Best Video Conferencing Software 2021

Zoom vs. Webex

Is Zoom or Webex the better solution for you? This in-depth, feature-by-feature breakdown will help you select the best video conferencing software for your business.

No matter your business size or industry, video conferencing software is necessary to enable meetings while participants are not in the same geographic location. With features like screen sharing, in-meeting chat, and recording, video conferencing software is crucial for meetings between internal and external teams.

This article compares two similar video conferencing platforms, Zoom and Webex. We’ll compare the platforms’ features, usability, and pricing, and include our expert recommendations to help you pick the best software for your business.

Our recommendations are based upon extensive research, discussions with small businesses, and dozens of hours spent hand-testing the leading video conferencing software platforms. Learn more about our research process here.

Zoom & Webex Comparison Summary

SoftwarePundit tested both Zoom and Webex in-house. While both platforms are powerful and work well, Zoom received a rating of 92 and Webex received a slightly lower rating of 88.

Zoom was given the highest rating in the category because it’s the most powerful video conferencing platform. Though the free plan is a bit restrictive with time limits, the webinar functionality is unparalleled.

Webex is slightly less feature-rich than Zoom and has lower participant limits, but it’s user-friendly, affordable, and works well.


Here’s a breakdown of our review criteria and how Zoom and Webex stacked up in each category.

CriteriaAnalyst RatingFeaturesUsabilityPricingCustomer Support
Zoom9210989
Webex889989

Here are a few quick points to summarize who we recommend each tool for:

You'll prefer Zoom if:

  • You want to host more than 200 participants in a video call
  • You won’t be hindered by 40-minute meetings on the free plan
  • You’re interested in a slightly more powerful tool overall

Try Zoom Today

You'll prefer Webex if:

  • You don’t need more than 200 participants in meetings
  • You’re interested in more flexible plans and pricing
  • You’d like access to free 50-minute meetings

Try Webex Today


Table of Contents

Who Should Purchase Zoom?

Zoom is the most popular video conferencing platform in the world for a reason: its world-class features. Zoom is unparalleled in its power and, though the free plan caps meetings at just 40 minutes, there are high participant limits. It’s true that Zoom is the premier solution in the space, but it may not be for everyone. Freelancers and small businesses may prefer a simpler solution like Google Meet.

Zoom pricing is between $149.90 per license per year and $240 per license per year for just video conferencing. Large group add-ons, webinars, and cloud storage will add hundreds of dollars per year to that total. The main consideration for those looking to purchase Zoom is that the company has had notorious security issues over the past year and a half. We did not encounter any problems during testing and the vast majority of users will not encounter security problems.

Who Should Purchase Webex?

If you’re on the hunt for an affordable mid-tier solution with an extensive free plan, Webex could be a great choice for you. Small businesses that want to use Webex for free will have access to 50-minute meetings, up to 100 participants, chat, notes, polling, and hand-raising.

Webex costs between $15 per month and $25 per month depending on your plan. The ability to pay month-to-month may be particularly appealing for those in search of the ultimate flexibility.

Zoom & Webex Price Comparison

Zoom and Webex are priced fairly similarly if you break Zoom’s pricing down from yearly to monthly. Zoom works out to between about $12.50 to $20 per license per month, while Webex costs between $15 and $25 per month.

Zoom will likely end up being more expensive, however, because all the add-on features can get quite pricey.

Zoom Pricing Details

Aside from the free plan, Zoom costs between $149.90 per license per year and $240 per license per year. Aside from the free plan, Zoom’s plans have higher participant limits than Webex’s plans.

Free
  • Free
  • Up to 100 participants
  • Unlimited 40-minute meetings
  • Unlimited one-on-one meetings with no time limit
  • Private and group chat
  • Video recording
  • Waiting rooms
Pro Plan
  • $149.90 per license per year
  • Group meetings for up to 30 hours
  • Social media streaming
  • 1GB cloud recording per license
Business Plan
  • $199.90 per license per year
  • Up to 300 participants
  • Single sign-on
  • Recording transcripts
  • Company branding
  • Managed domains
  • Language interpretations
Enterprise Plan
  • $240 per license per year
  • Up to 500 participants
  • Unlimited cloud storage

Webex Pricing Details

Webex has plans that bundle video conferencing and conference calling. The plans range from $15 per month to $25 per month, and add-on features will cost extra.

