RingCentral vs Zoom
We give RingCentral a 3.0 GPA and Zoom a 2.6, out of 4.0. RingCentral grades higher on features and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
RingCentral
Cloud phone system with texting, fax, video meetings and team chat
Zoom
Video meetings bundled with team chat, phone and AI notes
How we grade them
| 3.0GPARingCentralVery good | 2.6GPAZoomGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$20 a head for a team of five on Core, billed yearly ($30 monthly), which is the price for 1-5 users. That's just past this category's dearer quarter ($19.99), so middle of the road, not cheap. Automatic recording and CRM links need Advanced at $25. | CWorkplace Pro is $14.16 a user a month on yearly billing, double the $7 this category typically starts at, and it still tops out at 100 people. Single sign-on and 300-person meetings wait for Business at $18.33, and the year is taken in one payment up front. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 14-day free trial for new subscribers, with texting left out of it. No free plan, and the listing doesn't say whether the trial needs a card. | CBasic gives you unlimited meetings for 100 people, instant messaging, 3 whiteboards and AI summaries for 3 meetings a month. Then the clock: nearly every meeting on a free account ends at 40 minutes, one-to-ones included, and recordings save only to your own computer. |
| Features | BUnlimited US and Canada calls, phone menus, call queues, fax, 300-person video meetings, team chat and an AI assistant for call notes. That's the whole phone job, though Core's 25 texts a person a month is stingy. | CThe meeting is excellent and the bundle around it is wide: team chat, whiteboards, clips, mail, calendar and a booking page. But the plan ladder is full of walls. 300 people needs Business, 500 is a $50-a-month add-on, and the phone system, webinars and Rooms come only with Enterprise through sales. |
| Ease of use | A4.83 from about 78,000 App Store ratings, which is about as good as it gets for a work phone app. | B4.66 on the App Store from about 3.2 million ratings, just under our top mark. The thing it's genuinely best at is joining: the person you're calling already knows what to do with the link, and guests need no account or plan. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, with Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk, ServiceNow, Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace and Slack on the integrations list. | AWeb, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android and a browser extension, which is the whole field. Gmail, Outlook, Google Calendar, Salesforce and ServiceNow connect. Commenters do say the browser version is the poor relation and that Zoom nudges you to download instead. |
| Best for | calls, texts, fax and meetings in one app | video meetings anyone can join |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: RingCentral and Zoom. How we grade
Where they differ
- RingCentral starts at $20 per user / month for 1-5 users, billed annually ($30 billed monthly). Zoom starts at $14.16 per user / month, billed annually ($169.90 a year).
- Zoom has a free plan. RingCentral does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Zoom lists a Linux app.
- Only Zoom lists a browser extension.
- RingCentral also covers transcription, business phone line and business texting.
- Zoom also covers meeting notes, whiteboard and booking links.
At a glance
| RingCentral | Zoom | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $20 per user / month for 1-5 users, billed annually ($30 billed monthly) | $14.16 per user / month, billed annually ($169.90 a year) |
| Free plan | None | Workplace Basic: meetings of up to 40 minutes and 100 participants, instant messaging, 3 editable whiteboards, 5 two-minute clips, and AI summaries for 3 hosted meetings a month. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial for new subscribers; texting is not included in the trial | Free trial of Workplace Pro when subscribing in the iOS app, per the App Store listing; its length is not stated |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | RingCentral | Zoom Communications, Inc. |
| Price read from | ringcentral.com | zoom.us |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
RingCentral
- Businesses that want calls, texts, meetings and chat in one app
- Teams spread over several offices or locations
- Companies using Microsoft Teams that want RingCentral calling inside it
Zoom
- Teams whose main need is video meetings with chat alongside
- Occasional hosts who can work within 40-minute meetings
- People who want AI meeting notes built into the meeting app
- Companies that plan to add phone, webinars or rooms later
Worth knowing
RingCentral
- The listed prices are for 1-5 users; the page switches to other prices for 6-100 users, and 100+ users must contact sales.
- Automatic call recording and CRM integrations need Advanced; Core records calls on demand only.
- Add-ons are extra: AI Receptionist from $39, Business SMS Booster $25 and Call Queues Booster $35, as shown on the pricing page.
- Texting needs TCR registration, which may carry fees, and is not available during the free trial.
Zoom
- Basic meetings end at 40 minutes, one-to-one calls included, and the plan records locally only with no cloud storage.
