Whereby made its name as a simple, browser-based video calling tool. No download, clean interface, easy to share a link. But the free plan has become increasingly restrictive, and the paid plans are expensive for what you get.
No room limits. No time limits. No account.
Browser-based video calls, just like Whereby. But free, with no restrictions.
Start CallWhere Whereby's Free Plan Falls Short
- 1 meeting room only. You get a single permanent room URL. Need a second room for a different team or client? That requires a paid plan
- 45-minute limit on group meetings. Groups of 3+ are capped at 45 minutes on the free tier
- Account required. The host needs a Whereby account to create a room
- Limited customization. Free rooms cannot be locked, do not support recording, and have basic moderation tools
- Paid plans start at $8.99/month. For unlimited rooms and longer meetings, that is more than Zoom Pro ($13.33/month for far more features)
Free Alternatives Compared
| Whereby (Free) | InstantVideoCall | Jitsi Meet | Google Meet | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rooms | 1 permanent | Unlimited (unique links) | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Time limit | 45 min (groups) | None | None | 60 min (groups) |
| Account needed? | Yes (host) | No | No | Yes (host) |
| Download? | No | No | No | No |
| Screen sharing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Max participants | 100 | 50+ | 75+ | 100 |
Which Alternative Fits Your Use Case
If You Liked Whereby's Simplicity
InstantVideoCall follows the same philosophy: browser-based, link-sharing, no downloads. The difference is that there is no account needed and no room limit. Every call generates a unique link. For people who used Whereby because it was simple, this is the closest match without the free plan restrictions.
If You Need a Permanent Room URL
Whereby's permanent room link (like whereby.com/your-name) is convenient for recurring meetings. Jitsi Meet offers something similar: you can create any room name at meet.jit.si/your-room-name and reuse it. It is free with no account required.
If You Need Enterprise Features
Zoom or Google Meet paid plans offer recording, admin controls, and SSO at competitive prices. If you were considering Whereby's $8.99/month plan, compare it against Zoom's $13.33/month plan, which includes significantly more features.
Whereby vs Other Browser-Based Tools
Whereby's core idea was right: video calls should work in the browser without downloads. But the business model led to artificial restrictions on the free tier that push users to pay.
The alternatives listed above follow the same browser-first principle but without the paywall. InstantVideoCall generates a fresh link per call (no permanent rooms, but also no room limits). Jitsi gives you permanent room names for free. Google Meet requires a Google account but has no room restrictions.
If Whereby's simplicity was the draw, browser-based tools deliver the same experience. If Whereby's paid features (custom branding, integrations, analytics) were what you valued, Zoom's paid plans offer more features at a similar price point.
One thing Whereby got right was demonstrating that browser-based calling is good enough for professional use. Meeting clients, running consultations, hosting workshops. All of it works fine without installing anything. The market has caught up, and now you do not need Whereby specifically to get that experience. Any tool that uses WebRTC in the browser delivers comparable quality, and several of them do it without the restrictions Whereby puts on free users.
For a broader look at free options for teams, see our video conferencing for small business guide.