When it comes to video conferencing platforms, Zoom and Google Meet are the two biggest names in the game. Trying to decide between Google Meet vs Zoom can be tricky, especially considering how many similar features they offer. Whether you’re hosting a business meeting or catching up with a remote team, both platforms make it easy to connect face-to-face from anywhere.
In this guide, we’ll compare Google Meet vs Zoom to help you understand how they’re alike, how they differ, and which may be a better fit for your organization. We’re located in Atlanta, but we serve the entire US with VoIP and IT services, including Chicago, Miami, Boston, and Washington DC.
Google Meet vs Zoom
Both Google Meet and Zoom are widely used video meeting platforms that connect teams, classrooms, and clients online. Both platforms provide high-quality video and audio, screen sharing, and recording options. Google Meet is a browser-based application, while Zoom has a dedicated app for both desktop computers and mobile devices.
So how do Google Meet vs Zoom compare? Here’s a quick look at the two:
Google Meet | Zoom | |
Pricing | Pricing ranges from free up to $22/user/month | Pricing ranges from free to $18.33/user/month |
Accessibility | Access from web browser | Must download the app |
Chat | Yes, group chat is visible to everyone during the meeting. File sharing available. | Yes, includes group chat for before, during, and after the meeting and individual DM capabilities. File sharing available. |
Breakout Rooms | Only on paid plans | On free and paid plans. Permanent breakout rooms available. |
Whiteboards | Yes | Yes |
Closed Captioning | Closed captioning and live transcription | Closed captioning and live transcription |
Meeting Time | Limit of 60 minutes for a group meeting on the free plan. Up to 24 hours on paid plans. | Limit of 40 minutes on the free plan. Up to 30 hours on paid plans. |
Participant Cap | 100 to 1000, depending on your plan | 100 to 1000, depending on your plan |
Recording | Only on paid plans | Local device recording on free plans. Cloud recording on paid plans. |
Screen sharing | Basic screen sharing | Advanced screen sharing options |
How They’re the Same
One of the reasons it can be so challenging to pick between Google Meet vs Zoom is the many core features the two platforms share. Both are reliable platforms that offer:
- HD audio and video quality
- Screen sharing
- Chat capabilities
- Breakout rooms, whiteboards, file sharing, and other collaborative tools
- Free plans
- Polls
- Meeting recording
- Live captions
- Virtual backgrounds
- Security features like encryption for meetings, secure participant controls, passwords, and waiting rooms
- Accessibility on desktop and mobile devices
- App integrations
- Reliable performance
- User-friendly interfaces
How They’re Different
While Google Meet and Zoom do the same essential job of providing a platform for video meetings and collaborative features, there are some key differences between the two.
Integrations
Both Zoom and Google Meet integrate seamlessly with other applications. However, Google Meet only integrates with other tools in the Google Ecosystem, including Gmail, Calendar, and Drive. This makes scheduling, joining, and sharing meeting content very easy if you already use Google Workspace. Zoom, on the other hand, offers a much broader selection of integrations, with platforms like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Salesforce, ServiceNow, and HubSpot.
Features
Google Meet keeps things simple when it comes to features, offering what you need without being overwhelming. It provides the essential features necessary to host online video meetings. That said, if your team does need more customization and advanced meeting controls, Zoom has tons more features. In fact, it’s a favorite for large organizations that need detailed control over participants and engagement. For example, in addition to breakout rooms and whiteboards, Zoom also offers collaborative notes and collaborative short-form video editing.
User Experience
Both Google Meet and Zoom are intuitive, user-friendly apps, but they differ here, too. Google Meet is very simple and straightforward, which means that setting up and launching meetings is extremely easy. It’s also a bit easier to join a Google Meet meeting, especially for participants without much technical experience. While Zoom is very user-friendly as well, its sheer number of features and customization options means that it can take a few more steps to start a meeting.
Who Google Meet Is Better For
Deciding between Google Meet vs Zoom can be difficult because both are high-quality platforms. With that said, Google Meet stands out specifically when it comes to simplicity. The platform is straightforward and easy to learn while still providing essential features. In general, Google Meet is best for:
- Organizations that already rely on the Google Workspace ecosystem–Google Meet integrates beautifully with Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs/Sheets/Slides, etc., so if you’re already using these tools, Google Meet is a no-brainer.
- Smaller teams/those with more straightforward needs–When you don’t need highly specialized features, Google Meet offers a clean, easy-to-use interface.
Who Zoom Is Better For
Zoom, on the other hand, offers a range of advanced collaboration tools with more customizable meeting setups while still being user-friendly. Zoom is typically best for:
- Organizations with complex meeting or event needs–For example, Zoom makes it easy to run webinars and large-scale meetings with breakout rooms, advanced moderation controls, and polling.
