Best software · Communications
9 Best Video Conferencing Software for Small Business of 2026
This list is for small businesses, roughly 1 to 50 people, that need dependable video calls without paying enterprise prices for every host. We compared documented features and published prices for 9 tools, from meetings-only plans such as Teams Essentials, Whereby and Zoho Meeting to phone platforms with video built in, like RingCentral and Dialpad. Scores weigh features at 40%, ease of use at 30% and value at 30%, and the price we show is the cheapest paid plan per host.
By the Mojolin research desk · Updated November 10, 2026 · 9 tools compared · Prices checked on vendor pages, latest November 10, 2026
Questions or corrections: editorial@mojolin.com
Mojolin is self-funded How we score
Microsoft Teams Essentials is our top pick for small businesses: $4 per user per month paid yearly buys 30-hour meetings for up to 300 people and 10 GB of storage. Zoom Workplace has the richest feature set and includes unlimited AI summaries on Pro, at a higher price per host. Google Meet is the obvious default if you already pay for Google Workspace, and Jitsi Meet is the free fallback for occasional calls.
Top picks
Best overall
Microsoft Teams Essentials
8.9 / 10
Small businesses that want the lowest published price per host for long, large meetings.
Read the review →Runner-up
Zoom Workplace
8.8 / 10
Small teams that meet many outside clients and want AI summaries included in the host license.
Read the review →Also great
Google Meet
8.6 / 10
Small businesses that already run email and calendars on Google Workspace.
Read the review →Comparison table
| # | Tool | Pricing | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Microsoft Teams Essentials | Small businesses that want the lowest published price per host for long, large meetings. | Teams Essentials $4 per user per month paid yearly; Microsoft 365 Business Basic with Teams $7; Business Standard with Copilot $23.50 | 8.9 |
| 2 | Zoom Workplace | Small teams that meet many outside clients and want AI summaries included in the host license. | Free Basic plan with 40-minute meetings; Pro and Business priced per user (see vendor pricing, USD check pending) | 8.8 |
| 3 | Google Meet | Small businesses that already run email and calendars on Google Workspace. | Free with a Google Account for 60-minute group meetings; included in Google Workspace plans (see vendor pricing, USD check pending) | 8.6 |
| 4 |  Whereby | Solo professionals and small client-service teams who want a fixed room link. | Free plan with 1 room and 4 attendees; Pro $10.99 per month for 1 host; Business $13.99 per host per month with a 3-host minimum; prices exclude VAT | 8.2 |
| 5 |  Zoho Meeting | Cost-conscious small businesses, especially those already using other Zoho apps. | Free plan for 100 participants and 60-minute meetings; Standard and Professional priced by participant tier (see vendor pricing, USD check pending) | 8.1 |
| 6 |  Dialpad Meetings | Small teams that want business phone calls and AI-transcribed meetings on one bill. | Free Dialpad Meetings sign-up; Dialpad Connect Standard $15 per user per month with calls and AI-powered meetings; Pro $25; Enterprise by quote | 8.0 |
| 7 |  RingCentral Video | Small businesses that need a full business phone system with 300-person meetings included. | Free meetings users available; RingEX Core $20 per user per month paid annually ($30 monthly) with 300-participant meetings; Advanced $25; Ultra $35 | 7.9 |
| 8 |  GoTo Meeting | Small businesses that want a dedicated meeting tool with per-organizer plans and 24/7 support. | Professional (150 participants) and Business (250 participants) priced per organizer per month, billed annually or monthly (see vendor pricing, USD check pending) | 7.8 |
| 9 |  Jitsi Meet | Very small teams and budget-limited businesses that want free calls with no accounts. | Free to use on meet.jit.si with no account; free to self-host as open source | 7.7 |
Scoring weights
Every tool gets three editorial scores out of 10, from vendor documentation, product pages and the published price. The overall score is the weighted average below, the same method on every list. Full method
The full ranking
Rank 1 · Best overall
Microsoft Teams Essentials
A standalone Teams plan for small and medium-sized businesses that need video meetings without a full Microsoft 365 subscription.
microsoft.com8.9
out of 10
Best for: Small businesses that want the lowest published price per host for long, large meetings.
Teams Essentials is Microsoft's answer to small firms that only want meetings. Microsoft describes it as a plan for a small business that needs an affordable, professional, easy-to-use meeting tool with video and audio calling, and the published terms back that up: meetings can run up to 30 hours, host up to 300 participants, and each user gets 10 GB of cloud storage. At $4 per user per month on an annual subscription, it costs less than any other paid plan we compared, which matters when every employee needs to host client calls.