Basic Plan
  • Free
  • Up to 100 participants
  • 50-minute meetings
  • Screen sharing
  • Breakout rooms
  • Chat, notes, polling, and hand-raising
Meet Plan
  • $15 per month
  • Up to 200 participants
  • 24 hour meetings
  • Facebook live streaming
  • 10 GB cloud recording storage
  • Add alternative hosts
  • Recording transcriptions
Call Plan
  • $17 per month
  • Up to 100 participants
  • 50-minute meetings
  • Call any phone number
  • Call forwarding
  • Conference calls
  • Unlimited local and domestic long distance
Meet + Call Plan
  • $25 per month
  • Combines Meet Plan and Call Plan

Zoom & Webex Feature Comparison

The two platforms have similar features. Webex’s free plan is more valuable, though Zoom’s paid plans have higher participant limits. Overall, we found that Zoom offers more functionality and power.

Both solutions offer webinars as an add-on feature and have similar in-meeting features like breakout rooms, screen sharing, chat, hand-raising, and more.

Top Features: Zoom

Zoom has powerful webinar features along with a massive list of integrations that you can use to connect your suite of software tools.

To learn even more about Zoom, check out our full Zoom review.

Webinars

Zoom’s webinars can hold up to 10,000 participants. Most small businesses won’t need nearly this many, which is why it’s advantageous that Zoom’s webinar plans allow for 500, 1,000, 3,000, 5,000, or 10,000 attendees.

Zoom Meeting

Meetings

During meetings, Zoom and Webex give mostly the same features and functionality. As we mentioned above, Zoom’s time limit on the free plan is less than the time limit Webex gives, but participant limits go higher with Zoom.

Within meetings, participants can:

  • Share a tab, window, or screen
  • Utilize breakout rooms
  • Send chats
  • Send files in the chat
  • See the participant list
  • Admit or deny participants

Integrations

Zoom has pre-built integrations with some leading tools for small businesses, including:

Zoom Marketplace

Webex has a similarly robust application marketplace.

Top Features: Webex

Webex offers video and call plans, advanced in-meeting features, and substantial webinars. The main difference between Zoom and Webex is in terms of the user experience: Webex is a bit more outdated and less streamlined, looking more similar to Skype in appearance. This does not detract from how well the product works.

For a more in-depth overview about Webex, read the full Webex review.

Meetings

Webex meetings look similar to Zoom’s meetings, with participants shown in the middle and chat off to the right.

Webex Meeting

Chat

Webex users can hold group chats outside of meetings, as well as within meetings. The chat will allow users to send files back and forth, create calendar invites, or start meetings right from within the chat.

Webex Chat

Again, though this does not affect the speed and accuracy of the platform, the interface is just a bit more outdated than Zoom’s.

Bottom Line

The bottom line is that Zoom is a more powerful platform. With more than 300 million daily meeting participants, Zoom is the most popular video conferencing tool for a reason. It has unparalleled webinar capabilities and many add-on features, which could admittedly get pricey for small businesses.

While Webex is not quite as powerful as Zoom, it’s still a high-quality tool that’s worth consideration. The month-to-month pricing is flexible enough for small businesses and the free plan allows for 50-minute group meetings instead of 40-minute meetings. We recommend it for those who are looking for something that’s a bit more flexible than Zoom.

If you’re interested, visit Zoom or Webex today to get started.

Katelyn Anderson

Katelyn is a Junior Research Analyst at SoftwarePundit, where she conducts in-depth analyses of technology markets & products and writes software-related content. She graduated summa cum laude with degrees in English and Psychology. Her main areas of interest are content creation, user experience, and search engine optimization. You can connect with Katelyn on LinkedIn.

Katelyn is an expert in several software categories including:

  • Accounting software
  • Integration software
  • Live chat software
  • Vacation rental software
  • Video conferencing software

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