Here’s a complete, honest breakdown of whether Zoom is free and what that actually includes. But the free version has significant limits that may or may not matter to you. Zoom Free Plan – What You Get | Feature | Free Tier | |---------|------------| | Meeting duration | 40 minutes for 3+ participants | | 1-on-1 meetings | Unlimited (no 40-min limit) | | Number of participants | Up to 100 | | Number of meetings | Unlimited | | Screen sharing | Yes | | Whiteboard | Yes (basic) | | Recording | Local only (to your device) – no cloud recording | | Virtual backgrounds | Yes | | Reactions / chat | Yes | | Breakout rooms | No | | User management | No | | Admin controls | No | | Encryption | Yes (standard end-to-end encryption for meetings, but not fully E2EE by default unless turned on) | The Critical Limit: 40 Minutes The 40-minute limit applies any time you have 3 or more participants . After 40 minutes, the meeting ends automatically. You can immediately restart, but that’s disruptive.