Best Zoom Alternatives in 2026 (Free & Paid Video Calling)
Zoom became synonymous with video calls during the pandemic and remains dominant. But the landscape has shifted — Google Meet and Microsoft Teams are included in suites many businesses already pay for, and AI meeting tools have made the recording + transcription layer far more capable. Here are the best Zoom alternatives. Read our full Zoom review →
Why look for Zoom alternatives?
- Zoom Pro at $15.99/month adds up, especially when Google Meet is free for Workspace users
- Meeting recordings and transcription are add-ons rather than built-in on lower plans
- AI meeting tools like Fathom and Otter.ai add notes and summaries that Zoom lacks
- Async-first teams prefer Loom for recorded updates over live video calls
Top Zoom Alternatives at a Glance
| Tool | Score | Free Plan | Paid from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fathom TOP PICK | 89/100 | Free (unlimited calls and recordings for individuals) | Fathom for Teams from $15/mo per user |
| Fireflies.ai | 87/100 | Free plan (800 min transcription storage) | From $10/mo per user |
| Otter.ai Review 2026 | 86/100 | Free up to 300 minutes/month | Pro $16.99/mo · Business $30/user/mo |
| TL;DV | 84/100 | Free plan (unlimited recordings) | From $18/mo per user |
| Granola | 83/100 | Free plan (25 meetings) | From $10/mo |
The Best Zoom Alternatives, Reviewed
Fathom
Fathom is an AI meeting assistant known for its generous free plan and exceptional summary quality. It records and transcribes Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams calls, then generates clean AI summaries, action items, and follow-up emails — entirely free for individual users.
- free AI meeting notes
- meeting summaries
- follow-up email generation
Fireflies.ai
Fireflies.ai is an AI meeting assistant that automatically joins your calls, records and transcribes conversations in real-time, and generates searchable summaries with action items. It integrates with Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, and 20+ CRMs — making it a powerful tool for sales and operations teams.
- meeting transcription
- action item tracking
- CRM integration from calls
Otter.ai Review 2026
Otter.ai has changed how small teams run meetings. Automatic transcription, AI summary, and action item extraction mean you never lose a decision from a meeting again. The Zoom and Teams integrations work seamlessly.
TL;DV
TL;DV (Too Long; Didn’t Watch) is an AI meeting recorder that captures, transcribes, and lets you clip shareable highlight reels from your calls. It’s particularly popular with product and sales teams who need to share specific meeting moments across their organisation without requiring everyone to watch full recordings.
- meeting recording
- highlight clip sharing
- call transcription
Granola
Granola is an AI notepad for meetings that enhances your own jottings with AI rather than replacing them. You take sparse notes during a call, and Granola uses the full transcript to flesh them out into polished, structured meeting notes that still read as if you wrote them.
- AI meeting notepad
- personalised meeting summaries
- note enhancement
Which Zoom alternative is right for you?
- If you want the best overall alternative: go with Fathom
- If you need a free option: check which tools have a free plan in the table above
- If you’re coming from Zoom and need a smooth migration: Fireflies.ai is the closest in workflow
- For the full ranked list: AI Meeting & Productivity Guide →
Frequently asked questions
See all Video Calls tools ranked
Every tool scored 0–100. No affiliate bias.