Short answer
Zoom Workplace is our top pick for small businesses, scoring 90/100 when price and ease of use carry more weight. Paid plans start at $14.16/user/mo (Pro, billed annually ($16.99 monthly); Business $18.33).
This list uses the same tools and ratings as our main video conferencing tools ranking, reweighted for teams of roughly 1 to 50 people: price and ease of use count for more, and enterprise depth counts for less. Tools that score 70 or higher on the small-business weights are included.
The reviews
Starting price$14.16/user/moPro, billed annually ($16.99 monthly); Business $18.33
Free trial / planFree plan (40-minute meetings, 100 participants)
Main score93/100
Zoom Workplace is Zoom's meetings platform, with chat, whiteboards and AI Companion built in. Pro ($14.16 per user billed annually) allows 30-hour meetings for 100 participants with 10 GB of cloud recording per license; Business ($18.33) raises meetings to 300 participants and unlimited whiteboards.
Who it's best for
Teams that meet with clients and partners outside the company and want recordings and AI summaries without extra add-ons.
Strengths
- AI Companion included at no extra cost on paid plans
- 10 GB of cloud recording per license from Pro
- 30-hour meetings on every paid plan
Watch-outs
- Free meetings end at 40 minutes
- Pro is capped at 100 participants; 300 needs Business
- Webinars are listed on Enterprise, priced by quote
Skip it if: Your company already pays for Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace and meets mostly internally.
Read our full Zoom Workplace review →
Starting price$4/user/moTeams Essentials, paid yearly; Microsoft 365 Business Basic $7
Free trial / planFree plan (60-minute meetings, 100 participants); 1-month trial
Main score90/100
Microsoft Teams combines meetings, chat and file sharing. Teams Essentials ($4 per user paid yearly) allows 300 participants, 30-hour meetings and 10 GB of cloud storage per user; Microsoft 365 Business Basic ($7) adds business email and Office web apps, and Business Standard with Copilot ($23.50) adds webinars.
Who it's best for
Companies that run on Microsoft 365, or any team that wants large, long meetings for the lowest per-user price.
Strengths
- 300 participants and 30-hour meetings from $4 per user
- Business email and Office apps from $7 with Business Basic
- Free plan allows 60-minute meetings for 100 people
Watch-outs
- Paid plans are annual, auto-renewing subscriptions
- Copilot is an add-on below Business Standard
- Trial needs a credit card and converts to paid
Skip it if: Most of your meetings are with outside guests who don't use Microsoft tools and you want the simplest join flow.
Read our full Microsoft Teams review →
Starting price$7/user/moWorkspace Business Starter, annual plan ($8.40 flexible); recording from Standard ($14)
Free trial / planFree plan (60-minute meetings, 100 participants); 14-day trial
Main score85/100
Google Meet is the video meeting app in Google Workspace and runs in the browser with nothing to install. Business Starter ($7 per user on the annual plan) allows 100 participants and 24-hour meetings; Business Standard ($14) adds recording to Drive, noise cancellation, breakout rooms, polls and Q&A; Business Plus ($22) raises meetings to 500 participants and adds attendance tracking.
Who it's best for
Teams on Gmail and Google Calendar that want meetings included with their email and documents.
Strengths
- Browser-based, nothing to install
- Email, Drive and Docs included in every plan
- Free plan allows 60-minute meetings for 100 people
Watch-outs
- No recording, breakout rooms or polls on Business Starter
- Attendance tracking needs Business Plus ($22)
- Starter caps meetings at 100 participants
Skip it if: You only need meetings and don't want to pay for a full office suite.
Read our full Google Meet review →
Starting priceFrom $1/host/moStandard, smallest participant tier; price rises with participants (10 to 250)
Free trial / planFree plan (60-minute meetings, 100 participants); 14-day trial
Main score79/100
Zoho Meeting is a meetings and webinar tool from the Zoho suite, priced per host by participant tier (10, 25, 50, 100, 150, 200 or 250). Standard and Professional allow 24-hour meetings and 5 GB of recording storage per host; Professional adds recording transcripts and meeting keynotes.