- Meetings of 300 people need Business; beyond that the Large Meeting add-on starts at $50 a month for 500 participants.
- SSO and managed domains start at Business, and webinars, the phone PBX and Rooms are bundled only into Enterprise, which is sold by sales.
- Annual plans are charged as one upfront payment; the monthly figure shown is the annual total divided by 12.
Key features
RingCentral
- Calling and numbers
- Unlimited calling within the US and Canada. The plan includes one company number; each extra local or toll-free number costs $4.99 a month.
- Business texting
- Texts from the business number: 25 per user a month on Core, 100 on Advanced and 200 in the bundles. SMS needs carrier (TCR) registration first.
- Call menus and routing
- Multi-level phone menus, call queues and rules by business hours or availability, managed for several locations from one admin portal.
- Video meetings, chat and fax
- The same app runs video meetings for up to 300 people, team messaging with file sharing, and fax from the business number.
- AI assistant
- Included at no extra cost: real-time call and meeting notes, transcription, meeting summaries, and help writing and translating messages.
- AI Receptionist
- Answers calls around the clock, handles FAQs, books appointments and routes callers to staff. An add-on starting at $39, included in the bundles.
Zoom
- Video meetings
- Meetings run up to 40 minutes on Basic and 30 hours on paid plans, with 100 participants on Basic and Pro, 300 on Business and 1,000 on Enterprise.
- Team chat
- Instant messaging is part of every Workplace plan, including the free Basic plan, and sits in the same app as meetings and calling.
- AI notes and meeting summaries
- Basic includes AI note-taking 3 times a month and summaries for 3 hosted meetings. Pro makes both unlimited and takes notes in Zoom, third-party and in-person conversations.
- Whiteboard and Clips
- Basic allows 3 editable whiteboards and 5 two-minute clips. Clips become unlimited on Pro, and whiteboards become unlimited on Business.
- Mail, Calendar and Scheduler
- Basic connects Gmail or Outlook and syncs Google or Microsoft calendars. Pro adds Zoom Mail and Zoom Calendar, and Business adds unlimited Scheduler booking pages.
- Recording and cloud storage
- Basic records locally only. Pro adds 10 GB of cloud recording storage per license, and extra cloud storage is sold as an add-on from $10 a month for 30 GB.
Plans
RingCentral
Core$20
per user / month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly)
Price for 1-5 users. Unlimited US and Canada calling, on-demand call recording, 100 toll-free minutes, 25 texts per user a month and 300-person meetings.
Advanced$25
per user / month, billed annually ($35 billed monthly)
Price for 1-5 users. Adds CRM integrations, multiple sites, automatic call recording, reports, 1,000 toll-free minutes and 100 texts per user a month.
AI CE Bundle with AIRCustom
AI Customer Engagement Bundle: adds AI Receptionist, the SMS and call queue boosters, Webinar, 10,000 toll-free minutes and 200 texts per user a month.
AI CE Bundle with AIR and ACECustom
Adds AI Conversation Expert: call scoring, coaching, automatic call summaries and multi-level reporting on top of the bundle above.
Zoom
Workplace Basic$0
Meetings of up to 40 minutes and 100 participants, instant messaging, 3 editable whiteboards, 5 two-minute clips and limited AI features.
Workplace Pro$14.16
per user / month, billed annually ($16.99 billed monthly)
30-hour meetings with 100 participants, unlimited AI note-taking and meeting summaries, unlimited clips, and 10 GB of cloud storage per user.
Workplace Business$18.33
per user / month, billed annually ($21.99 billed monthly)
300 participants per meeting, Scheduler with unlimited booking pages, unlimited whiteboards, SSO and managed domains.
Workplace EnterpriseCustom
1,000 participants per meeting, plus a full-featured phone PBX, webinars for 500 attendees, Rooms and translated captions.
Ways to pay less
RingCentral
- Annual discount
Save up to 33% by paying annually
The pricing page lists Core at $20 per user a month billed annually against $30 billed monthly, and Advanced at $25 against $35.
Zoom
- Annual discount
About 17% less with annual billing
Workplace Pro is $169.90 a year ($14.16 a month) against $16.99 billed monthly, and Business is $219.90 a year ($18.33 a month) against $21.99.
- Nonprofit
50% off for verified nonprofits
Zoom's pricing FAQ says verified nonprofit organizations worldwide get a 50% discount on Workplace Pro, Workplace Business, Webinars and Large Meetings.
