Livestorm vs Zoom Webinars: attendee credits or per-host capacity licenses
By Jean Luc Poitier, SEO and growth marketing strategist · Livestorm Reviews · Updated October 1, 2026 · Checked November 1, 2026 · Prices from both vendors' own pages; reviews pulled October 1, 2026
Disclosure: this site reviews Livestorm and earns a commission if you sign up for it through our links. Livestorm is one option below, and we say where it isn't the right fix.
Zoom Webinars is an add-on to a paid Zoom plan. Each host buys a license sized by audience, from $800 a year for 300 attendees, and can run as many webinars as they like, so frequent webinars cost less than on Livestorm. It also goes far bigger: 5,000 attendees online, up to 100,000 through sales, and 30-hour sessions. Livestorm runs in the browser for everyone, includes automated and on-demand events in its first paid pack, hosts data in the EU, and lets any number of hosts share one account.
Pick Zoom Webinars if your company already pays for Zoom, one or two people run frequent webinars, or you need very large audiences, monthly billing, or a HIPAA agreement. Pick Livestorm if your attendees are outside your company and shouldn't need an app, several people host, or you want automated sessions without moving up to Webinars Plus.
Livestorm vs Zoom Webinars at a glance
| Compared on | Livestorm | Zoom Webinars |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free plan; Pro from $1,200 a year (400 attendee credits) | Webinars 300: $66.67 a month billed yearly ($800) or $89 monthly, per host, plus Zoom Workplace Pro ($169.90 a year or $16.99 a month) |
| How you pay | Per attendee: yearly credit packs, $3.00 down to $2.40 per attendee | A license per host by attendee capacity, on top of Zoom Workplace Pro; Webinars Plus and Events also sell yearly attendee pools |
| Billing and renewal | Annual only; renews unless you give 90 days' notice; no refunds for unused credits | Monthly or yearly, plus a one-month plan; renews automatically, with 30 days' notice in its terms; payments non-refundable |
| Free option | Free plan: 30 attendee credits a year, 30-minute events, no card | None for webinars: the free Zoom plan can't host them, and no webinar trial is published |
| Live attendees | Up to 3,000 live attendees per session | 300 to 5,000 bought online, view-only by default; up to 100,000 through sales |
| Session length | 4 hours on Pro, 12 hours on Enterprise | Up to 30 hours |
| How people join | Browser for hosts and attendees, plus phone dial-in | Attendees use the Zoom app or a browser (Zoom recommends the app; mobile browsers are limited); hosts use the Zoom app; dial-in |
| On-demand and automated | On-demand and automated events on Pro | On-demand recordings on every tier; simulive (pre-recorded) only on Webinars Plus and Events |
| CRM integrations | HubSpot and Pipedrive on every plan; Salesforce, Marketo, Pardot, and Dynamics on Enterprise as paid add-ons; Zapier, webhooks, and an API | HubSpot, Salesforce, Marketo, Pardot, and Eloqua on every tier; 300+ apps in its marketplace |
| Hosting and security | ISO/IEC 27001:2022, GDPR, EU hosting; no published SOC 2 report | SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001:2022, HIPAA BAA; EU data centers optional for live traffic on eligible paid accounts |
| Company | Livestorm SAS, France; private, venture-backed | Zoom Communications (Nasdaq: ZM), San Jose, California; founded in 2011 |
| G2 rating | 4.4 (1,738 reviews) | 4.5 (412 reviews) |
| Capterra rating | 4.7 (400 reviews) | 4.6 (6,053 reviews) |
| Capterra Shortlist, webinar software, 2024 | Listed (82/100) | Listed (72/100) |
| Zapier's 2026 webinar roundup | Picked: best simple option for running multiple webinars | Picked: best for a familiar user experience |
Figures checked against each company's published pages and review-platform listings as of 2026-10-01. “Not published” means the company does not publish that figure.
How Livestorm and Zoom Webinars charge
Every Zoom webinar plan needs a paid Zoom Workplace license on the same host: Pro costs $169.90 a year or $16.99 a month. On top of that, the Webinars license is sized by audience. It costs $800 a year or $89 a month for 300 attendees, $1,000 a year or $129 a month for 500, and up to $24,900 a year for 5,000. The host can run any number of webinars up to that cap, and attendance doesn't change the price.
Livestorm sells attendance instead: yearly packs from 400 credits for $1,200, used once per person per session, live or on replay, with unlimited hosts and events. One host running regular webinars pays less on Zoom, about $970 a year with Workplace Pro for 300-seat sessions. Livestorm gets closer when several people host, because each Zoom host needs both licenses, or when you only run a few small events.
Zoom's pricier tiers come closer to Livestorm's model. Webinars Plus sells a 12-month pool of 1,000 attendee slots for $1,500, where Livestorm charges $2,900 for 1,000 credits, but it still needs Workplace Pro and Zoom doesn't publish the rate for attendees over the pool.
Which Zoom tier matches Livestorm Pro
The base Webinars plan covers registration, reminder emails, chat, Q&A, polls, cloud recording, and on-demand replays behind a registration form. Several features marketing teams look for sit one tier up, in Webinars Plus: pre-recorded simulive sessions, pinned resources and calls to action, breakout rooms, 1080p video instead of 720p, cross-event analytics, and a content hub. Webinars Plus costs $990 a year for 100 attendees or $3,490 for 500, plus Workplace Pro.
