Zoom Cloud Meetings vs Google Meet – Which is the Best Choice for You?

Google recently made Google Meet free for everyone until Sept 31st, 2020. Now, if you are on the lookout for an ideal Zoom alternative, the options are better than ever before. In case you are confused between Zoom and Google Meet, here is a head-to-head rundown of both the apps.

Similarities

Both Zoom and Google Meet let you launch a video conference on the click of a button. It's easy to set up a meeting that could accommodate 100+ people. Both of them are quite robust and scalable when it comes to handling group calls and large audiences. Zoom has apps for every platform like Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux. Whereas, Google Meet is a web app and doesn't have a dedicated desktop app. However, you do have mobile apps for both Android and iOS.

Differences

1. Google Meet supports 250 participants

This might be the biggest factor to consider if you host webinars. Google Meet allows 250 participants at once compared to Zoom's 100 participants limit.

2. Google Meet has better UI

Google Meet has a minimal and to-the-point UI. The lesser features are a result of the well-thought-out interface by Google. It chooses the best security options as default. For instance, Google doesn't allow non-Gmail users to share screens, eliminating the risk of having random people over the Internet jumping on your meeting and sharing NSFW stuff.

3. Google Meet has captions

Out of all the web conferencing apps, Google Meet is the only one that has working live captions. It might not be a huge deal normally, but it is a boon for people with hearing impairment. The inbuilt captions work great and appear at the bottom of the video preview.

4. Google Meet integrates well with Google Calendar

Google Meet integrates well with other Google apps like Gmail, Google Calendar, etc. For instance, you can create a Google Meet video conference from within Google Calendar or Gmail. Moreover, you can even add Google Drive file links or attach the files directly to the Google Calendar event.

5. Zoom has a built-in whiteboard

Zoom has a built-in white screen that you can quickly find when you hit the Share button at the bottom. It also lets you collaborate with other participants on the screen. This is an extremely handy feature and can be used for collaboration and brainstorming. Google Meet doesn't have a built-in whiteboard, but you can use Google Jamboard with Meet which is a more advanced and separate Google whiteboard app.

6. Zoom provides quick recording of meetings

Zoom has a big record button at the bottom. You click on it and it starts recording the meeting locally. It's quite simple. However, Zoom mobile apps don't support recording in the free version.

7. Zoom has more meeting features

Zoom has an exhaustive list of meeting features, including whiteboard, remote screen control, breakout rooms, and waiting rooms which let you divide the participants into multiple groups.

8. Zoom has more third-party apps

Zoom integrates better with collaborative tools like Slack, Trello, OneDrive, etc. Moreover, the Zoom app is also available on other app marketplaces like Microsoft Teams, Slack, etc. Whereas, Google Meet is slightly restrictive when collaborating with apps outside the Google domain.

To sum it up, Google Meet is a good alternative for Zoom. The polished UI and integration with other Google Apps make it more pleasing. However, the app is free only until Sept 31, 2020. Post that, Zoom will still continue to be free. If the transition is a huge deal, better stick to Zoom.