Zoom Phone is Zoom’s cloud phone system. It is a VoIP service with private branch exchange (PBX) functionality, PSTN access through Zoom calling plans, and optional Bring Your Own Carrier (BYOC) connectivity.[3] Zoom Communications provides the service outside the United States. Inside the United States it is provided by Zoom Voice Communications, Inc., which sets the terms, conditions and rates.[3] Zoom Contact Center is cloud software for managing customer interactions over voice, video and digital channels.[3] Both are licensed mainly per user. Zoom Phone adds a telephone-number dimension, and Contact Center offers a concurrent alternative.[1][5] For the overview, see Zoom licensing.
Zoom Phone licence types
Zoom’s licensing article separates three things that are often bought together:[1]
- Zoom Phone license. Also called Zoom Phone Pro, this is “a user-level software license that provides Cloud PBX functionality”.[1] The price page FAQ describes Zoom Phone Pro as advanced calling without a direct dial number, covering extension-to-extension and outbound calling. It is also the plan used for BYOC.[2]
- Calling plan. A type of Zoom Phone licence that “includes a phone number and calling minutes, in addition to the Cloud PBX component”. Its minutes are either Metered or Unlimited.[1] Without a calling plan, the only charging method for minutes is Pay as You Go, and PSTN calls need a Zoom Phone Number licence alongside the Zoom Phone licence.[1]
- Telephone numbers. Additional local, toll-free or international numbers are Direct Inward Dialing (DID) services, bought separately from the numbers included in packages.[1] The price page lists Additional Phone Numbers at $5 per month.[2]
In the billing portal, calling plans are offered for US & Canada, UK & Ireland, AUS & NZ, Japan and Global Select, each as Unlimited or Metered.[1] The price page FAQ describes Global Select as domestic calling across 40+ countries under one rate plan, with a direct dial number for each licence. Regional plans give a direct dial number and domestic calling in the named region.[2] Catalog proof: Calling minutes are Metered, Unlimited or Pay as You Go; Zoom Phone Pro licence has no direct dial number.
Public Zoom Phone prices
| Plan | Contents (vendor description) | Price (USD per user per month) |
|---|---|---|
| Zoom Phone US & CA Unlimited | Phone added to Workplace Basic. Domestic number, calling, SMS/MMS, 50 fax pages a month, metered international calling[2] | $18.00 billed monthly; $16.00 billed annually[2] |
| Zoom Workplace Pro Plus | Workplace Pro bundled with Phone US & CA Unlimited[2] | $24.00 billed monthly; $20.50 billed annually[2] |
| Zoom Workplace Business Plus | Workplace Business bundled with Phone US & CA Unlimited; unlimited domestic online fax[2] | $29.00 billed monthly; $24.50 billed annually[2] |
Add-ons to Phone are the Zoom Phone Customer Engagement Pack ($25 per month), Additional Phone Numbers ($5) and International Calling ($10), which offers unlimited calling to more than 15 countries and regions.[2] The licensing article describes the Customer Engagement Pack as a power-user desktop experience with enhanced real-time analytics and historical reports. Both add-ons can be assigned to users once purchased.[1] Online Fax is an add-on that requires a Zoom Phone subscription, and common area phones and extra numbers “may be purchased as described on the Order Form”.[3] Per-minute rates are published in a separate rates list that the price page links to.[2]
Counting Zoom Phone
Users and softphones. Using the Zoom app on a mobile or desktop device counts as a softphone. A softphone and a dedicated number for every user means every user needs a Zoom Phone licence. Desk phones tied to specific users are covered by those users’ licences.[1] Allocating a number to a user requires that user to hold a Zoom Phone licence.[1] Licences are assigned “up to one license at a time” per user, and each assignment gives the user an extension number automatically.[1] A user can be assigned more than one calling plan, however.[1]
Common area phones. Desk phones set up as common area phones each require a calling plan or licence: “one license per phone”.[1] Catalog proof: Common area phones need one licence per phone.
Numbers. “Every number configured in Zoom Phone needs a license”, either as a standalone DID licence or from a calling package that bundles the DID. Before submitting a porting request, the customer must buy a telephone number or a calling plan.[1] Catalog proof: Every phone number needs a licence.
