It's finally happening—some Zoom users will start seeing ads after leaving a meeting on Zoom.

Zoom has announced that it will be testing ads for free users in some countries, although it reassures users that their privacy will not be compromised. So, how will Zoom's ads pilot program work?

Zoom Is Testing Ads for Free Users

Zoom is introducing a pilot advertising program that will show ads to users on its free Basic service. Zoom justifies the pilot program by saying that ads will support investments and enable the company to continue providing its platform to free users.

Woman using her laptop and attending an online meeting with three other people

Zoom announced the pilot program in a blog post:

Today we are excited to roll out a pilot advertising program that we expect will enable us to support investment and continue providing free Basic users with access to our robust platform.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Zoom helped people stay in touch by offering them an alternative to Skype and other platforms for video calls, especially thanks to its reasonably generous 40-minute meeting limit for users on its free Basic service.

The fact that Zoom works well, is stable, and easy to use are other reasons behind Zoom’s exponential growth during the pandemic. Plus a bit of good luck. But now, as is often the norm with free services, Zoom is imposing ads upon its free basic users, which it says is a necessary step.

As Janine Pelosi, Zoom’s chief marketing officer, stated:

This change ensures that our free Basic users are able to continue connecting with friends, family, and colleagues with the same robust platform we have always offered.

How Ads Will Work on Zoom

Women on a Zoom Meeting With Someone

Only free Basic users in certain countries will be part of the pilot ad program. Basic tier users will only see ads after a meeting, if the meeting they had joined was hosted by another Basic tier user. Zoom has assured users that they won’t see any ads during meetings.

For now, ads will be displayed on the browser page of the platform that users see when they end a meeting, but Zoom may show ads elsewhere on the user interface at a later stage.

Zoom will allow users who are part of the pilot program to manage what type of ads they are shown through the Zoom website's cookie management tool. Users will see a banner on the Zoom website that provides a link to this tool.

In case you're worried about how Zoom's ad targeting will work, Zoom has clearly stated that it will not use meeting, webinar, or messaging content for any marketing, promotions, or third-party advertising purposes—and has updated its Privacy Statement to reflect this.

Related: How Does Zoom Make Money and Is It Profitable?

Is It Worth Upgrading to a Paid Zoom Account?

It's no surprise that Zoom is now testing ads for free users on its platform. In fact, it was inevitable. It's quite common for free services to show ads to users, as a way to encourage them to upgrade to the paid tiers.

Whether you decide to upgrade will depend on your perceived value of the service. So, if you can't stand to see ads, you may want to consider upgrading to a paid Zoom account.