Do You Need a Separate Licence to Run a Webinar?

On most major video platforms, yes. Webinar capability is commonly sold as a paid add-on on top of a base subscription. On AONMeetings, webinars are included in every plan up to that plan’s participant limit.

If you have ever budgeted for a video platform and then discovered the webinar feature costs more than the platform did, this is why.

Meetings and webinars are not the same product

A meeting is symmetrical: everyone can turn on a camera, share a screen and talk. A webinar is asymmetrical: a small number of hosts and panellists present, while attendees join in view-only mode and interact through registration, Q&A, chat and polls.

That distinction is real. Zoom’s own meeting and webinar comparison treats webinars as a distinct format, and its licence guidance says a Webinar add-on requires a Zoom Workplace licence first.

How the add-on model works

With an add-on model, the advertised webinar price is not the whole cost. The business first pays for the base plan, then pays for webinar access and capacity. This raises the fixed cost of a first webinar, can add costs for more people who need to host, and makes occasional large events difficult to justify when capacity is sold on a recurring basis.

What included means on AONMeetings

Every AONMeetings plan includes registration-based webinars up to its participant limit, recording and smart summaries, screen and document sharing, chat and Q&A, and unlimited session length. There is no separate webinar product to buy.

Questions to ask before you buy

1. Is webinar capability included in the plan price, or is it a separate purchase?
2. Do you also need to keep paying for a base plan?
3. Is the webinar licence per host or per account?
4. Can capacity be bought for a single event?
5. What audience is included before an add-on is needed?

Frequently asked questions

Can I run a webinar without paying extra?

On AONMeetings, webinar capability is included on every plan up to that plan’s participant limit. Platforms that sell webinars as an add-on require the base plan and the add-on.

How many attendees can I have without an add-on?

AONMeetings includes 10, 25, 100 or 250 participants depending on the plan. Larger audiences can use monthly or one-time capacity add-ons.

Third-party pricing and plan structures change. Confirm current terms directly with each vendor before relying on them.