Home / Directory / Video calls
Alternatives to Zoom
Video meetings on software you can host, with no account for the people you invite.
Ranked by score out of 30, most convivial first.
Jami
Peer-to-peer calls and messages with no central server, from a GNU project.
Jitsi Meet
Free video meetings in a browser or app, with no account needed and a server you can host yourself.
Galène
A videoconference server light enough to run on a small machine.
BigBlueButton
An open-source virtual classroom with slides, polls, whiteboards and breakout rooms.
Element Call
Group video calls on the open Matrix network, from the makers of Element.
For comparison
The big names these tools are measured against. We review them as benchmarks, so they sit outside the directory.
About these tools
A video call needs a server somewhere, and the question is whose. Jitsi Meet is the easy start, a link that opens in a browser, and 8x8 sells a hosted version. BigBlueButton is built for classes, with slides, polls and breakout rooms. Element Call brings calls to Matrix, Galène is a light server for small groups, and Jami skips servers altogether and says its calls run peer to peer.
Hosting your own call server is a real job, and the quality you get depends on the machine and the network, so try one with a few friends before you move a whole team.
How to choose
Start with who you are meeting. For a quick call with people who will not install anything, a browser link like Jitsi Meet works. For classes, BigBlueButton. For a team already on Matrix, Element Call. For a small group on a tiny server, Galène.
Frequently asked questions
What is an open-source alternative to Zoom?
Jitsi Meet is Apache-2.0 licensed and runs in a browser, and BigBlueButton suits classes and webinars.
Can I run video meetings on my own server?
Yes. Jitsi Meet, BigBlueButton, Element Call and Galène can all be self-hosted, and Galène asks for very moderate server resources.
Is there a video call app without a central server?
Jami says it is completely peer to peer. That is the project's own claim, and we found no audit.