Webex review
by CiscoTeam chat
Messaging on every Webex plan, from a free plan to Webex Meet at $12 per user, with HIPAA/BAA compliance listed on all of them.
- Free plan
- No card needed
- Self-serve
- Per seat
- Public prices
What you're paying for
- Compliance included (main value)
HIPAA/BAA compliance and chat with outside accounts listed on every Webex plan, with EU data storage set by country, from $12 a user.
Webex lists HIPAA/BAA compliance on every plan, the free one included, and stores an organization’s messages in its Frankfurt and Amsterdam data centers when it is set up with a European, Middle Eastern or African country. Webex Meet, at $12 per license a month billed annually, adds 24-hour meetings for up to 200 attendees and the AI Assistant to unlimited messaging. Retention control and legal hold are a step up: they need the Pro Pack add-on.
- HIPAA/BAA on every planThe plan comparison marks HIPAA/BAA compliance on Webex Free, Webex Meet, Webex Suite and Webex Enterprise.Evidence: Webex pricing page, full plan comparison (2026-10-15)
- EU storage chosen at setupThe country picked when an organization is created sets its region; Europe, the Middle East and Africa map to Frankfurt and Amsterdam, for messages, files, identities and encryption keys.Evidence: Webex help: Data residency in Webex (2026-10-15)
- eDiscovery without an add-onCompliance officers can search and export messages in Control Hub; standard customers reach the last 90 days, Pro Pack customers all content.Evidence: Webex help: Pro Pack for Control Hub and eDiscovery articles (2026-10-15)
- Best for
- Teams that need a BAA or EU data storage for chat and meetings without negotiating an enterprise contract.
- Good to know
- New organizations keep messages for 360 days by default; longer retention and legal hold need the Pro Pack add-on.
How Webex compares
Against 3 other products we reviewed in Team chat: what you pay for with each, the five access facts, the plan limits we recorded and each review's bottom line. The note under the table says how each one was checked.
| Metric | Webex | Microsoft Teams | Slack | Google Chat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What you're paying for | Compliance includedHIPAA/BAA compliance and chat with outside accounts listed on every Webex plan, with EU data storage set by country, from $12 a user. | Worth the priceChat, meetings and guest access for $4 a user, under Microsoft’s SOC 2, ISO 27001 and default HIPAA BAA terms. | Built-in reachChat on its own terms: channels shared with other companies, unlimited history and custom retention from $7.25 per active user. | Compliance includedChat included with Workspace from $7 a user, with SSO, Chat audit logs and a HIPAA BAA on the cheapest Business plan. |
| Overall score | 5.3 | 7.5Best | 7.1 | 7.0 |
| Free option | Free plan | Free plan | Free plan | 14-day free trial |
| Card to start | No card needed | –Not measured | –Not measured | –Not measured |
| Getting access | Self-serve | Self-serve | Self-serve | Self-serve |
| Starter priceCheapest paid plan | $12/user/mo | $4/user/mo | $7.25/user/mo | $7/user/mo |
| Pricing model | Per seat | Per seat | Per seat | Per seat |
| Pricing page | Public prices | Public prices | Public prices | Public prices |
| Plan priced for 50 people | Webex Meet, $12/user/mo billed annually ($14.50 monthly) | Teams Essentials, $4/user/mo paid yearly | Pro, $7.25/user/mo billed annually ($8.75 monthly) | Workspace Business Starter, $7/user/mo with a 1-year commitment ($8.40 flexible) |
| What else the plan includes | Meetings up to 24 hours and 200 attendees, AI Assistant, 10 GB cloud recording | Meetings up to 300 people, 10 GB storage per user | Chat only: huddles, canvases, lists, workflows | Gmail, Meet, Drive (30 GB pooled per user), Docs |
| 50 people, annual terms | $600/mo | $200/mo | $362.50/mo | $350/mo |
| Free option | Webex Free: unlimited messaging, 40-minute meetings, no card | Free Teams for personal accounts; 1-month business trial with a card | Free plan: 90 days of history, data older than 1 year deleted | 14-day Workspace trial |
| Retention, legal hold, eDiscovery | Messages kept 360 days by default; custom retention and legal hold with Pro Pack; eDiscovery covers 90 days without it | Retention policies from Business Basic ($7); eDiscovery cases need Microsoft 365 E3 or E5 | Custom retention on Pro; legal holds and Discovery API on Enterprise+ | Vault on Business Plus ($22) |
| SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 | Both (Webex) | Both (Teams in scope) | Both | Both (Google Workspace) |
| HIPAA BAA | HIPAA/BAA marked on every plan | By default through Microsoft’s data protection addendum | HIPAA support listed on Enterprise+ | Accepted by an admin in the Admin console |
| EU data storage | For organizations set up with a European, Middle Eastern or African country | For tenants that sign up in the EU | Business+ and up, set up through sales | Data regions from Business Standard ($14) |
| Company SSO | Documented in Control Hub; not on the plan comparison | Microsoft Entra ID (free version included) | SAML from Business+ ($15); Pro has Google OAuth | Third-party IdP on every Business plan |
