Google Meet vs Zoom: Which is More Efficient and Easy to Use

With working from home becoming the new order of the day, most employers have sought after which video conferencing platforms will be best. Although many of them are available, Google Meet and Zoom have proven to be at the top of the chart.

For the sake of this post, we have decided to bring the discussion to two of the most popular – Google Meet vs Zoom.

These video conferencing services have become the go-to for everyone searching for a good video conferencing platform.

Google Meet entered the market in 2017, but Google released a free version in late April 2020 in a bid to hit its target of having 100 million daily users.

While Zoom has been around for longer, dominating the video conferencing space with over 200 million daily users.

Although the two are excellent online video meeting platforms, a closer look under the table reveals some apparent differences, similarities, and outstanding features that take them toward different buyers.

So the problem now becomes: which will suit your needs better? Is it Google Meet or Zoom?

All these questions and more will be answered in this Google Meet vs Zoom article.

About Google Meet

Google meet is part of Google’s G Suite account. It lets you connect with others by audio or video through your computer’s web browser or through the Meet app.

With Google Meet, creating your meeting is pretty straightforward and invites are sent through email.

More so, you can easily tap into your Gmail contact list to invite colleagues to join you, or add contacts directly through Meet.

If recipients have a Google account, the meeting is automatically added to their calendars and reminders set.

For those who can’t join via video, Google supports call-ins. Unlike most other video conferencing programs, including Zoom, Google Meet doesn’t require an additional add-on, nor does it charge additional fees for participants to call in.

Although Meet’s dashboard is a little messy compared to Zoom, it’s still easy to figure out. The program supports a lot of people in the same meeting at once.

You can see everyone in a grid with the main speaker being highlighted and enlarged at the center of your screen. However, Mac users have a harder time staying connected compared to Windows and Android users.

In addition to all its other features, Meet lets you share documents, images, and files through the chat feature of your meeting room. 

You can also share your screen so others can see what you are seeing, which is handy when using slide presentations or other visual aids, including real-time demonstrations.

About Zoom

Zoom is one of the most popular video conferencing programs right now. This is because it offers good video and audio quality even when using your laptop webcam and microphone.

You can add the Outlook plugin and Chrome browser extension which allows you to launch the program or invite people to your meeting without having to type in a web address or close one program in order to launch an app.

Another feature that makes Zoom one of the most popular is that it is compatible with every platform including Linux. Mac, Windows users, and all smartphone users can access Zoom either as a participant or as an organizer.

It doesn’t end there. Zoom lets you create breakout rooms for team-building exercises and more specific project collaboration. 

There can be more than one host, who also have administrative capabilities which include sharing screens, inviting others to participate, and muting and unmuting participants.

Similar to Google Meet, Zoom allows you to share videos, files, and images through its chat feature. Once sent, others in your group meeting will receive an in-meeting notice and the option to view or download the file.

In general, Zoom is one of the best options for video conferencing if part of your group needs to share a screen or is gathered in a conference room.

Google Meet vs Zoom: Who Is Winning

Both Google Meet and Zoom are video conferencing services with similar features. Each platform has its own features distinct to it.

However, one service may be better than the other depending on the size of your team and the other applications you plan to use.

More so, Zoom has a higher edge than Google Meet, offering a variety of options at various price points.

Now, users tend to argue which one is better for video conferencing. Google Meet or Zoom?

There’s a contest in Google Meet vs Zoom and we are bringing all the factors to the table.

Google Meet vs Zoom: Availability

Both Google Meet and Zoom are available to mobile users for both Android and iOS devices.

Google Meet is directly accessible through Chrome and other modern browsers and doesn’t require any additional plugins. You just need to visit meet.google.com to host a meeting. Similarly, you can participate in a scheduled meeting by visiting its link in your eligible browser.

This isn’t the case with Zoom as it doesn’t allow you to host a meeting through a browser. Nonetheless, you can join a meeting via your browser. There are also plugins for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox that you can use to schedule your meeting.

Google Meet vs Zoom: Pricing

Google Meet is available as part of Google’s Workspace package (formerly known as G Suite). A basic Workspace package starts as low as $6 per person per month and lets you host meetings with 100 people.

