How much does Zoom cost in 2026?

Workplace Pro: $14.16 per seat a month on annual billing ($16.99 billed monthly); Workplace Business: $18.33 per seat a month on annual billing ($21.99 billed monthly). 40-minute meetings for up to 100 people. Checked October 26, 2026.

What is a cheaper alternative to Zoom?

Google Meet (Included in Google Workspace (from $7/user/mo); free with a Google account), Microsoft Teams (Included in Microsoft 365 (from $7/user/mo); Teams Essentials $4/user/mo; free plan), Jitsi Meet (Free at meet.jit.si; free to self-host). Free, open-source video calls you can host yourself; you give up cloud recording, scheduling add-ins and AI notes.

Video meetings and webinars

Should you build your own Zoom?

Q: Should you build your own Zoom?

Switch. Five people on Zoom Workplace Pro pay about $2,549 over 3 years. Google Meet comes with Google Workspace and Microsoft Teams comes with Microsoft 365, so the extra cost is $0. If you only want meetings, Teams Essentials is $4 a user. Building video yourself would cost about $6,900 over 3 years, and call quality would become your problem.

Switch to Google Meet or Microsoft Teams. Both come with the suite most small teams already pay for.

SWITCH

Short answer

Five people on Zoom Workplace Pro pay about $2,549 over 3 years. Google Meet comes with Google Workspace and Microsoft Teams comes with Microsoft 365, so the extra cost is $0. If you only want meetings, Teams Essentials is $4 a user. Building video yourself would cost about $6,900 over 3 years, and call quality would become your problem.

Buy for 3 years: $2,549
Build and run for 3 years: $6,865
Verdict: SWITCH

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Cheaper options

Already includedGoogle MeetIncluded in Google Workspace (from $7/user/mo); free with a Google accountCalls for 100 people on Business Starter and 150 on Standard, with recording on Standard; group calls on free accounts end after 60 minutes.Already includedMicrosoft TeamsIncluded in Microsoft 365 (from $7/user/mo); Teams Essentials $4/user/mo; free planMeetings, recordings with transcripts and chat in one app; the free plan limits meetings to 60 minutes.Open sourceJitsi MeetFree at meet.jit.si; free to self-hostFree, open-source video calls you can host yourself; you give up cloud recording, scheduling add-ins and AI notes.

Zoom pricing in 2026

Plan	Billed yearly	Billed monthly
Workplace Pro Typical	$14.16/seat/mo	$16.99/seat/mo
Workplace Business	$18.33/seat/mo	$21.99/seat/mo

Free plan: 40-minute meetings for up to 100 people

Paying too much? Zoom Workplace Basic is free and is enough if every meeting stays under 40 minutes.

Per user, billed annually, in USD from Zoom’s pricing page. Pro allows 30-hour meetings for 100 people; Business allows 300. Checked October 26, 2026.

Run your own numbers

Defaults are a typical small team at $30/hour. Change anything.

If you buy Zoom

Plan

Seats

If you build it

Your time, $ per hour

Hours to build

Upkeep, hours per month

Hosting and services, $ per month

Buy

$2,549

Build

$6,865

Buying is about $4,316 cheaper over 3 years.

3-year totals. Building includes your time, upkeep, running costs and one month of an AI app builder ($25). Change any number to match your situation.

What you’d build

Meeting rooms with video, audio and screen share on a hosted video service
Invite links and a waiting lobby
Chat inside the room
Cloud recording saved to object storage
Calendar invites with a join link

LiveKit Cloud’s Ship plan starts at $50 a month and includes 150,000 participant minutes.

What you’d give up

Zoom’s call quality on weak networks
Breakout rooms, polls and whiteboards
Live captions and AI meeting summaries
Calendar add-ins for Google and Outlook

Risks the price doesn’t show

Call qualityHigh

Video breaks on weak networks and strict firewalls unless relay servers are set up well.

Recording and storageMedium

Recordings need processing, storage and a player, and they grow fast.

Cost at scaleMedium

Hosted video bills by participant minute, so a busy month raises the bill.

When the verdict flips

Stay on Zoom if you run webinars, breakout rooms or calls with hundreds of guests. Switch to BUILD only if video calls are part of your own product.

Sources

Zoom pricing

Build hours are our estimates for one person using an AI app builder. How we score. Spotted a wrong price? Tell us on X @BuildictHQ.

Related verdicts

Loom

Chat & meetings

SWITCH

Switch to Cap or ScreenPal. Both cost about half of Loom Business for the same screen recordings and share links.

Buy, 3 yrs: $2,700
Build, 3 yrs: $3,745

Slack

Chat & meetings

BUY

Buy it, unless you already pay for Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. Then Google Chat or Teams is included.

Buy, 3 yrs: $1,305
Build, 3 yrs: $6,265

Google Workspace

Docs & productivity

BUY

Buy it. Email, docs, storage and video calls for $14 a user is hard to beat, and none of it is worth building.

Buy, 3 yrs: $2,520
Build, 3 yrs: $22,045