Best video conferencing tools 2026
Top picks for video conferencing tools 2026: Zoom (teams wanting the most widely recognised, broadly interoperable meeting tool with the deepest AI-notes feature set on paid tiers, free Basic plan for unlimited one-to-one calls, but group meetings of 3 or more capped at 40 minutes and 100 participants; paid Pro from about $14.16 per user per month (annual billing), extending meetings to 30 hours, Business from about $18.33 per user per month), Google Meet (organisations already on Google Workspace wanting the cheapest entry-level paid tier and the tightest Docs, Calendar and Drive integration, free with a personal Google account, group calls capped at 60 minutes; paid Google Workspace Business Starter from about $7 per user per month (annual billing), Business Standard from about $14 per user per month), Webex (enterprises wanting a bundled business phone number alongside meetings, plus Cisco-grade security and compliance, free plan for up to 100 participants, capped at 40 minutes per meeting; paid Webex Meet from about $12 per user per month (annual billing), Webex Suite from about $22.50 per user per month). All 4 tools here are compared on pricing, free plans, features and platforms, verified against vendor sources.
Pricing and features verified against each vendor's published information on 2026-09-15. Sources linked below.
At a glance
| Tool | Free plan | Pricing from | Best for | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zoom | Yes | Free Basic plan for unlimited one-to-one calls, but group meetings of 3 or more capped at 40 minutes and 100 participants; paid Pro from about $14.16 per user per month (annual billing), extending meetings to 30 hours, Business from about $18.33 per user per month | teams wanting the most widely recognised, broadly interoperable meeting tool with the deepest AI-notes feature set on paid tiers | Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux |
| Google Meet | Yes | Free with a personal Google account, group calls capped at 60 minutes; paid Google Workspace Business Starter from about $7 per user per month (annual billing), Business Standard from about $14 per user per month | organisations already on Google Workspace wanting the cheapest entry-level paid tier and the tightest Docs, Calendar and Drive integration | Web, iOS, Android |
| Webex | Yes | Free plan for up to 100 participants, capped at 40 minutes per meeting; paid Webex Meet from about $12 per user per month (annual billing), Webex Suite from about $22.50 per user per month | enterprises wanting a bundled business phone number alongside meetings, plus Cisco-grade security and compliance | Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux |
| GoTo Meeting | No | No free-forever plan, only a 14-day free trial with unlimited attendees; paid Professional from about $12 per organiser per month (annual billing), Business from about $16 per organiser per month | organisations with only a few meeting hosts but many outside attendees, since only hosts need a paid seat | Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android |
The shortlist
1. Zoom
Free planFounded 2013
Free Basic plan for unlimited one-to-one calls, but group meetings of 3 or more capped at 40 minutes and 100 participants; paid Pro from about $14.16 per user per month (annual billing), extending meetings to 30 hours, Business from about $18.33 per user per month. Best for teams wanting the most widely recognised, broadly interoperable meeting tool with the deepest AI-notes feature set on paid tiers.
- Free tier's 40-minute cap on group calls is the most commonly hit limit of any plan in this category
- AI Companion meeting summaries and chat drafting are bundled into paid plans only, not the free Basic tier
- Business tier adds single sign-on and unlimited whiteboards
- Retired "Business Plus" as a standalone plan in a 2026 pricing simplification
2. Google Meet
Free planFounded 2017
Free with a personal Google account, group calls capped at 60 minutes; paid Google Workspace Business Starter from about $7 per user per month (annual billing), Business Standard from about $14 per user per month. Best for organisations already on Google Workspace wanting the cheapest entry-level paid tier and the tightest Docs, Calendar and Drive integration.
- Free tier's 60-minute group-call cap is the most generous of the four, versus 40 minutes for Zoom and Webex
- Gemini AI is bundled into every paid Workspace plan, though the AI meeting notetaker itself needs an eligible Workspace AI add-on rather than being included at the base Starter tier
- Cheapest entry-level paid seat of the four, and the tightest integration with Docs, Calendar and Drive
- Launched as "Hangouts Meet" in 2017, rebranded Google Meet in 2020
3. Webex
Free planFounded 1996
Free plan for up to 100 participants, capped at 40 minutes per meeting; paid Webex Meet from about $12 per user per month (annual billing), Webex Suite from about $22.50 per user per month. Best for enterprises wanting a bundled business phone number alongside meetings, plus Cisco-grade security and compliance.
- Free tier's 40-minute cap matches Zoom's; some third-party pricing trackers cite 50 minutes, but Webex's own help pages state 40, treated as authoritative here
- Suite tier bundles a business phone number with unlimited domestic calling, not just meetings
- Full Webex AI Assistant feature set is reserved for the Suite tier
- Tiers renamed from Starter/Business to Meet/Suite in a 2026 pricing-page restructure; the product itself dates to 1996 as WebEx, acquired by Cisco in 2007
4. GoTo Meeting
Paid onlyFounded 2004
No free-forever plan, only a 14-day free trial with unlimited attendees; paid Professional from about $12 per organiser per month (annual billing), Business from about $16 per organiser per month. Best for organisations with only a few meeting hosts but many outside attendees, since only hosts need a paid seat.
- The only one of the four with no free-forever tier at all
- Billed per host ("organiser"), not per attendee, so a company with 2 hosts and 50 attendees pays for 2 seats total
- AI transcription and summaries are limited to English, Spanish, Italian and German, a narrower language set than its rivals
- Business tier adds unlimited cloud recording and co-organisers
Head-to-head comparisons
- Zoom vs Google Meet
- Zoom vs Webex
- Zoom vs GoTo Meeting
- Google Meet vs Webex
- Google Meet vs GoTo Meeting
- Webex vs GoTo Meeting
FAQ
- What are the best free video conferencing tools?
- Tools with a free plan here include Zoom, Google Meet, Webex. Compare limits before committing.
- How many video conferencing tools did this list compare?
- This page compares 4 tools, each linked to its own site.