Webex vs Zoom Workplace

Updated October 2026 · AppBreakup editorial

Webex

Cisco's enterprise video meetings, webinars and calling, with a free plan for small meetings.

Free plan + paid

Visit Webex Webex profile

Zoom Workplace

The best-known video meeting app, now bundled with chat, phone, whiteboards and AI notes.

Free plan + paid

Visit Zoom Workplace Zoom Workplace profile

The short answer

Zoom suits most organisations that want a familiar meeting tool guests already know, with a simple path from free to paid. Webex suits large enterprises and public-sector bodies that need strong compliance, FedRAMP authorisation and integration with Cisco room and phone hardware. The biggest difference is audience: Zoom is built for broad, easy adoption, Webex for complex, regulated environments.

Webex or Zoom Workplace: our take

Both are full collaboration suites rather than just meeting apps. Zoom Workplace wraps meetings with team chat, whiteboards, scheduling, docs, mail and calendar and an AI companion for summaries, with Phone, Webinars, Events and Rooms as add-ons. Webex, from Cisco, covers meetings, messaging, calling, webinars, events and contact centre software, with noise removal, real-time translation and transcription and an AI assistant built into calls.

The free plans are close. Zoom's Basic plan allows 100 participants for meetings of up to 40 minutes. Webex's free plan offers unlimited meetings of up to 40 minutes with up to 100 attendees, and needs no credit card. On paid plans, Zoom Pro is $14.16 per user per month billed annually with meetings of up to 30 hours, and Business supports 300 participants. Webex's Meet, Suite and Enterprise plans lift the time limit and reach up to 1,000 attendees on the largest plan, which is FedRAMP authorised.

Both run on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android and in the browser. Zoom's main strength is familiarity and reliability: external guests usually know how to join, and calls hold up on poor connections. Webex's strength is the enterprise side: security certifications, admin controls and tight integration with Cisco meeting rooms and desk phones. The trade-off is that Webex's licensing and administration can be complex and its interface feels heavier, while Zoom's app has grown cluttered as it added non-meeting features.

Pick Zoom if you want a dependable tool that small and large teams can adopt quickly and that clients will not struggle with. Pick Webex if you already own Cisco hardware, work in government or another regulated sector, or want meetings, calling and contact centre from one enterprise vendor.

Choose Webex if…

Large organisations, especially those with Cisco meeting room and phone hardware
Strong security, compliance and FedRAMP options
Works closely with Cisco room devices

Choose Zoom Workplace if…

Organisations that want a familiar, reliable meeting tool guests already know
Reliable call quality, even on poor connections
Apps for every desktop and mobile platform

What is Webex?

Webex is Cisco's collaboration platform, covering video meetings, messaging, calling, webinars, events and contact centre software. It is strongest in large enterprises and the public sector, where its security certifications, FedRAMP authorisation, admin controls and deep integration with Cisco's meeting room hardware matter. Meetings include noise removal, real-time translation and transcription, an AI assistant that summarises calls, whiteboards and breakout rooms, and the Webex app also handles team messaging and phone calls. A free plan allows unlimited meetings of up to 40 minutes with up to 100 attendees and needs no credit card; paid Meet, Suite and Enterprise plans lift the time limit, raise capacity to as many as 1,000 attendees, and add cloud recording and administration. Webex runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android and in the browser. It suits larger organisations, especially those with Cisco rooms and phones, rather than small teams looking for the simplest option.

What is Zoom Workplace?

Zoom became the default name for video calls during the pandemic and is still the meeting tool many companies and schools standardise on. Meetings are reliable on weak connections, joining is simple for guests, and it handles everything from one-to-one calls to large town halls with breakout rooms, polls, recording, live captions and webinars. The product is now sold as Zoom Workplace, which wraps meetings together with team chat, whiteboards, scheduling, docs, mail and calendar, and an AI companion that writes meeting summaries; Zoom Phone, Webinars, Events and Rooms are separate add-ons. The free Basic plan caps group meetings at 40 minutes, while paid plans priced per user per month lift the time limit, raise participant caps and add cloud storage and admin features. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android and in the browser. Zoom suits almost any organisation that wants a familiar, dependable meeting tool that external guests already know how to use.

Side by side

Attribute	Webex	Zoom Workplace
Pricing	Free plan + paid	Free plan + paid
Open source	No	No
Self-hostable	No	No
Platforms	Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android	Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android
Best for	Large organisations, especially those with Cisco meeting room and phone hardware	Organisations that want a familiar, reliable meeting tool guests already know
Status	Active	Active

Verified facts, compared

Facts both apps publish, checked on each vendor's own site.

Fact	Webex	Zoom Workplace
Free plan	Unlimited meetings up to 40 min, 100 attendees	40 minutes per meeting, 100 participants