Zoom

Zoom is video conferencing software that has grown into a broader communications platform covering meetings, webinars, team chat, a cloud phone system and a contact centre. Its reputation was built on one thing: calls that connect quickly and hold up on poor connections, for guests who do not have an account and do not want to install anything unusual. Most businesses still buy it for meetings, but the surrounding products mean it can replace a desk phone system and a webinar tool as well.

What you can actually do with it

Meetings are the core, and everything else is sold around them:

• Run meetings guests can actually join. One-click joining from a link on desktop, mobile or browser, with screen sharing, breakout rooms, virtual backgrounds and waiting rooms.
• Record and revisit calls. Local or cloud recording with transcripts, searchable within your account, which turns client calls and interviews into a reference rather than a memory.
• Get AI meeting support. AI Companion can summarise the meeting, list action items and catch you up if you join late, included with paid plans rather than sold as a separate seat.
• Host webinars and events. A separate product for one-to-many broadcasts with registration, branding, Q&A, polls and attendee analytics.
• Replace the phone system. Zoom Phone provides business numbers, call routing and voicemail as a cloud PBX, using the same app your team already has open.
• Message and schedule. Team Chat for internal messaging, a scheduling tool for external bookings, and calendar integration with Google and Microsoft.
• Equip meeting rooms. Zoom Rooms turns physical rooms into one-touch join spaces with certified hardware, licensed per room.

Who it fits best

Zoom suits any business whose calls involve people outside the company: consultants, agencies, recruiters, sales teams, trainers, therapists and educators. When your attendees are clients on unknown devices and networks, Zoom’s low friction and reliability are worth paying for. It also fits companies that want to consolidate video, phone and webinars with a single vendor.

If nearly all your meetings are internal and you already pay for Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, Teams or Meet are included and adding Zoom means paying twice for the same capability. Solo users with short internal calls may never outgrow the free tier.

Things worth knowing before you commit

• The free plan has a hard time limit. Group meetings on the free tier cut off after a short window, which is fine for stand-ups and infuriating for client calls.
• Licences are per host, not per attendee. Only the people scheduling meetings need paid licences, so count hosts rather than headcount when budgeting.
• Add-ons stack up. Webinars, extra cloud recording storage, larger meeting capacity, Zoom Phone and Zoom Rooms are billed separately on top of the base plan, and the total can drift well past the headline seat price.
• Cloud recording storage is limited. Standard plans include a modest storage allowance per licence; heavy recorders should plan to download files or buy more.
• Introductory pricing can change at renewal. Discounted first-year rates on some plans revert later, so check what year two costs before signing an annual deal.

Alternatives to compare it against

Microsoft Teams and Google Meet come bundled with the office suites most companies already pay for, and are the obvious default for internal meetings. Webex remains strong where IT wants enterprise controls and hardware integration. For webinars specifically, dedicated event platforms offer better registration and marketing features than a video tool’s webinar add-on. Zoom is worth the separate line item when external-facing call quality, guest experience and reliability are the things you are actually buying.

Plan limits, add-on prices and included AI features change regularly. Check Zoom’s own pricing page for current details, including renewal rates, before you commit.

Further reading

• Best Team Collaboration Tools for Remote Work — places Zoom’s meetings and Team Chat against the wider remote stack it has to sit inside.
• How to Optimize VoIP Costs — directly relevant if you are weighing Zoom Phone as a replacement for a desk phone system.
• How Video Messaging Solves Leadership Communication Gaps — argues when a recorded video beats booking another live call.
• Ultimate Guide to Cloud Collaboration Tools — useful for deciding whether to consolidate on one vendor or keep Zoom as a separate line item.

Have you used Zoom?

One sentence is enough. Would you pick it again, and why or why not? We publish the critical reviews too — that is the point.