The Zoom Webinars Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Zoom Webinars in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Zoom Webinars
The Insider’s Guide
Zoom's own webinar product, licensed per host by audience size
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among webinar and live streaming tools, read from Zoom Webinars’s own pages.
Made by Zoom Communications, Inc. · checked Oct 18, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Zoom Webinars’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Zoom Webinars’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 18, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.2
GPA, above 5 of the 14 other webinar and live streaming tools we grade
Zoom Webinars is Zoom's webinar product, sold separately from the Zoom Workplace meeting plans. A host license covers webinars for a set audience size, from 500 attendees up, with registration pages, polls, Q&A, chat, reactions and breakout rooms. Webinars Plus adds pre-recorded sessions run as live, a backstage and production layouts, and Events adds multi-session virtual and hybrid events with tickets and networking.
To get you started, here are 8 things to know about Zoom Webinars, taken from its own pages and our grades.
It handles registration, polls, Q&A and breakout rooms, scales to huge audiences, and everyone already knows how to join.
- 1
Best for big webinars for teams already on Zoom
Zoom Webinars is Zoom's webinar product, sold as a license on top of a Zoom account.
- 2
Paid plans start at $83.33 a month for each person
As its pricing page puts it: $83.33 per user / month, billed annually ($129 billed monthly).
- 3
It runs on 6 platforms
Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android.
- 4
Large audiences
Webinars scale from the 500-attendee entry license to 100,000 attendees, with one-time, recurring and multi-session formats on the same platform.
- 5
Audience engagement
Branded registration pages and emails, polls, Q&A, chat, reactions, breakout rooms, and AI captions in more than 20 languages.
- 6
Simulive and backstage
On Webinars Plus and Events, a pre-recorded webinar can run as if live with a host joining for Q&A, while speakers wait in a private backstage.
- 7
A 2.2 GPA, above 5 of 14
That is against the other webinar and live streaming tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 8
Keep it
To replace Zoom Webinars you would be making live video to hundreds of people at once. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Zoom Webinars at a glance
- Pricing
- Paid, from $83.33 per user / month, billed annually ($129 billed monthly)
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android
- Made by
- Zoom Communications, Inc., since 2011
- Category
- Webinars & Live Streaming
- Our grade
- 2.2 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for big webinars for teams already on Zoom
Zoom Webinars is Zoom's webinar product, sold as a license on top of a Zoom account. It handles registration, polls, Q&A and breakout rooms, scales to huge audiences, and everyone already knows how to join. But the smallest license is for 500 people at $1,000 a year, there's no free trial, and pre-recorded sessions need Webinars Plus.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | The entry license is $83.33 a month billed annually ($1,000 a year, or $129 by the month), and it's for 500 attendees, so a 100-person webinar still pays for 500. That's dearer than GoTo Webinar's entry plan and about double WebinarJam's Starter, though not out of line for this category. |
| Free plan and trial | F | Nothing free. There's no free plan or free trial on the webinar page, and the free Zoom Workplace plan covers meetings only. |
| Features | C | A deep live product: branded registration, polls, Q&A, breakout rooms, AI captions in more than 20 languages, streaming to YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook, and audiences up to 100,000. The gap: simulive sessions and the backstage need Webinars Plus at $290.83. |
| Ease of use | B | No rating of its own on record. It's a license added to a Zoom account, so hosts work in an app many already run and attendees join the way they join any Zoom call. Registration and polls are set up inside Zoom. |
| Platforms and integrations | A | Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android, plus Salesforce, streaming to YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook, and separate tracks for Premiere, Final Cut and DaVinci. On iOS you join as an attendee or panelist only. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Zoom Webinars is for
- Great if your company is already on Zoom and wants bigger, tidier events
- Handy when an audience runs into the thousands
- Good for training teams that issue certificates to people who finish
Who it is not for
- Pricey if you only need 100 seats, since the smallest license covers 500 at $1,000 a year
- Skip it if you want to try before paying, as there's no free plan or trial
- Not for you if you want automated webinars without paying for Webinars Plus
Good to know
Good for
- Companies already on Zoom that need larger, more controlled events
- Marketing teams running webinars for hundreds to thousands of people
- Training sessions that issue certificates to people who complete them
- Hybrid and multi-session events on the Events plan
Worth knowing
- Each license is priced by audience size; the 500-attendee tier is the entry point and 1,000 attendees costs $3,400 a year ($340 billed monthly).
