Zoom became a verb during the pandemic, and like most things that became verbs, it's hard to dislodge even when better options exist. But small teams — especially those under 20 people — often don't need Zoom's enterprise feature set, and they're increasingly unwilling to pay enterprise prices for it. When Zoom adjusted its free tier limits, I heard from three different freelance clients in the same week asking what they should switch to.
So I ran my own tests: six weeks, six tools, real video calls with clients and collaborators. Here's what I found.
Quick Picks (TL;DR)
- Google Meet — Best zero-friction option for Google Workspace users
- Microsoft Teams — Best if your team lives in Microsoft 365
- Whereby — Best for quick client calls without app installs
- Loom — Best when async video beats live meetings
- Around — Best for focused small-team standups
- Jitsi Meet — Best free, open-source, no-account option
Comparison Table
| Tool | Best for | Free plan | Starting price | Standout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Meet | Google Workspace teams | Yes | $6/user/mo (verify) | Zero setup, browser-native |
| Microsoft Teams | Microsoft 365 orgs | Yes (limited) | $4/user/mo (verify) | Deep Office integration |
| Whereby | Client-facing calls | Yes (1 room) | $6.99/user/mo (verify) | No app install for guests |
| Loom | Async video communication | Yes | $12.50/user/mo (verify) | Record + share vs. meet |
| Around | Remote team standups | No | $10/user/mo (verify) | Low-distraction UX |
| Jitsi Meet | Free, private meetings | Yes (free) | Free (verify) | No account needed |
Google Meet
Best for: Teams already using Google Workspace
If your team uses Gmail, Google Calendar, or Google Drive, Meet is the path of least resistance. Meeting links appear automatically in Calendar invites, joining is one click from a browser, and guests don't need an account. I switched a small agency I advise from Zoom to Meet about 18 months ago, and after the first week of adjustment, nobody missed Zoom.
Video quality is solid up to 1080p, and the live captioning (powered by Google's speech tech) is genuinely useful. The free plan supports 60-minute group calls — more than enough for most standups and client check-ins.
Pros: No separate app required; deep Calendar/Workspace integration; reliable video quality; strong live captions; generous free tier.
Cons: Recording requires a paid Workspace plan; breakout rooms have been slow to improve; screen sharing can lag on lower-end hardware.
Who should skip: Teams that need heavy webinar functionality or tight CRM integration — Meet is a video tool, not a sales platform.
Microsoft Teams
Best for: Organizations committed to Microsoft 365
Teams isn't just a video tool — it's Microsoft's answer to Slack plus Zoom in one product. For any business already paying for Microsoft 365, Teams is effectively free and deeply embedded in the workflow: files open in SharePoint, meetings sync with Outlook, and chat sits alongside your email.
I've seen small teams that initially resisted Teams (it does feel clunky at first) come to rely on it as their primary collaboration hub once they stopped thinking of it as "just video conferencing."
Pros: Included in Microsoft 365 subscriptions; excellent file collaboration; solid recording with transcription; large meeting capacity.
Cons: The interface is notoriously cluttered; notifications can be overwhelming; the UX for external guests is friction-heavy; mobile app lags behind competitors.
Who should skip: Teams that aren't in the Microsoft ecosystem. The value proposition disappears without Microsoft 365.
Whereby
Best for: Client calls where you don't want guests to download anything
Whereby's killer feature is simple: guests join via a browser link, no app, no account, no "please install Zoom" friction. For freelancers and consultants who do a lot of one-off client calls, this removes a genuine barrier.
I used Whereby for two months as my primary client call tool. The free plan gives you one permanent room, which is enough for most freelance workflows. The interface is minimal and calm — no toolbar overload, no pop-up notifications.
Pros: Zero-friction guest experience; permanent room URLs; clean, distraction-free interface; breakout rooms on paid plans.
Cons: No recording on the free plan; limited to a single room until you pay; screen sharing quality isn't as polished as Zoom or Meet; participant limits are lower than competitors.
Who should skip: Teams that need high-volume webinars or want deep calendar integrations.
Loom
Best for: Replacing meetings with async video
Loom deserves a spot on this list even though it's not a live meeting tool — because for a huge share of what small teams use Zoom for, an async video message is actually better. "Can you jump on a call to walk me through this?" is often a 4-minute Loom video waiting to happen.
In my workflow, I replaced roughly 30% of my scheduled calls with Loom recordings after running a deliberate experiment. Response time improved, and the recordings became searchable documentation.
Pros: Eliminates unnecessary meetings; recordings are shareable links; viewers can comment at timestamps; AI-generated transcripts on paid plans.
Cons: Doesn't replace live collaboration; free plan limits recording length; not a meeting tool for synchronous decision-making.
Who should skip: Any workflow that genuinely requires real-time discussion. Async doesn't work for everything.
Around
Best for: Small teams that want focused video without the baggage
Around built its product around the assumption that most small-team video calls don't need the full Zoom experience. The interface is minimal — floating heads instead of full-screen windows, built-in noise cancellation, and a design philosophy that tries to keep you in your flow state rather than hijacking your screen.
I tested Around with a 4-person remote team for a month of daily standups. The low-distraction format worked well for short check-ins. Less useful for longer collaborative sessions where screen sharing is the main event.
Pros: Excellent noise cancellation; designed for focus; fast to join; screen sharing is clean.
Cons: No free plan; limited integrations compared to Zoom or Teams; less well-known, so guests may hesitate.
Who should skip: Teams that regularly need large meetings or webinar capabilities.
Jitsi Meet
Best for: Privacy-conscious users who want free, no-account video
Jitsi Meet is open-source, free, and requires no account whatsoever. You create a room name, share the link, and anyone with the link joins. That's it. It's been my go-to for impromptu calls where I don't want anyone creating an account.
The hosted version (meet.jit.si) is genuinely usable for small calls, and self-hosted deployments give you complete control over your data.
Pros: Completely free; no accounts required; open-source and self-hostable; no tracking.
Cons: Video quality and stability can vary; no recording on the free hosted version; lacks the polish of commercial tools; occasional connection issues.
Who should skip: Anyone who needs enterprise reliability or advanced features like breakout rooms, recordings, or CRM integrations.
How to Choose
The right pick depends less on features and more on your existing stack:
- You're in Google Workspace → Meet, no question
- You're in Microsoft 365 → Teams, it's already paid for
- You do client-facing calls as a freelancer → Whereby
- You want to replace meetings with async → Loom
- You want minimal overhead for internal standups → Around or Jitsi
Don't pick a tool that requires your clients or guests to install software unless you have leverage over that friction. The best video tool is the one your collaborators will actually join.
FAQ
Is Google Meet really free for small teams? Yes. The free tier allows unlimited 1:1 calls and group calls up to 60 minutes. For most small team use cases, the free plan is sufficient. Recording and longer group calls require a paid Workspace plan.
What's the best Zoom alternative that requires no app install? Whereby and Jitsi Meet both run entirely in the browser. Google Meet also works browser-only. Of the three, Whereby has the cleanest guest experience for client calls.
Can I get transcripts and recordings without Zoom? Yes. Google Meet (paid Workspace), Microsoft Teams, and Loom all offer transcription. Teams has the most robust transcription on paid Microsoft 365 plans.
Is Loom really a Zoom alternative? It's an alternative for a specific use case — sharing information asynchronously. It's not a replacement for live, synchronous collaboration. Think of it as a complement rather than a direct swap.