Best Video Conferencing Software in 2026

Zoom is our default pick for most teams, especially when calls include clients, partners, or job candidates. Almost everyone has joined a Zoom call before, so you spend less time explaining links, apps, and audio settings. Screen sharing, breakout rooms, whiteboards, chat, and recording cover the core meeting job well.

The free Basic plan allows up to 100 participants, with group meetings capped at 40 minutes and local recording only. Pro costs $16.99 per user per month, or $14.16 per user per month billed annually, and raises meetings to 30 hours with cloud recording and fuller AI Companion access. Business costs $21.99 per user per month, or $18.33 billed annually, and raises participants to 300. If you host long external calls often, Pro is the plan most small teams need.

Google Meet is the best value pick if you already use Gmail, Calendar, and Drive. Guests can join from a browser without installing an app, and Calendar creates a Meet link with a meeting invite in one step. Live captions, screen sharing, and noise cancellation cover everyday team calls without a learning curve.

The free plan allows up to 100 participants, with group meetings capped at 60 minutes and no recording. Paid access comes through Google Workspace, with Business Starter at $7 per user per month, Business Standard at $14 per user per month, and Business Plus at $22 per user per month in recent listings. Standard is the plan most growing teams need, since it adds recording, breakout rooms, and higher participant limits.

Microsoft Teams is the right pick when your team already works in Word, Excel, Outlook, and OneDrive. Meetings sit next to persistent chat, channels, and files, so a decision made on a call can stay linked to the channel where work continues. That one-workspace design is the main advantage over a video-only tool.

The free plan allows meetings up to 60 minutes with up to 100 participants and 5 GB of cloud storage per user. Teams Essentials costs $4 per user per month billed annually and raises meetings to 30 hours with 300 participants, while Microsoft 365 Business Basic costs $7 per user per month billed annually and adds business email and 1 TB of storage. If you already pay for Microsoft 365, Teams is often the cheapest good option, since you are not buying video twice.

Webex, from Cisco, is the enterprise pick in this list. It offers strong security, admin controls, and compliance options that matter in government, health care, finance, and large companies. It also works well with Cisco room hardware, which helps hybrid teams that meet in physical rooms as well as online.

The free plan allows unlimited meetings up to 40 minutes each, with up to 100 attendees, screen sharing, whiteboards, and local recording. Paid plans in recent listings start with Webex Meet at $14.50 per user per month and Webex Suite at $27 per user per month, with Enterprise priced by sales. Small teams that only need simple video will find Zoom or Meet easier, but regulated teams should shortlist Webex early.

GoTo Meeting is a solid business pick for teams that value reliability over a long feature list. Joining is simple, audio dial-in options help guests with poor internet, and screen sharing, chat, and drawing tools cover most presentation needs. It has been a business meeting tool for years, and that maturity shows in stable calls.

There is no permanent free plan, only a free trial, so budget from the start. Professional costs $12 per organizer per month billed annually, with 150 participants, while Business costs $16 to $19 per organizer per month in recent listings, depending on billing, with 250 participants and unlimited cloud recording. If you need a free tier, pick Zoom, Meet, or Jitsi instead. If you need a dependable paid tool for client calls, GoTo deserves a trial.

Whereby is a good pick for freelancers, coaches, consultants, and small teams that meet clients in a browser. You can set a custom room link, share it like a web address, and let guests join without installing an app or creating an account. That low friction matters when a client is not technical or is joining from a locked-down work device.

The free plan covers basic meetings, while paid plans in recent listings start at $10.99 per user per month, with higher tiers for larger rooms and more controls. Whereby is not the cheapest tool for a large internal team, and it lacks some enterprise controls found in Teams or Webex. For one-to-one and small group client calls, its simplicity is the point.

Zoho Meeting is the budget pick for small businesses, especially those already using Zoho apps for CRM, mail, or projects. The free plan covers basic video meetings, and paid plans in recent listings start at $1 to $3 per user per month, depending on plan and billing, which is far below most rivals. Recording, polls, and screen sharing are available on paid plans.

The low price comes with limits. Participant caps and webinar features are more modest than Zoom Business or Teams, and the integration range is narrower. If your team is small, your meetings are internal or with a few clients, and you already use Zoho, the value is hard to beat. If you run large webinars or need deep integrations, compare Zoom or GoTo first.

RingCentral Video suits teams that want meetings and business phone service from one vendor. Instead of paying for a video tool plus a separate phone system, you get video, team messaging, phone, and AI meeting notes in a RingEX bundle. That single bill and single admin panel can simplify IT for a growing small business.

The catch is pricing clarity. RingCentral sells bundles, not a simple standalone video price in all markets, so check the current RingEX plan page for your region and seat count before you budget. A free trial is available, which is the best way to test call quality, phone features, and AI notes together. If you only need video, a video-only tool will be simpler and often cheaper.

Jitsi Meet is the best truly free option for simple calls. You can create a room, share a link, and let guests join from a browser without an account or a subscription. It is open source, so teams with technical skills can also self-host it for more control, privacy, and custom limits.

The trade-offs are support and scale. The public service is best for small and medium meetings, and very large meetings may perform better on a paid tool or a self-hosted setup. There are no built-in AI meeting summaries, webinar tools, or enterprise admin panels like those in Zoom, Teams, or Webex. For a free class, community group, or quick team call, Jitsi is hard to beat on price and simplicity.