1v1 Pricing Showdown
Webex by Cisco vs Zoom
Side-by-side pricing breakdown for Video Conferencing decision-makers
Prices in USD, verified from the United States. Regional pricing may vary.
When choosing between Webex by Cisco and Zoom for your video conferencing stack, the right answer depends on three things: your budget, the specific features you actually use day-to-day, and your tolerance for renewal-price increases. Below we lay out the prices each vendor advertises today (verified against their live pricing pages), the plan limits that decide whether they'll fit your team, and the features that differ between them.
Webex by Cisco starts at $14.5/mo; Zoom starts at $13.33/mo. The cheaper headline price isn't always the cheaper total cost — renewal pricing, per-user fees, and overage charges can shift the math. Use the plan-by-plan tables below to model your actual spend.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| max participants | 1000 | 1000 |
| meeting duration | 24 hours (paid plans) | 30 hours (paid plans) |
| screen sharing | Yes | Yes |
| recording | Yes | Yes |
| breakout rooms | Yes | Yes |
| whiteboard | Yes | Yes |
| ai features | Yes | Yes |
| integrations | 200 | 2000 |
| mobile app | Yes | Yes |
| e2e encryption | Yes | Yes |
| virtual backgrounds | Yes | Yes |
| live captions | Yes | Yes |
Affiliate links — you pay the same price
Dive Deeper
About the video conferencing category
Video conferencing pricing in 2026 is defined by a single question: what does your company already pay for? If you're on Microsoft 365, Teams is included. If you're on Google Workspace, Meet is included. For everyone else, standalone pricing ranges from $4/user/mo (Teams Essentials) to $25/user/mo (Webex Suite). Free tiers are generous across the board — Zoom, Teams, Meet, and Webex all offer 100-participant meetings at $0. The competitive front has shifted to AI: Zoom bundles AI Companion on all paid plans, Google is rolling out Gemini AI across Workspace, while Microsoft charges $30/user/mo extra for Copilot. That AI pricing gap is now the biggest cost variable in the category.
How to choose between video conferencing options
Four factors determine your best fit. First, your existing stack: if you pay for Microsoft 365 Business Basic ($6/mo), Teams video is free — buying Zoom separately would be redundant spend. Same logic applies to Google Workspace users and Meet. Second, free tier duration: Teams and Meet give 60-minute group calls free, while Zoom and Webex cap at 40 minutes. Those extra 20 minutes matter for real meetings. Third, AI cost: Zoom includes meeting summaries and action items on all paid plans at no extra charge. Microsoft charges $30/user/mo for Copilot. For a 20-person team, that's $600/mo difference just for AI note-taking. Fourth, security requirements: only Webex and Zoom offer true end-to-end encryption. Google Meet does not. For regulated industries (healthcare, finance, legal), this narrows your options immediately.
Building Your Business Stack?
Decision-makers comparing tools often need more than one category. Here are related comparisons:
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Webex by Cisco cheaper than Zoom?
- Zoom is cheaper starting at $13.33/mo. Webex by Cisco starts at $14.5/mo and Zoom at $13.33/mo.
- Does Webex by Cisco or Zoom offer a free plan?
- Webex by Cisco and Zoom both offer a free plan.
- Which is better, Webex by Cisco or Zoom?
- Zoom scores 9.2/10 compared to Webex by Cisco's 7.8/10 in our analysis. Zoom ranks higher on features and value, but Webex by Cisco may suit specific use cases — see the feature comparison above.
- Is Webex by Cisco cheaper than Zoom for a team of 5?
- For a team of 5, Webex by Cisco costs $72.5/mo (5 x $14.5) and Zoom costs $66.65/mo (5 x $13.33). Zoom is the cheaper option at this team size.
- Are there other video conferencing alternatives besides Webex by Cisco and Zoom?
- Yes. Our [Video Conferencing pricing comparison](/pricing/video-conferencing/) page covers all major providers with daily-verified prices. You can also see the [cheapest video conferencing](/pricing/video-conferencing/cheapest/) for budget-focused options.