Webex vs Zoom

Webex

• Organizations that equip rooms and desks with Cisco devices
• Teams that want meetings, messaging and phone calling on one license
• Short free meetings with whiteboards and noise cancellation
• Public-sector buyers that need FedRAMP authorized security

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

Webex

• Free meetings end at 40 minutes, and the free plan records locally only.
• A business phone number and calling need Webex Suite, and meetings above 200 attendees need Webex Enterprise, which is sold by sales.
• Call Me and Real-Time Translation are paid add-ons: Call Me starts at $48 and translation is $300 per license a year.
• Webex runs in a browser, but the vendor says some features, such as PSTN calls, need the downloaded app.

Zoom

• Basic meetings end at 40 minutes, 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.

Webex

Video meetings

Meetings include screen sharing with annotation. They run 40 minutes with 100 attendees on Free, 24 hours with 200 on Meet, and up to 1,000 attendees on Enterprise.

Messaging

Group messaging, chat and file sharing sit in the same app as meetings, and the free plan includes unlimited messaging.

AI Assistant and cloud recording

Paid plans include the AI Assistant, closed captions and 10 GB of cloud recording. The free plan records locally, and Enterprise has unlimited cloud recording.

Whiteboards, polls and video messages

Whiteboards are unlimited on every plan and Vidcast records and shares video. Live polling and Q&A through Slido start with Webex Meet.

Calling

Webex Suite adds a business phone number, visual voicemail, 6-way conference calling and unlimited local and domestic long-distance calling.

Noise cancellation

Advanced noise cancellation is listed on every plan, including Webex Free, along with calendar service integration.

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.

Webex

• Webex Free$0

  Unlimited meetings of up to 40 minutes and 100 attendees, unlimited messaging and whiteboards, and local recording.

• Webex Meet$12

  per user / month, billed annually ($144 a year)

  24-hour meetings with up to 200 attendees, the AI Assistant, 10 GB of cloud recording, Slido polling and Q&A, and closed captions.

• Webex Suite$22.50

  per user / month, billed annually ($270 a year)

  Meet plus calling: a business phone number, visual voicemail and unlimited local and domestic long-distance calls.

• Webex EnterpriseCustom

  Up to 1,000 attendees, unlimited cloud meeting recording and FedRAMP authorized security. Certain plans include Webex events.

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.

Webex

• Annual discount

  Lower rate on annual billing

  Billed annually, Webex Meet is $144 per user a year, shown as $12 a month. The pricing page's own plan data lists the monthly-billed Meet license at $14.50.

• Other savings

  6 months free with 5 or more licenses

  The pricing page advertises 6 months free on Webex Meet when 5 or more licenses are bought, a saving of $360 or more. Terms apply and no end date is shown.

• Nonprofit

  60% off for eligible nonprofits

  The Flex Plan Non-Governmental Organization offer gives eligible nonprofits a 60% discount on Webex for up to 100 users, arranged by contacting Webex.

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.