Comparing instant and scheduled meetings

Hosts can use two types of Zoom meetings: instant and scheduled. Instant meetings start immediately and allow participants to join at any time. Scheduled meetings are planned for a future date, either as one-time or recurring events.

This article helps differentiate between instant and scheduled meetings, allowing you to select the meeting type that best suits your needs or organizational requirements.

Instant meetings and scheduled meetings comparison

Comparison	Instant meeting	Scheduled meeting
Description	Allows you to: Start a meeting immediately. Proceed without scheduling the meeting or inviting participants beforehand. Use your personal meeting ID (PMI) as the meeting ID.	Allows you to: Set up future one-time meetings or recurring meetings. Send email invitations to participants before the actual date of the meeting. Schedule your meetings with calendar integration.
Best used for	Impromptu updates or announcements. Quick discussions or ad-hoc brainstorming sessions. Addressing urgent issues or time-sensitive matters.	Weekly team syncs for project updates and planning. Coordinating schedules across different time zones. Meetings wherein multiple participants need to be present and prepared.
Cost	Free and paid subscription options are available.	Free and paid subscription options are available.
How to set up	Learn the different ways on how to start an instant meeting.	Check out the various ways on how you can schedule a meeting.