Zoom and Webex are both dedicated conferencing solutions for consumers and businesses. There are some slight differences between the products, with Zoom being a newer option that has exploded with home users and Webex being a long-standing business provider.
The lines have been blurring in the past few years with the popularity of Zoom increasing and businesses looking for cost-saving and newer features. As a result, Zoom and Webex are becoming fierce competitors, and both are worth looking into.
We’ll review what each product offers and how well they provide it to make an informed decision on which will be best for you.
| Zoom | Webex | |
| Cost | Free – $19.99/month per user | Free – $26.95/month per user |
| Participants | Up to 100 users | Up to 500 users |
| Support | Online Support for free Phone Support for paid Account Manager for Enterprise |
Online Support for free Phone Support during business hours 24-7 for Enterprise |
| Conferencing Features | HD Video / Voice Screen Sharing Whiteboarding |
HD Video / Voice Screen Sharing Whiteboarding |
| Web Features | Private & Group Chats Host Controls Recording Chrome & Outlook Plug-Ins |
Multimedia Content Sharing Browser Plugins Recording Host Controls Toll-Free & Toll Dial-In Around The World |
| Supported Integrations | Google Drive Dropbox Infusionsoft Many More… |
Microsoft Office Zendesk Google Calendar Many More… |
Zoom vs. Webex: Pricing
The pricing is similar for lower plans but starts to increase significantly for Webex as your requirements grow. It also forces a minimum license count, whereas Zoom allows you to buy individual licensing.
| Zoom | Webex | |
| Free | Free. 100 participants for 40 minutes. | Free. 100 participants for 50 minutes. |
| Small Business Plan | $14.99 / month for 100 participants. | $13.50 / month for 150 participants. |
| Medium Business Plan | $19.99 / month with 10 licenses required for 300 participants. | $26.95 / month for 200 participants. |
| Large Business Plan | $19.99 / month with 100 licenses required for 500 participants. | Custom Pricing |
| Enterprise Plan | Custom Pricing | Custom Pricing |
Who is Zoom Best Suited For?
Anybody can use zoom, and they’ll have a good experience in most cases. If you’re familiar with Webex, you may find Zoom a little annoying, but will get used to it and figure out the slight differences.
Zoom is also a better option for webinars for small businesses that need a lot of participants while keeping costs low.
As a collaboration tool, it’s a superior product to Webex; the features for interaction with participants are easier to use and more advanced.
Zoom has also become very familiar with regular people outside of the business world trying to meet and interact with family and friends in the past few years due to the free option and great features available.
Zoom Pros
- Available across all devices and even browser access with no app install needed.
- Edit past recordings so you can cut out unneeded information for review or training.
- Popular among consumers and businesses so is becoming well-known and easy to use for everybody. A “common” option that everybody knows.
Zoom Cons
- Considered user-friendly and intuitive, but features and buttons are hidden and disappear if your mouse is idle.
- Privacy and security issues have been very common in the past few years. With many private conferences being accessed.
- The free version is limited to max participants and times.
Who is Webex Best Suited For?
While Webex offers a free feature, it’s most commonly suited for businesses that need to conduct meetings without a lot of interaction outside of talking. In addition, the security and confidence in Webex are much higher as it’s a long-standing business tool that hasn’t had many high-profile issues.
The dial-in features for numerous countries is also a significant bonus with webex when you have many different countries calling into a conference and don’t want to pay high fees for doing so.
Webex Pros
- Record meetings locally and to the cloud for sharing and review.
- You can join from mobile apps (iOS/Android), call in, or through your computer.
- Dial-in numbers around the world so anybody can join.
- Two-way whiteboard for collaboration
Webex Cons
- One of the more expensive conference providers
- Free plans have limited attendees allowed.
- You must install the app to attend a meeting.
Zoom vs. Webex: Features
Zoom and Webex have very similar features because they perform almost the same job, with a few differences based on how they’ve evolved. Webex is really an enterprise-class product, where Zoom started as a personal conferencing solution that is being adapted to the enterprise.
We can review some of the key features to see how each product stacks up.
Video Quality
Multiple tests for independent reviews have shown Zoom has superior video quality. However, if you provide webinars and services, then Zoom may be a better option; Webex video quality is acceptable for business meetings.
Until I officially reviewed these products, I’ve never noticed a difference in the video quality provided by either solution, and I’ve never had any issue with the sound quality either.
Capacity
Zoom can handle 100 users and up to 1000 easily, while Webex can handle 500 users and up to 1000 users easily. So they’re comparable.
Webex events can handle 3000 users, while Zoom can handle 50,000. So that is a very large difference, and if you need more than 3000 users, then Zoom would be your best choice.
This capacity difference and the pricing model also showcases why Zoom is a better small business option. For example, if you are providing a webinar or training to a massive number of users but you’re an individual, you can do this easier with Zoom; Webex could end up costing way too much.
Conference Features
Both Zoom and Webex provide very similar features. However, Zoom does have a unique feature called break-out conferencing, where you can take split your larger conference into breakout rooms. This is an excellent feature for training or even where meetings are becoming too large with differing requirements of attendees.
Security Features
Both Zoom and Webex encrypt your conferences, but Zoom has a telehealth solution that is HIPAA compliant, which is an excellent feature for doctors’ offices or other health professionals. However, one big issue with security is that Zoom has had numerous problems with uninvited attendees accessing conference rooms.
This may have been fixed now, but Webex is an enterprise solution with a lot more confidence in its security. With businesses still hesitant to consider it in the enterprise.
Zoom vs. Webex: User Experience
One of the biggest online complaints is that Zoom is intuitive and Webex is hard to use. As a frequent user of both, but Webex was my first conferencing tool, I find Webex to be a better and easier to use product. Zoom can be intuitive, but many of its features can become hidden in an effort to be clean.
I use Zoom daily now and still find it difficult when trying to navigate and collaborate with people, whereas Webex is straightforward and standard. This is perhaps due to how many years I used Webex and the slight differences.
Webex leaves everything out in the open and easy to access. Zoom hides things to keep everything clean. So depending on your preference, you can find either a better option.
Users that are used to Webex may continue to prefer it, and new users may find Zoom to be a better and more intuitive option.
Zoom vs. Webex: Verdict
Zoom and Webex can be used interchangeably in most situations. Zoom is starting to build features for specific industries and resolve issues that plagued it in the past few years, especially around security.
Zoom comes out as the winner in the comparison even though it’s the new player on the market.
Zoom vs. Webex: Which is Better?
When comparing Zoom and Webex, you need to set aside your historical preference—if you’re like me and have used Webex for a long time, then learning something new and slightly different can be annoying but not really a significant issue.
Webex is an enterprise-class conference solution where you need to be sure of stability and security. There aren’t many businesses that block Webex from being used or accessed, so it’s an almost universally accepted option to collaborate with other people.
Click here to start your Webex experience.
Zoom is the new player on the market and is bringing a lot of great features, competitive pricing, and a more intuitive interface that new conference users like over Webex. However, a big problem with Zoom is due to the initial security issues it had and the trust it lost due to them.
Click here to start your Zoom journey.
Many businesses have banned and blocked via security protocols the user and access of Zoom meetings. So as a business user that needs to interact with many different companies, Zoom is simply not an option at the moment.
I recommend using Zoom if this is an internal conference solution and you want better collaboration options. However, if you are dealing with different companies, then Webex would be the best option that will be more accepted.