The plan stays narrow on purpose. If you also want Outlook, Exchange calendars, desktop Office apps or a company email domain, Microsoft points you to Microsoft 365 Business Basic at $7 or Business Standard at $23.50 per user per month, both paid yearly. There is no monthly price on the comparison page and no permanent free plan for business accounts. For a team that already uses Gmail or another mail host and just needs reliable meetings, those limits rarely get in the way.
Standout feature
30-hour meetings for 300 people at $4 per user per month paid yearly.
Use cases
Accounting firms
Host client review calls for every staff member
Outcome: Each accountant gets a meeting license for $4 a month
Small manufacturers
Run monthly all-hands with remote and site staff
Outcome: Up to 300 people join one call
Consultancies
Hold full-day client workshops
Outcome: Sessions run past lunch without a time cap
Key features
- Meetings up to 30 hours long
- Up to 300 participants per meeting
- 10 GB of cloud storage per user
- Chat, calling and file sharing in the same app
- Upgrade path to Microsoft 365 Business Basic at $7 per user per month paid yearly
Pros
- Lowest paid price on this list at $4 per user per month
- Microsoft positions it directly at small and medium-sized businesses
- 300-person cap covers company all-hands and client webinars
Cons
- Price requires an annual subscription
- No permanent free plan for business use
- Outlook, Excel and an email domain need a Microsoft 365 plan instead
Rank 2 · Runner-up
Zoom Workplace
A meetings platform with chat, whiteboards, scheduling and AI meeting summaries in one app.
zoom.com8.8
out of 10
Best for: Small teams that meet many outside clients and want AI summaries included in the host license.
Zoom Workplace remains the meeting app most outside guests already know, which counts for a lot when a five-person firm spends its day on sales and client calls. The free Basic plan allows 40-minute meetings with up to 100 participants and includes AI summaries for three hosted meetings a month, a useful trial of the AI features. Pro, which Zoom describes as best for personal use or small teams, extends meetings to 30 hours, gives each user 10 GB of cloud storage and makes meeting summaries unlimited.
Business raises the participant cap to 300 and adds single sign-on, managed domains and unlimited whiteboards, which suits a company that has outgrown ad hoc accounts. The trade-off is price: per-host costs run several times higher than Teams Essentials, and the 100-person cap on Pro can bite for larger client sessions. From our location the pricing page did not render USD figures in a plain fetch, so we mark the price as pending and suggest checking it on Zoom's site.
Standout feature
Unlimited AI meeting summaries come with the Pro host license.
Use cases
Marketing agencies
Run weekly client status calls
Outcome: Clients join a familiar link and get an AI summary afterward
Sales teams
Book demos through a Scheduler page
Outcome: Prospects pick a slot without email back and forth
Training providers
Teach long workshops
Outcome: Sessions run for hours on Pro
Key features
- Basic: 40-minute meetings with up to 100 participants
- Pro: meetings up to 30 hours and 10 GB cloud storage per user
- Unlimited AI meeting summaries on Pro
- Business: 300 participants, SSO and managed domains
- Team Chat, whiteboards and a Scheduler booking page
Pros
- Free Basic plan includes AI summaries for 3 hosted meetings per month
- Pro adds unlimited meeting summaries without a separate AI fee
- Business tier adds SSO and unlimited whiteboards for growing teams
Cons
- Free meetings end at 40 minutes
- Pro caps meetings at 100 participants
- USD prices load only in a US session, so confirm the price on the vendor page
Rank 3 · Also great
Google Meet
Browser-based video meetings that come free with a Google Account and expand with Google Workspace plans.
google.com8.6
out of 10
Best for: Small businesses that already run email and calendars on Google Workspace.
Google Meet is the simplest choice for a small business whose mail and calendar already sit in Google Workspace, because every Workspace plan includes it. Anyone with a Google Account can create a meeting, invite up to 100 people and talk for up to 60 minutes at no cost, and Google states that one-to-one and mobile calls have no time limit. Guests join from a browser with a shared link or meeting ID.
Paid Workspace tiers lift meetings to 24 hours. Business Starter allows 100 participants, while Business Standard raises that to 150 and adds recording and noise cancellation. Gemini in Meet, which takes notes, summarizes and translates, is listed for Standard and above but not Starter, so check the tier before you count on AI notes. Workspace plans come with a 14-day trial. Our location returned PLN prices, so the USD price is pending. Teams that need a meetings-only license without the office suite will get better per-host value elsewhere.
Standout feature
Free one-to-one calls have no time limit, and every Workspace plan includes Meet.
