Video conferencing remains indispensable even after the pandemic. According to a market analysis report by Grand View Research, the market size of global video conferencing was valued at $6.28 billion in 2021 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 12.5% from 2022 and 2030.

Google Meet and Zoom are two of the most popular platforms for video conferencing today. And although the two share some similarities, they have many key differences, which can significantly impact your decision in choosing a video conferencing tool. 

This article will dive into the features of Google Meet and Zoom, so you can figure out which one is a better option. Let’s get started!

How Google Meet and Zoom Stack Up

The answer to “Is Zoom better than Google Meet?” would have been a simple yes or no question back then. Years ago, Zoom had a better and more extensive suite than Google Meet. But today, Google Meet caught up and has just as many features that enable it to compete head-to-head with Zoom. 

Google Meet is known for its ease of use and seamless integration with countless Google products. Its advantage lies in the fact that it’s web-based and doesn’t require any downloading.

On the other hand, Zoom has 300 million daily active users and has grown in size, users, and revenue since its launch in 2013. It also supports dozens of add-ons and integrations and has many engaging features, like chats and polls.

Google Meet vs. Zoom: A Side-By-Side Comparison

Choosing between Google Meet and Zoom boils down to how these tools meet your requirements. We’ll use the following features to determine which one is ideal for your business:

• Ease of Use
• Participant Limit
• Pricing
• Screen Sharing
• Third-Party Integrations

Ease of Use

A video conferencing software that’s time-consuming and difficult to use will put your money down the drain. How can you enjoy its features if you spend weeks or months learning to use it? Fortunately, both Google Meet and Zoom are easy to use. 

Google Meet is easy to start, especially if you already have a Google account. You can use your Gmail credentials to host a meeting on Google Meet. However, you can still join meetings on Google Meet even without a Google account.

Once you access your Google account, you can invite people to join your meeting by sending them a code, meeting link, dial-in number, or PIN. 

You can access Zoom’s video conferencing features in two ways: launch the app directly from your web browser or use the app on any device, including iOS- and Android-powered laptops, computers, and smartphones. 

Either way, you must register for a Zoom account to host meetings. But you can join a meeting without a Zoom account, as you’ll only need the invitation link. 

Setting up a Zoom account for the first time? No worries because the process is easy. Simply fill out your profile, upload your profile picture, and set your time zone. Once you’re done, you can host your first meeting. Zoom is easy to navigate, even for first-time users, so you won’t have problems hosting your first meeting. 

Winner: It’s a tie, as both tools are easy to use. 

Participant Limit

Some people usually host one-on-one or group meetings with few participants, while others host companywide or cross-departmental meetings with hundreds. Whatever the case, you need a platform that supports your ideal use case when hosting meetings. 

Google Meet limits the number of participants you can have in a meeting, depending on your plan. For instance, G Suite Basic users can accommodate up to 100 participants per meeting, while G Suite Business can limit up to 150 participants. However, even with Google Meet’s highest plan, you can’t host more than 250 participants. 

Zoom’s participant limit depends on your plan. For instance, its Pro, Businesses, and Enterprise plans allow you to host meetings with 100, 300, and 500 participants, respectively. All paid plans have a Large Meeting add-on that enables you to add up to 1000 participants.

Winner: Google Meet’s limitation isn’t an issue for small- and medium-sized businesses. But because of its upper limits, Zoom wins this round. 

Pricing

Generally speaking, Google Meet is cheaper than Zoom. This isn’t a surprise at all, given that Zoom offers more features and capabilities. However, Google Meet’s free plan is an excellent starter deal. With Google Meet’s free plan, you can conduct group meetings for one hour, compared to Zoom’s 40-limit on its free plan. 

Prices and top features of all Google Meet’s plans are shown in the table below. 

