8x8 develops Jitsi and sells it as a hosted service, JaaS. The same software can also run on your own server. The right choice depends on your users, your data rules and who will operate it.
At a glance
| 8x8 JaaS | Self-hosted Jitsi | |
|---|---|---|
| Who operates meeting infrastructure | 8x8 | You or your contracted operator |
| Main cost inputs | Monthly active user plan, overage and add-ons | Compute, transfer, storage, supporting services and operating time |
| Recording and transcription | Check feature rates and limits | Provision and operate the supporting services; third-party APIs may add usage fees |
| Data handling | Review vendor terms, regions and subprocessors | Review your complete deployment and every connected service |
| Embedding | Jitsi IFrame API with JaaS configuration | Jitsi IFrame API with your server configuration |
| Your remaining work | Application integration, access rules, monitoring and support | Those tasks plus infrastructure, upgrades, certificates and incidents |
The public meet.jit.si service has its own limits and is a separate option. See the current public-service limits and alternatives before choosing an embedded or hosted deployment.
Compare the whole bill
As checked on 20 October 2026, the official 8x8 pricing page lists Developer for 25 monthly active users free, and Basic for 300 monthly active users at $99 per month. Check the selected plan’s overage, feature charges, terms and currency before purchase.
Self-hosting avoids JaaS’s per-user plan, but its cost is not flat at every scale. Concurrent video, transfer, recording workers, storage retention and reliability requirements change the bill. Self-hosted software also needs operating time. Use the cost guide’s explicitly assumed-rate example, then replace its inputs with your actual provider rates. It is not a provider quote or a tested capacity result.
Data control needs configuration
Choosing a cloud account and region gives you control over deployment decisions. It does not prove that every recording, transcript, log, backup or integration stays there. Review external services, access, retention and data flows for either option. Hosting location alone does not establish compliance.
Test the integration before moving
Shared APIs reduce some integration differences, but do not establish feature parity. Test guest and moderator access, tokens, embeds, recording, transcription, webhooks and mobile clients against the exact releases and service plan you intend to use. Write down failures and unknowns rather than treating them as passes.
Which to choose
- Evaluate JaaS when you want the vendor to operate meeting infrastructure and its plan fits your usage and integration needs.
- Evaluate self-hosting when infrastructure control or customization matters and you have a defined operating owner and budget.
- Evaluate our one-click platform when you want automated deployment into your own AWS account. Review hosting deliverables and feature pricing separately from the AWS bill; agree any additional support scope.
For self-hosting, start with the requirements guide and planning calculator. Validate a representative workload before promising capacity.
Source and review scope: vendor pricing and the linked official documentation were reviewed on 20 October 2026. This is a planning comparison, not a completed migration, load test or compliance assessment.