Compare
Meetful vs Zoom
Both put people on a video call. Here is everywhere they differ — and where they do not. Every line about Zoom is Zoom's own words, with a link, so you can check it yourself.
17/17Meetful6/17Zoom
Full marks only. Every line about Zoom is Zoom's own words from its own website, linked — checked on 25 October 2026.
Where they are different
Don't want to be recorded? Stay in the meeting anywayOnly you are left out of the video, the written transcript and the AI notes. Everyone else is recorded as usual.
MeetfulOne button, any time
Zoom · NoYou have to leave the meeting
“Click Leave and then Leave Meeting to opt out and exit the meeting.” — support.zoom.com
Your call doesn't go through the app company's computers — and you still get the recording and notesYour video and voice go straight to the people you're talking to, locked so nobody in between can see or hear them.
MeetfulEvery call, on every plan
Zoom · NoTheir most private mode turns off AI notes and cloud recording
“Enabling E2EE will disable the following in-meeting features:” — the list includes Zoom's AI features, cloud recording and live transcription. (E2EE is end-to-end encryption.) — support.zoom.com
No account can open everyone's meetings — not ours, not your company's ITA meeting is only seen by the people in it and the people they share it with.
MeetfulOnly what someone chooses to share
Zoom · NoThe account owner can watch and share them
“Account owners can view and share recordings and transcripts of meetings and webinars hosted on their account” — Zoom Privacy Statement
Your guest gets in because you said yesNot because an IT department somewhere allowed it.
MeetfulYou let people in, lock the door, or remove someone
Zoom · PartlyCan be set to make guests sign in to Zoom first
“The Only authenticated users can join meetings option requires participants to sign in before they can join a Zoom meeting.” — support.zoom.com
No time limit on your meetingsOn the free plan, with three or more people.
MeetfulTalk as long as you like
Zoom · NoCut off at 40 minutes — even one-on-one
“Almost all meetings scheduled and hosted by Basic (free) users, on Free and Paid accounts, are limited to 40 minutes.” — support.zoom.com
A recording and a written transcriptOn the free plan.
MeetfulEvery meeting, with 5 hours of video saved
Zoom · PartlyVideo saves to your own computer; the transcript costs extra
“Computer recording is available to free and paid subscribers.” — support.zoom.com
Audio transcripts need a “Pro, Business, or Enterprise account”. — support.zoom.com
AI notes after every meetingOn the free plan — and each note shows what was actually said.
MeetfulEvery meeting, with the quotes
Zoom · PartlyOnly 3 meetings a month
Free plan: “Meeting summaries (for 3 hosted meetings per month)”. — zoom.us/pricing
A booking page where people pick a time with youOn the free plan.
MeetfulAnd the meeting is ready, with their note on top
Zoom · Only if you payTaken off the free plan on 3 November 2026
From 3 November 2026, “Zoom Scheduler Basic will no longer be included in Zoom Workplace Basic and Zoom Workplace Pro plans.” Accounts that switched it on before 4 September 2026 keep it. — support.zoom.com
Everyone who was in the meeting gets the recording and notesGuests from other companies too.
MeetfulEveryone who was in the call, on their own dashboard
Zoom · PartlyOnly if the account owner shares it
“Account owners can view and share recordings and transcripts of meetings and webinars hosted on their account” — Zoom Privacy Statement
Stop paying and keep every recordingGoing back to free never deletes what you already have.
MeetfulNothing is deleted when you downgrade
Zoom · NoDeleted 30 days after you stop paying
“If the account was downgraded to Basic, cloud recordings are deleted after 30 days.” (Basic is Zoom's free plan.) — support.zoom.com
No data collected about your calls behind the scenesUnless you turn it on yourself.
MeetfulOff unless you turn it on
Zoom · NoSome of it can't be turned off
“The Required Diagnostic Data setting cannot be disabled.” — support.zoom.com
Where both do it
Your meetings aren't used to train AIAll four apps promise this — it should be the minimum.
