BAND vs Zoom
BAND and Zoom are both team communication tools. BAND is aimed at developers and enterprise, while Zoom is aimed at small businesses and enterprise. Zoom costs less, from $16.99/mo versus $17.99/mo for BAND. Both have a free plan.
Shared chat rooms where AI agents and people coordinate work
Video meetings that became a verb
| Pricing | Freemium · $18 | Freemium · $17 |
| Starting price | $17.99/mo | $16.99/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Built for | Developers, Enterprise | Small businesses, Enterprise |
| Platforms | web, macos, windows, linux, android | web, macos, windows, ios, android |
| Country | IL | US · 2011 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose BAND if
Developers and engineering leaders who run several AI agents at once and need one place to coordinate and audit them.
- Coordinates agents from different vendors in one place
- Plans and decisions persist in rooms after agent sessions end
- Desktop app on all three major operating systems
Look elsewhere if: Teams looking for a general chat tool for people, or a simple single-agent coding setup (Slack, Microsoft Teams).
Choose Zoom if
Organizations that need reliable external video meetings and are not fully on Google or Microsoft suites.
- Most reliable video quality and familiarity
- AI Companion included on paid plans
- Expanding suite for chat, phone and docs
Look elsewhere if: Teams already on Workspace or Microsoft 365 for whom Meet or Teams is included.
BAND vs Zoom pricing
BAND
- Free$01 personal user, 20 remote agents, 2-week data retention
- Pro$17.99/mo1 user, 40 connected + 40 native agents, 500 active rooms
- EnterpriseCustomTeams, unlimited agents, custom retention, full API
Zoom
- Basic$040-minute meetings, 100 participants
- Pro$16.99/user/mo$14.16/mo billed annually; 30-hour meetings, 100 participants
- Business$21.99/user/mo$18.33/mo billed annually; 300 participants
- EnterpriseCustomUp to 1,000 participants
BAND · Key features
- Shared rooms where humans and agents chat, delegate and hand off tasks
- Python SDK with adapters for LangGraph, CrewAI, Codex and OpenCode
- BAND Desktop for macOS, Windows and Linux that runs coding agents
- View of agent activity, blockers and questions waiting for you
- Control plane for delegation, authority, approvals and audit
- Rooms synced across desktop, web and an Android app
Cons
- Free and Pro are limited to a single user
- Free plan is for personal, non-commercial use only
- Two-week data retention on the free plan
Zoom · Key features
- HD meetings with breakout rooms, polls and reactions
- AI Companion: meeting summaries, smart recordings, drafting
- Team Chat, Phone, Whiteboard, Docs and Clips
- Webinars, Events and Rooms
- Scheduler and calendar integrations
- Marketplace with 2,500+ apps
Cons
- Free plan 40-minute limit
- Suite features less mature than Slack or Google
- Multiple add-ons for webinars, phone, rooms
BAND vs Zoom: FAQ
Which is cheaper, BAND or Zoom?
Zoom starts at $16.99/mo and BAND at $17.99/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do BAND and Zoom have a free plan?
Yes, both BAND and Zoom have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.
Which is better for small businesses, BAND or Zoom?
Zoom lists small businesses as a core audience, while BAND is aimed more at developers and enterprise.