| Audit log | Documented in Control Hub; not on the plan comparison | Purview Audit (Standard) from Business Basic | Enterprise+ | Chat log events on every Business plan |
| Working with outside people | Chat with external accounts on every plan | Guest access included | Pro: guests and Slack Connect channels | Starter: external 1:1 and group DMs; external spaces from Standard |
| Bottom line | From its public pages, Webex and Microsoft Teams are the two here that list a BAA and EU storage on their cheapest paid plans. History control is the trade-off: messages are kept 360 days by default, and retention and legal hold need Pro Pack. | From its public pages, Teams Essentials is the cheapest way here to give 50 people chat and meetings, under Microsoft’s certifications and default BAA. Plan on Business Basic or above if you need retention policies or an audit log. | From its public pages, Slack is the most complete chat product sold on its own, with the only free team plan here. Admin and compliance controls step up by plan: SAML on Business+, audit logs, legal holds and HIPAA on Enterprise+. | From its public pages, Google Chat gives the strongest admin controls on the cheapest plan here, because they come with Workspace. It is not sold alone, and retention, eDiscovery and EU regions start on higher plans. |
Evidence: Webex: facts checked 2026-10-15 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Microsoft Teams: facts checked 2026-10-15 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Slack: facts checked 2026-10-15 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Google Chat: facts checked 2026-10-15 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run. Prices in USD as listed, excluding tax. "–" means not recorded.
Score
- Pricing clarity
- 8.0 / 10, Excellent
- scenario plan priced; page leads with a promotional rate; month-to-month price published; the plan comparison does not list single sign-on or an admin audit log; Control Hub help documents both without naming plans
- Free tier
- 3.0 / 10, Fair
- free version for personal accounts; Webex Free: unlimited messaging and 40-minute meetings for up to 100 attendees, no card; company administration not stated
- Price for 50 people
- 4.0 / 10, Fair
- $600/mo: Webex Meet at $12 × 50 people, annual terms; includes meetings up to 24 hours and 200 attendees, the AI Assistant, 10 GB of cloud recording and Slido polling (no business email or office apps); assumes no promotional months (the page offers 6 months free on 5 or more annual licenses)
- Message history and eDiscovery
- 3.2 / 10, Fair
- limited history on the scenario plan, retention periods enterprise or through sales only, legal hold enterprise or through sales only, eDiscovery on the scenario plan
- Compliance and data residency
- 10.0 / 10, Excellent
- SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, HIPAA BAA on the scenario plan, EU data storage on the scenario plan (by the country chosen when the organization is set up)
- Admin and outside access
- 3.5 / 10, Fair
- company SSO not listed; audit log not listed; group conversations with outside people on the scenario plan
Review
Review from public pages
Written from Webex's public pages (pricing, security or privacy, and docs) as read on Oct 15, 2026. We did not sign up, and no hands-on run is published yet.
What the public pages show
We read the Webex pricing page and its full plan comparison, and Webex help articles on Pro Pack for Control Hub, eDiscovery, legal hold, retention, data residency, compliance and Control Hub setup on Oct 15, 2026; we did not sign up for this review.
The pricing page opens on a promotion: six months free when you buy five or more annual licenses (four months on monthly billing). Behind it, Webex Meet is $144 per license a year, shown as $12 a month, or $14.50 billed monthly. Messaging is unlimited on every plan, including Webex Free, which the FAQ says needs no card.
The help center sets the limits on history. Newly provisioned organizations keep messages, files and whiteboards for 360 days by default, or 1,095 days with Pro Pack; custom retention and legal hold are Pro Pack features, and the plan comparison lists custom retention only with a Pro Pack license on Webex Enterprise. Single sign-on and the admin activity log are documented in Control Hub help, but the plan comparison does not say which plans include them, so we did not credit them to Webex Meet.
Strengths
- BAA listed on every plan
HIPAA/BAA compliance is marked on Webex Free and every paid plan in the comparison table.
Compared: Slack lists HIPAA support on Enterprise+; Zoom points healthcare buyers to sales.
- EU data by setup country
Organizations created with a European, Middle Eastern or African country keep messages, files and encryption keys in Frankfurt and Amsterdam.
Compared: Google lists data regions from Business Standard; Zoom offers EU hosting to Education and Enterprise accounts.
- Outside accounts on every plan
The comparison marks chat between internal and external accounts (guests) on Webex Free and all paid plans.
- A monthly price is published
Webex Meet is $14.50 billed monthly, or $12 a month on an annual license.
Compared: Microsoft lists no monthly price for Teams Essentials.
- eDiscovery on standard plans
Compliance officers can search and export the last 90 days of messages without Pro Pack.