MeetfulAnd the companies we work with promise it too
Zoom · YesPromised since 2023
“Zoom does not use any customer audio, video, chat, screen sharing, attachments … to train Zoom’s or its third-party artificial intelligence models.” — Zoom
Join from your web browserNothing to download. Guests don't need an account.
MeetfulJust click the link
Zoom · YesYes
Two people can share their screens at the same timeWithout one kicking the other off.
MeetfulSide by side
Zoom · YesIf the host turns it on
Live captionsWords on screen as people talk.
MeetfulWith each speaker's name
Zoom · YesYes
Host controlsMute one person or everyone, remove someone, lock the meeting, let people in.
MeetfulAll of them
Zoom · YesYes
Choose your microphone, camera and speakersPlus shortcuts: mute, camera on and off, hold the space bar to talk.
MeetfulCtrl/⌘+D to mute, Ctrl/⌘+E for camera
Zoom · YesYes
Fair is fair. Where they're still ahead: calls with more than about ten cameras on, calling in from a phone line, breakout rooms, polls, blurred backgrounds, and the security certificates big companies ask for. They're on our list.
Moving from Zoom
- Start a meeting — no account needed, not even yours. Send the link; people press it and they are in.
- Move your calendar — the switch page swaps the Zoom link in your upcoming invites for one Meetful link that is always yours.
- Bring your old meetings — drop Zoom transcripts into your dashboard; search and recaps work across all of them.
- Put Meetful in Google Calendar — pick it from Add video conferencing, the way you would pick Meet.
Questions
Is Meetful free like Zoom?
Yes. Meetings have no time limit on the free plan, anyone can join from the link without an account, and five hours of video are kept for you. Paid plans add more storage and the notetaker without a limit.
Can I still talk to people who use Zoom?
Yes. Send them a Meetful link — they join in their browser, with nothing to install and no account. For calls that have to stay on Zoom, the Meetful notetaker can join them and its notes land in your dashboard.
How do I move my meetings from Zoom?
Meetful's switch page moves the meetings already in your calendar to a Meetful link, and your guests get the new link on the invite. Old transcripts can be brought in as files.
In Zoom's own words
- “Click Leave and then Leave Meeting to opt out and exit the meeting.” support.zoom.com
- “Enabling E2EE will disable the following in-meeting features:” — the list includes Zoom's AI features, cloud recording and live transcription. (E2EE is end-to-end encryption.) support.zoom.com
- “Account owners can view and share recordings and transcripts of meetings and webinars hosted on their account” Zoom Privacy Statement
- “The Only authenticated users can join meetings option requires participants to sign in before they can join a Zoom meeting.” support.zoom.com
- “Almost all meetings scheduled and hosted by Basic (free) users, on Free and Paid accounts, are limited to 40 minutes.” support.zoom.com
- “Computer recording is available to free and paid subscribers.” support.zoom.com
- Audio transcripts need a “Pro, Business, or Enterprise account”. support.zoom.com
- Free plan: “Meeting summaries (for 3 hosted meetings per month)”. zoom.us/pricing
- From 3 November 2026, “Zoom Scheduler Basic will no longer be included in Zoom Workplace Basic and Zoom Workplace Pro plans.” Accounts that switched it on before 4 September 2026 keep it. support.zoom.com
- “If the account was downgraded to Basic, cloud recordings are deleted after 30 days.” (Basic is Zoom's free plan.) support.zoom.com
- “The Required Diagnostic Data setting cannot be disabled.” support.zoom.com
- “Zoom does not use any customer audio, video, chat, screen sharing, attachments … to train Zoom’s or its third-party artificial intelligence models.” Zoom
Checked on 25 October 2026. Something changed? Tell us and we will fix the page. The whole table, with Google Meet and Teams beside it, is on Why Meetful.
Other comparisons
Try Meetful
Meetings that take their own notes
Free video meetings in the browser: every line of the transcript under the name of who said it, and the summary and action items when you hang up. Nothing to install — guests just open the link.