Compare
BigBlueButton vs Zoom
Zoom is a general video-meeting tool, not specialized for education with built-in analytics and whiteboards
Which to pick
Pick BigBlueButton if you want…
- Virtual classrooms with built-in teaching tools
- A free, open-source tool
- Integrations with Canvas, Moodle Cloud or Sakai (on BigBlueButton's list, not Zoom's)
Pick Zoom if you want…
- All-in-one UCaaS with AI features
- General video meetings
- Integrations with Microsoft, Google or Salesforce (on Zoom's list, not BigBlueButton's)
Side by side
- What it is
- BigBlueButton:BigBlueButton is an open-source virtual classroom platform for online teaching and learning.
- Zoom:Zoom provides video meetings, chat, phone, webinars and AI tools on a unified collaboration platform.
- Best for
- BigBlueButton:Virtual classrooms with built-in teaching tools
- Zoom:All-in-one UCaaS with AI features
- Who it’s for
- BigBlueButton:Teachers, schools, and educational institutions needing live online classes
- Zoom:Businesses and teams needing unified communications and remote collaboration.
- Pricing
- BigBlueButton:Open source
- Zoom:Freemium
- Plans
- BigBlueButton:—
- Zoom:Basic Free · Pro $14.16 per user per month billed annu · Business $18.33 per user per month billed annu
- Open source
- BigBlueButton:Yes, 9,238 GitHub stars
- Zoom:—
- Works with
- BigBlueButton:Canvas, Moodle Cloud, Sakai, Jenzabar, D2L, Schoology
- Zoom:Microsoft, Google, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Hubspot
BigBlueButton features
- Multi-user Whiteboard. Collaborative whiteboard that lets instructors and students draw together in real time
- Breakout Rooms. Split participants into smaller groups for collaborative activities
- Live Analytics Dashboard. Shows attendance, participation, and learning metrics during sessions
- Polling & Hand-Raise. Instant polls and virtual hand-raise to gauge understanding and manage questions
- Document & Screen Share. Upload PowerPoint, PDF, images or share screen to present content
- Video Options & Emojis. Play videos at various resolutions and use emojis for quick reactions
Zoom features
- Meetings. Host video meetings with up to 100 participants (free) and larger capacities on paid plans.
- AI Note-taking. My Notes captures AI-generated meeting summaries and notes, with unlimited use on Pro and higher plans.
- Phone & VoIP. Integrated cloud phone service with HD calling and optional outbound calling.
- Chat & Collaboration. Persistent group chat, direct messaging, file sharing and searchable history.
- Webinars & Events. Host webinars for up to 500 attendees on Enterprise and add-on plans.
- Whiteboard & Clips. Editable whiteboards and short video clips for quick visual collaboration.
BigBlueButton vs Zoom FAQ
Is BigBlueButton or Zoom free?+
BigBlueButton is free and open source. Zoom has a free plan (Basic) and paid plans.
Is BigBlueButton or Zoom open source?+
BigBlueButton is open source (bigbluebutton/bigbluebutton on GitHub, LGPL-3.0 license). DevHunt has no public source repository on record for Zoom.
Do BigBlueButton and Zoom integrate with the same tools?+
Their integration lists don't overlap: BigBlueButton lists Canvas, Moodle Cloud, Sakai, Jenzabar and 2 more; Zoom lists Microsoft, Google, Salesforce, ServiceNow and 1 more.
On DevHunt
Based on each tool's website and DevHunt data. Details may change; check the official sites.