Zoom is a full-featured video conferencing platform designed for real-time meetings with up to 10,000 participants, while Loom is an asynchronous video messaging tool optimized for screen recording and non-live content sharing. Zoom excels at live collaboration; Loom excels at on-demand video communication.
Zoom vs Loom — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Cloud-based video conferencing platform for real-time meetings and webinars.
Asynchronous video messaging platform for screen recording and on-demand communication.
Primary Use Case. Max Meeting Participants. Free Tier Duration Limit. Video Storage (Free Plan). Starting Price (Paid). Real-time Collaboration Features. Average User Satisfaction
Choose Zoom if you need real-time video meetings, webinars, or live collaboration with multiple participants—it's the industry standard for synchronous communication. Choose Loom if you prefer creating on-demand video messages, tutorials, or asynchronous feedback—it's faster, cheaper, and requires no scheduling.
Zoom: 5+ (Companion, Summaries, Previews, Smart Compose) | Loom: N/A
Zoom: Rich formatting, code blocks, file sharing, emoji reactions | Loom: N/A
Zoom: Third-party plugin required | Loom: N/A
Zoom: 6+ (polls, Q&A, reactions, hand raising, breakout rooms, live transcription) | Loom: N/A
Zoom: Extensive HD with filters | Loom: N/A
Zoom: iOS, Android, full feature parity | Loom: N/A
Zoom: Limited (varies by plan) | Loom: N/A
Zoom: 4.5 stars (6,286 reviews) | Loom: N/A
Zoom: Separate add-on service | Loom: N/A
Zoom: Third-party compatible | Loom: N/A
Zoom: 40 minutes (3+ participants) | Loom: Unlimited
Zoom: Synchronous (real-time) | Loom: Asynchronous (recorded)
Zoom: Basic editing, transcription | Loom: Drawing tools, mouse emphasis, buttons, links, file embedding
Zoom: AI Companion 3.0, real-time translation, auto bug reporting | Loom: AI highlights, smart transcript
Zoom: 1000+ (webinar feature) | Loom: Not available
Zoom: Schedule meeting in advance | Loom: Record immediately without scheduling
Zoom: Yes (AI Companion 3.0) | Loom: N/A
Enterprise Deployment Adoption (500+ seat orgs)
3-Year TCO Advantage for 1,000 Users with M365
Zoom: Baseline (higher cost) | Loom: N/A
Zoom: AI Companion 3.0, agentic AI | Loom: N/A
Zoom: AI Companion 3.0, real-time translation, agentic AI | Loom: N/A
Zoom: Available (AI Companion 3.0) | Loom: N/A
Zoom: Secondary with Zoom Chat | Loom: N/A
Zoom: SOC 2, HIPAA, FedRAMP, ISO 27001 | Loom: N/A
Zoom: 500+ (Professional tier) | Loom: N/A
Zoom: Not applicable (meeting-focused) | Loom: N/A
Zoom: AI Companion 3.0 with agentic AI | Loom: N/A
Zoom: Up to 100 (time-limited to 40 minutes) | Loom: Not applicable (no live meetings)
Average Setup Time for New Recording/Meeting
AI Transcription Support (Standard Tier)
Zoom: 40 hours/month (Zoom One plan) | Loom: Unlimited transcription
Zoom: 300 standard (1000 webinar) | Loom: N/A
Zoom: 3 (auto-transcription, noise suppression, chat summary) | Loom: N/A
Zoom: 6 (SOC 2, FedRAMP, HIPAA) | Loom: N/A
Zoom: 1 (one-click join link) | Loom: N/A
Zoom: Basic (Calendar sync only) | Loom: N/A
Zoom: None (40 min meeting limit, no cloud recording) | Loom: Unlimited
Auto-Generated Captions Languages Supported
Zoom: Zoom English only (free plan); 128+ (paid) | Loom: 28+
Zoom: 5-10 (scheduling + setup) | Loom: <1 (instant record)
Zoom: N/A | Loom: Yes, generous free tier
Zoom: N/A | Loom: Basic view counts and engagement
Zoom: N/A | Loom: Limited enterprise options
Zoom: N/A | Loom: Yes, with @mentions and reactions
Free Tier Monthly Recording/Creation Limit
Zoom: N/A | Loom: 5 GB (limited by 25 min cap)
Zoom: N/A | Loom: Auto-summarization, transcription, speaker identification
Zoom: N/A | Loom: Async video communication
Zoom: N/A | Loom: Unlimited duration, 25 slots
Zoom: N/A | Loom: 4 (captions, summaries, chapters, search)
Zoom: N/A | Loom: Timeline editor, cursor effects, zoom, drawing, speed control
Zoom: N/A | Loom: Unlimited duration per video
Zoom: N/A | Loom: Yes, auto-generated transcripts
Zoom: N/A | Loom: $12/month (Pro, billed annually)
Zoom: N/A | Loom: Workspaces, commenting, reactions, sharing permissions
Zoom: N/A | Loom: 100+ (Slack, Notion, Gmail, HubSpot, etc.)
Zoom: N/A | Loom: Yes, included with searchability
Zoom: N/A | Loom: Yes, view count, watch time, engagement
Zoom vs Loom — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Zoom vs Loom. Contains 138 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Zoom vs Loom — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Zoom vs Loom.
Can I use Loom as a replacement for Zoom?
Not entirely. Loom cannot replace Zoom for real-time meetings because it's asynchronous—you cannot have live conversations. However, Loom works great alongside Zoom for follow-up videos, tutorials, or when live meetings aren't necessary. Many teams use Loom to reduce meeting load and supplement synchronous communication.
Loom is significantly cheaper. Loom's free plan is unlimited with 5 GB storage, while Zoom's free plan limits group meetings to 40 minutes. For small teams, Loom Pro at $5/month vs Zoom Pro at $15.99/month makes Loom 3x less expensive. However, if you need live meetings, Zoom's cost is unavoidable.
Does Loom have a waiting room or security features like Zoom?
Loom has basic privacy controls (public/private/password-protected sharing) but lacks Zoom's advanced security features like waiting rooms, meeting locks, and participant controls. Zoom is built for security in enterprise environments; Loom prioritizes simplicity. For sensitive data, Zoom remains the safer choice.
Can I record Zoom meetings and share them like Loom videos?
Yes, but with friction. Zoom's paid plans allow cloud recording, but you must enable recording before the meeting, manage storage separately, and handle transcription separately. Loom's one-click recording and auto-captions integrate seamlessly into a single workflow designed for quick sharing. For asynchronous sharing, Loom is more efficient.
Which platform is better for remote teams?
It depends on team structure. Synchronous remote teams need Zoom for real-time collaboration. Asynchronous distributed teams (across time zones) benefit more from Loom to reduce meeting fatigue. Many high-performing remote teams use both: Zoom for essential meetings, Loom for status updates and tutorials.
Primary Use Case: Zoom has Real-time video conferencing, while Loom has Asynchronous screen recording.
Max Meeting Participants: Zoom has 10,000 participants, while Loom has N/A (asynchronous).
Free Tier Duration Limit: Zoom has 40 minutes per group meeting, while Loom has Unlimited recording length.
Video Storage (Free Plan): Zoom has None (no cloud recording), while Loom has 5 GB included.
Starting Price (Paid): Zoom has $15.99/month (Pro), while Loom has $5/month (Starter).
Consider: Real-time Collaboration Features
Real-time Collaboration Features: Zoom has Screen sharing, chat, polls, breakout rooms, while Loom has Comments only (no live interaction).
Average User Satisfaction: Zoom has 4.5/5 (52,000+ reviews), while Loom has 4.7/5 (8,200+ reviews).