Self-Hosted Alternatives to Zoom
Why Replace Zoom?
Privacy. Zoom’s track record includes routing calls through China, misleading users about end-to-end encryption, and a $85 million privacy settlement in 2021. The client installs a kernel extension on macOS and has had multiple critical CVEs. When you self-host, call data never leaves your server.
Cost. Zoom Free limits meetings to 40 minutes with 100 participants. Zoom Pro costs $13.33/month ($160/year). Zoom Business is $18.33/month ($220/year). A self-hosted Jitsi Meet server handles unlimited meetings with no time limits for the cost of running a VPS or home server.
Control. Zoom can change features, raise prices, or discontinue products at any time. They’ve already removed features from lower tiers to push upgrades. A self-hosted video conferencing server runs on your terms.
No account friction. Zoom requires participants to create accounts or install the desktop client for many features. Jitsi Meet — the best self-hosted alternative — lets anyone join by clicking a link in their browser. No signup, no download, no friction.
Best Alternatives
Jitsi Meet — Best Overall Zoom Replacement
Jitsi Meet is the answer for most teams replacing Zoom. It handles screen sharing, recording, chat, reactions, virtual backgrounds, and breakout rooms. Participants join by clicking a URL — no account required, no app to install.
The Docker Compose deployment uses four containers (web, Prosody XMPP, Jicofo focus, JVB video bridge) and takes about 10 minutes to set up. Add Jibri for server-side recording if you need it.
Replaces Zoom features:
- Video/audio conferencing ✓ (no time limit, no participant cap enforced by software)
- Screen sharing ✓
- Meeting chat ✓
- Breakout rooms ✓
- Recording ✓ (via Jibri — needs additional 4 GB RAM)
- Virtual backgrounds ✓
- Lobby/waiting room ✓
- Password-protected meetings ✓
- Reactions/hand raise ✓
- Mobile apps (iOS/Android) ✓
Zoom features you lose:
- Cloud recording storage (Jibri records locally — store on your server)
- Zoom Phone (VoIP calling) — use self-hosted VoIP instead
- AI meeting summaries
- Zoom Clips
- Calendar integrations are self-configured, not automatic
[Read our full guide: How to Self-Host Jitsi Meet]
BigBlueButton — Best for Webinars and Training
If you use Zoom primarily for webinars, online classes, or structured presentations, BigBlueButton is purpose-built for that use case. It offers multi-user whiteboard annotations, shared presentation upload with real-time markup, polling, breakout rooms with timers, and built-in recording.
The trade-off: it requires 16 GB RAM and 8 CPU cores for production. That’s 4x the resources of Jitsi Meet. BigBlueButton is not a general-purpose video tool — it’s a virtual classroom.
Best for: Schools, universities, corporate training, structured webinars.
[Compare: Jitsi Meet vs BigBlueButton]
Migration Guide
Step 1: Deploy Jitsi Meet
Follow our Jitsi Meet setup guide. You’ll need:
- A Linux server with 4 GB RAM and 2 CPU cores (minimum)
- Docker and Docker Compose installed
- A domain name pointed to your server (e.g.,
meet.yourdomain.com)
Deployment takes under 15 minutes.
Step 2: Configure for Your Team
After deployment, customize:
- Set a secure password for the admin interface
- Enable the lobby/waiting room for external meetings
- Configure recording if needed (add the Jibri container)
- Set up a reverse proxy with SSL (Reverse Proxy Setup)
Step 3: Replace Zoom Links
Update your meeting invites to point to your Jitsi instance:
- Old:
https://zoom.us/j/123456789 - New:
https://meet.yourdomain.com/team-standup
Jitsi rooms are created on the fly — just pick a URL and share it. No scheduling required.
Step 4: Mobile Access
Install the Jitsi Meet mobile app (available on iOS and Android) and configure it to point to your self-hosted instance. Alternatively, participants can join from any mobile browser.
Cost Comparison
| Zoom Free | Zoom Pro | Zoom Business | Self-Hosted Jitsi | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $0 | $13.33/mo | $18.33/mo | $0 |
| Annual cost | $0 | $160/yr | $220/yr | $0 |
| 3-year cost | $0 | $480 | $660 | $0 |
| Meeting time limit | 40 min | 30 hours | 30 hours | Unlimited |
| Participants | 100 | 100 | 300 | 100+ (tunable) |
| Recording | No | Cloud (5 GB) | Cloud (10 GB) | Local (unlimited) |
| Custom domain | No | No | Yes ($) | Yes (free) |
| Privacy | Zoom servers | Zoom servers | Zoom servers | Your server only |
| Account required | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Self-hosting costs only the server you’re already running. If you don’t have one, a $5-10/month VPS handles Jitsi Meet comfortably for small teams. A home server eliminates even that cost.
What You Give Up
Zoom’s ecosystem integrations are the main sacrifice:
- Calendar integration — Zoom connects to Google Calendar and Outlook natively. Jitsi integrates with Google Calendar via a Chrome extension, but it’s not as seamless.
- Cloud recording — Zoom stores recordings in the cloud. Jitsi records locally via Jibri — you manage the storage.
- AI features — Zoom’s AI Companion generates meeting summaries and action items. Jitsi has no built-in AI.
- Phone dial-in — Zoom has global dial-in numbers. Jitsi supports SIP via Jigasi, but you need to configure a SIP provider.
- Webinar mode — Zoom has a dedicated webinar product for large audiences. For webinars, consider BigBlueButton instead.
- Breakout room pre-assignment — Zoom lets you assign participants to breakout rooms before the meeting. Jitsi’s breakout rooms are created during the call.
For most teams, the migration is smooth. The core use case — reliable video calls with screen sharing — works identically. The features you lose are either niche (AI summaries) or available through alternative self-hosted tools (recording, calendar integration).
Related
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