Our 7 Top Zoom Alternatives for More Productive Communication (2024)

A lot has changed in the last few years regarding remote communication. We have plenty of other options besides Zoom and other legacy platforms like Skype—instead of settling, you can find the perfect app that fits your budget, business needs, and team culture. 

We’ve gathered seven Zoom alternatives for you to choose from. Whether you run a remote team or hybrid office, or you want to cut down on meetings, we’ve got plenty of options for you.

Soon, you’ll have the perfect platforms for the following:

• Async meetings

• Last-minute live syncs

• Global connects

• Cloud storage

• Webinars

• Remote office parties

Here we go!

1. Best for async: Loom

Loom replaces and improves live meetings through high-quality video messages and presentations. You can simultaneously record your screen and yourself to communicate with your team. 

The video software offers easy ways to illustrate your points as you record while providing collaboration features after you hit send. 

Loom acts as a true alternative to Zoom and live meetings by eliminating unnecessary conferences with focused, personalized, action-prompting videos.

All you have to do is hit record, talk, and send. 

Loom does all the work for you with AI technologies by providing transcripts and translations, filler word elimination, video speed options, and more with smooth and user-friendly functionality. Your team can watch the video anytime, anywhere, as often as needed. Loom comes with integrations for your favorite workplace apps like Slack and its Chrome extension.

You can record with Loom for free right now to experience the power of async communication. Loom also offers paid plans that offer more benefits as your company scales (with pricing starting at $12.50 per month on the annual plan).

2. Best for video conferencing: CISCO Webex

Webex is a specialized video conferencing platform with an emphasis on hybrid work. It incorporates AI to improve workflow and productivity. 

The platform also provides collaboration tools like automatic screenshots of presentations, and transitioning a phone call to a video meeting. Webex is a great Zoom alternative for enterprise companies that need a robust portfolio of video conferencing tools.

3. Best for last-minute live syncs: Google Meet

When it comes to user popularity and quick connections, there’s nothing like Google Meet. Most people know how to use it and are already connected with the platform. So when you send a last-minute link, they simply click it and seamlessly join the video chat. 

You can also add extensions for various apps that help with transcriptions and other third-party features. Users can meet with up to 100 people at a time and still utilize screen sharing.

Meet comes with integrations through its native G-Suite tools like Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, and Google Workspace.

In addition to providing a last-minute live meeting solution, Meet can possibly replace your Zoom needs between its vast free features and extension options.

4. Best for global connects: WhatsApp

WhatsApp, the messaging app? It might not be the first thing that comes to mind for a Zoom alternative. But with 2.7 billion global users, it’s the most popular messaging app (even more so than WeChat). And while you might not see it as prevalent in North America or other areas, it’s a go-to choice for most of the global population. 

If you need to connect with someone live, quickly, or internationally, odds are they have WhatsApp. It’s a great option to bypass device preferences (like how Facetime is only for Apple products) to communicate with someone no matter what they use—Android, IOS, and more.

You can host or join video or voice calls of up to 32 people. WhatsApp also has group chats for instant messaging, which adds more helpful communication channels between live meetings and real-time texting. You can also add one more pro for security: It comes with end-to-end encryption to keep your communication and those you’re in contact with safe.

While you might not have all the organizational features to get things done, WhatsApp is a great global choice for quick and last-minute meetings.

5. Best for cloud storage: GoTo

GoTo focuses on providing a live conferencing solution to simplify the experience, not complicate it. It’s quick, good quality, and has the necessary security features. 

GoTo has an excellent cloud record meeting feature for its product, which makes it a great alternative for those who want to reference live meetings later. 

You don’t need a notetaker with GoTo since its meetings also come with transcripts. Depending on your plan, you can hold virtual meetings with 150 to 250 people (you can even do breakout rooms). 

Oh, and those cloud recordings? There’s no storage limit. GoTo is great for small business to enterprise-level companies.

6. Best for webinars: LiveWebinar

Do you host webinars? LiveWebinar is a great option that offers innovative features. Webinars are its focus, so you can count on this platform to provide everything you need for a great experience. 

Participants can quickly join a webinar through their browser—no downloads necessary. There are customization options like adding and removing features during the session. The platform provides HD video quality. It also lets you host the webinars with your domain name in the shared URL.

7. Best for remote office parties: Telegram

Telegram is a new phenomenon in many ways. Is it a chat app? Yes. Is it social media? Maybe…? 

Telegram is a chatting app focused on groups and communities. It’s like WhatsApp, but instead of being used mainly for friends, family, and co-workers, Telegram has a social component. It powers some of the most engaging communities, functioning as an underground niche social network based on interests, personalities, global events, and more. 

