Google Meet vs Zoom Meetings – Video Conferencing Solutions for Teams

Today, especially post Covid-19, virtual meetings have become an integral part of our professional lives, connecting teams across the globe.

The two popular contenders in team video conferencing, Zoom meeting and Google Meet (G Meet), offer seamless communication and collaboration solutions.

Whether you’re a university student attending a Zoom meeting or a working professional using Google Meet for team discussions, it’s essential to understand the key differences between these platforms. 

In this article, we will compare Zoom meeting vs Google Meet, exploring their features, user-friendliness, and overall performance to help you make an informed decision about which platform suits your team’s needs best.

Zoom vs Google Meet at a glance

Generally speaking, Google Meet from Google Workspace is best for small organizations and individuals who want a user-friendly video conferencing solution that’s already integrated with Google Drive.

Zoom meeting is preferable for larger organizations with stricter security expectations that need to accommodate more people and provide hosts with advanced controls.

Zoom and Google Meet similarities

Google Meet and Zoom, two popular video conferencing platforms, share remarkable similarities. Both platforms offer a comprehensive range of features, including high-definition video and audio, screen sharing, and virtual backgrounds, facilitating seamless remote collaborations.

They prioritize simplicity and intuitiveness in their user interfaces, ensuring a smooth and user-friendly experience. Additionally, both platforms provide interactive tools like chat functionalities and real-time collaboration on shared documents, fostering engaging virtual environments.

As leaders in the industry, Google Meet and Zoom have revolutionized remote communication, catering to the needs of individuals and businesses alike.

Compare the pricing of Zoom vs Google Meet

1. Zoom Pricing

Zoom One provides a complimentary Basic Plan for users, allowing a maximum of 100 participants to both initiate and participate in an unlimited series of meetings, each lasting up to 40 minutes.

Users availing of this free Zoom service also have the privilege to utilize local recording, breakout rooms, screen sharing, remote screen control, chat features, and whiteboarding capabilities.

2. Google Meet Pricing

Every individual possessing a Google account can use the free edition of Google Meet, enabling a gathering of up to 100 individuals for a maximum duration of one hour. This complimentary version comprises advantageous features such as closed captions, whiteboard functionality, screen sharing capabilities, chat messaging, and the added security of two-step verification.

In the case of Google Meet’s paid alternatives, there are four plans that give users an automatic upgrade to a Google Workspace account. This enhanced account not only offer advanced features of Google Meet but also provides access to a multitude of Workspace tools such as Google Docs, Sheets, and other valuable resources.

Learn more about the Google Workspace plans available for Business Starter and Business Standard.

Chat features of video conferencing software

When it comes to video conferencing platforms, the ability to communicate through written messages with fellow participants has become a standard feature. While some platforms readily support the use of GIFs to enhance the interactive experience, it is worth noting that both Google Meet and Zoom currently lack this functionality.

However, it is worth mentioning that there is an extension for Google Meet that can overcome this limitation. Furthermore, neither platform presently offers the capability to tag individuals within the chat.

Another constraint of both platforms is that chat messages can only be viewed while actively engaged in a video call. Any messages sent prior to joining the call remain unseen, and once the call is concluded, all messages vanish. 

In terms of chat functionality, Google Meet holds an edge over Zoom in one particular aspect. It retains the conversation log for recorded meetings, an advantage that Zoom has yet to provide. Conversely, Google Meet falls behind Zoom in terms of private messaging capabilities.

While Zoom permits the transmission of private messages to individual participants, Google Meet confines chat messages to the visibility of all participants on the call. Additionally, it is important to note that when using Google meeting room hardware to join a conference, the ability to view messages is available, but sending messages is not.

However, Zoom enjoys an advantage when it comes to incorporating reactions into the platform’s interface. These reaction features are seamlessly integrated within Zoom itself.

Nevertheless, it should be acknowledged that Google Meet offers a comparable solution through the utilization of an extension, thereby leveling the playing field.

Google Meet is user-friendly but lacks advanced features compared to Zoom meeting.

