Pros

• +Included in Google Workspace — if you use Gmail, Meet is free
• +No client install — runs fully in browser
• +AI noise cancellation, live captions included
• +Simple, clean interface — low training overhead
• +Google Meet Hardware for conference rooms

Cons

• −500 participant cap on Starter (need Business Standard+ for 500+)
• −Recording requires Business Standard ($12/user) or higher
• −Less feature-rich than Zoom for webinars and events
• −No equivalent to Zoom Phone built-in

Pros

• +Strong security and compliance features (FedRAMP, HIPAA)
• +1,000 participants on standard plans
• +Good AI assistant (AI-generated summaries, action items)
• +Webex Calling (built-in cloud phone system)
• +Strong hardware ecosystem for rooms

Cons

• −More expensive than Zoom at comparable feature level
• −Smaller market share means fewer external participants familiar with it
• −UI feels dated compared to Zoom and Teams
• −Less third-party app ecosystem

Pros

• +No app install needed — pure browser
• +Per-room pricing — cheaper for small teams
• +Permanent room links (good for customer calls)
• +Embeddable — can put video calls in your own product
• +Clean, minimal UI

Cons

• −100 participant limit
• −No phone, no rooms hardware ecosystem
• −Not suitable for large org all-hands
• −Limited admin controls