Communication · alternatives
Alternatives to Zoom
22 communication tools sit alongside Zoom in this directory. Below is what separates each from Zoom on the figures we hold, price, model, tier count and rating, and a direct comparison for every one.
- Alternatives listed
- 22
- With a free tier
- 18
- Cheaper to start
- 7
- Zoom starts at
- Free, then $14.99/month
Why people look past Zoom
Only what the record supports. Each point below is a figure on the Zoom entry measured against the tools listed beside it.
Cost climbs steeply across the tiers
Zoom publishes 4 tiers, from Free up to $25/month. Teams that outgrow the entry plan can find the next rung a large step, the Zoom pricing page breaks each one down.
What each alternative does differently
Ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry. Differences are drawn from price, pricing model, tier count and rating, the fields the category listing carries. For a feature-level difference, follow the head-to-head link on each card: those pages read both full records.
The leading enterprise video conferencing platform
- Sold on a freemium model rather than subscription.
- 3 tiers to Zoom's 4.
Meet, chat, call, and collaborate in just one place
- Starts $10.99 a month cheaper, at $4/month.
No downloads, no logins - just video meetings that work
- Starts $8 a month cheaper, at $6.99/month.
- 3 tiers to Zoom's 4.
Messaging app that dominates Japan, Taiwan and Thailand, now run by LY Corporation under joint SoftBank and Naver ownership
- Sold on a Free to download, paid stickers and business messaging tiers model rather than subscription.
- 1 tier to Zoom's 4.
Chinese super-app combining messaging, payments, mini programs and identity, effectively required infrastructure in mainland China
- Sold on a Free to download, transaction fees on payments model rather than subscription.
- 1 tier to Zoom's 4.
Meta's standalone messaging app for Facebook, with end to end encryption on by default since 2023
- Sold on a Free, funded by Meta's advertising business model rather than subscription.
- 1 tier to Zoom's 4.
Every Zoom alternative at a glance
A dash means the catalogue entry carries no figure, not that the answer is nothing.
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Tiers | Head to head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zoom (this page) | Free, then $14.99/month | Subscription | 4 | |
| Cisco WebexEnterprise video conferencing platform with comparable features and better security for regulated industries | Free | Freemium | 3 | vs Zoom |
| Microsoft TeamsIntegrated communication platform bundled with Microsoft 365 offering chat, meetings, and file collaboration | Free, then $4/month | Subscription | 4 | vs Zoom |
| WherebyVideo meeting platform with focus on simplicity and direct booking without complex add-ons | Free, then $6.99/month | Subscription | 3 | vs Zoom |
| Line | Free | Free to download, paid stickers and business messaging tiers | 1 | vs Zoom |
| Free | Free to download, transaction fees on payments | 1 | vs Zoom | |
| Messenger | Free | Free, funded by Meta's advertising business | 1 | vs Zoom |
| Viber | Free | Free to download, paid business messaging and out calls to landlines and mobiles | 1 | vs Zoom |
| KakaoTalk | Free | Free to download, paid emoticons, gifting and business messaging | 1 | vs Zoom |
| Sessions | Free | Per user per month | 4 | vs Zoom |
| Naver Works | Free, then 3000/month | Per user per month | 4 | vs Zoom |
| Kakao Work | Free, then 2400/month | Per user per month | 4 | vs Zoom |
| Novu | Free, then $30/month | Freemium | 3 | vs Zoom |
| Courier | Free | Usage-based | 3 | vs Zoom |
| Textline | Free | Freemium | 3 | vs Zoom |
| Telegram | Free, then $4.99/month | Freemium | 2 | vs Zoom |
| Twist | Free, then $6/month | Freemium | 2 | vs Zoom |
| Vowel | Free, then $16.49/month | Subscription | 3 | vs Zoom |
| Disciple | £599/month | Per month, flat fee with no transaction charge | 3 | vs Zoom |
| Gupshup | $0.001/message | Per message sent | 1 | vs Zoom |
| Mattermost | On request | Quote | - | vs Zoom |
| Google Chat | On request | Subscription | - | vs Zoom |
| LINE WORKS | Free, then 450/month | Per user per month | 3 | vs Zoom |
Ratings are aggregated from third-party sources and imported with each catalogue entry; Softwr hosts no reviews of these products. How each figure is used is set out on the Zoom badges page.
Cheaper ways to solve the same problem
Free to start (18)
These publish a tier that costs nothing, so they can be evaluated before any money changes hands.
- Cisco Webex , Free
- Microsoft Teams , Free, then $4/month
- Whereby , Free, then $6.99/month
- Line , Free
- WeChat , Free
- Messenger , Free
- Viber , Free
- KakaoTalk , Free
Cheaper than Zoom (7)
Entry price under Zoom's $14.99/month. The record does not say what unit that price is charged in, so confirm per-seat versus flat rate before comparing budgets.
What you would be giving up
Zoom is most often brought in for team meetings, webinars, virtual events, online training, telehealth. Anything replacing it has to cover the ones you actually depend on, and a cheaper tool that misses one of them is not cheaper.
Two things this page cannot settle. It compares on price, model, tier count and rating, because those are the fields the category listing carries, feature-level differences need both full records, which is what the head-to-head pages load. And the ratings are third-party aggregates imported with each entry rather than reviews written here, so a 0.2 difference between two tools is noise rather than a finding.
If Zoom is broadly right and the question is cost, the Zoom pricing breakdown covers every tier and what each one adds. If you want the whole field rather than a shortlist, the Communication category lists everything the directory holds, and best communication tools ranks them.
Zoom runs on web, ios, android, windows, macos. Platform coverage is not carried on the category listing for the alternatives, so it is one more thing to check on each head-to-head page rather than here.
Questions about Zoom alternatives
- What are the main alternatives to Zoom?
- 22 other communication tools are listed in this directory, led by Cisco Webex, Microsoft Teams, Whereby, Line. They are ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry, not by any Softwr ranking.
- What is the best free alternative to Zoom?
- 18 of the alternatives listed here can be used without paying: Cisco Webex, Microsoft Teams, Whereby, Line, WeChat.
- Is there a cheaper alternative to Zoom?
- Yes. 7 of the alternatives below start under Zoom's $14.99/month: Microsoft Teams at Free, then $4/month, Whereby at Free, then $6.99/month, Courier at Free, Textline at Free.
- Why do people look for an alternative to Zoom?
- On the figures on record, one thing stands out: cost climbs steeply across the tiers. Each is set out with the numbers behind it above.
- What would I give up by switching from Zoom?
- Zoom is most often brought in for team meetings, webinars, virtual events, online training, telehealth. Anything you replace it with has to cover the ones you actually rely on, the side-by-side comparisons linked from each alternative below put the two feature records against each other.
- Is there an open-source alternative to Zoom?
- None of the communication tools listed here are recorded as open source. That is what the licence field on each entry says, and the field is not always filled in, so it is worth checking directly for any tool you are serious about.
- How were these Zoom alternatives chosen?
- They are the tools filed in the same category, Communication, ordered by the aggregated rating on each entry. There is no editorial shortlist, and nothing on this page is paid: no sponsored placement runs on alternatives pages and the order cannot be bought. Softwr has not used these products.
- Where can I compare Zoom against one of these directly?
- Every alternative below has a side-by-side page against Zoom covering price, platforms, features and what each one is used for. Those pages read the full record for both products rather than the summary shown here.
- Does this list cover every communication tool?
- No. It covers what this directory holds in the Communication category, 22 tools beside Zoom. The category page lists the rest of the catalogue as it grows.