Google Meet, true to Google’s strengths, ensures a seamless user experience. For Gmail users, initiating a meeting becomes a breeze, thanks to the convenient access provided through the Google Workspace (formerly known as Google Suite) toolbar within Gmail.

It’s important to note that the comparison between Google Meet and Zoom in terms of advanced features is relative, as the specific needs and preferences of users may vary. Ultimately, the choice between the two platforms depends on the desired level of functionality and the specific requirements of the team or organization.

Online meeting management

User permissions may not be on your mind until the moment when you find yourself moderating a meeting and urgently require the ability to mute someone’s microphone. In such situations, the importance of these permissions becomes obvious. 

Zoom offers a range of measures to allow hosts to control screen sharing before and during a meeting. By utilizing the host control bar, hosts can restrict screen sharing solely to themselves, thus reducing the risk of unauthorized individuals taking control of the screen and sharing undesirable content with the group.

Zoom further provides the option to allow only signed-in users to join a meeting, lock ongoing meetings to prevent new attendees from joining, even with an invitation and passcode, and enforce the use of meeting passcodes.

In the Zoom platform, hosts possess the authority to remove or disable video and/or mute participants who are unwelcome or disruptive. Additionally, hosts have the capability to report any user to Zoom’s Trust & Safety team.

To maintain control over the entire meeting environment, hosts can temporarily suspend participant activities, effectively stopping video, audio, in-meeting chat, annotation, screen sharing, recording, and even the use of breakout rooms. Annotation features and private chat functionality can also be disabled for all participants as deemed necessary.

Similarly, Google Meet empowers hosts to disable screen sharing by participants. However, it should be noted that Google Meet provides a broader array of meeting access options, which are exclusively available to account administrators rather than mere meeting hosts.

The ability to enable or disable chat, for instance, is restricted to administrators and can only be applied across the entire organization, rather than on a per-meeting basis. In contrast to Zoom, Google Meet lacks the specific functionalities of removing, disabling video, and/or muting individual participants.

There is also no dedicated reporting mechanism or the capability to temporarily suspend participant activities. Additionally, Google Meet does not offer the feature of locking an ongoing meeting once it has commenced.

Video Quality of Google Meet and Zoom

The quality and speed of your video during a video conference are influenced by various factors, including your webcam, internet connection, and the hardware and software in use. However, the videoconferencing software itself also plays a significant role.

Google Meet facilitates video streaming at a resolution of 720p without any additional enhancements. In an update on April 2023, Google Meet now supports full HD video calls at 1080p resolution for select Google Workspace editions. Eligible users can enable this feature in the settings menu.

It’s important to have sufficient bandwidth as Meet will automatically adjust the resolution based on device and bandwidth constraints.

This enhancement is gradually rolling out to eligible customers, offering an improved video experience for various Google Workspace editions and Google One subscribers with 2TB or more storage space. Personal Google Accounts and certain Google Workspace editions are not eligible for this feature.

On the other hand, Zoom also supports 720p video quality, although it is exclusively for Pro account users or higher, and limited to meetings with a maximum of two participants.

It does offer the option for 1080p video quality, but presently, it is only available for specific use cases. Zoom further grants users the ability to make various quality adjustments, such as optimizing for low light conditions, applying touch-up effects to one’s appearance (available on Windows, macOS, and iOS), utilizing video filters, employing virtual backgrounds, and even applying Studio Effects for a more polished video experience.

In a Nutshell 

Both Zoom meeting and Google Meet offer powerful tools for team video conferencing, but they each have their own unique strengths and weaknesses. If you prioritize ease of use and simplicity, Google Meet may be a better choice for you.

On the other hand, if you require advanced features and customization options, Zoom might be your preferred option. All in all, the decision between Zoom and Google Meet depends on your specific needs and preferences.

We hope that with this article, you will understand the similarities and differences between these platforms and make the right choice for your team’s video conferencing needs. 

Learn more about Google Meet and discover video conferencing tools that can enhance your online meetings.

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