Users without meeting licences. On paid accounts, a user can hold a Zoom Phone licence without any Zoom Workplace licence or Zoom Meetings Basic permissions. Zoom describes this as a foundation for Zoom Phone or Zoom Contact Center users.[6] Catalog proof: Users without a Workplace licence or Basic permissions cannot host.
Changing quantities. Added licences are prorated for the rest of the payment period so that they renew on the original cycle. Reductions take effect at the end of the subscription term, with no refund or credit, and licences must be unassigned first.[1] The Terms of Service define Charges to include “overages, per-use charges”, which covers metered minutes.[7] Catalog proof: Added licences are prorated and co-termed.
Regulatory and recording obligations. BYOC customers must ensure that their carrier provides all regulated telecommunications services.[3] The customer is responsible for complying with laws on monitoring and recording conversations as Host or Phone Host.[7]
Zoom Contact Center packages
Zoom Contact Center is sold in three packages priced per user per month:[4]
| Package | Scope (vendor description) | Price (USD per user per month) |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | Inbound omnichannel contact center with voice of the customer (VoC); voice, video, chat and SMS; flow editor and IVR; real-time transcription; CTI integration[4] | $85.00 billed monthly; $69.00 billed annually[4] |
| Premium | Adds email and social channels, work items, progressive and preview outbound dialers, and Cobrowse[4] | $119.00 billed monthly; $99.00 billed annually[4] |
| Elite | Adds AI Expert Assist, advanced Quality Management, Workforce Management, Engagement Brief and Live AI Interpreter[4] | $179.00 billed monthly; $149.00 billed annually[4] |
Agentless Dialer, AI Intent Routing, Virtual Agent and CX Insights are available as add-ons to all three packages. AI Expert Assist 2.0 and Live AI Interpreter are add-ons to Essentials and Premium and included in Elite.[4] PSTN calling for Contact Center requires a monthly usage plan. Zoom Voice provides the calling plans and virtual service numbers used with Contact Center.[3]
Counting Contact Center
Dependencies. Access to Zoom Contact Center “requires a corresponding license to use the Zoom Meeting Services and/or Zoom Phone Services”. If that licence expires or is terminated, Contact Center access ends too. Contact Center payment obligations are non-cancelable and non-refundable.[3] Workforce Management, Quality Management and AI Expert Assist may in turn require a paid Contact Center subscription. Their users (WFM Host, QM Host, AI Expert Assist Host) are each deemed a Host.[3] Catalog proof: Contact Center requires a Meetings or Phone licence.
Concurrent licensing. The Essentials plan card states that a concurrent licence is available.[4] The Contact Center concurrent license is “a one-to-many license option” that assigns licences from a shared pool to agents who are actively signed in.[5] Signed-in users count toward the pool, so there is no limit on the number of users that can be added.[5] A user counts as signed in in any of these cases:[5]
- signed in to the Zoom desktop client with a work session started;
- signed in to the web portal and viewing a Contact Center page, such as the personal section, the Contact Center dashboard, Contact Center Management admin pages, or Contact Center usage and activity reports;
- actively sending Zoom Contact Center API calls.
Supervisors and administrators who use those web portal pages therefore consume concurrent licences, not only agents. On concurrent accounts, agent work sessions are enabled automatically and cannot be disabled.[5] Concurrent plans require a Pro, Business or Education account. The account’s package and overage allowance are shown under Plan Management.[5] The licences usage report shows daily licences used and Peak Concurrency. Session detail records each user’s package (Essentials, Premium or Elite), whether the AI Expert Assist add-on was used, and sign-in and sign-out times.[5] Catalog proof: Concurrent Contact Center licences count signed-in users; Contact Center packages available on concurrent licences. For the general model, see concurrent and device licensing.
Out of scope
- Per-minute and per-destination rates, Global Select and regional plan prices, which are sold through Zoom Support or sales.
- Zoom Phone hardware and the Hardware as a Service Program terms.
- The Zoom Phone Acceptable Use and text messaging policies, and emergency calling notices, listed on the Zoom trust resources page.
- Zoom Virtual Agent, CX Insights and Zoom Revenue Accelerator pricing.