Zoom
Zoom is the most popular video conferencing service, now offering telephony, webinars, and team chat all in one platform.
Zoom is the service that made video conferencing mainstream, and is now a platform with telephony, webinars, team chat, and the AI assistant AI Companion. During the pandemic, the name became synonymous with video calls.
Companies use Zoom for client meetings, webinars with large audiences, and remote workshops with breakout rooms. Its strength is its reliability: the connection remains surprisingly stable even with a weak network, and guests can join calls without an account. In the free plan, group meetings end after 40 minutes.
Microsoft Teams and Google Meet are already included in their respective Office suites, so you'll need to justify a separate Zoom subscription. Then there's the data privacy issue: US providers, data processing agreements, and GDPR compliance need to be clarified before rollout. Also, factor in webinar and telephony licenses as separate items.
Ideal for companies with many external video appointments, webinars, or telephony needs. Those who only need internal meetings and use Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 can save themselves the extra subscription.
Functions
- Stable connection quality, even with a weak signal
- AI Companion for meeting summaries in paid plans
- Join without an account via link or browser
- Breakout rooms for workshops and training sessions
- Marketplace with apps and integrations, such as CRM integration
Core Functions
- Video conferencing with up to 1,000 participants, depending on the plan
- Webinars and events with registration and Q&A
- Zoom Phone as a cloud phone system
- Team chat, whiteboard, and scheduling in a single client
- Cloud recording with transcripts
Alternatives to
Zoom
Smartsheet
Smartsheet is a work management platform with a spreadsheet-style interface that combines familiar tables with powerful automation.
Wrike
Wrike is a work management platform designed for mid-sized and large teams, with a focus on marketing and professional services.
Trello
Trello is a simple Kanban board from Atlassian: just drag and drop cards across lists, get up and running in minutes, and use it for free.
monday.com
monday.com is a colorful Work OS toolkit that lets teams manage projects, processes, and tasks on vibrant boards.