VIDEO CONFERENCING
Zoom offers a hosted service and licensed hybrid deployment options through Zoom Node. A hybrid media deployment is not the same as an offline workspace. Polybase offers EU-region cloud, private VPC and self-hosting; offline calls require LiveKit inside the same network.
Start an ad-hoc call from a channel or DM, or join a scheduled meeting beside chat, documents and tasks. Calls use WebRTC through a self-hosted LiveKit media server, encrypted in transit with DTLS-SRTP. Live captions require a configured speech provider. Eligible channel/DM and meeting calls support explicit recording when LiveKit Egress, S3-compatible storage and participant permissions are configured; guests cannot start it.
Zoom provides hosted meetings, screen sharing, automated captions and Zoom Team Chat. Users can start meetings from chat as well as calendar workflows. Zoom Docs and other collaboration features depend on the product, plan and settings. Check the actual host licence, meeting size and recording requirements rather than treating every Zoom call as a scheduled meeting in an isolated app.
Review how Polybase and Zoom approach the work your team needs to do.
Based on publicly available information about Zoom as of 14 October 2026. Products evolve — plans and features may have changed; please verify details with the vendor. Spotted something out of date? Let us know at [email protected].
A practical sequence for planning the change, moving the useful material and introducing the new workspace.
Inventory relevant recordings, transcripts and notes. Export material your account and permissions allow, and retain its original access until the pilot is complete. Polybase supports configured live-call recording; it does not automatically import Zoom recordings, links, transcripts or meeting history.
Try supported browsers or available desktop and mobile apps with your actual cameras, microphones and network. Test screen sharing, background effects and guest joins. Offline calls require a self-hosted LiveKit server in the same network; speech and recording services must fit the network's requirements too.
Set up project channels and test an ad-hoc channel or DM call. Keep written discussion, documents and tasks beside it. Check membership and access with the people who will use the channel rather than assuming every meeting guest should become a channel member.
Keep calendar events for meetings that need them. Polybase sends standard ICS invitations with RSVP; test invitation, admission and access with an external guest. Confirm captions and explicit recording controls only after the speech provider, Egress and recording storage are configured.
Create tasks from useful chat messages, confirm owners and capture decisions in a channel document. Automatic AI call summaries and action items remain roadmap items. Recording subtitles and transcript downloads require a configured transcription provider; they are separate from an AI meeting summary.
The additional workspace capabilities to consider when comparing Polybase with Zoom.
Polybase keeps a team's chat, documents, tasks and calls in the same workspace. Zoom also offers Team Chat and document workflows. Pilot the connections and access rules your team actually needs rather than assuming Zoom users always require a separate chat product.
Start a call from the current Polybase channel or DM. Use scheduled meetings and invitations when guests need that workflow. Zoom Team Chat also provides a meeting entry point; compare the join experience for your real participants.
Users can turn a chat message into a task and confirm its owner and details. That applies to useful discussion during a call as well. Automatic extraction of call decisions and AI summaries is not a shipped feature.
Polybase text documents and wiki pages support shared editing on web and desktop, with presence and version history. Save notes in the intended channel and test readers' permissions. Access and retention determine whether notes remain available; they are not promised searchable forever.
Choose EU-region cloud, a private VPC or your own infrastructure. Validate meeting duration, participant count and network capacity on that deployment. Recording has configured capacity and duration limits, and speech features require an available provider.
Polyspace adds a 2D office with rooms, proximity audio and video, and walls for embedded content. It is a separate cloud add-on at €5 per user/month, not a requirement for ordinary channel calls. Proximity conversations are not automatically covered by channel/meeting recording.
Common questions about switching from Zoom to Polybase.
Calls start in the channel or DM you're already in — no meeting links, no calendar hop — and you can self-host down to air-gapped.
See the comparisonLoom records async video; Polybase keeps outcomes as searchable text next to the work — live calls, threads and docs you can self-host.
See the comparison