Communication · head to head
Line vs Loom
Line
Communication
Messaging app that dominates Japan, Taiwan and Thailand, now run by LY Corporation under joint SoftBank and Naver ownership
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Line line has negligible market share outside Japan, Taiwan and Thailand, so it is the wrong choice for reaching contacts in most other regions.; Loom starter plan limited to 25 videos per person
- They diverge on capability: Line covers Line Pay, Loom covers Screen & camera recording.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Line and Loom actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Communication).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Line
- Line Pay
- Official Accounts
- Stickers and themes
- Line News
- Group and open chat
- Timeline
Only in Loom
- Screen & camera recording
- Instant sharing
- Video editing
- Viewer analytics
- Comments & reactions
- Transcription
- Custom CTAs
- Drawing tools
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Line
- A business selling to consumers in Japan that needs an Official Account rather than email or SMS to reach customersnot Loom
- An individual keeping in touch with contacts in Japan, Taiwan or Thailand where Line, not WhatsApp, is the defaultnot Loom
- A brand running promotions through Line stickers or Timeline content aimed at a Japanese audiencenot Loom
- A company processing consumer payments in Japan through Line Pay integrationnot Loom
Loom
- Asynchronous video communication and screen recordingnot Line
- Product demonstrations and tutorialsnot Line
- Meeting transcription and documentationnot Line
- Team communication and knowledge sharingnot Line
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Line
- Line has negligible market share outside Japan, Taiwan and Thailand, so it is the wrong choice for reaching contacts in most other regions.
- A 2021 incident exposed that some user data had been accessible from servers operated in China, which led to a formal restructuring of data governance and remains a reference point for privacy sensitive users.
- Standard chats are not end to end encrypted by default in the way Signal is; Letter Sealing, an opt-in encryption feature, has to be manually enabled per chat.
- Business messaging through Official Accounts becomes expensive quickly once a company exceeds the free monthly message allowance and moves to a metered plan.
- Ownership sits inside a SoftBank and Naver joint venture with a history of governance disputes between the two partners, which creates strategic uncertainty for enterprise customers relying on the platform long term.
Loom
- Starter plan limited to 25 videos per person
- Starter plan limited to 5 minute recordings
- Enterprise plan pricing not publicly available, requires sales contact
- Per-user billing for Business plans may increase costs with team growth
Pricing, plan by plan
Line
Free- LineFree
- Free messaging, voice and video calling
- Individual sticker sets typically cost a few hundred yen each
- Line Official Account has a free tier with message volume limits, then paid tiers by monthly message count
Loom
Free- StarterFree
- Up to 50 members
- 25 videos per person
- 5 minute screen recordings
- Business$18/month
- Unlimited videos
- Unlimited recording time
- 4K quality
- Business + AI$24/month
- Auto-video enhancement
- Video-to-text automation
- Auto-meeting recap emails
Which should you pick?
Choose Line if
- You need line pay.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Web.
- You also want official accounts.
Choose Loom if
- You need screen & camera recording.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want instant sharing.
Questions people ask
- Is Line or Loom better?
- Neither clearly leads. Line starts at Free and Loom at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Line or Loom?
- Line starts at Free and Loom at Free.
- Does Line or Loom run on more platforms?
- Line runs on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Web. Loom runs on Web.
- Can I use Line for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Line best used for?
- Line is most often used for a business selling to consumers in japan that needs an official account rather than email or sms to reach customers, an individual keeping in touch with contacts in japan, taiwan or thailand where line, not whatsapp, is the default, a brand running promotions through line stickers or timeline content aimed at a japanese audience, a company processing consumer payments in japan through line pay integration. Of those, a business selling to consumers in japan that needs an official account rather than email or sms to reach customers and an individual keeping in touch with contacts in japan, taiwan or thailand where line, not whatsapp, is the default are not what Loom is typically brought in for.
- What can Line do that Loom cannot?
- Line covers Line Pay, Official Accounts, Stickers and themes, Line News. Loom covers Screen & camera recording, Instant sharing, Video editing, Viewer analytics.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Line: Is Line encrypted by default?
Chats use standard transport encryption, but full end to end Letter Sealing encryption must be turned on manually per conversation, it is not the default.
Loom: How much does Loom cost?
Loom offers a free Starter plan at no cost. Paid plans begin at $18 per user per month for Business, or $24 per user per month for Business + AI. Annual billing provides a 17% discount. Enterprise pricing is custom and requires contacting sales.
SourceLine: Does Line work well outside Japan, Taiwan and Thailand?
Technically yes, but almost nobody uses it as their primary messenger outside those markets, so it is the wrong choice to reach most other audiences.
Loom: What are the limitations of Loom's free plan?
The free Starter plan includes up to 50 members, 25 videos per person with 5 minute maximum screen recordings, and basic features like comments and emoji reactions.
SourceLine: Who owns Line now?
LY Corporation, formed from a merger of Line and Yahoo Japan businesses, controlled by A Holdings, a joint venture between SoftBank and Naver.
Loom: What does Loom AI add compared to the standard Business plan?
Business + AI adds $6 per month to the Business plan and includes auto-video enhancement, video-to-text automation, auto-meeting recap emails, and auto-meeting notes.
SourceRelated pages
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