Things to know
- Messages kept 360 days by default
New organizations without Pro Pack keep messages, files and whiteboards for 360 days; Webex says it is removing the option to keep them indefinitely.
Workaround: Pro Pack raises the default to 1,095 days and allows retention from 1 to 10 years.
- Retention control and legal hold need Pro Pack
The help center calls Pro Pack an add-on “available with certain plans” and points to a Cisco partner for details; the comparison lists custom retention with Pro Pack on Webex Enterprise.
- SSO and audit log not on the plan table
Control Hub help documents single sign-on and an admin activity log, but the plan comparison does not say which plans include them.
- The page leads with a promotion
List prices appear beside an offer of six months free on five or more annual licenses; we used the list price.
Pricing reality
Webex bills per license. Webex Meet is $144 a year ($12 a month) or $14.50 billed monthly; Webex Suite, which adds calling, is $270 a year ($22.50 a month) or $25 monthly; Webex Enterprise is through sales.
For 50 people on Webex Meet: 50 × $12 = $600 a month, or $7,200 a year, at list price. Billed monthly it is $725. The page also offers six months free on five or more annual licenses, under its terms. Pro Pack, for retention control, legal hold and eDiscovery beyond 90 days, has no listed price; the help center points to a Cisco partner.
Exit path
Compliance officers can export eDiscovery reports of messages, files and whiteboards from Control Hub (the last 90 days without Pro Pack), and the Events API can feed archiving tools. The pricing FAQ says a paid plan can be cancelled, or downgraded to Webex Free at the end of the billing period.
Compared with
- Pick Webex when
- You want a HIPAA BAA and EU data storage without an enterprise plan, for less per user ($12 against $14.16).
- Pick Zoom Workplace when
- You need retention periods, legal holds and an admin activity log on the entry paid plan.
- Pick Webex when
- You want a published monthly price and the AI Assistant included at $12 a user.
- Pick Microsoft Teams when
- You want the lowest price for 50 people and company sign-in listed on the $4 plan.
Choose it if
- You need a BAA for chat and meetings without an enterprise contract.
- Your organization is in Europe and wants messages stored in the EU from the start.
- You want to start on a free plan with unlimited messaging.
Look elsewhere if
- You need to keep messages longer than 360 days without an add-on.
- You need SSO or an audit log confirmed on the plan you buy.
Bottom line
From its public pages, Webex and Microsoft Teams are the two here that list a BAA and EU storage on their cheapest paid plans. History control is the trade-off: messages are kept 360 days by default, and retention and legal hold need Pro Pack.
Plan limits at a glance
| Limit | As recorded |
|---|---|
| Plan priced for 50 people | Webex Meet, $12/user/mo billed annually ($14.50 monthly) |
| What else the plan includes | Meetings up to 24 hours and 200 attendees, AI Assistant, 10 GB cloud recording |
| 50 people, annual terms | $600/mo |
| Free option | Webex Free: unlimited messaging, 40-minute meetings, no card |
| Retention, legal hold, eDiscovery | Messages kept 360 days by default; custom retention and legal hold with Pro Pack; eDiscovery covers 90 days without it |
| SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 | Both (Webex) |
| HIPAA BAA | HIPAA/BAA marked on every plan |
| EU data storage | For organizations set up with a European, Middle Eastern or African country |
| Company SSO | Documented in Control Hub; not on the plan comparison |
| Audit log | Documented in Control Hub; not on the plan comparison |
| Working with outside people | Chat with external accounts on every plan |
Read from the vendor's public pages on Oct 15, 2026. No hands-on run is published yet. How we check
We have not published a sign-up run for Webex yet. The access facts above were read from its sign-up and pricing pages on Oct 15, 2026.
We have not published API calls for Webex yet.
Webex lists 4 plans. The cheapest paid plan, Webex Meet, costs $12/user/mo.
- WebexFreeWebex Free$0/moNo card; meetings up to 40 minutes
- Unlimited 1:1 and team messaging
- Meetings up to 100 attendees
- Chat with external accounts
- HIPAA/BAA compliance listed
- WebexLowest priceWebex Meet$12/user/mo$144 per license a year ($14.50 billed monthly)
- Meetings up to 24 hours and 200 attendees
- AI Assistant, including message summaries
- 10 GB cloud recording
- Slido polling and Q&A
- Support by chat, call and case form
- WebexWebex Suite (Meet + Call)$22.50/user/mo$270 per license a year ($25 billed monthly)
- Business phone number
- Unlimited local and domestic long-distance calling
- Visual voicemail
- WebexWebex EnterpriseContact sales
- Meetings up to 1,000 attendees
- Custom retention policies with a Pro Pack license
- Unlimited cloud recording
- FedRAMP authorized security
Prices as listed, USD, excluding tax; observed 2026-10-15.
Source: pricing.webex.com pricing page. Prices change; the observed date above is when our agent read them.