What is the difference between Whereby and Jitsi?

Whereby is best for Teams wanting no-download video meetings, while Jitsi is best for Anyone wanting free, open-source video conferencing. Whereby starts at Free and Jitsi starts at Free.

Is Whereby or Jitsi cheaper?

Whereby starts at Free with a free tier. Jitsi starts at Free and is free.

Is there a free alternative to Jitsi?

Both Whereby and Jitsi offer free tiers.

Whereby vs Jitsi

Whereby is browser-based video meetings with no downloads required — share a link and people join instantly, while Jitsi is free, open-source video meeting solution with no account required and self-hosting option. Jitsi is open source and can be self-hosted, giving you full control over your data. Whereby is built for teams wanting no-download video meetings, whereas Jitsi targets anyone wanting free, open-source video conferencing.

At a glance

	Whereby	Jitsi
Best for	Teams wanting no-download video meetings	Anyone wanting free, open-source video conferencing
Starting price	Free	Free
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	—	✓
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	—	✓
Breakout Groups	✓	—
E2E Encryption	—	✓
Embeddable	✓	—
No Account Needed	—	✓
No Downloads	✓	—
Open Source	—	✓
Recording	✓	—
Self-Hosted	—	✓

Whereby

Strengths

Includes No Downloads as a core feature, purpose-built for video conferencing workflows
Includes Embeddable as a core feature, purpose-built for video conferencing workflows
1 free meeting room — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Established product with 13+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Call quality depends heavily on participants' internet connections
Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up

Try Whereby → Full review

Jitsi

Strengths

Open source and transparent
Open-source codebase gives you full transparency and community-driven development
Fully open-source — you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in
The core product is free with no paywalled essentials

Weaknesses

May lack some advanced features
Self-hosting is free but requires server maintenance and DevOps knowledge
Self-hosting requires Linux admin skills and ongoing server maintenance
Call quality depends heavily on participants' internet connections

Try Jitsi → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Both Whereby and Jitsi are free. You can try both without spending a dollar.

Feature gaps: Whereby offers Breakout Groups, Embeddable and No Downloads that Jitsi lacks. Jitsi brings E2E Encryption, No Account Needed and Open Source that Whereby does not have.

Team fit: Whereby is geared toward small teams teams, while Jitsi is aimed at any size teams. Pick the one that matches where your team is today and where it is headed — migrating tools later is always painful.

Open source: Jitsi is open source, meaning you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in. Whereby is proprietary — you are trusting the vendor with your data and uptime.

Where each tool shines: Whereby's biggest strengths are: includes no downloads as a core feature, purpose-built for video conferencing workflows. includes embeddable as a core feature, purpose-built for video conferencing workflows. Jitsi's biggest strengths are: open source and transparent. open-source codebase gives you full transparency and community-driven development.

Watch out for: With Whereby, users commonly note that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade. With Jitsi, the main complaint is that may lack some advanced features.

Choose Whereby if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: teams wanting no-download video meetings
You specifically need Breakout Groups and Embeddable
You care about includes embeddable as a core feature, purpose-built for video conferencing workflows
Your team size fits the small teams profile Whereby is designed for
The free tier works for you: 1 free meeting room

Choose Jitsi if...

You need a tool built for anyone wanting free, open-source video conferencing
You need self-hosting, data sovereignty, or the ability to audit source code
You specifically need E2E Encryption and No Account Needed
You care about open-source codebase gives you full transparency and community-driven development
Your team size fits the any size profile Jitsi is designed for