Jitsi Meet (self-hosted) vs Zoom
Run the open-source Jitsi Meet stack (Apache 2.0) on your own server or at an EU host such as Hetzner or OVHcloud, and your meetings never pass through a US vendor. Compared with Zoom (San Jose, USA). Note: meet.jit.si and Jitsi as a Service (JaaS) are operated by 8x8, Inc., a US company, and are not EU alternatives.
Your Own Video Server vs Zoom
This page compares two very different things: running the open-source Jitsi Meet software yourself — on an internal server or a VPS at an EU host such as Hetzner, OVHcloud or Scaleway — and Zoom, the video conferencing service of Zoom Communications in San Jose, California.
Jitsi began in 2003 as a student project by Emil Ivov at the University of Strasbourg (originally called SIP Communicator). The Jitsi Meet web app, the Jitsi Videobridge media router and the other components are published under the Apache 2.0 licence. You can install them on a server you control, and audio, video and chat then flow through your infrastructure only.
An important warning first. Jitsi itself is no longer a European company. Ivov’s company BlueJimp was bought by Atlassian in 2015, and in October 2018 the US company 8x8, Inc. (Campbell, California) acquired Jitsi from Atlassian. The free public instance meet.jit.si is hosted by 8x8 according to its own privacy supplement, and Jitsi as a Service (JaaS) is an 8x8 product. Both are US services. Everything below concerns the self-hosted open-source software only.
Zoom became the default meeting tool during the pandemic. It is a US company and therefore within reach of the CLOUD Act and FISA Section 702, wherever its servers are located.
Jurisdiction Comparison
| Jitsi Meet (self-hosted) | Zoom | |
|---|---|---|
| Who processes your meetings | You — on your own server | Zoom Communications, San Jose, USA |
| Software origin | Started 2003 at the University of Strasbourg (Emil Ivov); developed by 8x8 (USA) since 2018 | Founded in the USA |
| Licence | Apache 2.0 | Proprietary |
| Hosting location | Wherever you choose (on-premise, Hetzner, OVHcloud, Scaleway, …) | Zoom data centres |
| CLOUD Act exposure | None from the tool — no vendor holds your data | Yes — US company |
| Hosted meet.jit.si / JaaS | Operated by 8x8, Inc. (USA) — not an EU option | — |
Product Capabilities
| Feature | Jitsi Meet (self-hosted) | Zoom |
|---|---|---|
| Join from the browser without an account | ✅ Yes (guests) | ⚠️ Browser join possible, app preferred |
| Who may create rooms | Your choice: open, password, or JWT/secure domain | Account holders |
| End-to-end encryption | ✅ In supported browsers | ✅ Optional, with feature restrictions |
| Screen sharing, chat | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Shared notes | ✅ Etherpad integration | ✅ Yes |
| Recording / live streaming | ⚠️ Via Jibri (extra component) | ✅ Cloud and local recording |
| Webinars, phone system | ❌ Not built in | ✅ Zoom Webinars, Zoom Phone |
| Data location | Your server 🇪🇺 | Zoom’s infrastructure 🇺🇸 |
Notable: for everyday team meetings, client calls and classes, a well-run Jitsi server is fully capable. For large webinars with registration, analytics and a phone system, Zoom is in a different category.
Pricing
| Jitsi Meet (self-hosted) | Zoom (as of October 2026, USD) | |
|---|---|---|
| Software | Free (Apache 2.0) | Basic: free, 40-minute limit, 100 participants |
| Per user | No per-user fee | Pro: $14.16/user/month annual ($16.99 monthly), 30-hour meetings, 100 participants |
| Larger teams | One server (or several bridges) for everyone | Business: $18.33/user/month annual ($21.99 monthly), 300 participants |
| Enterprise | Your own infrastructure | Quote-based |
| Operating effort | Updates, TLS, firewall, monitoring | None |
Jitsi’s cost is the server and the admin time. Video is bandwidth- and CPU-intensive, so size the machine for your largest regular meeting rather than your average one.
Self-Hosting in Practice
- Pick a server and domain at an EU host or on-premise. WebRTC needs HTTPS, so plan a real domain and a Let’s Encrypt certificate.
- Install using the official Debian/Ubuntu packages (Debian 12+, Ubuntu 24.04+) or the official Docker setup (web, Prosody, Jicofo, Jitsi Videobridge).
- Open the firewall: TCP 80 and 443, UDP 10000 for media.
- Decide who may create rooms: by default anyone who can reach your server can start a conference. Use JWT authentication (recommended) or a secure domain so only your users can open rooms while guests still join with a link.
- Add recording if needed with Jibri, and raise system limits if you expect meetings of more than 100 participants.
- Keep it updated and monitor CPU, bandwidth and the videobridge.