	Google Meet	Google Workspace Business Starter	Google Workspace Business Standards	Google Workspace Business Plus	Google Workspace Enterprise
Price	$0	$6 per user per month	$12 per user per month	$18 per user per month	Custom Pricing
Group Meeting Max Duration	1 hour	24 hours	24 hours	24 hours	24 hours
One-on-One Meeting Max Duration	24 hours	24 hours	24 hours	24 hours	24 hours
Max Participant Capacity	100	100	150	250	250
Custom Business Email	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Meeting Recording	–	–	✔	✔	✔
Attendance Tracking	–	–	–	✔	✔

Whereas Zoom offers the following paid plans:

	Zoom Basic	Zoom Pro	Zoom Business	Zoom Enterprise
Price	$0	$14.99 per month per user	$19.99 per month per user	$19.99 per month per user
Group Meeting Max Duration	40 minutes	30 hours	30 hours	30 hours
One-on-One Meeting Max Duration	30 hours	30 hours	30 hours	30 hours
Max Participant Capacity	100	100	300	500
Min Number of Licenses Required	1	1	10	50
Recording Transcripts	–	–	✔	✔
Advanced User Management	–	–	✔	✔

While the cost of Zoom is high, it does offer a free plan. However, under this plan, group meetings are capped at 40 minutes only. 

Winner: Google Meet wins this round because it offers more even with its free plan. 

Screen Sharing

Screen sharing is a must nowadays. It promotes productivity, especially when working with remote individuals or teams. 

Google Meet’s screen-sharing feature is extensive. For one, you can share your entire screen or a specific window to the meeting. You can also share spreadsheets, presentations, and documents. You can even share your screen while someone else is already sharing theirs! Google Meet will automatically pause the other person’s screen as you present. 

Google Meet also has different levels of control for hosts. For example, hosts can prevent certain participants from sharing their screens. You can also join a meeting only to present. In cases like this, only the material you present is visible on the screen. This means no other video or audio, whether received or sent. 

Zoom also has a screen-sharing feature, and it’s robust. Similar to Google Meet, Zoom also lets you share your entire device screen or a specific portion of your screen. You can also share content from a whiteboard, a second camera, or other third-party apps.

Winner: Google Meet and Zoom have excellent screen-sharing features, but Google Meet tops this category because of its additional features like simultaneous sharing. 

Third-Party Integrations

There’s no such thing as a perfect video conferencing software, which is why third-party integrations exist. Integrations let you use more apps alongside your video conferencing software, helping you become more productive, collaborative, and structured. 

Google Meet works seamlessly with other Google products like Google Calendar and Google Drive. Additionally, you can also directly integrate it with several platforms and services, such as Zapier, HubSpot, Skype, and Cisco devices.

Zoom offers more than 1,000 apps in its marketplace. This is a mind-blogging number of integrations to help you make the most out of Zoom. It has apps for everything you need — from collaboration and productivity to scheduling and customer management. 

Zoom also integrates with many popular apps, including Facebook, Slack, Skype, SalesForce, Zapier, Dropbox, Adobe Marketo, and many others. You can also integrate Zoom with many Google apps, like Google Drive, Google Chrome, and Google Calendar. This way, you can still use your favorite Google tools even when you choose Zoom over Google Meet.

Winner: While Google Meet offers a wide range of integrations, Zoom wins this round as it’s more versatile. 

Summary

Quickly learn the distinct differences between the two by checking the table below. 

Feature	Google Meet	Zoom
Ease of Use	🏆	🏆
Participant Limit		🏆
Pricing	🏆
Screen Sharing	🏆
Third-Party Integrations		🏆

Google Meet vs. Zoom: Which Tool Wins?

Declaring a winner between Google Meet and Zoom is challenging as the two have few striking differences. 

Generally, Zoom is better for larger businesses because of its high participant capacity, host management tools, and advanced presentation and sharing features. Google Meet is an excellent choice for all businesses, preferably those looking for a simple, user-friendly tool that offers accessible conferencing solutions. 

But choosing a video conferencing software should depend on your business’s needs and goals, never on the popularity of either tool. So, assess your business’s requirements and invest in a video conferencing tool that fits the bill.