Livestorm Pro includes automated events that play a recorded video like a live session, on-demand events, an embeddable registration form, a public events page, file and link sharing in the room, and branded pages, emails, and rooms. Compared with base Zoom Webinars, Livestorm costs more and includes more for marketing; compared with Webinars Plus, the price gap narrows.
How attendees join Livestorm and Zoom Webinars, and how big sessions get
Livestorm runs in the browser for hosts and attendees, on computers and phones, with phone dial-in as a backup. Zoom attendees can join from a browser link that is on by default and don't need a Zoom account, but Zoom recommends its app, says mobile browsers have fewer features, and lists its app as a requirement for hosts. Attendees join view-only, and hosts can turn on their cameras and mics.
Zoom handles bigger and longer sessions. Its pricing page sells capacity up to 5,000 attendees and lists up to 100,000 through sales, with sessions of up to 30 hours. Livestorm allows 3,000 live attendees per session and 4-hour sessions on Pro, or 12 hours on Enterprise.
Livestorm vs Zoom Webinars contracts, data, and company
Zoom sells webinars monthly or yearly, plus a one-month plan. Plans renew automatically, its terms ask for 30 days' written notice before a renewal, and payments are non-refundable. Livestorm is yearly only, needs 90 days' notice, and doesn't refund unused credits.
Livestorm is hosted in the EU and holds ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification. Zoom holds SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001:2022, signs HIPAA business associate agreements, and lets eligible paid accounts in Europe choose EU data centers for live traffic.
Zoom Communications is a public company (Nasdaq: ZM) based in San Jose, California, and has sold webinars since 2014. In April 2025 a registrar error took the zoom.us domain offline for about two hours; Zoom said it was not a hack. Livestorm is a private French company that reported a net profit for 2024 and 2025.
What reviewers say about Livestorm and Zoom Webinars
Reviewers rate them about the same: Zoom Webinars is a little higher on G2 (4.5 against 4.4) and Livestorm a little higher on Capterra (4.7 against 4.6). Recent G2 reviews labeled organic, from the 12 months to September 30, 2026, average 4.7 for Zoom (9 reviews) and 4.2 for Livestorm (39 reviews), a small sample on Zoom's side. Zoom's reviewers praise how familiar and easy it is, and complain about price for bigger events, limited branding, and setup for complex events. Zoom's Trustpilot page covers the whole company, mostly its meetings app, so we don't compare it.
We quote Livestorm's reviews from both platforms, critical ones included, on our G2 and Capterra pages, and list every pack and renewal term on our Livestorm pricing page.
Try Livestorm freeWhere Zoom Webinars wins
- A lower price for frequent webinars: $800 a year per host for 300-attendee sessions, plus Workplace Pro, with no limit on how many you run.
- Monthly billing from $89 a month, and a one-month plan.
- Scale: 5,000 attendees bought online, up to 100,000 through sales, and sessions of up to 30 hours.
- HubSpot, Salesforce, Marketo, Pardot, and Eloqua integrations on every tier.
- SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001:2022 certification, and HIPAA business associate agreements.
- Familiarity: attendees don't need a Zoom account, and many already have the app. Zapier's 2026 roundup picked it for a familiar user experience.
- A slightly higher G2 rating, and more positive recent organic G2 reviews.
Sources, checked on 2026-10-01: Zoom Webinars pricing, Livestorm pricing and terms of sale, and the G2 and Capterra listings for Zoom Webinars (G2, Capterra) and Livestorm (G2, Capterra). Recent-review figures come from our own pull of each product's latest G2 reviews on October 1, 2026.
Livestorm vs Zoom Webinars FAQ
Is Zoom Webinars cheaper than Livestorm?+
For one host running regular webinars, yes. Zoom Webinars costs $800 a year for sessions of up to 300 attendees, plus a Zoom Workplace Pro license at $169.90 a year, and attendance doesn't change the price. Livestorm's smallest Pro pack is $1,200 a year for 400 attendee credits. Livestorm narrows the gap when several people host, since each Zoom host needs both licenses.
Do attendees need the Zoom app to join a webinar?+
No. Zoom shows a join-from-browser link by default, and attendees don't need a Zoom account. Zoom still recommends its app and says mobile browsers have fewer features. Livestorm runs in the browser for hosts and attendees.
Can Zoom Webinars run automated or pre-recorded webinars?+
Not on the base Webinars plan. Pre-recorded simulive sessions come with Webinars Plus and Zoom Events, from $990 a year for 100 attendees. Every Zoom tier can record a webinar and keep registration open for people to watch it on demand. Livestorm includes on-demand and automated events on Pro.
Which has better reviews, Livestorm or Zoom Webinars?+
They are close. Zoom Webinars rates 4.5 on G2 against Livestorm's 4.4, and Livestorm rates 4.7 on Capterra against Zoom's 4.6. Both sites list Zoom's product as Zoom Events and Webinars.
Does Zoom Webinars keep data in the EU?+
Only if you choose it. Zoom is a US company; eligible paid accounts in Europe can pick EU data centers for live meeting and webinar traffic. Livestorm is hosted in the EU.