Is Zoom Workplace free? The simple answer is you can use one version of Zoom Workplace for free, but if you want to access more features and functionality, you’ll need a paid subscription.

Just like Microsoft Teams, and Google Workplace, Zoom Workspace has its own (slightly limited) free plan. In fact, Zoom has always offered customers a free version of its video conferencing and collaboration software, even before it introduced the new “Workplace” branding.

However, like any free version of a collaboration tool, it’s worth remembering that the free plan does have some limitations. Zoom wouldn’t be a very profitable company if it gave all of its features away for free. So, is the free version of Zoom Workplace worthwhile? Should you consider upgrading to a paid subscription? Here’s everything you need to know.

Zoom Workplace Pricing

Zoom Workplace offers one free plan and a selection of premium plans designed to address different business needs. Pricing outside of the free plan ranges from $13.32 per month per user to $22.49 per month per user, with a custom price for larger organizations.

Before we dive into what the free Workplace plan includes (as well as what you get with the paid subscriptions), it’s worth noting that Zoom Workplace is a specific service. It’s not just another word for Zoom Meetings or Zoom Video Conferencing.

Zoom Workplace includes most of the top essential features of Zoom’s wider technology platform, such as Meetings, Chat, Zoom Notes, Calendar, Mail, and Zoom Clips. However, exactly what you get from your Workplace subscription depends on your plan.

All Zoom Workplace plans include HD voice and 1080p video conferencing, TLS encryption for security, and access to a range of features like breakout rooms, screen sharing, and virtual backgrounds. However, the more you pay for your plan, the more features you’ll get.

As an example, Zoom AI Companion, is only available to users on paid plans, along with the advanced version of Zoom Whiteboard, and various other tools.

Plus, on all Zoom Workplace plans, you’ll need to pay extra for certain features, such as Zoom Phone, Events and Webinars, Zoom Rooms, and the Zoom Contact Center tools.

What’s Included in the Free Plan?

Ultimately, the answer to “Is Zoom Workplace Free?” is “Yes, if you only want basic features.”

Zoom “Basic”, is Zoom’s free plan, intended for a single user. This plan is an evolution of the previous free plan users could access for “Zoom Meetings.” The functionality is similar to what you’d expect from Google Workplace’s free plan or the free one from Microsoft Teams.

With the Basic plan, you’ll get a convenient conferencing solution that’s easy-to-use, intuitive, and packed with handy capabilities, such as breakout rooms. In fact, Zoom’s free plan is one of the most popular options out there for everyday conferencing.

However, there are limitations, for instance:

  • Meetings: While you can access HD voice and 1080p video in conferencing sessions, you can only host conversations for up to 40 minutes. That’s a little less than the time limit you get on Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams’ free plan.
  • Participants: In group meetings, you’re limited to 100 participants in the free plan. However, an unlimited number of people can communicate via Zoom Chat.
  • Features: Zoom’s Basic plan only includes access to a pared-down whiteboarding tool (with 3 editing boards), and a restricted version of Clips, which lets you create 5 two-minute videos. You will still get access to mail and calendar services, and Notes, however.

So essentially, if you’re just hosting the occasional short meeting online, or chatting with team members on a day-to-day basis, Zoom’s free plan is great. If you want a more comprehensive collaboration platform, intended for business users, you’ll need to upgrade.

Is Zoom Workplace Free? The Paid Plans

The free version of Zoom Workplace is a fantastic option for anyone who wants a user-friendly video conferencing and collaboration platform, but doesn’t want to spend a fortune. However, if you want to tap into all of the latest advanced features, like AI on Zoom Workplace, you’ll need to upgrade.

Upgrading to a paid plan doesn’t just give you more features, support for longer meetings, and handy apps either. It also means you can access more customer support from Zoom, and more online storage for all of your cloud-based documents and files.

Let’s take a look at the premium plans.

Zoom Workplace Pro

Intended for 1-99 users, Zoom Workplace Pro costs $13.32 per user, per month when you pay annually, or $15.99 per month, per user, when you pay monthly. This plan includes all of the features of Zoom Basic, but it eliminates some of the extra limitations.

For instance, you can host meetings for up to 30 hours on Zoom Workplace Pro, although you’ll still be limited to 100 participants. Notably, though, you can increase the participant limit with Zoom’s “large meeting” add-on (more on the Zoom add-ons later).

Zoom Workplace Pro also comes with 5GB of storage per license, and an upgraded version of Zoom Clips, which allows you to create unlimited videos. One of the biggest benefits of this plan, however, are the fact that you can access Zoom AI Companion, Zoom’s free tool for meeting notes, summarization, and generative AI support.

Additionally, Zoom Workplace Pro comes with access to a range of free “Essential Apps” for Zoom, for 1 year. So, it’s great if you want to expand the functionality of the platform. For business users, you’ll also get access to analytical reporting tools, social media streaming capabilities, and advanced customer service.

