Can I record meetings in the free version?

Welcome to the Zoom Community, @davidb77gm 

There are two types of recordings: Local recordings are made on your device; Cloud recordings are stored on the Zoom servers.

Basic (unlicensed, free) accounts can only record Locally.  But also note that Local recording is only available on Desktop devices running Windows, MacOS, or Linux.

If you wish to record to the Cloud, you would need a Licensed (paid) account at any level, including the Pro level.

See these Zoom Support articles for additional information:

https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/360040771752-Recording-meetings-locally-and-to-the-cloud 

https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362473-Enabling-and-starting-local-recordings

https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/203741855-Starting-a-cloud-recording