Based on 332 reviews and ratings
Zoom
Based on 1876 reviews and ratings
Highlights
Adobe Connect and Zoom are both popular video and web conferencing platforms. Adobe Connect offers video conferencing solutions for online learning, online meetings, and webinar hosting use cases. Zoom is an online communications platform that allows users to host and participate in online meetings. The full Zoom platform provides users with online meetings, meeting rooms, webinar, and business phone solutions.
Adobe Connect can be used by small groups but is more likely to be used by schools and medium to large size businesses due to its pricing structure and great webinar capabilities. Users who need to reach a large audience or who are involved in online learning will want to look into this option. Zoom can be used for free by individuals, but also has options to scale which can make it useful at businesses of all sizes. Users who are looking for more streamlined and easier meeting options may want to choose Zoom over the competition.
Features
Adobe Connect and Zoom are both strong product offerings, but there are a few features that differentiate them from one another.
A major feature of Adobe Connect is that users have the ability to share links that allow the link recipient to enter a call without needing to download a client app. Adobe Connect also offers a high degree of customization and a greater number of tools to interact with crowds and large groups. With this, users are given greater flexibility in how onscreen pods and chats can be displayed. Options are also available for changing to colors of each individual pod in case you need to liven the mood or set the tone of a meeting. Adobe Connect maxes out at 25 users for standard web meetings, but for webinars, it can support up to 1,500 users which is 500 more than Zoom is capable of. Adobe Connect also has the advantage of being able to support high definition video for a greater number of users than Zoom.
A major benefit of using Zoom is it’s expansive free tier. Zoom allows meetings of up to 100 participants for no charge. Though meetings with 3 or more participants are capped at 40 minutes. Fun features like virtual and moving backgrounds help set Zoom apart along with its “raise hand” feature which lets users signify who wants to talk next. Zoom is also uncluttered and easy to understand for users who are not tech-savvy or that don’t use web conferencing software often. Zoom users on TrustRadius also enjoy how simple Zoom makes it to send meeting links and how easy the software makes it to join meetings.
Limitations
While Adobe Connect and Zoom are both great choices for conferencing software, Adobe Connect may be the better choice for online learning and why Zoom may hold the advantage for business users.
Adobe Connect has a user interface that may be familiar to users of other Adobe products, but some users may not find it as welcoming or as easy to use as Zoom. TrustRadius reviewers also report issues when trying to use Adobe Connect’s mobile applications. Finally, while Adobe Connect supports the use of green screens, there is no option to use preloaded virtual backgrounds like in Zoom.
Zoom is a very popular product, though some customers have experienced outages, glitches, and dropouts in the service. Also, due to increased demand, some customers report that Zoom’s customer service could be improved. Another potential downside to Zoom is its lack of high definition video for large groups. Any group larger than two people is not guaranteed their best video quality. Additionally, Zoom has recently encountered security-related issues like Zoom “bombing” where unauthorized users gain access to calls and attempt to shut them down. Zoom has also faced scrutiny over recent data breaches.
Pricing
Adobe Connect is a large and inclusive conferencing platform with pricing options to match any user’s needs. Adobe Connect for standard web meetings is a forever-free version for small meetings of up to three participants. Adobe Connect’s Meetings plan starts at $50 per month per meeting host and can accommodate up to 25 participants. This option can also be expanded by contacting the vendor. Adobe Connect’s Webinars & Learning plan starts at $130 per month per host and can accommodate up to 4 hosts and 1500 meeting participants.
Zoom offers 4 tiers of web conferencing service that all feature the ability to call into meetings via phone. A forever-free Basic version that can host up to 100 participants, but limits meetings to 40 minutes. The Pro version for $149.90 per year then adds unlimited meeting time and 1GB of cloud recording. Larger organizations may be interested in the Business tier which is $199.90 per year and features single sign-on, company branding, and the ability to hand up to 300 participants. The top tier offering from Zoom is the Enterprise tier which can host up to 1000 participants and offers unlimited cloud storage. This tier is available at $199.90 per license, but you must purchase at least 100 licenses.
Provided by the TrustRadius Research Team
Published on September 4, 2020
Likelihood to Recommend
Adobe Connect
Zoom
Feature Rating Comparison
Performance & Compatibility of Online Events Software
High quality audio
High quality video
Low bandwidth requirements
Mobile support
Screen Sharing
Desktop sharing
Whiteboards
Online Meetings / Events
Calendar integration
Meeting initiation
Integrates with social media
Record meetings / events
Slideshows
Online Events Collaboration
Live chat
Audience polling
Q&A
Online Events Security
User authentication
Participant roles & permissions
Confidential attendee list
Pros
Adobe Connect
- The ability to customize your screen layouts. making each classroom unique.
- Bandwidth and connectivity. Many other webinar platforms have limitations of how many users can attend with cameras. Adobe has no limit on how many users can join a meeting and stream live an HD quality camera. This feature makes the platform a true virtual classroom.
- Low cost. The pricing for a license is surprisingly affordable. Adobe has demonstrated great customer support as well. they offer other services - like having a tech expert available to assist with new users having any type of issues.

