Zoom deserves its popularity due to its impressive performance, overall stability, and wide array of features, but its popularity has also been something of a double-edged sword. Security issues have plagued Zoom with its rise to popularity, but it’s quickly working to patch up the security holes. In part of Zoom’s goal to improve its security over the next 90 days, Zoom acquired a digital security company. Here’s hoping we see a dramatic decline in Zoombombing. Let’s jump into the Zoom review. If you’re looking for a video conference app for a large company to use, then Zoom makes a lot of sense. You can probably get your entire company on the same call, which really helps for companies working remotely. According to tech-company-juggernaut Cisco (who owns Webex), anything less than a 250-millisecond latency is acceptable for video conferencing.1 If 250 milliseconds is still considered acceptable, then 17 milliseconds should be considered olympic. That’s the best word I could think of. [Editor’s note: It’s a good one.] Of course, if you do have any problems with Zoom, we have a guide for that too. Did you know that you can mute everyone else on the call if you’re the host? You just need to hit ⌘Cmd+Ctrl+M on Mac, or Alt+M on PC, and your meeting just got a lot quieter. Taking out all of that ambient noise can make for a much more focused meeting. Here are some of our other favorite Zoom features:
Screen sharing Chat function Camera and audio control Virtual backgrounds Meeting recording capabilities Unlimited chat time (for paid accounts) Portrait and gallery views Easy-invite URL codes
Here’s a complete list of everything compatible with Zoom: If you’re going to go with Zoom, go with the Business or Enterprise plans. If you can live with meetings shutting down on you after 40 minutes, then you still get all the awesome features and user experience of Zoom for free. Here’s how the pricing breaks down for some of the most popular video conferencing apps: If your internet is at its capacity and can’t seem to reliably stream a Zoom call, you might want to check if there are any better internet providers in your area. Our internet expert Catherine says that Xfinity internet will give you the most bang for your buck.
Plans: Zoom offers three paid plans, and the plan you choose will depend on how many Zoom hosts you want. Both the Enterprise and Business Zoom plans cost $19.99 a month per user, but the Enterprise plan requires at least 100 hosts (totaling at least $1,999 per month), and the Business plan requires at least 10 users (totaling at least $199.99 a month). Check out the table below to compare and contrast Zoom plans.
