Zoom 40-minute limit

The Zoom 40-minute limit: who it applies to and how to avoid it

On Zoom's free Basic plan, meetings end after 40 minutes, and that includes calls between just two people. The limit follows the host's license, so a paid guest does not lift it. To meet for longer, the host needs a paid Zoom license (Pro costs $16.99 a month billed monthly) or another tool: Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Meeto allow 60 minutes free.

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By Meeto · Updated

What is the Zoom 40-minute limit?

It is the meeting length allowed on Zoom's free plan. Zoom's pricing page lists the free Basic plan with 40 minutes per meeting[1] and up to 100 participants[2]. Its help center says almost all meetings scheduled and hosted by Basic (free) users are limited to 40 minutes, and lists a host with one or more participants among them[3], so one-on-one calls are covered too.

When the time is up the meeting ends for everyone. The only time it does not apply is while the host is alone: a meeting the host started with no one else in it is not held to 40 minutes[4].

Whose meetings does the limit cover?

The host's. A meeting runs on the time limit of the person who hosts it, even if that person has not joined yet[5]. That leads to two common surprises:

  • A paid guest changes nothing. If you host on a free license and a colleague with a paid license joins, the meeting still ends at 40 minutes.
  • A paid company account is not enough. Users with a Basic (free) license on Pro, Business or Enterprise accounts keep the free meeting durations[6]. Ask your Zoom administrator for a paid license.

How can you meet for longer than 40 minutes?

There are three legitimate ways, depending on how often you need it.

  1. Upgrade the host to a paid Zoom plan. Zoom Pro costs $16.99 per user a month billed monthly[7]. Meetings hosted by a licensed user end after 30 hours[8]. This is the right choice if you host long Zoom meetings every week.
  2. Let a licensed colleague host. Because the limit follows the host, a meeting scheduled from a paid account runs past 40 minutes for everyone in it.
  3. Use a tool with a longer free limit. If you only host a few long calls, another service may cover them for free. Google Meet allows one-on-one calls of up to 24 hours[9], Jitsi Meet allows 95 minutes[10], and several others allow an hour; see the table below.

Meeto is one of those other tools, and we publish this guide. Its free plan allows 60 minutes once 2 or more people are in the call, for up to 10 people, with warnings 5 minutes and 1 minute before the end. Guests join from the link in a browser, without an account. An instant meeting's link expires after that free hour, while scheduled and booking links stay reusable. Meeto Pro removes the time limit for $6.99 a month, for up to 2 meetings at a time, but holds at most 25 people and has no end-to-end encryption.

How do other free plans compare?

Free plans of the common meeting tools, as each vendor states them:

Free meeting length and size by product
ProductMeetings of 3 or moreOne-on-one meetingsPeople per meeting
Brave TalkNo time limit[11]No time limitUp to 4[12]
Google Meet60 minutes[13]24 hours on a computer[9]Up to 100[14]
Jitsi Meet (meet.jit.si)95 minutes[10]95 minutes[15]Not stated
Meeto60 minutes60 minutesUp to 10
Microsoft Teams (free)60 minutes[16]Up to 30 hours on one page, 60 minutes in Microsoft's plan table[17][18]Up to 100[19]
Webex40 minutes[20]40 minutes[21]Up to 100[22]
Whereby30 minutes[23]30 minutes[24]Up to 4[25]
Zoho Meeting60 minutes[26]60 minutes[27]Up to 100[28]
Zoom40 minutes[1]40 minutes[3]Up to 100[2]

The Zoom alternatives page compares the same tools on guest access, recording and price, and the Meeto vs Zoom comparison goes into the two products side by side.

Sources

Meeto facts come from the pricing and limits and security pages, reviewed November 3, 2026. Every other figure is quoted from its vendor's own page on the date shown. Plans change; check the linked page before you decide.

