Remote work and hybrid work arrangements — a trend that took off during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic — have become the new standard. As the popularity of remote work and cross-border collaboration grew, it underlined the need for video conferencing software to enable business teams to hold online meetings and communicate effectively regardless of physical location.
If you’re looking for a video conferencing tool and have narrowed your choices to Webex vs. Zoom, stick around for this in-depth comparison.
This article will help you decide by comparing Webex and Zoom — two leading platforms for hosting virtual meetings — regarding main features and capabilities, pricing plans, ease of use, customer support, and security.
Webex vs. Zoom in a nutshell
According to the State of Remote Work report from 2023, more than half of the workforce has adopted remote work, with 64% of people working fully remotely — up from 49% in 2022.
Since communication and collaboration among teams are crucial for remote work, cloud-based communication software with video conferencing capabilities is considered an integral part of workplace communication.
Video conferencing software had a market penetration of 68% in 2023 — with Zoom as one of the leading players. In addition to Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex Meetings is one of Zoom’s main video conferencing software market competitors.
As unified communications platforms, Cisco Webex and Zoom were developed to combine audio-only calls and real-time chat with online meetings and video conferences. So, it shouldn’t be surprising that both platforms offer the same standard features you’d expect to see in other popular video conferencing services.
That said, if you need an all-in-one business platform that goes beyond these capabilities and supports collaboration and project management, Lark is an alternative worth considering.
It’s worth noting that Webex is older than Zoom; it was first released in 1996 — while Zoom’s beta version became available in 2012.
But while Webex is a well-established name in the video conferencing market with a solid reputation for security, Zoom experienced massive growth during the COVID-19 pandemic. It ranks as one of the most popular video conferencing tools on the market and currently holds a market share of 57%.
Webex vs. Zoom: Which has the best features?
As you compare the two popular video conferencing platforms in terms of basic features and capabilities, you’ll notice quite a few similarities — including real-time chat, collaboration tools, and standard video conferencing features for businesses. Besides these shared features, Zoom and Webex have another common feature: their availability on iOS and Android.
However, there are some notable differences, as well — especially when it comes to premium features. So, it’s best to start this comparison by closely examining Webex’s and Zoom’s range of features.
Let’s start with Cisco Webex’s main features:
Video conferencing with a meeting duration limit of 40 minutes for free users and up to 24 hours with paid plans
Up to 100 attendees for free users, with the participant capacity limit going up to 200 with Webex Meet and Webex Suite plans and up to 1,000 with Webex’s Enterprise plan
Interactive whiteboards
Live polling and Q&A
In-session file transfer with a 2GB file size limit
Real-time screen sharing
Live streaming to YouTube and Facebook
Breakout Sessions
Meeting recordings (local and cloud storage)
Unlimited team and private chat with audio and video messaging
Advanced noise removal and HD audio quality
Virtual backgrounds
Closed captions, meeting highlights, and post-meeting transcripts
And now, let’s take a look at Zoom’s most notable features:
40 minutes of meeting time for free users and up to 30 hours per meeting with paid plans
Zoom meetings with 100 participants with Basic and Pro plans, 300 participants for Business and Business Plus, and 500 participants for Enterprise plan customers (1,000 with Enterprise Plus)
Local and cloud recordings of Zoom meetings with 5 to 10GB of cloud storage (unlimited for Enterprise customers)
File sharing
Direct and team chat messages
Virtual backgrounds
Interactive tools, including whiteboards
Collaboration features such as co-annotation while screen sharing and Breakout Rooms, which allow users to split meetings into up to 50 separate sessions
Automated captions
Live streaming to YouTube, Facebook, and other third-party platforms (for comparison, Cisco Webex is limited to YouTube and Facebook only)
Plus, both platforms have their version of AI-powered assistants — Zoom’s AI Companion and Webex Assistant.
We’ve focused mostly on video conferencing — primarily because remote teams are typically required to engage in video calls, with 52% spending up to five hours in meetings during the work week.
However, it’s worth adding that both platforms have additional features — namely, audio conferencing and telephony services — available through Zoom’s add-on audio plan and Webex’s premium calling features.
Webex vs. Zoom: Which has the best integrations?
According to the 2023 State of SaaSOps report, there’s been a slowdown in SaaS adoption — and yet, the number of SaaS solutions used by businesses still grew by 18% compared to 2022, averaging around 130 apps.
Finding a way to consistently manage all these different apps, with their settings, features, and configurations, is a major challenge for as much as 42% of respondents. So, it’s no surprise that controlling SaaS sprawl and optimizing the SaaS portfolio remains a priority.