- Pre-recorded simulive sessions, the backstage and production layouts need Webinars Plus; tickets, lobbies and networking need Events.
- There is no free plan or free trial on the webinar page; the free Zoom Workplace plan covers meetings only.
- The iOS app joins webinars as a view-only attendee or a panelist.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$83.33
A month to start, for each person
Zoom Webinars is a paid product, starting at $83.33 per user / month, billed annually ($129 billed monthly).
That's dearer than GoTo Webinar's entry plan and about double WebinarJam's Starter, though not out of line for this category.
Webinars
$83.33
per user / month for 500 attendees, billed annually ($129 monthly)
$1,000 a year. Rises with audience: $3,400 a year for 1,000 attendees. Chat, reactions, polls, Q&A, custom backgrounds, AI chapters and reports.
Webinars Plus
$290.83
per user / month for 500 attendees, billed annually ($349 monthly)
$3,490 a year. Adds pre-recorded sessions run as live, a private backstage, pro layouts and scenes, AI event pages and richer analytics.
Events
$415.83
per user / month for 500 attendees, billed annually ($499 monthly)
$4,990 a year. Adds multi-session virtual events with several stages, ticket types, a lobby, sponsor booths, networking and hybrid features.
Read from zoom.com on Oct 18, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
Lower price with annual billing
Webinars is $1,000 a year against $129 billed monthly; Webinars Plus $3,490 a year against $349 monthly; Events $4,990 a year against $499 monthly.
Stated on zoom.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
6
Places it runs: Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android
Zoom's own webinar product, licensed per host by audience size. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: AI features, webinars, multistreaming.
On iOS you join as an attendee or panelist only.
- Large audiences
- Webinars scale from the 500-attendee entry license to 100,000 attendees, with one-time, recurring and multi-session formats on the same platform.
- Audience engagement
- Branded registration pages and emails, polls, Q&A, chat, reactions, breakout rooms, and AI captions in more than 20 languages.
- Simulive and backstage
- On Webinars Plus and Events, a pre-recorded webinar can run as if live with a host joining for Q&A, while speakers wait in a private backstage.
- Production Studio
- Custom layouts, scenes and pre-loaded videos, plus separate audio and video tracks for each participant to edit in Premiere, Final Cut Pro or DaVinci Resolve.
- Streaming to social platforms
- A webinar can be broadcast at the same time to YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook over RTMP while it is run from Zoom.
- On-demand hubs and analytics
- Recordings go into branded video hubs with AI chapters and highlights, with engagement dashboards and CRM connections to track who attended.
Where it runs
- Web
- macOS
- Windows
- Linux
- iOS
- Android
What it works with
- YouTube
- Salesforce
- Adobe Premiere Pro
- Final Cut Pro
- DaVinci Resolve
Zoom Webinars is made by Zoom Communications, Inc., and has been around since 2011.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
5/14
Other webinar and live streaming tools it is graded above
Zoom Webinars's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 5 of the 14 other webinar and live streaming tools we grade, and level with 4.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (A, above 12 of 14) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $83.33 a month for each person, against a middle price of $47 for the category: 11 of the 13 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.0 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 15 webinar and live streaming tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Zoom Webinars’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 3 of 14
- FFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 14
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 14
- BEase of useAbove 14 of 14
- APlatforms and integrationsAbove 12 of 14
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 14 webinar and live streaming tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Zoom Webinars is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Zoom Webinars you would be making live video to hundreds of people at once. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It costs $999.96 a year.
What you could not
- Live video to hundreds of people at once.
- One live stream sent to several platforms at once.
- Apps for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.
- It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team.
