Webex undercuts Zoom on price and allows more people into a standard meeting. But its own pricing page confirms its AI Assistant is withheld from every self-service plan, all the way up to the $22.50/user/month Suite tier.
Zoom Workplace and Cisco Webex both show up in searches from IT buyers comparing video platforms for the whole company, and Webex’s pitch leans hard on security credentials and a cheaper entry price with more seats per meeting. What Webex’s own pricing page does not advertise as loudly is that its AI Assistant is excluded from every plan you can buy without talking to sales, a detail Zoom buyers get solved by the time they hit Zoom’s Pro tier.
Zoom Workplace‘s Pro plan is $14.16/user/month, with AI Companion included. Cisco Webex‘s Meet plan is $12/user/month, cheaper, with 200 participants, but no AI Assistant.
| Feature | Zoom Workplace | Cisco Webex |
|---|---|---|
| Entry paid price | $14.16/mo (Pro) | $12/mo (Meet) |
| Participants at entry tier | 100 | 200 |
| Max meeting duration | 30 hours | 24 hours |
| AI assistant on a self-service plan | ✓ Included from Pro | ✗ (Enterprise/custom pricing only) |
| Named compliance credentials (HIPAA, FedRAMP) | ✗ | ✓ Webex Meet+ |
| Our overall score | 4.8/5 | 4.4/5 |
AI Assistant: Zoom includes it, Webex reserves it for Enterprise
Webex’s own plan comparison confirms the gap, not a reading between the lines.
Bottom line: Zoom's $14.16/user/month Pro plan includes AI Companion unlimited: meeting summaries and in-meeting questions, no additional purchase needed. Cisco Webex's own pricing comparison page lists AI Assistant as excluded from the Free, Meet, and Suite plans, meaning even Webex Suite at $22.50/user/month, which adds calling on top of meetings, does not include it. Webex reserves AI Assistant for its custom-priced Enterprise plan, which requires contacting Cisco's sales team and does not have a published price. For a buyer comparing self-service plans side by side, Zoom is the only one of the two that gets you AI without a sales conversation.
Do not assume Webex Suite includes AI Assistant because it costs more than Meet. Per Webex's own plan comparison, AI Assistant first appears only on the custom-quoted Enterprise tier.
Pricing and participant capacity
Webex is cheaper and roomier per meeting, if you don’t need AI.
Bottom line: Cisco Webex's Meet plan is $12/user/month, supporting 200 participants with 24-hour meetings. Zoom Pro is $14.16/user/month, slightly more expensive, with a lower 100-participant cap but a longer 30-hour duration limit. Webex Suite, which adds a cloud calling license on top of meetings, is $22.50/user/month, still capped at 200 participants. For a team that just needs to fit more people into a standard call without paying for AI, Webex's Meet plan is the cheaper, roomier option.
Compliance credentials for regulated industries
Where Webex earns its position in healthcare, government, and large-enterprise IT.
Bottom line: Webex is positioned around a named compliance stack, including HIPAA alignment, end-to-end encryption, and FedRAMP authorization, which is why it shows up repeatedly as the default pick for regulated industries and large IT organizations with strict procurement checklists. Zoom Workplace does not market an equivalent FedRAMP-focused compliance stack as its core differentiator in this comparison; it remains broadly suitable for standard commercial use but is not the platform most often named specifically for government or healthcare compliance requirements in our research.
Should I choose Zoom Workplace or Cisco Webex?
Bottom line: Zoom Workplace suits teams that want AI meeting assistance available on a plan they can buy online today; Cisco Webex suits regulated organizations whose procurement checklist starts with named compliance credentials.
- You want AI meeting summaries on a plan you can purchase without a sales call
- You need 30-hour meeting durations instead of a 24-hour cap
- Your organization is not subject to FedRAMP or HIPAA procurement requirements
- You want the higher-rated platform at 4.8/5
- AI access matters more to you than per-meeting participant count
- Named compliance credentials like HIPAA or FedRAMP are a procurement requirement
- You want 200 participants per meeting at a lower entry price
- You can live without AI Assistant on a self-service plan
- You want calling bundled with meetings via Webex Suite
- You're comfortable contacting sales for a custom Enterprise quote if AI becomes a requirement
For most teams that want AI meeting assistance without an enterprise sales process, Zoom Workplace is the stronger pick: a higher score, AI Assistant included on a plan you can buy today, and longer meeting durations.
But Cisco Webex is the right call for regulated organizations: named compliance credentials, a lower entry price, and 200 participants per meeting on both Meet and Suite, all without needing AI access to be part of the decision.
Before choosing Webex expecting AI features, confirm you're not assuming Suite includes them. Per Webex's own pricing page, AI Assistant only ships on the custom-quoted Enterprise plan.
The most common questions teams ask when choosing between Zoom Workplace and Cisco Webex Zoom Workplace scores 4.8/5 against Cisco Webex's 4.4/5 in our testing, largely because Zoom includes its AI Companion free starting on the $14.16/user/month Pro plan, while Webex withholds its AI Assistant from every paid tier up to and including the $22.50/user/month Suite plan. Webex is the stronger pick for regulated industries that specifically need HIPAA, FedRAMP, or end-to-end encryption credentials. Zoom Workplace's Pro plan is $14.16/user/month with 100 participants. Cisco Webex's Meet plan is $12/user/month with 200 participants, and Webex Suite, which adds calling, is $22.50/user/month, both still with 200 participants. Webex undercuts Zoom on entry price and allows more participants per meeting at every comparable tier. No, not on any self-service plan. Webex's own pricing page confirms AI Assistant is excluded from the Free, Meet, and Suite plans, including the $22.50/user/month Suite tier. It is included only on the custom-priced Enterprise plan, which requires contacting Cisco sales. Yes, starting on the $14.16/user/month Pro plan, which includes unlimited AI Companion meeting summaries and unlimited in-meeting questions. Zoom's free Basic plan includes a limited allowance of 3 meeting summaries and 20 AI queries per month. Webex is positioned around compliance credentials including HIPAA, end-to-end encryption, and FedRAMP authorization, making it a common pick for regulated industries and large IT organizations with strict procurement requirements. Zoom Workplace does not market an equivalent FedRAMP-focused compliance stack as its primary differentiator, though it remains broadly suitable for standard business use.Frequently asked questions: Zoom Workplace vs Cisco Webex
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