Zoom has become a synonym for video conferencing. It is mature, scales to large meetings and webinars and has countless features. In everyday use, though, the small things get in the way: the 40-minute limit on the free plan, the prompt to install an app, and the question whether the conversation is really confidential. That is exactly where Briefing comes in.
In short
| Briefing | Zoom | |
|---|---|---|
| Account to start a call | no | yes, Zoom account |
| Runs in the browser | yes, fully | yes (web client), the app is recommended |
| End-to-end encryption | always | optional, turned on per meeting |
| E2EE in the browser | yes | no, only in the desktop app, mobile app and Zoom Rooms |
| Features with E2EE | all | without cloud recording, breakout rooms, polls, join before host, among others |
| Path of video and audio | directly between browsers | through Zoom’s servers |
| Time limit on the free offering | none | 40 minutes per meeting, at most 100 participants |
| Self-hostable | yes | no |
| Recording, webinars, phone dial-in | no | yes |
| Large groups | no | yes, very large |
As of October 2026, information about Zoom based on its public documentation.
No 40-minute limit
On Zoom’s free plan, meetings end after 40 minutes - mid-conversation, for everyone. No more than 100 participants fit in. If you want to talk longer, you need a subscription or start a new meeting.
Briefing has no time limit. Video and audio go directly between browsers rather than through our servers, so there is nothing for us to limit. Talk as long as you like.
No app, no account
Zoom offers a web client but likes to push the desktop app, and whoever sets up a meeting needs a Zoom account. In Briefing nobody needs an account or an app. The link opens the room right in the browser, on a computer as well as on a phone. If you like, put Briefing on your home screen as a web app.
End-to-end encryption without giving anything up
Zoom offers true end-to-end encryption, also for free. But it has to be turned on per meeting, does not work in the web client, and some features go away with it, such as cloud recording, breakout rooms, polls and joining before the host. By default, Zoom encrypts in a way that keeps the keys in Zoom’s cloud.
In Briefing, end-to-end encryption is the only mode. There is nothing to turn on and nothing you give up for it: screen sharing, chat, files, whiteboard and shared documents all work encrypted. The key lives in the link and never reaches the server.
Privacy by design
Briefing stores nothing of the conversation: video, audio, chat, files and whiteboards exist only in the participants’ browsers. The server knows neither room names nor participants’ names. No tracking, no advertising, no analysis of conversation content. The official instance runs exclusively in data centers in Germany, and if you prefer, you run Briefing yourself as a single Docker image.
When Zoom is the better choice
- Large meetings, webinars and events with many participants.
- Recording, transcription, AI summaries and phone dial-in.
- Breakout rooms, polls and extensive moderation features.
- An established setup with Zoom Rooms in meeting rooms.
When Briefing is the better choice
- You want to talk without a time limit and without a subscription.
- Nobody should have to install an app or create an account.
- The conversation is confidential, and encryption should not depend on a setting.
- You are a small group: family, friends, counseling, a small team.
More comparisons: Briefing compared. The technology in detail: How Briefing works.