Zoom Workplace Business

Designed for companies with 10-250 users, Zoom Workplace Business is the second, slightly more expensive upgrade from Zoom Workplace Free. It costs $18.32 per month per user when you pay annually, or $21.99 per month, per user, when you pay monthly.

This plan gives you all the functionality you’d get in the “Pro” plan, but you can also include up to 300 participants in a meeting, and increase that again with the Large Meeting add-on. Beyond that, you’ll get live chat support, and a phone support option, for better customer service.

The Whiteboarding feature on Zoom also gains an upgrade with this plan, giving you unlimited boards to work with. There’s also an included “Zoom Scheduler” package, so you can organize your team meetings more efficiently with Zoom Rooms.

Additionally, the Business plan includes a lot of great features that make it perfect for enterprise users, such as SSO for security, managed domains, and a comprehensive admin portal. I’d definitely recommend this plan as the go-to for companies that want to use Zoom Workplace regularly.

Zoom Workplace Business Plus

Zoom Workplace Business Plus, is the first Zoom plan, after Zoom Workplace Free, that includes access to Zoom’s VoIP system (Zoom Phone). This plan starts at $22.49 per user per month when you pay annually or $26.99 per user per month when you pay monthly.

Notably, while Zoom Phone is included, you only get unlimited regional calls. If you want to access extra calling features, you’ll need to purchase a Zoom Phone add-on separately. Alongside unlimited internal calling, Business Plus comes with all the Business plan features.

You’ll also get 10GB of cloud storage per license, free translated captions for your calls and meetings, and access to Zoom’s Workplace Reservations too. Plus, Visitor Management is included if you need to organize and track guests in your workplace.

Zoom’s Enterprise Plan

Similar to most Enterprise-focused plans offered by companies like Google and Microsoft Teams, Zoom Workplace Enterprise doesn’t have a set price. You’ll need to contact the sales team for a quote based on your specific requirements.

This plan is intended for companies that need at least 250 licenses for Zoom’s tools, and it comes with all of the features of Business Plus, along with some bonus extras. For instance, you can have up to 1,000 participants in each meeting, and access unlimited cloud storage.

The Zoom Phone functionality is upgraded too, giving you a fully-featured PBX, with endless calling options based on your specific needs. You’ll also be able to bundle in Zoom Rooms, Zoom Webinars, and various additional extras that would usually require add-ons.

As you might expect, customer support gets a boost too. Each enterprise customer is assigned their own customer success manager, to ensure they can make the most of their new technology.

Is Zoom Workplace Free? Other Pricing Considerations

If you do decide to upgrade from Zoom Workplace Free, then its worth noting there are other “pricing points” to keep in mind too. For instance, Zoom offers access to a range of industry-specific plans that include certain tools, tuned to the needs of each sector.

There are Zoom Workplace plans for Education, which range from $90, to $3,400 per year, per license, offering access to Zoom Workplace, Phone, Webinars, and Zoom Rooms.

Healthcare plans, starting at $159.90 per user, per year give medical companies a unique version of Zoom Workplace to experiment with. Plus, there are Zoom Developer plans, offered in prepaid and pay-as-you-go formats.

Outside of industry-specific options, there are also various add-ons you can explore to enhance your Zoom Workplace experience, such as:

  • Large Meetings: From $50 per month: Increases participant limits to 1,000
  • Zoom Scheduler: From $5.99 per month: Enables meeting scheduling
  • Zoom Clips Plus: $6.99 per month: Unlocks full access to Zoom Clips
  • Cloud storage: From $10 per month: Extra storage in the Zoom Cloud
  • Zoom Whiteboard: From $2.49 per month: Enables full access to whiteboarding
  • Translated captions: $5 per month, per user
  • Audio conferencing: From $100 per month: Allows users to dial into meetings
  • Zoom Phone Power Pack: From $25 per month: Enhanced insights and call queue analytics
  • Conference Room Connector: $49 per month: Enables standards-based video conferencing
  • Zoom Compliance Manager: $6 per month: Introduces new compliance solutions for archiving, risk management, eDiscovery, data governance, and legal hold.

Plus, it’s worth noting that third-party apps for Zoom (not including the Essential apps included for free for 1 year on paid plans), may incur additional monthly fees.

Which Plan is Right for You?

So, is Zoom Workplace free? Yes, and no. You can access some core features of Zoom Workplace for free with a Basic plan. However, you’ll face a few limitations. You won’t be able to access all of the features that Zoom has to offer on the free plan, and you’ll be restricted in the length of your meetings, and the number of participants that can get involved.

However, Zoom’s free plan is still an excellent choice for anyone who wants basic functionality, or just an opportunity to test the Zoom ecosystem.

You can sign up for a Zoom Workplace free account today, and simply upgrade your subscription whenever you need more functionality. Visit the Zoom Pricing page here for more information about all of your Workspace options.

 

 

 



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