6 great Zoom alternatives for 2025 and beyond

Remote and hybrid working are now familiar to most professionals. It wasn’t long ago, though, that the idea of working outside the office was hardly ever considered. Global events conspired to hurry many workplaces into remote working arrangements that were sub-par.

If that sounds familiar, you may be one of many businesses now looking for Zoom alternatives or better options to replace other hastily adopted online meeting apps like Zoom. Read on, for all the help you need, and to check out six meeting apps like Zoom, only better.

6 Zoom alternatives and what they’re good for

• • • RingEX – For businesses looking for a full-featured video meeting solution
    • Webex Free by Cisco – For day-to-day business meetings with screen sharing and other common collaboration
    • Microsoft Teams (Home Plan) – For bare-bones video meetings and in-meeting chat
    • Google Meet (Consumer Version) – For simple meetings as long as you have a Google account
    • Jitsi Meet – For companies with development experience, looking to build on an open-source solution
    • Chanty – For the smallest teams who can get by on one-to-one meetings and video messages.

Why might you need an alternate to Zoom?

Zoom is a video calling and conferencing platform. Apps like Zoom had been around for a while, but gained particularly widespread fame during the COVID-19 pandemic. They were where workers and businesses turned when they had no choice but to work remotely and little time to make the transition.

However, meeting apps like Zoom weren’t originally designed for high volume, professional use. For that reason, while Zoom made sense as a short-notice or stopgap remote working solution, it may not be robust enough for your business operations if remote and hybrid working has now taken permanent root.

For example, the Zoom Basic plan—which is their free to use option—only allows meetings for 40 minutes, which might be enough for standups and recurring one-on-ones, but not for longer meetings like town halls or quarterly planning sessions.

Plus, the free version of Zoom doesn’t provide full HD video¹, with that being limited to the Business and Enterprise Plans. That can cause issues with screen freezing and time-lag. In a meeting capped at 40 minutes, that sort of thing can waste a lot of valuable time.

Luckily, if you are looking for an alternative to Zoom, there’s a lot of meeting software like Zoom but better, which may suit your business needs.

Zoom is a video calling and conferencing platform. Apps like Zoom had been around for a while, but gained particularly widespread fame during the COVID-19 pandemic. They were where workers and businesses turned when they had no choice but to work remotely and little time to make the transition.

However, meeting apps like Zoom weren’t originally designed for high volume, professional use. For that reason, while Zoom made sense as a short-notice or stopgap remote working solution, it may not be robust enough for your business operations if remote and hybrid working has now taken permanent root.

For example, the Zoom Basic plan—which is their free to use option—only allows meetings for 40 minutes, which might be enough for standups and recurring one-on-ones, but not for longer meetings like town halls or quarterly planning sessions.

Plus, the free version of Zoom doesn’t provide full HD video1 (unlike competitors such as RingCentral Video), with that being limited to the Business and Enterprise Plans. That can cause issues with screen freezing and time-lag. In a meeting capped at 40 minutes, that sort of thing can waste a lot of valuable time.

Luckily, if you are looking for an alternative to Zoom, there’s lots of meeting software like Zoom but better, which may suit your business needs.

What makes for the best Zoom alternatives?

There are many video chat apps you can choose from, but identifying the best Zoom alternative requires evaluating which options contain the essential attributes for your needs.

Here are some of the attributes competitor apps need:

• Seamless, uninterrupted hi-def audio and video. (A basic must for any Zoom alternative.)
• Easy to use (simple to arrange and participate in meetings and add incoming guests, ideally with “one-click” interaction).
• Secure (offering solid encryption to prevent unwanted guests).
• Simple video recording capabilities.
• Collaborative tools (not just standard features like screen-sharing and chat functions—also whiteboarding and other similar options).

6 alternatives to Zoom to choose from

If you’re looking for a free Zoom alternative, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by all the options. To save you from having to dig through all the information yourself, we’ve pulled together a list of our top six Zoom alternatives and their pros and cons:

RingEX

RingEX delivers powerful video conferencing as part of a complete UCaaS platform, making it an excellent Zoom alternative for teams looking to boost productivity and streamline collaboration. 

