The Short Answer: Yes

Zoom does have Breakout Rooms, but this feature is only available on paid plans, specifically on the Pro, Business, and Enterprise tiers. This means that users on the free plan will not have access to Breakout Rooms, limiting their ability to facilitate complex workshops that require separate group discussions.

How to Use Breakout Rooms in Zoom

1. Navigate to the meeting settings before starting your meeting and ensure that the “Breakout Room” option is enabled under the “In Meeting (Advanced)” section.
2. Click on “Breakout Rooms” during an active meeting to open the breakout room management window, where you can create up to 50 separate rooms and assign participants to them either automatically or manually.
3. Result: Participants will be moved to their assigned breakout rooms, where they can engage in separate discussions, and the host can broadcast messages to all rooms or join any room to monitor or contribute to the discussions.

Workarounds

Since Breakout Rooms are not available on the free plan, users looking for alternatives can consider the following workarounds:

1. Use an Integration: Connect to platforms like Google Meet or Microsoft Teams through integrations, which may offer similar breakout functionality, albeit with potential limitations in compatibility and features.
2. Use a 3rd Party Plugin: Install plugins like Breakout Room extensions for browsers, which can simulate breakout room functionality but may require additional setup and could pose security risks.
3. The “Hack”: Manually create separate meetings for each breakout group and have participants join those meetings, requiring meticulous planning and coordination to execute effectively.

Better Alternatives for Breakout Rooms

If Breakout Rooms are a critical feature for your workshop facilitation workflow and you’re not tied to using Zoom, consider these alternatives:

• Alternative 1: Google Meet (Native support) - Offers a more streamlined breakout room experience with easier integration with other Google Workspace tools.
• Alternative 2: Microsoft Teams (Better implementation) - Provides a more comprehensive set of features for managing breakout sessions, including easier participant management and content sharing.

FAQ

Q: Is Breakout Rooms coming in the roadmap for the free plan? A: As of the latest public roadmap information, there are no announced plans to add Breakout Rooms to the free tier of Zoom, focusing instead on enhancing features for paid subscribers.

Q: Is this feature gated to the Enterprise plan? A: No, Breakout Rooms are available on all paid plans, including Pro and Business tiers, not just the Enterprise plan, making it accessible to a wider range of users who require this functionality for their workshops and meetings.

📚 Continue Learning

Check out our guides on Zoom and Breakout Rooms.