Difficulty: moderate — comfortable for anyone who already runs Linux servers.
Sovereignty Model
- Self-hosted Jitsi Meet: the strongest model available — no vendor. The software is Apache 2.0, the server is yours, and the meeting data stays on it. If it runs in your office or with an EU host, GDPR compliance is in your hands and there is no foreign parent in the chain.
- Zoom: a US company; CLOUD Act and FISA Section 702 apply regardless of where data is stored.
- meet.jit.si and JaaS: same structural category as Zoom — services hosted and sold by 8x8, Inc., a US company — despite Jitsi’s French academic origins.
Who Self-Hosts It
Typical scenarios (generic, not named customers):
- A school or university that runs its own Jitsi server for classes and office hours, so students’ video never reaches a US platform
- A medical or therapy practice that offers video consultations from its own server with end-to-end encryption enabled
- An NGO with volunteers and external partners who join by link without creating accounts
- A software company that embeds Jitsi into its own product through the IFrame API
- A public authority that needs meetings to stay on its own infrastructure
Who Should Switch?
Self-hosted Jitsi Meet is the right choice for:
- Organisations with Linux admin capacity that want zero third-party processing of meetings
- Schools, NGOs and public bodies that want no per-user fees
- Developers who want to embed video calls in their own applications
Zoom remains the better fit for:
- Teams without anyone to run a media server
- Large webinars, events and integrated telephony
- Organisations tied to Zoom’s CRM and app ecosystem
Want a managed, European-operated service instead of running your own? Compare OpenTalk vs Zoom — OpenTalk is developed by the Heinlein Group in Germany.
The Bottom Line
The hosted meet.jit.si service is not a European alternative to Zoom: Jitsi has been owned and developed by the US company 8x8 since 2018, and 8x8 hosts meet.jit.si and sells JaaS. But the software is still Apache 2.0, actively maintained, and runs well on your own hardware.
Self-hosted Jitsi Meet gives you video meetings with no vendor at all. You give up Zoom’s polish, webinar product and managed scale, and you take on the job of running a real-time media server. For organisations that have — or can hire — that capacity, it is one of the most sovereign video options available.
Looking for more European meeting tools? See also: OpenTalk vs Zoom, Whereby vs Zoom and Whereby vs Google Meet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is meet.jit.si or Jitsi as a Service (JaaS) a European alternative?
No. Jitsi started in 2003 as Emil Ivov's student project at the University of Strasbourg, and his company BlueJimp was acquired by Atlassian in 2015. In October 2018 the US cloud communications company 8x8, Inc. (Campbell, California) acquired Jitsi from Atlassian. The meet.jit.si privacy supplement states that meet.jit.si is an application of the Jitsi open-source solution that 8x8 hosts, and JaaS is sold by 8x8 as well. Both are US-operated services within CLOUD Act reach. That is why this page recommends only running the open-source software yourself.
Do I still need an account on meet.jit.si?
Since 24 August 2023 the public meet.jit.si instance no longer allows anonymous room creation: the person who opens a room has to log in (Google, GitHub or Facebook were the first supported providers). The Jitsi team pointed users who do not want this to self-hosting. On your own server you decide: by default anyone with access can start a conference, and you can restrict room creation to authenticated users while guests still join anonymously.
What do I need to self-host Jitsi Meet?
A server with a domain name and a valid TLS certificate (WebRTC requires HTTPS; the quick-start guide recommends Let's Encrypt). The official packages support Debian 12 or newer and Ubuntu 24.04 or newer, and an official Docker setup bundles the web front end, Prosody, Jicofo and the Jitsi Videobridge. You need to open TCP 80/443 and UDP 10000 for media. The guide notes that default system limits must be raised for meetings of more than 100 participants.
Can self-hosted Jitsi record meetings?
Yes, via Jibri, a separate component that self-hosted deployments must install and configure. Server-side recording is not compatible with end-to-end encryption, so you choose per meeting what matters more.
Who operates Zoom and where is my data?
Zoom is a US company headquartered in San Jose, California, so it is subject to the CLOUD Act regardless of where meetings are routed. In November 2020 the US Federal Trade Commission settled with Zoom over allegations that it had kept the cryptographic keys to customer meetings and used weaker encryption than it had advertised.
What does it cost?
The Jitsi software is free; you pay for the server and the time to run it. Zoom (as of October 2026, USD): Basic is free with a 40-minute limit and 100 participants; Pro costs $14.16 per user per month billed annually ($16.99 monthly); Business costs $18.33 per user per month billed annually ($21.99 monthly); Enterprise is quote-based. For comparison, 8x8's JaaS has a free Developer tier for 25 monthly active users and paid plans from $99 per month — but it is a US service.
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