It offers high-definition video, secure connectivity, and reliability that remote and distributed teams can count on.

With RingEX, joining a video meeting takes only seconds. No software installation or sign-up is required—participants can simply call in via a web browser or phone. 

With all communication channels (video, messaging, telephony, SMS, and fax) consolidated in one place, RingEX helps businesses reduce tool overload, streamline workflows, and create smarter collaboration experiences.

Key features

RingEX lets you host HD video meetings with 100 to 200 participants, depending on the plan. Unlike other platforms, it comes with no time limits. Whether your session lasts minutes or hours, teams can collaborate freely without interruptions. 

You can also record your video meetings with unlimited storage and keep them in the cloud for up to one year. Unlimited audio conferencing is built in, and mobile apps for iOS and Android make RingEX accessible from any device.

Within the RingCentral app, you can enjoy:

• HD-quality voice, video, and screen sharing
• Text chat in video conference: Drop a private or group message during virtual meetings
• Task management: Create and assign tasks with deadlines to teammates to better organize your workflows
• Easy-to-use app (mobile and desktop-ready) which allows you to join meetings from anywhere
• Team messaging: One-to-one and groups of all sizes
• Email and calendar integrations: Add meeting links with one click
• No-download, one-click video conferencing: Guests can join meetings via any browser
• External guest access to the team messaging feature
• File sharing, storage, and annotation.

Webex Free by Cisco

Webex Free is another of the best Zoom alternatives for businesses looking to maximize their budget. With it, you can host meetings with up to 100 participants per meeting for a maximum of 40 minutes.²

You can share screens, use a whiteboard, record meetings, and benefit from advanced noise cancellation.

Key features

It’s good for collaboration, with screen sharing plus an interactive whiteboard and messaging feature. However, you’ll still need to upgrade for cloud rather than local recording storage, dial-in access, and international call-ins.

Webex Free has mobile apps for both Android and Apple smartphones and integrates with Google Drive, Microsoft 365, and Salesforce, among other tools.

Webex has robust security features for a free plan, offering firewall compatibility, SSO, and secure scheduling options. However, live customer support is not available with Webex Free­—you only get access to the online help center.

Microsoft Teams (Home Plan)

Microsoft Teams offers a free version marketed as a “Home Plan” rather than a business-focused tool.³ If you’re just looking for bare-bones video meetings, though, it may suit you fine.

You can hold meetings of up to 60 minute durations with anywhere up to 100 participants, and get unlimited chat messages during the meetings. The Microsoft Teams Home Plan is also protected by data encryption.

Key features

Microsoft Teams’ free plan comes with standard video conference tools like screen sharing and a chat function, plus customizable backgrounds and web versions of Microsoft products.

Other useful functions include participant lists, live captions, and shareable recordings—however, meeting recordings and transcriptions aren’t available. The platform does also feature some useful collaboration tools, including the ability to coauthor content and unlimited one-on-one meetings. Users also benefit from 5GB of free storage.

Google Meet (Consumer Version)

Google Meet (formerly Hangouts Meet) is one of the best-known video meeting platforms and Zoom competitors. While there are Workspace editions aimed at business users, Meet is also available free to use for anyone with a Google or Gmail account.

Google Meet works across desktop and mobile devices, and as part of the wider Google ecosystem, is easily accessible and natively integrates with the likes of Gmail and Google Calendar.

Key features

The free-to-use consumer version of Google Meet provides useful features such as HD video, noise cancellation, and live captions. There’s also in-call chat and the ability to blur backgrounds or apply other visual effects.

A key issue with this Zoom alternative, though, is that all users need a Google account⁴ in order to host or even join a meeting. This could present a barrier to seamless use, especially if you expect to conference with stakeholders and clients who use other platforms for their email and calendars.

Jitsi Meet

Jitsi Meet is a bit unique compared to other video conferencing apps. It’s completely free to use open-source software, with no need to create an account—which will certainly appeal to very small businesses and startups looking for Zoom alternatives.