If your team is managing a growing SaaS portfolio, integrations with third-party tools should be crucial when deciding between Webex and Zoom.
With that said, Zoom has a definite edge here:
The Zoom App Marketplace features over 2,000 apps — including collaboration tools like Google Drive, Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams, Asana, ClickUp, and Slack — and supports third-party integrations through Zapier. Zoom also integrates with Lark, supporting collaboration and communication among remote teams.
Speaking of Lark, it might not be able to compete with Zoom in terms of available integrations — but it doesn’t have to.
Lark’s goal is to reduce your reliance on third-party apps and minimize context switching — and it does so by boasting plenty of native features and a centralized notifications hub.
As for Webex’s app integrations, you’ll have access to hundreds of tools within the App Hub — including Miro, Salesforce, Jira, and Google Drive — and an extended list of third-party integrations with Zapier.
While Zoom users may have access to a longer list of available apps, Webex gives you the unique option to build bots and integrations through APIs.
Webex vs. Zoom: Which has the best pricing?
One thing that Webex and Zoom have in common is that both platforms offer a free plan.
Webex Free is limited to a 40-minute meeting with up to 100 participants; you also get unlimited messaging, screen sharing, whiteboards, and local meeting recordings.
Like Webex, Zoom’s free plan, Basic, has a 40-minute limit with 100 attendees and includes team chat and local meeting recordings. However, the free plan limits Zoom users to three whiteboards.
The differences become more apparent as we move away from lower-tier plans:
Webex has three paid plans — Webex Meet, Webex Suite, and Webex Enterprise — with the lowest-tier plan starting at $14.50.
Upgrading to a paid plan increases the meeting capacity and duration to 24 hours per meeting with up to 200 participants. Plus, it includes 10GB of cloud storage, the option to transfer files during meetings, and post-meeting transcripts. Enterprise customers can join online video meetings with up to 1,000 participants, stream on YouTube and Facebook Live, unlimited cloud storage for recordings, and other advanced features.
As for paid Zoom plans, you have four options — Pro, Business, Business Plus, and Enterprise — starting at $14.99 per user per month.
Here, the limit for Zoom meetings increases to 30 hours, while the number of participants goes up to 300 for Business and Business Plus plan customers and 500 participants for Enterprise plan customers.
Lark is not only more affordable — the Pro plan costs $12 a month — but has a more generous free plan, too. The Starter plan is free for up to 50 people and includes unlimited chat, 100GB of storage, and a meeting duration of 60 minutes — compared to Webex’s and Zoom’s 40-minute limit.
It’s worth noting that tech spending has steadily risen over the last couple of years — and we’ll likely see this growth trend continue in 2024, too.
An increase in global spending on web conferencing and collaboration software is expected. However, there’s no need to add more unnecessary apps to your existing SaaS app portfolio — not when all-in-one solutions like Lark are available.
And if we zone in on collaboration software, we can see the same growth trends.
Global spending on web conferencing software and other collaboration apps reached $33.9 billion in 2022 — 14.6% more than in 2021.
Webex vs. Zoom: Which has the best customer service?
Assisted and self-service channels are crucial for ensuring a seamless customer experience — which, according to Gartner, fuels the adoption of cloud contact center as a service (CCaaS), with the CCaaS market reaching $10.9 billion in 2023.
Regarding customer support, both Cisco Webex and Zoom offer several ways for users to reach out and get help with the issues they’re experiencing. The downside is that, on both platforms, the free and lower-tier plan limits customer support to self-service channels — namely, knowledge bases and other community resources.
Cisco Webex limits free users to Help Center support only; you’ll have to upgrade to a paid plan to submit case forms online, access chat support, or talk to an expert. On the plus side, you’ll have access to the Cisco Webex Community and a Chat Assistant that can answer some basic questions — or direct you to someone who can.
The use of chatbots in customer service is relatively common; 54% of surveyed organizations already utilize some form of AI — and Webex and Zoom are among them.
Aside from chatbots, Zoom’s free users get access to Zoom Community and Resource Library. As for live chat and phone support, it’s limited to subscription plans that exceed $50 and $200, respectively — while Business, Business Plus, and Enterprise users also have the option to book a video meeting with an agent if their subscription exceeds $200.
If you expect more out of customer support — even as a free user — consider giving Lark a try. You’ll not only have access to the Lark Academy with video courses and a knowledge base, but 24/7 online customer support, too.
Webex vs Zoom: Which is the easiest to use?
When it comes to ease of use — which, along with value and scalability, is a priority for most software buyers — it’s clear that both platforms offer more or less similar user interfaces.
