GoTo Meeting
Long-running web conferencing tool for business meetings.
Alternatives · 2026
Alternatives to Zoom
Video conferencing, webinars, and team chat.
7 hand-curated alternatives from MintedSaaS's directory. See the Zoom listing →
Zoom revolutionized remote communication by making video conferencing simple enough that non-technical users could spin up a meeting in seconds. The product dominates the market because it works reliably at scale, with no notable lag, and because its freemium model (40-minute limit on group calls) lets people test it before paying. Most Fortune 500 companies use it; so do classrooms, churches, and open-source communities. The focal strength is video and audio quality over sketchy internet connections.
Zoom is typically the default choice for scheduled video calls when participants span multiple locations or time zones. Teams deploy it for all-hands meetings, 1-on-1s, and webinars with thousands of attendees. The people who most often seek alternatives are those locked into a competing platform (Microsoft Teams at enterprise, Google Meet at schools), those who prioritize open-source or self-hosted infrastructure, those who've hit Zoom's pricing model and want flat-rate options, and those whose use case is narrower than Zoom's feature set (quick screenshares, small-team async video, low-bandwidth calling). The product itself isn't the constraint; the search is usually cost, control, or ecosystem fit.
What we offer that competes
Jitsi Meet
Open-source video conferencing you can self-host.
Cisco Webex
Enterprise video conferencing and webinar platform.
Around
Compact, camera-forward video calls designed for focus.
Whereby
Browser-based video meetings with no downloads needed.
Microsoft Teams
Chat, meetings, and files unified inside Microsoft 365.
Google Meet
Browser-based video meetings inside Google Workspace.
What to look for
- Whether the platform can be self-hosted on your own infrastructure without relying on the vendor's cloud.
- Maximum participant count for a standard meeting before you're forced to upgrade to a webinar or enterprise tier.
- Whether recording files are stored in your own cloud (S3, OneDrive, Drive) or locked into the vendor's storage with export costs.
- Whether participants can join via browser link with no account signup, or if they must create credentials before entering a call.
- Integrations available with your calendar system (Outlook, Google Calendar, iCal) and whether they auto-populate meeting links.
- Whether the platform enforces a per-organizer, per-participant, or unlimited participant pricing model as you scale usage.
FAQ
What's the best free alternative to Zoom for group video calls?
Jitsi Meet is free, open-source, and requires no account — you generate a room URL and send it to participants. Google Meet also offers unlimited group calls for free (up to 24 hours) and integrates natively with Gmail and Google Workspace, making it the default for schools and orgs already on Google infrastructure.
Are there alternatives to Zoom that don't require participants to install software?
Yes. Google Meet, Whereby, and Cisco Webex all run in a browser without downloads. Jitsi Meet also works in-browser but has a cleaner experience if you use the mobile app. The trade-off: browser-based calls sometimes perform worse on low-bandwidth connections than Zoom's native client.
Which Zoom alternatives can I self-host on my own server?
Jitsi Meet is fully self-hostable; you own the infrastructure and control the data. GoTo Meeting, Cisco Webex, and Around all require cloud infrastructure controlled by the vendor, though Webex offers more granular administrative controls for enterprises than Zoom does.
What features matter most when comparing video conferencing platforms?
Video and audio codec quality over poor internet, participant limit, recording and storage, screen-sharing responsiveness, integrations with your calendar (Outlook, Google Calendar, Slack), and whether you need webinar-style features (panelists vs. attendees, polling, breakout rooms). Not all alternatives offer all of these equally.
Which Zoom alternative is best if my team already uses Microsoft?
Microsoft Teams integrates directly with Outlook, OneDrive, and Office files, so it's the natural choice if you're paying for Microsoft 365. It includes meetings, chat, and file collaboration in one platform — features Zoom splits across products. The tradeoff is that Teams has a busier interface and steeper learning curve for casual users.
Can I use Zoom alternatives for webinars with thousands of attendees?
Cisco Webex, GoTo Meeting, and Around are all built for webinars; they support attendee-only roles, panelists, and Q&A features that Zoom also has. Google Meet tops out at clearer usability for smaller groups; Jitsi Meet's scalability depends on your server capacity if self-hosting.
Do Zoom alternatives work on mobile phones without a dedicated app?
Google Meet and Whereby are fully functional in mobile browsers. Jitsi Meet works in browsers but the app offers better stability. GoTo Meeting, Cisco Webex, and Around push you toward their native apps on mobile for the best experience, though web access exists.
What should I look for in pricing when switching from Zoom?
Zoom's per-participant pricing model scales up fast for large webinars; Cisco Webex offers flat-rate webinar plans. Google Meet is free for unlimited users if you accept browser-only access and shorter recording windows. GoTo Meeting charges per organizer, not participants. Compare the number of simultaneous meetings your plan allows and recording storage costs, not just the monthly fee.