For everyone else, however, you may crave more advanced features than those on offer.

Key features

Jitsi Meet is well known for its security, with a range of privacy features including control over which devices it can access. Using its own end-to-end encryption, Jitsi Meet protects users’ privacy with password-protected meetings.

It’s also a user-friendly platform; after entering the website, all you need to do is name your meeting and follow a prompt to invite other attendees. The software offers basics like screen sharing and presentation live streaming, as well as an integrated chat app for groups and individuals within video meetings.⁵

You can also view a list of recent past meetings, connect your calendar to schedule upcoming ones, and create a user profile—while other handy functions include “pass presenter” and file editing through Etherpad.

Because it’s open-source software, users can completely customize their own platform and add various advanced features. However, those who don’t have development experience might prefer a platform with access to extras as part of a paid plan.

Chanty

Chanty is team communication and collaboration software that was launched in 2017. As a basic Zoom alternative, its free plan includes one-on-one audio meetings and voice messages for teams of up to five members.⁶

Key features

Chanty offers a simple and intuitive user experience. With the free version, you can have up to five team members and use public and private conversations to communicate and collaborate on projects.

Plus, it’s fairly easy to navigate your way around the pages and menus and use the functions on offer. It’s straightforward to toggle between screens, record messages, make calls and search through the message history to find whatever you need.

As you might expect, Chanty suffers some downsides. There’s no calendar view to allow you to visualize tasks, so you have to sift through due dates in tasks so you don’t miss completion dates. The conversations tab can become cluttered when multiple users are involved. Plus, you can mute chats but not one-on-one conversations.

Which is the best alternative to Zoom for business video conferencing?

When choosing a Zoom alternative, take the time to do some research and decide which software is most suited to your needs. One of the most common pitfalls teams encounter is that they pay attention only to the attractive pricing, but don’t look at all the features (which ones are included, and which are excluded) and read the customer reviews.

For teams comparing video meeting platforms, RingEX offers a future-ready alternative to Zoom. Its high-definition video meetings integrate directly with messaging, voice, and business applications to streamline workflows. 

As your business evolves, RingEX provides advanced capabilities and scalability to ensure your communications platform grows with you.

Zoom alternatives FAQs

Why should I use an alternative to Zoom?

Zoom became a household name after its popularity exploded a few years ago, but it’s not the only option out there. While it does a good job for basic video conferencing, there are other video apps that come with additional features you might find useful in your company’s day-to-day operations.

What kind of features should I look for in a Zoom alternative?

Your choice depends on your intended use case. First, consider how many people you want to be able to participate in meetings. Some applications impose much lower limits than others on the total number of participants. Then evaluate what additional functionality you need from the software. Consider whether you require HD video as standard, webinar functionality, or other specific features. Verify that your chosen Zoom alternative will be a good fit for your organization’s requirements.

Are Zoom alternatives secure?

The best Zoom alternatives excel when it comes to cybersecurity and privacy measures. Solutions like RingEX boast secure end to end encryption, other security measures, and a wide range of compliance certifications.

What is the best Zoom alternative for me?

The best Zoom alternative for you will depend on your unique business circumstances and needs. What you’re looking for is something with all the features you need, that’s easy-to-use, secure, and scalable.

Footnotes

1 support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0066166&amp_device_id=71777e25-b8d1-48ef-8048-9c2523ef5fdf&_ics=1718095704530&irclickid=~813WSPRHEyspqlrmlmszpghe929~573V1SOJKABqlhb30VUJHyvl&_gl=1*193ubbr*_ga*MTExMTIxNDQ1Ni4xNzE4MDk1NzA0&_ga=2.32036220.333587027.1718095704-1111214456.1718095704
2 https://pricing.webex.com/us/en/
3 microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/compare-microsoft-teams-home-options
4 workspace.google.com/intl/en/resources/video-conferencing/
5 https://jitsi.org/jitsi-meet/
6 chanty.com/pricing/

Updated Sep 15, 2025