About Zoom
Key Features
- HD meetings with recording
- AI Companion summaries
- Breakout rooms
- Webinars up to 10K
- Team chat and phone
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Join reliability set the standard
- AI Companion summaries included
- Scales to webinars/events
Cons
- 40-minute cap on free groups
- Feature sprawl in admin
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can free meetings run?
What is AI Companion?
Zoom vs Teams/Meet?
Reviews
Similar Apps
Best For
Businesses that cannot afford a meeting to fail.
Use Cases
Video meetings that non-technical participants can always join
Webinars and large events with registration and Q&A
Remote-team standups with AI meeting summaries
Telehealth, tutoring, and client calls with waiting rooms
Phone system replacement through Zoom Phone for businesses
Pricing Details
Zoom free allows 40-minute group meetings with 100 participants — the famous timer. Pro (about $13–15/month) removes limits and adds cloud recording plus the AI Companion for summaries. Business tiers add SSO and webinars scale separately. For occasional calls, free plus a restart mid-meeting still works fine.
Security & Trust
Zoom now offers optional end-to-end encryption for meetings, waiting rooms, passcodes, and host controls that ended the “Zoombombing” era. AI Companion features process meeting content — review workspace policies on recording consent. SOC 2 and HIPAA-eligible configurations serve regulated industries.
Alternatives To Consider
Google Meet is free for 60-minute calls inside every Google account and needs no installs, while Microsoft Teams bundles with 365 for corporate life. Around and Whereby offer lighter-weight vibes for startups. For webinars, StreamYard and Riverside target creators with better production tools.
Editorial Verdict
Zoom is still the most reliable way to put strangers in a video call — clients, grandparents, and job interviews all just work. Teams and Meet win on bundle economics inside their ecosystems, and Zoom’s AI summaries are now table stakes. As the neutral default for external calls, Zoom keeps the crown.
Sources & Review Notes
Last reviewed: July 26, 2026