- It plugs into other products, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook among them.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
What this rests on. Zoom Webinars’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
GoTo Webinar, Livestorm, BigMarker, WebinarJam and Zoom
The 5 tools Zoom Webinars is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.4GPA
GoTo Webinar
Free trial · from $62/mo
Long-running webinar platform for trainings, town halls and marketing.
- Only Zoom Webinars lists a Linux app.
- Zoom Webinars also covers multistreaming.
- GoTo Webinar also covers transcription.
- 1.8GPA
Livestorm
Free plan · from $1,200/yr
Browser-based webinars, live or on demand, priced per attendee.
- Livestorm has a free plan. Zoom Webinars does not.
- Only Zoom Webinars lists macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android apps.
- 1.8GPA
BigMarker
Paid
Marketing webinars and virtual, hybrid and in-person events.
- Only Zoom Webinars lists macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android apps.
- BigMarker also covers ticketing.
- 2.2GPA
WebinarJam
Free trial · from $39/mo
Live sales webinars with offers, reminders and replays.
- Only Zoom Webinars lists macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android apps.
- Zoom Webinars also covers multistreaming.
- WebinarJam also covers a/B testing.
- 2.6GPA
Zoom
Free plan · from $14.16/mo
Video meetings bundled with team chat, phone and AI notes.
- Zoom has a free plan. Zoom Webinars does not.
- Only Zoom lists a browser extension.
- Zoom Webinars also covers webinars and multistreaming.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
11
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Zoom Webinars free?
No. Zoom Webinars is a paid product, starting at $83.33 per user / month, billed annually ($129 billed monthly).
How much does Zoom Webinars cost?
Zoom Webinars lists 3 plans. Webinars: $83.33 per user / month for 500 attendees, billed annually ($129 monthly).
What platforms does Zoom Webinars work on?
Zoom Webinars is available on Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android.
Does Zoom Webinars offer any discounts?
Zoom Webinars publicly lists the following: Lower price with annual billing.
Is Zoom Webinars open source?
Zoom Webinars is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 18, 2026.
What does Zoom Webinars integrate with?
Zoom Webinars's listing names YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, Salesforce, Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro and DaVinci Resolve.
Who makes Zoom Webinars?
Zoom Webinars is made by Zoom Communications, Inc. It dates from 2011.
What are the alternatives to Zoom Webinars?
The closest alternatives to Zoom Webinars in our directory are GoTo Webinar, Livestorm, BigMarker, WebinarJam and Zoom.
How does Zoom Webinars compare with other webinar and live streaming tools?
Zoom Webinars's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 5 of the 14 other webinar and live streaming tools we grade, and level with 4.
Is Zoom Webinars good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Zoom Webinars C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $83.33 a month for each person, against a middle price of $47 for the category: 11 of the 13 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Zoom Webinars?
To replace Zoom Webinars you would be making live video to hundreds of people at once.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Zoom Webinars’s own pages on Oct 18, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 18, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Zoom's own pages on 18 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Zoom Communications, Inc. Prices change, so check zoom.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
2,281
Tools graded, in 73 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
ToolGPA is free to read. It may earn a commission from affiliate links and it works with sponsors, but anything paid for is labelled and no one can pay for a grade. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
2,281
tools graded
73
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Zoom Webinars, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/zoom-webinars
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Zoom Webinars: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 18, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/zoom-webinars
Know someone choosing between webinar and live streaming tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/zoom-webinars/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded webinar and live streaming tools after Zoom Webinars, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Webinars & Live Streaming Insider's GuideEvery one of the 15 webinar and live streaming tools we grade, compared
- ClickMeeting Insider's GuideWebinars and online meetings with paid events and automation2.6 GPA
- Castr Insider's GuideMultistreaming, video hosting and 24/7 playout in one service2.4 GPA
- GoTo Webinar Insider's GuideLong-running webinar platform for trainings, town halls and marketing2.4 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Zoom Webinars’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. ToolGPA uses affiliate links and may earn a commission from them, and it works with sponsors; anything paid for is labelled, and no one can pay for a grade. Zoom Webinars is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Zoom Communications, Inc. Prices and plans change: check zoom.com before you buy.