How we rank: Video conferencing services
The Score (0–100) is a weighted sum of the factors below. Each factor is the weighted average of its metrics; each metric is calculated from one published fact. Missing facts score zero, and a service is ranked only when enough of its Score is backed by facts.
A service is ranked only when at least 70% of its Score is backed by verified facts.
← Best Video Conferencing Services 2026: Independent Ranking for Small Teams
Price and free plan 30%
Monthly list price in USD of the cheapest paid plan for one host, with monthly billing: $0 scores 100, $20 or more scores 0 (weight 3). If only annual billing is sold, we divide the annual price by 12; if a service has no paid meeting plan at all, its price is $0. Other currencies are converted at the ECB rate on the check date. Also a permanent free plan (weight 2), the time limit of a free group meeting — 120 minutes or no limit scores 100 (weight 1) — and the number of participants allowed on the free plan, on a logarithmic scale up to 1,000 (weight 1).
| Metric | Rule |
|---|---|
| Cheapest paid plan per host per month | Linear from 0 (100) to 20 (0) — lower is better |
| Free plan | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| Free group meeting limit, minutes | Unlimited = 100; linear from 0 to 120 |
| Participants on the free plan | Logarithmic, full score at 1,000 |
Security and privacy 30%
Whether meetings can be end-to-end encrypted on any plan (weight 3), whether the vendor holds ISO/IEC 27001 (weight 2) and a SOC 2 report (weight 1), offers a GDPR data processing agreement (weight 1) and lets customers keep meeting data in the European Union (weight 1). We record the vendor's statement; we do not audit it.
| Metric | Rule |
|---|---|
| End-to-end encryption | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| ISO/IEC 27001 | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| SOC 2 report | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| GDPR data processing agreement | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| Meeting data in the EU | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
Features 20%
Whether meetings can be recorded (weight 2) and whether the service creates live captions or transcripts automatically (weight 2) on any of its plans. The fact shows that a feature exists, not that the free plan has it: check the note under each fact.
| Metric | Rule |
|---|---|
| Meeting recording | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| Live captions or transcripts | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
Track record 20%
The rating of the vendor's iOS app in the US App Store, adjusted for the number of ratings (weight 2), and how long the vendor has been running: 20 years or more scores 100 (weight 1).
| Metric | Rule |
|---|---|
| App Store rating (US) | 3★ = 0, 5★ = 100, damped below 1,000,000 ratings |
| Founded | Full score at 20+ years |