  1. Zoom: zoom.us/pricing — “40 minutes per meeting” (checked November 3, 2026)
  2. Zoom: zoom.us/pricing — “100 participants per meeting” (checked November 3, 2026)
  3. Zoom: support.zoom.com/hc/en/article — “Almost all meetings scheduled and hosted by Basic (free) users, on Free and Paid accounts, are limited to 40 minutes.” (checked November 3, 2026)
  4. Zoom: support.zoom.com/hc/en/article — “Meetings started by the host with no other participants present will not be restricted to 40 minutes” (checked November 3, 2026)
  5. Zoom: support.zoom.com/hc/en/article — “A meeting started without the host present is still limited by the actual host's time limit” (checked November 3, 2026)
  6. Zoom: support.zoom.com/hc/en/article — “Users with Basic (free) licenses on Pro, Business, or Enterprise accounts are limited to the free license meeting durations.” (checked November 3, 2026)
  7. Zoom: zoom.us/pricing — “$16.99 /user per month · billed monthly” (checked November 3, 2026)
  8. Zoom: support.zoom.com/hc/en/article — “Meeting ends after 30 hours.” (checked November 3, 2026)
  9. Google Meet: support.google.com/meet/answer/7317473 — “One-on-one meetings for up to 24 hours.” (checked November 3, 2026)
  10. Jitsi Meet (meet.jit.si): jitsi.org/blog/changes-coming — “Starting today, meetings on meet.jit.si are limited to 95 minutes.” (checked November 3, 2026)
  11. Brave Talk: brave.com/talk — “Make as many free calls as you want, for as long as you want. With Brave Talk, there’s no limit on the number or length of free calls.” (checked November 3, 2026)
  12. Brave Talk: brave.com/talk — “With Brave Talk, calls are free and private for up to 4 people.” (checked November 3, 2026)
  13. Google Meet: support.google.com/meet/answer/7317473 — “Meetings with 3 or more participants for up to 60 minutes.” (checked November 3, 2026)
  14. Google Meet: support.google.com/meet/answer/7317473 — “For users with personal Google accounts: You can have a maximum of 100 participants in a meeting.” (checked November 3, 2026)
  15. Jitsi Meet (meet.jit.si): jitsi.org/blog/changes-coming — “Starting today, meetings on meet.jit.si are limited to 95 minutes.” (checked November 3, 2026)
  16. Microsoft Teams: microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/free — “Free group calls and meetings for up to 60 minutes.” (checked November 3, 2026)
  17. Microsoft Teams: microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/free-video-conferencing — “Unlimited one-to-one meetings for up to 30 hours” (checked November 3, 2026)
  18. Microsoft Teams: support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/learn-more-about-subscriptions-for-microsoft-teams-free-1061bbd0-6d97-46a6-8ca0-21059be3eee3 — “Maximum meeting duration | 60 minutes | 30 hours | 30 hours | 30 hours” (checked November 3, 2026)
  19. Microsoft Teams: microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/free — “Up to 100 participants per meeting.” (checked November 3, 2026)
  20. Webex: pricing.webex.com/us/en — “Unlimited meetings, up to 40 min per meeting” (checked November 3, 2026)
  21. Webex: help.webex.com/en-us/article/now995h/Get-started-with-your-free-Webex-plan — “Host secure, virtual meetings that last up to 40 minutes, with up to 100 attendees in your Webex.” (checked November 3, 2026)
  22. Webex: pricing.webex.com/us/en — “Up to 100 attendees per meeting” (checked November 3, 2026)
  23. Whereby: whereby.com/information/meetings/pricing — “Meetings for up to 30 minutes” (checked November 3, 2026)
  24. Whereby: whereby.com/information/meetings/pricing — “Meetings for up to 30 minutes” (checked November 3, 2026)
  25. Whereby: whereby.com/information/meetings/pricing — “4 attendees per meeting” (checked November 3, 2026)
  26. Zoho Meeting: zoho.com/meeting/pricing.html — “Up to 60 minutes per meeting” (checked November 3, 2026)
  27. Zoho Meeting: zoho.com/meeting/plan-comparison.html — “Session duration | Up to 60 mins for meetings and webinars | 24 hours | 24 hours” (checked November 3, 2026)
  28. Zoho Meeting: zoho.com/meeting/pricing.html — “Up to 100 participants per meeting” (checked November 3, 2026)

Frequently asked questions

Does the Zoom 40-minute limit apply to one-on-one meetings?

Yes. Zoom's help center puts meetings with one host and one or more participants under the 40-minute limit for Basic (free) users, so a call between two people ends at 40 minutes too.

If someone with a paid Zoom account joins my meeting, does the limit go away?

No. The limit follows the license of the meeting's host, not of the people who join. If a colleague has a paid license, the meeting should be scheduled and hosted from their account.

My company pays for Zoom. Why do my meetings still stop at 40 minutes?

Zoom limits users with a Basic (free) license to free meeting durations even on Pro, Business or Enterprise accounts. Ask your Zoom administrator to assign you a paid license.

How much does it cost to remove the 40-minute limit?

Zoom Pro costs $16.99 per user a month billed monthly, and meetings hosted by a paid user run up to 30 hours. Other tools charge less for longer meetings: Meeto Pro costs $6.99 a month, for meetings of up to 25 people.

Does the timer start when I open the meeting?

Not while you are alone. Zoom says a meeting started by the host with no other participants present is not held to 40 minutes. On Meeto the free timer also starts only once a second person joins.

Put it to work

Open your Meeto account to set it up, or explore the working product first.

Try a free Meeto meetingSee Zoom alternatives
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