Use cases
Retail owners
Hold quick supplier calls from a phone
Outcome: One-to-one calls run without a time limit
Small law offices
Meet clients from a Calendar invite
Outcome: Clients join in a browser with no app
Remote startups
Record weekly demos on Business Standard
Outcome: Teammates watch the recording later
Key features
- Free meetings with up to 100 participants and 60 minutes per meeting
- No time limit on one-to-one and mobile calls on the free tier
- Workspace Starter: 100 participants and 24-hour meetings
- Workspace Standard: recording, noise cancellation and 150 participants
- Gemini in Meet for notes, summaries and translation on Standard and higher
Pros
- Guests join from a browser with a link or meeting ID
- Every Workspace plan includes Meet, so there is no extra license
- 14-day free trial on Workspace plans
Cons
- Free group meetings stop at 60 minutes
- Recording and Gemini notes are not on the Starter plan
- USD prices did not load from our location
Rank 4
Whereby
Browser-based meeting rooms with permanent URLs that guests open without installing anything.
whereby.com8.2
out of 10
Best for: Solo professionals and small client-service teams who want a fixed room link.
Whereby keeps video calls close to the simplest possible flow: a host owns a room URL, and guests open it in a browser. That design suits therapists, coaches, tutors and small agencies whose clients join the same room every week. The free plan includes one room, four attendees and 30-minute meetings, enough to try it with a real client.
Pro costs $10.99 per month for one host and adds three room URLs, 100 attendees, no time limit, custom branding and unlimited recording. Business is $13.99 per host per month with a three-host minimum and adds unlimited rooms, 200 attendees, shared and flex rooms and a custom subdomain. Whereby lists prices in USD excluding VAT and offers a 14-day trial. It does not include chat channels, phone numbers or an office suite, so it works best alongside the tools you already use for messaging. For meetings themselves, monthly billing and per-host pricing keep costs predictable.
Standout feature
Permanent room links that guests open in a browser, with plain monthly per-host pricing.
Use cases
Coaches
Meet clients in one fixed room
Outcome: Clients reuse the same link every session
Tutoring businesses
Give each tutor a branded room
Outcome: Families join from a browser
Design studios
Run client reviews with recording
Outcome: Feedback is saved for the team
Key features
- Permanent room URLs: 1 on Free, 3 on Pro, unlimited on Business
- Pro: 100 attendees per meeting with no time limit
- Business: 200 attendees, shared and flex rooms
- Custom branding and unlimited recording on Pro
- Custom subdomain on Business
Pros
- Clear per-host pricing billed monthly
- Room links stay the same for every meeting
- 14-day free trial on paid plans
Cons
- Free plan limits meetings to 30 minutes and 4 attendees
- Business requires at least 3 hosts
- No team chat or phone system
Rank 5
Zoho Meeting
An online meeting and webinar tool from Zoho, priced by the number of participants each host needs.
zoho.com8.1
out of 10
Best for: Cost-conscious small businesses, especially those already using other Zoho apps.
Zoho Meeting stands out for how it prices: instead of one seat price, each plan comes in participant tiers from 10 up to 250, so a firm that only ever meets with a handful of people can buy the smallest size. The free plan covers 100 participants with meetings up to 60 minutes, plus screen sharing, a whiteboard, chat and basic reports.
Standard adds 5 GB of cloud recording per host, two co-hosts, meetings up to 24 hours, a personal room, polls, remote control and dial-in by phone. Professional adds breakout rooms, a custom domain, an embeddable meeting widget, API access, recording transcripts and AI-generated meeting keynotes. Zoho offers a 14-day trial with no credit card and volume discounts on both monthly and yearly billing. The pricing page loads its figures with scripts, so we could not confirm a USD amount and list it as pending. Businesses already on Zoho CRM or Zoho Workplace will find it fits their stack.
Standout feature
Participant-tier pricing lets a small team buy a 10-person plan instead of a 300-person one.
Use cases
Small sales teams
Run 10-person demos on the smallest tier
Outcome: They avoid paying for unused capacity
Zoho CRM users
Schedule meetings from their existing Zoho apps
Outcome: Meeting records sit next to customer data
Training firms
Split classes into breakout rooms on Professional
Outcome: Group exercises happen in one session
Key features
- Free plan: 100 participants and meetings up to 60 minutes
- Standard: 24-hour meetings, 5 GB cloud recording per host and a personal room
- Plans sized in tiers from 10 to 250 participants
- Professional: breakout rooms, custom domain and API access
- AI transcriptions and auto-generated meeting keynotes
Pros
- Pick a participant tier that matches your real meeting size
- Volume discounts on monthly and yearly billing
- 14-day free trial with no credit card
Cons
- Free meetings stop at 60 minutes
- Breakout rooms and transcripts need the Professional tier
- USD prices did not load in a plain fetch from our location
Rank 6
Dialpad Meetings
Browser-based video meetings with live AI transcription, part of Dialpad's calling platform.
dialpad.com8.0
out of 10
Best for: Small teams that want business phone calls and AI-transcribed meetings on one bill.