- Teams that need broad integrations–Zoom supports numerous third-party apps, making it well-suited for organizations with sophisticated tech stacks or collaboration needs.
- Training and education environments: Zoom comes with a number of in-meeting features like spotlighting, hand-raising, and whiteboards that are particularly great for classes and training that rely on participant engagement.
Google Meet Features
Google Meet offers a straightforward video conferencing experience that’s backed by Google’s cloud infrastructure. While not as feature-rich as Zoom, Google Meet offers crucial features for businesses that need an easy-to-use video meeting platform.
Key features include:
- Google Workspace integration–Google Meet connects with Gmail, Google Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, and more, so you can easily schedule, join, and share meetings with just a few clicks.
- High-quality video and audio–Google Meet supports HD video, defaulting to 720p, but some plans offer 1080p. Workspace users also automatically get background noise cancellation for better audio quality. Plus, Google Meet automatically adjusts video quality based on network conditions to ensure smooth meetings.
- Screen sharing–Users can share their entire screen, a single window, or a specific tab.
- Live captions and translation–Real-time captions improve accessibility, and live translations are available in select languages to help multilingual teams.
- Recording–Hosts can record meetings directly to Google Drive.
- Meeting controls–Hosts can mute participants, manage permissions, and control who can join.
- Collaboration–Features like in-meeting chat, whiteboards, breakout rooms, and file sharing make collaboration during meetings simple.
- Gemini–Google’s AI feature can generate backgrounds, take notes, create meeting recaps, and more.
Zoom Features
Zoom is widely popular due to its extensive set of features and easy-to-use interface. It offers extensive tools for collaboration, presentation, and participant management.
Key features of Zoom include:
- HD video and audio–Zoom provides crisp video and clear audio, with dynamic bandwidth adjustment to maintain quality.
- Breakout rooms–Hosts can divide participants into smaller groups for workshops, discussions, or team activities.
- Screen sharing–Users can share their entire screen, an app window, a portion of their screen, or even a second camera.
- Whiteboards–Meeting participants can work together to brainstorm and annotate in real time.
- Virtual backgrounds–Zoom allows users to change or blur their background to maintain privacy.
- Webinars–Zoom supports large-scale webinars with advanced features like Q&A, polling, and registration management.
- Meeting recording: Recordings can be saved locally or to the cloud, with searchable transcripts.
- Chat: Zoom’s built-in chat allows file sharing, emoji reactions, and private messaging during meetings.
- Security: Features like meeting passcodes, waiting rooms, host controls, and end-to-end encryption keep meetings safe and private.
- Integrations: Zoom integrates with hundreds of third-party apps, including CRM, project management, and productivity tools.
- Host controls: Zoom’s advanced controls let hosts manage participants, mute, and even remove users when needed.
- AI Companion: Zoom’s AI companion schedules meetings, helps with project management, and offers live translation, transcription, and meeting recaps, among other things.
VoIP Providers with Video Meeting Features
Google Meet and Zoom are the two powerhouses of video conferencing software, but that doesn’t mean they’re your only choice. If you’d like a platform that offers video conferencing along with powerful business phone system features, check out some of these top VoIP providers:
RingCentral
With unified communications features that include voice calls, video meetings, team messaging, and more, RingCentral offers just about everything you need to communicate with your team. It supports HD video meetings that include features like screen sharing, chat, breakout rooms, whiteboards, and more. Plus, RingCentral comes with a personal AI assistant that offers captions, transcriptions, and summaries.
Dialpad
If you’re looking for a platform with native AI, Dialpad is a great option to consider. It comes with unlimited voice calls, built-in messaging, and AI-powered video meetings. Dialpad’s AI is some of the best on the market, with features like sentiment analysis, keyword tracking, and live transcriptions. Plus, video meetings come with essential features like whiteboards, waiting rooms, audio and screen recordings, and more.
Vonage
Like Dialpad and RingCentral, Vonage offers a full business phone system along with video meeting capabilities. Although Vonage isn’t as feature-rich as some platforms, it’s a great choice for SMBs that want to consolidate voice and video. Vonage Meetings offers in-meeting chat, speaker spotlighting, whiteboards with up to 20 participants, and blurred and virtual backgrounds.
The Google Meet vs Zoom Conclusion
Both Google Meet and Zoom offer high-quality video meetings on easy-to-use platforms. Google Meet is a great choice if you need something straightforward without all the bells and whistles, while Zoom is excellent for its number of features and customization.
If you’re looking for a provider that can handle all your communication needs, not just video conferencing, OneStop Communication can help. We’ll work with you to find a VoIP provider that fits in your budget while providing all the advanced features your business needs to succeed. Contact us today to set up a consultation!