Who it's best for
Small businesses and freelancers that host small meetings and want the lowest possible bill, especially if they already use Zoho.
Strengths
- Paid plans from $1 per host per month
- Free plan allows 60-minute meetings for 100 participants
- 14-day trial with no credit card
Watch-outs
- Price rises with the participant tier you pick
- Free plan has no recording, co-hosts or breakout rooms
- Transcripts need Professional
Skip it if: You regularly host meetings of more than 250 people.
Read our full Zoho Meeting review →
Starting priceFreeFree plan; Enterprise by quote (Meet and Suite prices not shown on the page we checked)
Free trial / planFree plan (40-minute meetings, 100 attendees)
Main score84/100
Webex is Cisco's meetings, calling and messaging platform. The free plan allows unlimited meetings of up to 40 minutes for 100 attendees with local recording; Enterprise, priced by quote, raises meetings to 1,000 attendees and adds unlimited cloud recording and the AI Assistant. Webex also sells Meet and Suite plans.
Who it's best for
Large organizations, often already on Cisco hardware or calling, that need big meetings and tight security controls.
Strengths
- Up to 1,000 attendees and unlimited cloud recording on Enterprise
- AI Assistant on Enterprise
- Free plan needs no credit card
Watch-outs
- Free meetings end at 40 minutes, with local recording only
- Its US pricing page showed no self-serve paid prices on the day we checked
- Heavier admin setup than browser-first tools
Skip it if: You're a small team that wants to buy online at a published price.
Read our full Webex review →
Starting price$10.99/host/moPro, 1 host; Business $13.99 per host (minimum 3 hosts); 17% off annual
Free trial / planFree plan (30-minute meetings, 4 participants); 14-day Business trial
Main score71/100
Whereby runs meetings in permanent browser rooms that guests join from a link, with no download or account. Pro ($10.99 per host) gives 1 host 3 rooms, meetings of up to 100 participants with no time limit and unlimited recording; Business ($13.99 per host, minimum 3 hosts) raises meetings to 200 participants with unlimited rooms.
Who it's best for
Consultants, coaches, agencies and small teams that meet clients and want guests to join with one click.
Strengths
- Guests join from a link with no download or account
- No meeting time limit on paid plans
- Unlimited recording from Pro
Watch-outs
- Free plan is limited to 4 participants and 30 minutes
- Business needs at least 3 hosts
- Fewer admin and enterprise controls than Zoom, Teams or Webex
Skip it if: You run large internal meetings or need webinars and deep admin controls.
Read our full Whereby review →
How we weighted this list
| Criterion | Main ranking | Small business |
|---|
| Meeting features | 25% | 18% |
| Scale & limits | 15% | 10% |
| Recording & AI | 15% | 10% |
| Admin, security & integrations | 15% | 10% |
| Ease of use | 15% | 26% |
| Price & value | 15% | 26% |
FAQ
What are the best video conferencing tools for small businesses?
Zoom Workplace scores highest (90/100) once price and ease of use carry more weight, followed by Microsoft Teams, Google Meet.
How is this different from your main ranking?
Same tools and the same 0 to 5 ratings, but price and ease of use count for more, because small teams rarely have an admin or a big budget. The weights are in the table on this page.
Which video conferencing tools are cheapest for a small team?
See the starting prices in the comparison table; free plans and trials are listed next to them. Price the plan that covers your team size, not only the entry plan.
What should a small business look for?
A free plan or low entry price, quick setup without an admin, and the two or three features you need on day one. Avoid paying for enterprise controls you won't use yet.
Vettlo Editorial TeamResearched and written by the Vettlo editorial team using our methodology. Prices and plan details come from each vendor's public pricing page.