Dialpad started as a cloud phone system, and its meetings product shares that AI layer. Dialpad Meetings promises one-click video calls from a browser or the app with no downloads or PINs, live AI transcription, automated notes and summaries, and an emailed recap with the transcript, recording and action items after each call. You can sign up for meetings for free and schedule from Microsoft 365 or Google Calendar.
For a small business, the stronger case is the Dialpad Connect Standard plan at $15 per user per month, which Dialpad describes as unlimited calls, AI-powered meetings and built-in messaging for small teams. Pro at $25 adds key CRM integrations, 24/7 support and multi-office management. If you only need video meetings, the free tier or a meetings-only tool may be cheaper. If your team also needs business phone numbers, getting calls and transcribed meetings under one license is a sensible way to keep the tool count down.
Standout feature
Every meeting gets a live AI transcript and an emailed recap with action items.
Use cases
Real estate agencies
Combine client phone calls and video viewings
Outcome: One app logs both with transcripts
Support teams
Join escalation calls from the browser
Outcome: Recaps list action items for follow-up
Field service firms
Call customers and hold short video checks
Outcome: Staff use one login for both
Key features
- One-click meetings from the browser with no downloads or PINs
- Live AI transcription and call summaries
- Email recap with transcript, recording and action items
- Scheduling from Microsoft 365 or Google Calendar
- Activity logging to Salesforce
Pros
- Free sign-up for Dialpad Meetings
- Standard plan bundles unlimited calls with AI-powered meetings
- Post-meeting recaps arrive by email automatically
Cons
- Meetings are strongest as part of the wider Dialpad phone platform
- CRM integrations start on the $25 Pro plan
- Enterprise pricing requires sales contact
Rank 7
RingCentral Video
Video meetings built into RingCentral's RingEX phone, messaging and meetings app.
ringcentral.com7.9
out of 10
Best for: Small businesses that need a full business phone system with 300-person meetings included.
RingCentral Video is the meetings part of RingEX, RingCentral's phone, messaging and video platform. On the Core plan you get HD meetings for up to 300 participants alongside unlimited domestic calling, call recording, 100 toll-free minutes and 25 SMS per user a month. Guests join from a desktop or mobile browser without installing anything, which RingCentral says applies even to its free plan, and meetings include whiteboards and annotations.
Core costs $20 per user per month on annual billing or $30 month to month, with Advanced at $25 and Ultra at $35 on annual terms. Customers can also add meetings-only users, free or paid, for staff who do not need a phone line. That flexibility helps a small office where only some people take customer calls. For a team that needs only video, the per-host cost is high, so RingCentral earns its place when you are replacing a phone system and want meetings in the same app.
Standout feature
Meetings-only users can be added for free next to paid RingEX phone users.
Use cases
Medical and dental offices
Replace a desk phone system and add video consults
Outcome: Front desk and clinicians use one app
Multi-location retailers
Hold weekly manager meetings
Outcome: Store leads join from a browser
Small call teams
Add free meetings users for back-office staff
Outcome: Only phone users need a paid license
Key features
- HD meetings for up to 300 participants on RingEX Core
- Guests join from a desktop or mobile browser with no download
- Whiteboards and annotations in meetings
- Video API to embed meetings in your own app
- Free and paid meetings-only licenses for extra users
Pros
- Calls, meetings and chat in one app
- No download required for guests, even on the free plan
- Annual billing saves up to 33% versus monthly
Cons
- Core costs $30 per user when paid monthly
- Mostly worth it if you also need phone lines
- Extra AI receptionist is an add-on
Rank 8
GoTo Meeting
A long-running business meeting tool priced per organizer, with cloud recording and AI summaries.
goto.com7.8
out of 10
Best for: Small businesses that want a dedicated meeting tool with per-organizer plans and 24/7 support.
GoTo Meeting is a dedicated meetings product licensed per organizer, which suits small firms where only a few staff host while everyone else just joins. The Professional plan covers 150 participants and Business raises that to 250, the same cap GoTo lists for Enterprise. Plans include HD video, screen sharing, web audio, a personal meeting room, breakout rooms, closed captioning, quick polls, unlimited cloud recording, transcription and an AI meeting summary.
