Google Meet or Zoom, which is better for your business?

Google Meet or Zoom? I’ve heard users try to choose between these two popular video-calling platforms.

Sometime ago, we were to have an online meeting, and the admin of a WhatsApp group I belong to, asked us to vote for the platform of our choice. Of course, this was before WhatsApp started to offer group video-calling services.

But before I talk about the pros and cons of both applications it is important to have a background-knowledge of how Zoom and Google Meet were introduced to us.

Also note that this is not an in-depth review as I assume you have tested both platforms and only looking for an opinion on what works best for your business. So I’m skipping details like pricing plans (which you can check out on Zoom’s and Google Meet’s website), security of use, integrations, and how-to-use.

Moreover Zoom and Google Meet are still adding more features to their applications and so discussing functions like user interface, security features, integration, will only extend this article as both companies continue to exist.

Formerly known as Google Hangouts, Google decided to rebrand its communication service back in 2017 to Google Meet. Together with Google Chat, they form part of the standard G Suite, Google’s office suite.

Background: Google Meet

The app was described as an enterprise-friendly version of Hangouts, suitable for the web, Android, and iOS. Initially, it supported 30 participants, but later on, that number increased up to 250 participants for the G Suite users. For the non-G users, it allows 100 participants.

The software is great not just for work-related workshops and calls, but also for a little get-together with some friends.

Zoom was launched a bit earlier, in 2013. By the time Google Meet was out, Zoom already made $1 billion making it a unicorn company. As a platform, Zoom is cloud-based and it can be used with all major devices and operating systems, such as Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, etc.

Background: Zoom

When it reached its peak during the pandemic, with about 300 million daily users, it faced security issues for which it was widely criticized. Since then, it has gone above and beyond to make security changes and strengthen its privacy measures.

The user-friendly features that Zoom offers made it a popular video conferencing app among everyone.

Pros and Cons: Google Meet

• Strong platform security
• 14-day free trial available for paid plans
• Generous cloud storage
• Low participant capacity
• Several features require Chrome Extensions
• Recording not available on free plan

Pros and Cons: Zoom

• Supports large audiences
• Easy to set up and use
• 1,000+ app integrations available
• Paid plans are pricey
• Limited cloud storage
• Security issues

Google Meet and Zoom both offer a wide range of in-demand video conferencing tools, including screen and app sharing, meeting recordings, meeting transcripts, chat, participant spotlight and virtual backgrounds.

Zoom meeting capacity scales up to 1,000 participants, while Google Meet tops out at 250. Both providers impose relatively tight time limits on group meetings for their free plans. Zoom offers free users up to 40 minutes, while Google Meet’s free plan allows up to one hour for group meetings.

Breakout rooms and meeting recordings are available on all Zoom plans but only on paid plans with Google Meet. Both platforms require paid plans for polling.

Google Meet has built-in tools for live closed captions; you must use a third-party app for closed captioning in Zoom meetings. Google Meet offers intelligent noise cancellation on all its paid plans; this feature is only offered through Zoom’s desktop client for Windows and macOS.

Zoom includes built-in appearance and lighting filters with every plan; these features are available on Google Meet through a downloadable Google Chrome extension. Whiteboards and waiting rooms are standard with all Zoom plans but require Chrome extensions with Google Meet.

Google Meet offers considerably more storage for cloud recordings than Zoom. Paid Google Meet users receive 30 GB to unlimited cloud storage on Google Drive. With Google Meet, even free users get 15 GB of storage. Free Zoom users do not get cloud storage, and paid users only get 1 GB per user on Zoom’s Pro and Business plans; Zoom Enterprise clients receive unlimited cloud storage.

Our recommendation

Both have similar features and can help your organisation make video conferencing work. If your company uses other Google products or has members that dial in to meetings, you should continue to use Google Meet.

However, if your company requires more than 250 individuals to participate in meetings, or if you require conference room support or whiteboards, Zoom is the best option. You can’t go wrong with either option.