Zoom’s meeting interface is intuitive and streamlined; it’s easy to navigate, select the desired features, and schedule meetings.
And while Webex has devoted time to improving its interface, some users — especially those new to the Cisco platform — may find the overall user experience less streamlined than Zoom. On the plus side, with Cisco Webex, larger businesses get an Enterprise-level free trial with 90 days to explore its most advanced features.
More than 80% of software buyers prioritize app integrations with existing solutions when choosing new software, and as much as 84% prefer to use a single solution rather than multiple tools. That’s what gives Lark an advantage here:
It is a comprehensive productivity suite that combines a wide range of features and tools. You’ll have access to video conferencing, one-on-one and team chat, real-time collaboration, project management, workflow automation, and more — all within one user-friendly interface — reducing reliance on third-party apps.
There’s also the element of familiarity:
Zoom has gained wide popularity and recognition — especially in recent years — and users are likely more familiar with Zoom than Webex, which can reduce the learning curve and contribute to a smoother onboarding process.
Speaking of onboarding, both tools allow invited participants to join in on meetings and calls without creating an account, which adds to the convenience.
So, while the two platforms have relatively similar features, Zoom’s user-friendly interface and popularity might give it a slight advantage.
Webex vs. Zoom: Which is the most secure and compliant?
In terms of security and compliance, both platforms offer robust features. And while Webex generally has a stronger reputation in this department, the choice comes down to specific regulatory requirements and user preferences.
Webex boasts a strong security foundation thanks to the Cisco Secure Development Lifecycle (CSDL). It ensures end-to-end encryption utilizing Advanced Encryption Standards (AES) 128, AES 256, Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA), and Transport Layer Security (TLS) — with additional Zero-Trust end-to-end encryption — and supports password-enforced meeting connection on all subscription levels.
It also maintains compliance with key regulations, including HIPAA, FERPA, and GDPR — along with FedRAMP authorization, ensuring the strongest security measures.
This approach significantly minimizes the risk of unauthorized access, enhancing protection against potential threats.
Like Webex, Zoom relies on 256-bit AES for meeting encryption — with optional end-to-end encryption for added security — has two-factor authentication (2FA) and adheres to privacy laws, including GDPR and CCPA. It also mandates password-enforced meeting connections or the use of Waiting Rooms to prevent unauthorized access.
Speaking of shared features, it’s worth noting that both platforms support Single Sign-On (SSO) — which is a huge plus, considering that many larger businesses these days rely on remote teams and external users, making SSO a necessity.
According to Forrester, roughly 22% of US adults say they would stop doing business with a company in case of a breach that exposed customers' data. If you’re one of them, the fact that Zoom was involved in more than one lawsuit over vulnerability and privacy concerns may be troubling.
In 2020, Zoom agreed to an $85 million settlement for a class-action lawsuit following 14 complaints filed by users over “Zoombombing” incidents and privacy and security violations. That same year, a shareholder sued Zoom for concealing software encryption flaws and vulnerabilities — along with unauthorized sharing of customers’ personal data with third-party platforms like Facebook.
Webex vs Zoom: Which is right for you?
According to a 2022 report on video conferencing, 83.13% of respondents spend up to 12 hours in weekly meetings. It’s clear why choosing the right video conferencing platform for your team is so important.
While Zoom and Cisco Webex can be great choices, Lark has a unique advantage — the comprehensive, complete-package approach to collaboration.
Lark is an all-in-one productivity tool, integrating features like Meetings and Rooms that can replace Zoom, Webex, and similar apps.
More importantly, it goes beyond video conferencing capabilities with advanced features and tools — including Base, Calendar, Docs, and Email — that support collaboration and reduce reliance on third-party integrations.
While 57,24% of companies tend to choose Zoom, 62% of companies still use more than one video conferencing platform, switching between two to three apps.
By combining a wide range of productivity tools and advanced features for collaboration into a single platform, Lark eliminates the need for constant switching between several different apps. That streamlines workflows, promotes a more cohesive work environment, and helps businesses save time and resources.
Conclusion
Webex and Zoom, as two leading UCaaS solutions, are both packed with powerful features and should be able to meet most of your team’s video conferencing needs. In that sense, your choice comes down to your budget, personal preference, and meeting length and capacity requirements.
That said, if your team is already struggling with a growing SaaS app portfolio, instead of trying to decide between Webex and Zoom. You’ll get all must-have productivity and collaboration tools in one easy-to-use app.
Keep reading:
Lark vs. Microsoft Teams: Which Communication and Collaboration Tool is Right for Your Business?
Google Meet vs. Zoom: In-Depth 2024 Comparison and Breakdown
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