Whereby and Zoom solve overlapping but different jobs. Whereby is a lightweight, browser-based meeting tool built for guests who should never have to download…
| Whereby | Zoom | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary category | Video Conferencing | Productivity |
| Rating | Not documented | Not documented |
| Pricing model | freemium | freemium |
| Starting price | Free, paid plans from around $8.99 per user per month | Free for basic meetings; Pro plan from approximately 13.33 dollars per user per month billed annually |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Not documented | Not documented |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Not documented |
| Team collaboration | Not documented | Yes |
| AI features | Not documented | Not documented |
| Public API | Yes | Not documented |
Meeting access model
Whereby: Whereby meetings run entirely in the browser over WebRTC, so guests join from a link with no app download or account
Zoom: Zoom is primarily accessed through its downloadable desktop and mobile apps, with a reduced-feature browser join option
Removing the download step lowers friction for one-off guests like clients or interview candidates, while a native app can offer a more complete feature set for regular users
Entry-level pricing
Whereby: Whereby Pro starts at $10.99 per month covering the whole plan
Zoom: Zoom Pro starts at $15.99 per user, per month
Flat per-plan pricing versus per-seat pricing changes the total cost very differently as a team grows
Free plan limits
Whereby: Whereby's free plan allows 1 host, 1 room, up to 4 attendees, and meetings capped at 30 minutes
Zoom: Zoom's free Basic plan is capped at 40 minutes per meeting, described as a hard interruption rather than a soft limit
Both free tiers are trial-like, but the specific caps determine whether a quick call or a longer weekly sync can fit inside the free tier
Meeting capacity at scale
Whereby: Whereby's paid plans document capacity up to 200 attendees on the Business plan
Zoom: Zoom is documented as scaling from its free tier up to 1,000 plus participant meetings on Enterprise
Organizations running large webinars, town halls, or broadcast-style events need headroom that small-meeting tools are not built for
Developer and embed API
Whereby: Whereby Embedded is a documented API and SDK for integrating its video calling technology directly into a company's own website or app
Zoom: Not documented in Zoom's provided facts
A dedicated embed product matters to companies that want to build video calling into their own product rather than send users to a separate app
Built-in collaboration tools
Whereby: Whereby documents an embedded Miro whiteboard and real-time Google Docs collaboration inside the call
Zoom: Not documented in Zoom's provided facts
Having whiteboarding and shared documents inside the call removes the need to juggle separate tabs or apps during a working session
Unified communications scope
Whereby: Whereby is positioned as a focused video meetings product
Zoom: Zoom bundles video conferencing together with team chat and phone service on one platform
Consolidating video, chat, and phone under a single vendor can simplify procurement and admin for larger organizations
Compliance and security documentation
Whereby: Whereby documents end-to-end encryption for peer-to-peer calls, GDPR compliance, ISO 27001 certification, and HIPAA-configurable options
Zoom: Not documented in Zoom's provided facts
Regulated industries such as healthcare or legal services often need documented certifications before adopting a tool
Custom branding
Whereby: Whereby's Pro and Business plans add custom logos, colors, and a custom subdomain for meeting rooms
Zoom: Not documented in Zoom's provided facts
Client-facing businesses often want meeting links and rooms that visually match their own brand
Enterprise billing flexibility
Whereby: Whereby's plans are billed monthly with a discount available on annual billing
Zoom: Zoom offers quarterly billing and 1 to 3 year prepaid packages through sales for larger enterprise contracts
Multi-year prepaid options can matter to procurement teams locking in pricing for large deployments
| Feature | Whereby | Zoom |
|---|---|---|
| No-download browser join | Available | Limited |
| Mobile apps | Available | Available |
| Persistent reusable room links | Available | Not documented |
| Feature | Whereby | Zoom |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud recording | Available | Not documented |
| Local recording | Available | Not documented |
| Transcription and live captions | Available | Not documented |
| Feature | Whereby | Zoom |
|---|---|---|
| Screen sharing | Available | Available |
| Breakout sessions | Available | Available |
| Embedded whiteboard and document collaboration | Available | Not documented |
| Feature | Whereby | Zoom |
|---|---|---|
| Custom logo and color branding | Available | Not documented |
| Custom subdomain for rooms | Available | Not documented |
| Embeddable video API and SDK | Available | Not documented |
| Feature | Whereby | Zoom |
|---|---|---|
| Team chat | Not documented | Available |
| Phone service | Not documented | Available |
| Feature | Whereby | Zoom |
|---|---|---|
| End-to-end encryption for peer-to-peer calls | Available | Not documented |
| GDPR compliance | Available | Not documented |
| ISO 27001 certification | Available | Not documented |
| HIPAA-configurable options | Available | Not documented |
| Feature | Whereby | Zoom |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan availability | Available | Available |
| Maximum documented meeting capacity | Available | Available |
| Enterprise or custom pricing tier | Not documented | Available |
| Flexible enterprise billing (quarterly, multi-year prepaid) | Not documented | Available |
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
Pros
Cons
Pros
Cons
Whereby's Pro plan starts at $10.99 per month flat, while Zoom's Pro plan starts at $15.99 per user per month, so Whereby is generally cheaper for a single host or very small team, though Zoom's relative cost depends heavily on how many users are on the plan.
Whereby is generally easier for one-off guests because meetings run entirely in the browser with no download or account required, while Zoom is primarily used through its downloadable app for the full feature set.
Not documented — the provided facts do not mention a Zoom equivalent to Whereby Embedded, which is a dedicated API and SDK for building video calling directly into another company's website or app.
Zoom is documented as scaling up to 1,000 plus participants on its Enterprise tier, while Whereby's paid plans cap out at around 200 attendees on the Business plan, making Zoom the better documented fit for large webinars or town halls.
Zoom's free Basic plan allows meetings up to 40 minutes before a hard cutoff, while Whereby's free plan caps meetings at 30 minutes with a single room and up to 4 attendees, so Zoom's free tier allows a slightly longer single session.
Whereby documents end-to-end encryption for peer-to-peer calls, GDPR compliance, ISO 27001 certification, and HIPAA-configurable options, while Zoom's compliance certifications are not addressed in the provided facts, making Whereby the better documented choice for compliance-sensitive use cases based on the available data.