VIDEO CONFERENCING
Zoom is a US company — under the CLOUD Act it can be compelled to produce data, and its only on-prem option is a hybrid media connector (account and meeting metadata still run in Zoom's US cloud), so there is no fully self-hosted or air-gapped option. Polybase runs calls in our EU cloud, your own VPC, or fully air-gapped on your servers.
Polybase integrates video calls directly into your workspace channels. Hop into a call from any conversation, share your screen, and keep collaborating within the same context — your tasks, docs, and chat are right there. No calendar events, no invite links, no app switching.
Zoom is the industry leader in standalone video conferencing, known for reliability and scale. However, it operates as a separate siloed application. You schedule meetings via calendar integrations, share links, and join in a different window. After the meeting ends, follow-up tasks, notes, and decisions scatter across Slack, email, and project tools.
Review how Polybase and Zoom approach the work your team needs to do.
A practical sequence for planning the change, moving the useful material and introducing the new workspace.
If you keep important recordings or transcripts in Zoom Cloud, download them before canceling. Polybase keeps the persistent context — chat, documents, and tasks tied to each channel — rather than meeting recordings.
Polybase runs in any modern browser — WebRTC video calling works out of the box, with no plugins, extensions, or separate URLs. Desktop and mobile apps are in private beta; ask us for access.
Set up channels for your teams and projects. Each channel supports instant calls — just click the call button in any channel or DM to start a face-to-face conversation immediately.
Instead of sending Zoom meeting links, your team just hops into the relevant channel and starts a call. For scheduled events, Polybase's integrated calendar keeps everything in one place.
After calls, create follow-up tasks directly in Polybase. Action items become Kanban cards, meeting notes become wiki docs, and everything stays connected to the conversation that spawned them.
The additional workspace capabilities to consider when comparing Polybase with Zoom.
No more switching between Zoom for calls and Slack for chat. Polybase's video calling lives right inside your channels, so the conversation context is always preserved.
Forget sending meeting invites. Click the call button in any channel or DM and you're live. Teammates join when they hear the ring — just like walking to someone's desk.
Every Polybase call has a chat panel, and any message in it becomes a tracked task with one click — so decisions survive the call. Automatic call summaries and action items are coming soon.
Polybase's built-in document editor lets you take meeting notes in real-time, collaboratively, right inside the workspace. Notes are automatically linked to the channel and searchable forever.
Zoom's free tier limits calls to 40 minutes. Polybase imposes no artificial time limits on calls — on your own infrastructure, your team can talk for as long as it needs.
Beyond meetings, Polyspace gives your team a 2D spatial office — rooms, proximity audio and video, and shared walls for embeds. The always-on presence a meetings tool can't offer.
Common questions about switching from Zoom to Polybase.