Zoom vs Google Meet

When it comes to video conferencing, Zoom needs no introduction. It is one of the best video conferencing and remote meeting tools out there, specially designed for companies and businesses. Google Meet also offers a video conferencing solution, but it is not as popular as Zoom. In this guide, we compare Google Meet with Zoom to see which is the better option.

Google Meet (also called Google Hangouts Meet) is the advanced, premium, paid version of Google Hangouts. Unlike Hangouts, which is a standalone application designed for basic text messaging, voice calling and video conferencing, Google Meet is a product included in Google's G Suite packages for business and enterprise. You can also think of Google Meet as the business version of Google Hangouts that offers extensive video conferencing capabilities.

With that in mind, let's see how Zoom and Google Meet compare.

Supported devices and platforms

You should look at the webcam hardware supported by a video conferencing tool. That's crucial in determining which service to choose. You don't want to sign up or subscribe to a video calling service only to find that your device isn't supported.

In the case of Google Meet and Zoom, both can be used on either a mobile or PC. While Google Meet can be used on all available PC operating systems (macOS, Windows, ChromeOS and Linux) it does not have a dedicated PC app for any of these systems. You can only use Google Meet on your PC through a web browser. To compensate for the lack of availability of a PC app, Google Meet is compatible with virtually any browser: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge or Apple Safari.

On the other hand, Zoom has a specific application for PCs running Windows, macOS and Linux operating systems. In addition, you can use Zoom to make video calls on your PC through its browser extension, which is currently only available for Chrome and Safari.

On mobile, Google Meet and Zoom have dedicated apps for Android and iOS phones and tablets. 

Phone Calls

In case you don't have an Internet connection, a smartphone or your PC's microphone and camera are not working, participants can join a video conference on Google Meets and Zoom via a regular phone call.

In the case of Google Meet, a phone number is provided for a video meeting if the administrator/host enables the dial-in feature. Zoom also allows you to join a meeting via audio dial-in. Zoom has dedicated audio plans that the meeting host/administrator can subscribe to so that participants can join via a toll-free number call. Google Meet does not have a free subscription plan.

Do you have team members on assignments in regions without Internet connectivity? 

Or perhaps you need your team members to join a meeting anywhere in the world at no cost to them? 

Then Zoom (with a free audio/subscription plan) is your best bet.

Video call features

Number of participants supported

As mentioned above, Google Meet is not a standalone service. It is tied to the G Suite for Business and Enterprise package. The number of participants you can have on a Google Meet video call depends on the basic G Suite plan you're on. The basic G Suite plan supports a maximum of 100 participants on a video call, the intermediate plan allows a maximum of 150 participants, while the advanced plan can support up to 250 participants on a single video call.

On Zoom, the basic plan (which, by the way, is free) and the paid professional plan allow you to host up to 100 participants, but with a time limit of 40 minutes and 24 hours, respectively, in a single video call with more than 3 participants. If you need unlimited call time in a group video conference on Zoom, you would need to upgrade to other advanced plans that support up to 1000 participants.

Although Google Meet does not have a time limit on any of its plans, Zoom is more suitable for larger audiences and meetings as it supports more participants.

Screen recording

Recording a meeting is vital for documentation and reference purposes. Meeting recordings can also be shared with absent participants.

Interestingly, both Google Meet and Zoom allow the host of a meeting and the participants to record video calls. However, Zoom does it better. To record a meeting with Zoom, you don't have to be a premium subscriber; with the free basic plan, a host and participants can record a meeting and save it to their devices immediately.

While screen recording is free on PC, call recording on mobile (iOS and Android) is restricted to Zoom's paid plans.

To record a Google Meet video meeting, you have to be subscribed to the more advanced and expensive G Suite plans.

Screen sharing

If the nature of your business or work requires team members to present something on their screen to the other participants in a video call, then you should pay attention to the screen sharing capability of your video calling application of choice.

Both Zoom and Google Meet allow screen sharing on mobile devices and computers. You can choose to share/present the entire screen or just a specific window/app. However, Zoom's screen sharing is a bit more advanced. While sharing your screen, Zoom has an optional "Computer Sound Sharing" feature, which in addition to sharing your screen images also shares the sounds produced by your device during the presentation. This is useful when presenting a video to your team or participants.

In addition, Zoom also has a "Use Dual Monitor" feature, which is designed to optimize screen sharing for participants with a dual-screen setup. When enabled, you can see the video call participants on one screen and the screen being shared on the other.

The Intercept research report states that Zoom is not suitable for sharing confidential and sensitive business information over video calls. Its encryption methods are flawed and some of its servers generate encryption keys in China. That has raised serious concerns about the service's credibility with respect to security.

Virtual background

This is one of my favorite features to use during Zoom video calls. If you have a business meeting and the background is cluttered, Zoom allows you to change it to a plain color or something more visually appealing (like a photo or video). In Google Meet, there is also a feature to change or set a virtual background. 

Plans and pricing

Google Meet is tied to a G Suite subscription, which currently starts at $6 per month per user for the Basic plan (50 participants max). Other plans available are G Suite Business ($12/month) and G Suite Enterprise ($25/month), which support a maximum of 100 and 250 Google Meet participants, respectively.

G Suite plans and pricing

There is a 14-day free trial period to test the service before deciding to subscribe to any of the plans.

Participants do not need to have a G Suite account to join a Google Meet video call. They can join via a link, meeting ID or dial-in.

Zoom is much more flexible and affordable. There is no free trial period but there is a free plan that is as good as the paid Google Meet (or rather, G Suite) plan. Features (such as screen recording, screen sharing, HD video, etc.) that are available for free in Zoom require payment in Google Meet. 

Zoom plans and pricing

Upgrading to Zoom's paid plans is recommended if you need to host more than 100 participants for more than 40 minutes in a single video call. Purchasing a Zoom paid plan would also be useful if you need to have multiple hosts/administrators/moderators in a meeting.

Zoom charges $14.99 per month for its Professional plan (100 participants, 24-hour duration limit). Zoom's other paid plans (Business & Enterprise) start at $19.99/month and feature advanced video conferencing tools for large-scale needs.

Decision time

Zoom is a full-featured video conferencing tool designed for anyone and everyone. Google Meet, on the other hand, is a video conferencing application designed to foster voice and video communication for businesses with G Suite subscriptions. While you can enjoy perks like dedicated business email accounts and an extended or unlimited Google Drive storage quota, buying a G Suite plan to use Google Meet is an expensive experiment. Zoom offers almost all of Google Meet's video conferencing features for free. Paid plans have advanced features and are even better.