Stream Video vs Zoom Video SDK

Stream Video8.8Visit Zoom Video SDK8.6Visit

Higher score Stream Video #5 in Video APIs 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 3 features Visit Stream Video

vs

Zoom Video SDK #7 in Video APIs 8.6/10 Paid ✓ 3 of 3 features Visit Zoom Video SDK

• Stream Video fits best

  Feature-rich calls and livestreaming

• Zoom Video SDK fits best

  High-scale embedded meetings

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Side by side

Feature	Stream Video 8.8/10 Visit ↗	Zoom Video SDK 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.8	8.6
Ranking	#5 in Video APIs	#7 in Video APIs
Best for	Feature-rich calls and livestreaming	High-scale embedded meetings
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Paid
Starting price	$0.30/unit usage-based	$0.0035/unit usage-based
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud	Cloud, Desktop, Mobile
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
Support	Tickets, Community, Docs	Community, Docs
Compliance	SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA, SSO/SAML	SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS
Integrations	7 integrations	3 integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Stream Video 3/3 · Zoom Video SDK 3/3
Real-time video	✓	✓
Recorded video	✓	✓
Mobile SDKs	✓	✓
Specs
Maximum participants	Not checked yet	5000 participants
Recording storage	Both	Both
Client platforms	All	All
Our review
Pros	Combines calling, livestreaming, recording, captions, and moderation Offers prebuilt and customizable UI components across major client platforms Supports Stream-managed or customer-managed recording storage	Supports video, audio, sharing, chat, recording, RTMP, and transcription Offers REST APIs, webhooks, quality metrics, and Amazon S3 storage options Runs across web, desktop, mobile, Linux, and cross-platform frameworks
Cons	The Free plan is audio only Listed usage pricing is for audio-only participant minutes It is not open source	There is no free plan Usage-based billing continues after the 10,000-minute monthly allowance Raw media access is limited to native platforms
Our verdict	Stream Video provides APIs and client SDKs for developers building embedded video calling, audio rooms, and livestreaming experiences. Its scope suits teams that need more than real-time video alone, including recording, transcription,… Read the review →	Zoom Video SDK is a developer platform for embedding custom video applications into web, mobile, desktop, and Linux products. It is aimed at teams building branded meeting, collaboration, education, support, or event experiences rather… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Stream Video — where it wins

  • Combines calling, livestreaming, recording, captions, and moderation
  • Offers prebuilt and customizable UI components across major client platforms
  • Supports Stream-managed or customer-managed recording storage

  Where it doesn't

  • The Free plan is audio only
  • Listed usage pricing is for audio-only participant minutes
  • It is not open source

• Zoom Video SDK — where it wins

  • Supports video, audio, sharing, chat, recording, RTMP, and transcription
  • Offers REST APIs, webhooks, quality metrics, and Amazon S3 storage options
  • Runs across web, desktop, mobile, Linux, and cross-platform frameworks

  Where it doesn't

  • There is no free plan
  • Usage-based billing continues after the 10,000-minute monthly allowance
  • Raw media access is limited to native platforms

• Stream Video8.8/10 · Free plan

  A broad video API stack for teams building calls, livestreams, recordings, and moderation.

  Visit Stream VideoFull verdict →
• Zoom Video SDK8.6/10 · Paid

  A broad video toolkit for developers building high-scale embedded meetings.

  Visit Zoom Video SDKFull verdict →