Video Conferencing

Alternatives to video conferencing tools like Zoom, Google Meet, and Webex. Find free and self-hosted options for video calls and virtual meetings.

Popular Video Conferencing Tools

Zoom

Video conferencing and virtual meeting platform

Free (40-min limit)
  • 40-minute limit on free group meetings
  • Privacy concerns and past security issues

Google Meet

Video conferencing integrated with Google Workspace

Free (60-min limit)
  • 60-minute limit on free group calls
  • Fewer features than Zoom — no breakout rooms on lower tiers

Cisco Webex

Enterprise video conferencing and collaboration platform by Cisco

Free (40-min limit)
  • UI feels enterprise-heavy and less intuitive than Zoom or Meet
  • Desktop app is resource-intensive and slow to launch

Alternatives in Video Conferencing

Jitsi Meet

Free, open-source video conferencing with no account required

Open Source

Free and open-source, self-hosted or public instance

  • No account required to join meetings
  • End-to-end encryption support
  • Self-hostable for complete control

Cal.com Video

Open-source video conferencing built into scheduling

Open Source

Free and open-source, cloud from $12/user/mo

  • Open-source and self-hostable
  • Integrated with Cal.com scheduling
  • No per-user licensing for video calls

BigBlueButton

Open-source virtual classroom and web conferencing system

Open Source

Free and open-source, pay only for hosting infrastructure

  • Built for education with whiteboards and breakout rooms
  • No per-user licensing fees
  • Interactive polls, shared notes, and hand-raising

Whereby

Browser-based video meetings with no downloads or installs required

Freemium

Free for up to 4 participants, Pro from $6/mo

  • No downloads — fully browser-based for all participants
  • Permanent meeting room URLs you can reuse
  • Customizable branding on meeting rooms

Galene

Lightweight, self-hosted video conferencing server

Open Source

Free and open-source (MIT license)

  • Extremely lightweight — runs on minimal hardware
  • Simple deployment with no external dependencies
  • Supports multiple groups and access control