Best Free Zoom Alternatives for Video Calls

Google Meet runs in any browser, so guests click a link and join with nothing to install. Google's help page says a free personal account can host up to 100 participants. Meetings with 3 or more people last up to 60 minutes, and one-on-one meetings last up to 24 hours when you host from a computer.

Everyone hears a chime at the 50-minute mark. The host can upgrade to keep going, otherwise the call ends at 60 minutes. That is still 20 minutes more than Zoom's free plan.

Recording is not on the free plan. Google's help pages list it for Google One plans with 2 TB or more (which includes Google AI Pro) and for eligible Workspace accounts. Need a free workaround? See our guide to recording Meet or Zoom calls on Windows and Mac.

What you lose vs Zoom: local recording, which Zoom Basic includes for free.

Teams Free is Microsoft's personal video calling app, and it is where Skype users were sent. Microsoft's support page lists meetings up to 60 minutes with up to 100 people, plus 5 GB of file storage. Recording is not available on the free plan.

Microsoft 365 Personal and Family raise meetings to 30 hours and 300 participants and add recording. Personal costs $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year in the US.

What you lose vs Zoom: local recording, which Zoom Basic includes. You gain 20 extra minutes per meeting.

Webex is Cisco's meeting service, and its free plan is the closest like-for-like swap for Zoom Basic. Webex's pricing page lists unlimited meetings, up to 40 minutes each, with up to 100 attendees.

That 40-minute cap is the same as Zoom's, so Webex only makes sense if your clients or company already use it, or you prefer its apps.

What you lose vs Zoom: nothing big, and nothing gained on time either.

Jitsi Meet is free, open source video conferencing that runs in a browser. Guests do not need an account. Jitsi's user guide says that if you are the first person into a room on meet.jit.si, you may be asked to sign in with Google, Facebook or GitHub, or wait for a moderator.

The big change is recent. On October 9, 2026, Jitsi announced that meetings on its free meet.jit.si service are now limited to 95 minutes, and said more changes are coming. That is still more than double Zoom's free limit. Because the software is open source, organisations can also run Jitsi on their own servers.

What you lose vs Zoom: the polish and admin controls of a paid service.

WhatsApp's calling page promises unlimited duration for group calls with up to 32 people. Calls are end-to-end encrypted. You can share your screen during a video call, and calls work in the Windows and Mac apps and in a browser, not just on phones.

The new feature that makes it a real Zoom swap arrived on October 14, 2026. A host can create a call link from the Calls tab, and guests without WhatsApp open it in a computer browser, type a name and wait for the host to let them in. There is still no time limit and no cost.

What you lose vs Zoom: meetings bigger than 32 people, and guests joining from a phone browser.

FaceTime is already on every iPhone, iPad and Mac. Apple's support page says you can make audio and video calls with up to 32 people and share your screen.

You can also invite people who do not own an Apple device. Create a FaceTime link and share it. On Android or Windows, they open the link in the latest Chrome or Microsoft Edge, enter a name and wait for the host to let them in. Apple notes that FaceTime may not be available in every country.

What you lose vs Zoom: hosting from Android or Windows.

Signal is a free, encrypted messaging app run by a non-profit. Its support page puts the group video call limit at 75 people. You can start a call from a group chat, or create a call link that anyone on Signal can join with a tap or click.

Everyone on the call needs Signal installed, which is the main drawback for work meetings. For private calls with people who already use it, Signal is the privacy pick on this list.

What you lose vs Zoom: easy joining for guests who do not have the app.

Discord works differently from Zoom. Instead of scheduled meetings, a server has voice channels that people drop in and out of. Discord's help centre says up to 25 people can join a voice channel with video. When someone streams their screen with Go Live, up to 50 people can watch at once.

There is no meeting timer, and several people can stream at the same time. Discord is best for regular groups such as gaming clans, study groups and communities. Running one? See our list of Discord bots.

What you lose vs Zoom: a simple join link for one-off meetings with outsiders.