What is Zoom?
Zoom is a comprehensive video conferencing and collaboration platform that became synonymous with virtual meetings during the global shift to remote work. Founded by Eric Yuan, a former Cisco Webex engineer, Zoom launched in 2013 with a mission to make video communications frictionless.
What started as a video conferencing tool has evolved into Zoom Workplace, an all-in-one collaboration platform that includes video meetings, team chat, VoIP phone, webinars, whiteboard, and more. In 2025, Zoom introduced nearly 200 new features, with AI Companion 3.0 bringing agentic AI capabilities that can execute tasks autonomously.
The platform supports meetings from small 1-on-1 calls to enterprise events with up to 5,000 participants, making it suitable for businesses of all sizes from freelancers to Fortune 500 companies.
Key Features of Zoom
AI Companion 3.0
Zoom AI Companion 3.0 represents a major leap in meeting intelligence. It provides automated meeting summaries, real-time transcription, and agentic AI that can execute tasks on your behalf. The AI can retrieve information across meeting summaries, transcripts, and notes from connected apps like Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive.
AI Insights: AI Companion can transcribe in-person meetings, Zoom meetings, or meetings on other platforms. Summaries are shareable via Slack, Microsoft Teams, and more.
Video Conferencing Excellence
Zoom's core video conferencing remains industry-leading with HD video, crystal-clear audio, and reliable performance even on lower bandwidth connections. Features like virtual backgrounds, touch-up appearance, and studio effects help you look professional in any environment.
Screen Sharing & Collaboration
Comprehensive screen sharing options include sharing your entire screen, specific applications, or portions of your screen. The integrated whiteboard allows real-time collaboration, while breakout rooms enable smaller group discussions within larger meetings.
Recording & Transcription
Zoom offers both local and cloud recording options. Smart Recording automatically generates transcripts, breaks recordings into chapters with timestamps, and identifies action items. Real-time captions support 36+ languages with improved accuracy.
Real-Time Translation
Zoom's real-time translated captions break language barriers in global meetings. The feature supports 36+ languages and was found to be 28% more accurate for English-to-French translations compared to competitors.
Enterprise Security
Zoom provides enterprise-grade security with end-to-end encryption, waiting rooms, meeting passwords, role-based permissions, and meeting locks. SOC 2, HIPAA, and GDPR compliant for regulated industries.
Integrations
Zoom integrates with thousands of applications including Slack, Microsoft Teams, Salesforce, Google Workspace, and more. The Zoom App Marketplace offers extensive customization options.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Industry-Leading Reliability: Zoom just works - exceptional stability and performance even on poor internet connections
- Comprehensive AI Features: AI Companion 3.0 offers meeting summaries, transcription, and intelligent automation included in paid plans
- Generous Free Tier: Free plan supports up to 100 participants for 40-minute meetings
- Universal Adoption: Most people already have Zoom installed, reducing friction for meetings
- Extensive Ecosystem: Zoom Phone, Rooms, Webinars, and Events create a complete communication platform
- Strong Security: End-to-end encryption, waiting rooms, and enterprise compliance certifications
Cons
- 40-Minute Limit on Free: Group meetings on free plan cut off at 40 minutes, forcing upgrades
- Zoom Fatigue: The platform's ubiquity has led to video call exhaustion for many users
- AI Features Require Paid Plans: Full AI Companion features only available on paid plans or as $10/month add-on
- Complex Pricing: Many add-ons and tiers can make pricing confusing for businesses
- Security History: Past security incidents during rapid growth have made some organizations cautious
Zoom Pricing (2025)
Zoom offers flexible pricing from free individual use to enterprise deployments. AI Companion is included in paid plans or available as a $10/month standalone add-on. Prices shown are for annual billing.
Basic (Free)
- 100 participants max
- 40-minute group meetings
- Unlimited 1-on-1 meetings
- Basic AI Companion
- Screen sharing
Pro
- 30-hour meetings
- 5GB cloud storage
- Full AI Companion
- Custom meeting IDs
- Streaming to social
Business
- 300 participants max
- Cloud recording transcripts
- Single sign-on (SSO)
- Managed domains
- Company branding
Enterprise
- 1,000 participants max
- Unlimited cloud storage
- Dedicated support
- Advanced analytics
- Custom integrations
Best Use Cases for Zoom
Remote & Hybrid Teams
Zoom's reliability and universal adoption make it the default choice for distributed teams. AI Companion helps keep remote workers aligned with automatic meeting summaries and action items.
Enterprise Organizations
Large companies benefit from Zoom's comprehensive security, compliance certifications, and ability to scale from small team meetings to company-wide events with thousands of participants.
Education Institutions
Zoom's breakout rooms, whiteboard, and recording features make it ideal for online learning. Many schools and universities have standardized on Zoom for virtual classes.
Healthcare Providers
HIPAA compliance and end-to-end encryption enable secure telehealth consultations. Zoom's waiting room feature helps manage patient appointments.
Security & Privacy
Data Protection
- End-to-End Encryption: Available for all meetings when enabled, protecting content from interception
- Data at Rest: Cloud recordings and data encrypted with AES-256
- AI Data Handling: Zoom does not use customer data to train AI models
Compliance
- SOC 2 Type II: Independently audited for security controls
- HIPAA Compliant: BAA available for healthcare organizations
- GDPR Ready: EU data privacy requirements supported
Final Verdict
Zoom remains the gold standard for video conferencing in 2025. With AI Companion 3.0, Zoom has transformed from a video calling tool into an intelligent meeting platform that can summarize discussions, track action items, and even execute tasks autonomously. The integration of AI across the entire Zoom Workplace suite makes it a compelling choice for organizations looking to boost productivity.
The main considerations are pricing and whether you need Zoom's full ecosystem. For pure meeting transcription and summaries, dedicated tools like Otter.ai or Fireflies may offer more features at lower cost. But if you're already using Zoom for meetings, the built-in AI Companion eliminates the need for third-party tools.