That said, Telegram is a good option for teams to jump in and get together for a remote party. Its communication features and networking capabilities make connecting and having fun possible.

You can host a group chat and join a video call with up to 30 users recording (and up to 1,000 viewers).

Let’s say you want to pass on Zoom and start with free options. Many of the tools mentioned above offer free versions or are 100% free. 

The best way to use free Zoom meeting alternatives is by creating a meeting stack that works for you.

For example, you may use Google Meets for its free premium-style features. Regarding video meetings, Google gives you the best perks with no investment needed. 

Then, you can use Loom’s free plan for async videos that help you cut live meeting times altogether.

You can record up to 25 videos for five minutes each for free. Teams get powerful features like the following:

• Screen recording & cam bubble

• Unlimited transcriptions

• Video privacy controls

• Viewer insights

• Team workspace

Using these free Zoom alternatives, you can scale with more plan options—especially as you increase productivity and grow your company due to more efficient, focused meetings and collaboration.

Zoom and Loom might rhyme, but they play different roles in your productivity strategy. 

Zoom is a synchronous platform. Sync meetings are live meetings like in-person meetups, phone calls, or video conferences. They’re great for synergy and brainstorming in real time. But live meetings have limitations:

• It’s hard to connect with busy schedules.

• You often waste time getting to the main point and action plan.

• You face challenges with time zones, language barriers, and collaboration.

• Sync meetings turn into long meetings.

Loom, on the other hand, is an asynchronous communication platform. Instead of live meetings, users can create video messages. 

But Loom isn’t just any async platform. It offers advanced tools like AI-powered editing to remove filler words, speed up the presentation, and create a more enjoyable experience. Teams can get transcripts and translations, and watch videos whenever and however much they want. 

Loom also provides you with ways to collaborate on screen while recording, as well as afterward with notes and feedback. Loom’s async videos record your screen while also recording you speaking. You can draw to illustrate points while flipping through slides and resources that help you communicate your ideas.

When you record and send async video messages, you’re experiencing some significant advantages:

Save time on live meetings

We’ve all been there. You turn on your camera or go into the office, your mind goes blank, and everyone’s focusing on a dozen different things. It takes forever to get to the subject of the meeting. Not everyone is organized (and if they are, it takes a while to reach a focused consensus). Not to mention, there might be some troubleshooting or technical difficulties. 

Async communication eliminates many of these problems and cuts straight to the point. You can cover ideas, objectives, and essential strategies in your presentations in just a few minutes. 

You can also send pre- and post-videos for live meetings. For example, you can send a video prepping your team about what you want to discuss. You set the stage and give them context, so by the time you meet live, everyone is ready to make decisions and give input. Afterward, you can send another quick video recapping everything and emphasizing the takeaways and action plan—this alone saves you time by eliminating unclear expectations. 

And the best part? Most live meetings can be eliminated altogether. As we often say a particular meeting “should’ve been an email,” async presentations do away with unnecessary meetings and save you tons of time (in Intercom’s case, twelve days’ worth of time yearly).

Create easily referenceable content

When you send async videos, others can reference them as many times as necessary, whenever they want. Since these videos are very focused, they often cover one issue or topic at a time, making it even easier to reference—much like books in a library. This can increase productivity by reducing time spent searching for the right information.

You can also produce evergreen content like training videos or FAQs. When a team member, prospect, or customer has a question, you can pull up a video you recorded a while back and send it over (saving you time and offering a better, well-thought-out response).

Additionally, you can create content for your target audience. Imagine recording use case demos and sharing them on Linkedin. The digital assets live a life of their own and help potential prospects along the customer journey. 

Offer more intentional communication with your team, customers, and partners

It’s always better to show rather than tell. When someone asks you a question, you don’t have to spend 15 minutes articulating your thoughts in an email or sitting in dead air during a live meeting. Instead, you can send a five-minute video explaining and illustrating the solution with intentional concision.

Long story short, it’s a seamless way to answer a question or concern directly, personally, and quickly. Whether it's for your team or you’re kicking off the sales cycle with prospecting videos, async offers a practical and effective solution for your communication needs.

If you’re ready to make live meetings more productive with async videos, and eliminate unnecessary live meets, try Loom today. 

It’s super easy. You sign up, download the desktop app or get the extension, then hit record. When you’re done talking, share the link. In under a few minutes, you can save hours you would’ve spent planning and prepping for a live meeting. 

Think of the next meeting on your team’s agenda. What can you communicate to add context that’ll save you time and get to an answer as quickly as possible? Record it now and send it out. You’ll see how Loom’s async solution offers a true alternative to traditional, time-consuming, live meeting formats.