GoTo lists integrations with Office 365, Google Calendar, Slack and Salesforce, plus 24/7 customer care, single sign-on and SOC2-certified data centers. The product page advertises a 14-day free trial with no credit card and claims 99.999% service uptime. There is no free plan for hosts. The pricing page loads its figures with scripts, so we could not confirm the USD amounts and list the price as pending. Compared with Teams Essentials, GoTo is harder to justify on cost, but it is a solid standalone option with no suite attached.
Standout feature
Unlimited cloud recording and AI meeting summaries on a per-organizer license.
Use cases
Financial advisers
Host recorded client reviews
Outcome: Recordings and summaries are kept in the cloud
Nonprofits
Run board meetings with breakout rooms
Outcome: Committees split off and return in one session
Small software vendors
Give demos from Salesforce
Outcome: Meetings link back to the deal record
Key features
- Professional plan: 150 participants per meeting
- Business plan: 250 participants
- Unlimited cloud recording, transcription and AI meeting summary
- Breakout rooms, closed captioning, polls and drawing tools
- Office 365, Google Calendar, Slack and Salesforce integrations
Pros
- Clear per-organizer licensing
- 14-day free trial with no credit card needed
- 24/7 customer care and SOC2-certified data centers
Cons
- No permanent free plan
- 250 participants is the ceiling even on Enterprise
- USD prices load only through scripts, so we could not confirm them
Rank 9
Jitsi Meet
A free, open source video conferencing app you can use on meet.jit.si or run on your own server.
jitsi.org7.7
out of 10
Best for: Very small teams and budget-limited businesses that want free calls with no accounts.
Jitsi Meet is the zero-cost option on this list. The project describes it as a fully encrypted, 100% open source video conferencing tool that anyone can use all day, every day, for free, with no account needed. You start a call on meet.jit.si, share a custom URL, and guests join with screen sharing and built-in chat. Encryption is on by default, audio uses the Opus codec, and documents can be edited together through Etherpad.
Because the code is open source, a business with technical staff can run its own instance and customize it, keeping meeting traffic on infrastructure it controls. The trade-off is everything around the call: there is no admin console, AI note-taking or support contract on the free service, and self-hosting means you maintain the server yourself. The Jitsi team also offers a hosted service called JaaS for developers who want Jitsi without the upkeep. For a two-person shop that needs occasional calls, it is hard to beat.
Standout feature
Free, encrypted calls with no account, and open source code you can host yourself.
Use cases
Two-person startups
Hold daily calls without paying for seats
Outcome: Video costs stay at zero
Privacy-minded firms
Self-host a Jitsi server
Outcome: Meetings stay on company infrastructure
Community groups
Share a custom URL for open meetings
Outcome: Members join without accounts
Key features
- No account needed to host or join
- Encryption by default with advanced security settings
- Screen sharing and integrated chat
- Custom meeting URLs
- Open source code you can self-host and modify
Pros
- Free to use with no sign-up
- Self-hosting keeps meetings on your own server
- HD audio with the Opus codec
Cons
- No vendor support plan on the free service
- Fewer admin and AI features than paid tools
- Self-hosting needs technical skills
Frequently asked questions
+What is the cheapest video conferencing software for a small business?
Jitsi Meet is free and needs no account. The cheapest paid plan we found is Microsoft Teams Essentials at $4 per user per month paid yearly, which allows 30-hour meetings with up to 300 participants. Whereby Pro costs $10.99 per month for one host on monthly billing.
+Is Zoom or Microsoft Teams better for a small business?
Teams Essentials costs less per host and covers 300 people for up to 30 hours, so it wins on value. Zoom Workplace has more meeting features, including unlimited AI summaries on Pro, and many clients already know how to join it.
+Do guests need a paid license to join meetings?
No. On every tool here, only hosts or organizers need a license. Whereby, RingCentral, Dialpad and Jitsi Meet let guests join from a browser without installing an app.
+Which tools include AI meeting notes for small teams?
Zoom Workplace Pro includes unlimited AI meeting summaries, Dialpad Meetings transcribes live and emails a recap with action items, GoTo Meeting includes an AI meeting summary, and Google Meet offers Gemini notes on Workspace Business Standard and higher.
+Can a small business get video calls and a phone system together?
Yes. RingCentral RingEX Core includes 300-person meetings with business calling for $20 per user per month paid annually, and Dialpad Connect Standard bundles calls and AI-powered meetings for $15 per user per month.
About this list
Updated November 10, 2026 by the Mojolin research desk. Mojolin is self-funded
Questions or corrections: editorial@mojolin.com
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