Zoom
- It just works. Biggest complaint with our previous solution is that it took 10 minutes to connect to a meeting. Now, our users connect instantaneously.
- Dashboard is fantasitic. Can access real time information to troubleshoot calls.
- Admin ports offers quite a bit of information. Like that it's a one stop shop to access everything I need to administer the site, users, run reports and access the dashboard.
- Tickets get resolved quickly.
- Feature requests are realized quickly.
Cons
Adobe Connect
- For some add-ins the functionality was limited - had problem with the PowerPoint slideshow feature. It did not always display properly as you progressed in slides.
- Some of the features were not compatible with phones. For example, Some participants were using phones to participate in class and the features were not compatible. There was no way to test the feature compatibility with different platforms. You create something beautiful for your trainees and you are unable to use.
- The price points were not very flexible. I had limited needs and I was paying a higher price tag than I should for what I needed. They should be more flexible with pricing based on features needed.
- Downloading recordings was a HUGE pain in the neck. Most of the training conducted lasted 3 hours or more. I felt like I was being punished to have to play back the entire presentation to download the recording.
Zoom
- There are a few areas of the Zoom Phone functionality that I feel like need improving, such as the 911-calling capabilities and some of the call center solutions.
- Some of the ways in which Zoom interacts with other hardware, such as Cisco room kits and Advocor conference systems, leaves a little to be desired. Those that are partnering with Zoom to bring the meeting conference experience to the next level need to have the "bugs worked out" before launching their products.
Likelihood to Renew
Adobe Connect

Zoom
Usability
Adobe Connect
Zoom
Reliability and Availability
Adobe Connect
Zoom
Performance
Adobe Connect
Zoom
Support Rating
Adobe Connect

Zoom
Online Training
Adobe Connect
Zoom
Implementation Rating
Adobe Connect

Zoom
Alternatives Considered
Adobe Connect
Zoom
Scalability
Adobe Connect
Zoom
Return on Investment
Adobe Connect
- On a positive note, I believe this has increased the scores of agents in a way that is influential and it shows. Getting immediate answers for problems plaguing our agents is first and foremost in making sure that we are not only addressing the vendors needs, but the customer's as well. We have used other platforms in the past. This has a far better impact on our overall numbers, I believe, as well as employee success and confidence.
- Negative impacts by employees and affecting overall numbers in the company may be attributed to the lag or "boot" when agents are removed from the room without warning. This can cause confidence of agents to plummet and leave them without any support.
Zoom
- Allowed for us to start meetings at a faster speed especially with its Slack integration.
- Integration with HubSpot has made it easy to also set up Zoom webinars and sync any contact data within the CRM.
- Need battery chargers for laptops in a meeting lasting over an hour - drains them fairly quickly.
Screenshots
Adobe Connect
—Pricing Details
Adobe Connect
General
Free Trial
Free/Freemium Version
—Premium Consulting/Integration Services
—Entry-level set up fee?
Adobe Connect Editions & Modules
Edition
Small Meetings | Free1 |
---|---|
Meetings | $502 |
Webinars & Learning | $1302 |
- Forever free for up to 3 participants
- per host/per month
Additional Pricing Details
—Zoom
General
Free Trial
Free/Freemium Version
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
Entry-level set up fee?
Zoom Editions & Modules
On-premise Edition
Virtual H.323/SIP Room Connector | 49/month |
---|---|
Business | 19.99/month |
SaaS Edition
Basic | $0 |
---|---|
Pro | 14.99/month |
Business | 19.99/month |
Zoom Room Conference Room | 49/month |
Webinar | 54.99/month |