Its other pricing plan includes $12 per user per month for Business Standard and $18 per user per month for Business Plus. Its free version gives you access to basic video conferencing features that include a 60-minute meeting time.

In addition to Meet, your G Suite account gives you access to more business apps, like shared calendars and Forms, plus 30GB of cloud storage.

Zoom has a free version that allows you to host up to 100 participants, have group meetings that last as long as 40 minutes, and have unlimited one-on-one meetings.

Its other pricing plan includes the Pro version at $149.90 /year/license, the Business version at $199.90 /year/license, and the Zoom United Business at $350 /year/license.

Pro version users gain access to Zoom Video Webinars, Zoom Room, Zoom’s API, and licenses and audio plans for large meetings.

Google Meet vs Zoom: Security

One area where Google Meet wins this contest is security. Over the years, there have been instances where people “Zoombomb” or disrupt Zoom meetings with offensive content.

While Zoom has made efforts to prevent this from occurring, such news is yet to be reported about Google Meet due to its high level of encryption.

Moreso, Google Meet supports multiple 2-step verification options for user accounts and adheres to IETF security standards for Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS) and Secure Real-time Transport Protocol (SRTP).

Additionally, Meet generates a unique encryption key that only exists as long as the meeting runs and is transmitted in an encrypted and secured RPC (remote procedure call) when the meeting is set up.

Interface: Google Meet vs Zoom

Zoom is well known for its Gallery view which shows up to 49 participants on a single screen.

However, Google Meet recently copied that interface by enabling an expanded tiled layout that simultaneously shows up to 16 participants at once. 

Google also recently added a low-light mode that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to adjust video on the basis of lighting conditions. The feature is initially limited to mobile users, though.

Screen Sharing: Google Meet vs Zoom

Both Google Meet and Zoom allow you to share your screen with attendees of your virtual meeting. You can also enable real-time captions to understand what other participants say during the call.

Google Meet vs Zoom: Recording

Zoom allows you to record meetings in MP4 (video) and M4A (audio) formats that you can store locally on your system.

However, Google Meet doesn’t allow the recording of virtual meetings for free users. But, if you’re a paid Google Workspace (G Suite package) user, you can record meetings seamlessly.

Google Meet vs Zoom: Integrations

Google Meet allows users to integrate meetings with other teams using Skype for Business, and other video meeting systems based on the SIP and H.323 standards.

Meet also integrates with additional apps, including other Google services. For example, Google Calendar.

Zoom, on the other hand, offers some great integrations with some Google apps and services. For example, Zoom integrates with Facebook Workplace, Skype for Business, Salesforce, Microsoft Outlook, Google Drive, Google Calendar, and more.

Hence, it is safe to say that while Meet may make integration with Google services a little easier, Zoom still allows many of those same integrations as well.

Google Meet vs Zoom: Pros and Cons

In as much as we have only shown the features of each of these video conferencing platforms, It is only right we discuss the good and bad sides of them- Google Meet and Zoom.

Here are the pros of using either of the video meeting platforms.

Pros:

Google Meet	Zoom
Share screen	Collaboration tools
Send files through chat	Connects to conferencing equipment
Has a free version with the major video meeting tools	Has a free version with the major video meeting tools
No additional fee for call-in participants	Hosts up to 500 people
Additional tools with G suite subscription	Compatible with all operating systems

Cons:

Below are the downsides to using either of these online video conferencing tools.

Google Meet	Zoom
Scattered dashboard as compared to Zoom	Has extra charges for call-in access
Hosts fewer participants	Must disable popup blockers to use
Unreliable for Mac users	40-minute meeting limit for the free version.

Bottom Line

Both Zoom and Google Meet are good options for video conferencing. They both have the same features and tools, which is important for those working from home or in the office.

For Google Meet, it is a lot more convenient because it comes with every G Suite account, which several businesses have already made available to their employees.

More so, it is a better option if you have attendees that have to call in rather than join through video because Google doesn’t charge an additional call-in fee.

Generally, it is safe to say that Google is more cost-effective.

While Zoom, on the other hand, is best for setting up video meetings in a conference room. This is because it integrates with conferencing equipment to allow more participants to join without having them tap in from individual devices.

This means that it allows up to 500 devices to stream the meeting at once.

In general, whichever platform your choose to use depends on your video conferencing needs.

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