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; Zoom Pro costs $16.99 per user a month billed monthly. Meeto's free plan runs meetings for 60 minutes, one-on-one included, with guests joining from the browser without an account, and Meeto Pro removes the time limit for $6.99 a month.
On this page
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].
How can you meet for longer than 40 minutes?
- Host the call on Meeto. Meeto, which publishes this guide, runs free meetings for 60 minutes once 2 people are in the call, one-on-one included, 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, and scheduled meetings and booking links stay reusable. Meeto Pro removes the time limit for $6.99 a month or $69 a year, for up to 2 meetings at a time and up to 25 people.
- Within Zoom, a paid license for the host. Zoom Pro costs $16.99 per user a month billed monthly[7], and meetings hosted by a licensed user end after 30 hours[8]. Because the limit follows the host, the license has to belong to whoever hosts the meeting.
Zoom's free plan and Meeto's, side by side
| Question | Meeto | Zoom |
|---|---|---|
| Free meeting length | 60 minutes, one-on-one included | 40 minutes, one-on-one included[1][3] |
| When the free timer starts | When a second person joins | Once others are in the meeting; a host alone is not held to it[4] |
| Guests | No account and no app: guests join from the link in a browser | Can join without signing in, from the browser through the Zoom Web App[9][10] |
| Removing the time limit | Pro: $6.99/month or $69/year | Pro: $16.99/user/month billed monthly[7] |
| Meeting length on the paid plan | No time limit, for up to 2 meetings at a time | Meetings end after 30 hours[8] |
| Booking page on the free plan | Included, with reminder emails; each booking gets its own meeting link | Zoom Scheduler: 1 personal booking page[11] |
The Zoom alternatives page puts Meeto next to six other free plans, 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.
Quotes from each vendor's own pages11numbered as in the footnotes
- Zoom: zoom.us/pricing — “40 minutes per meeting”Checked November 3, 2026
- Zoom: zoom.us/pricing — “100 participants per meeting”Checked November 3, 2026
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Zoom: zoom.us/pricing — “$16.99 /user per month · billed monthly”Checked November 3, 2026
- Zoom: support.zoom.com/hc/en/article — “Meeting ends after 30 hours.”Checked November 3, 2026
- Zoom: support.zoom.com/hc/en/article — “To join a meeting without signing in, click Join a meeting.”Checked November 3, 2026
- Zoom: support.zoom.com/hc/en/article — “The Zoom Web App brings the full Zoom Workplace experience to your browser, no downloads or plugins required.”Checked November 3, 2026
- Zoom: zoom.us/pricing — “1 personal booking page”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. Meeto's free plan gives one-on-one calls the full 60 minutes.
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. On Meeto, too, the host's plan decides: when the host has Pro, the meeting has no time limit, whoever joins.
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, so the limit lifts only when your own user has 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. Meeto Pro costs $6.99 a month or $69 a year, with no time limit for up to 2 meetings at a time.
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.