The features of Meet calls are pretty basic, as you can interact with everyone through video and audio, but there is screen sharing if someone needs to present something to everyone in the chat. Meet does allow you to record a meeting if needed, and you can chat with Hangouts Chat if need be. Other integrations for Meet include Skype and Pexip Infinity.
- Has a free level with a lot of features
- Paid plans for business are affordable
- More comprehensive video conferencing features
- Secure encryption
- Integrates with other services
- Supports up to 1000 participants
- Requires software download on desktop
- Free tier limits calls to 40 minutes
- Not as tightly integrated with Google services
Zoom is a bit more flexible when it comes to pricing and features. Unlike Google Meet, there is a free tier, so you can sign up for Zoom and use it without ever having to pay a dime. The free tier allows the host to have up to 100 participants with unlimited 1-to-1 meetings. However, while you can have unlimited meetings, each session can only be 40 minutes, as there is a time limit imposed on the free tier. Still, it’s not bad, considering that you can use it for free.
Disclaimer: Zoom is temporarily lifting the 40-minute restriction on free accounts because of recent events. This is only temporary due to the surge in use from consumers.
The free tier for Zoom also includes access to the service’s feature-rich video conferencing tools, including screen sharing, polls, whiteboard and collaboration, recording of the meeting, encryption, and much more. It’s a much more comprehensive video conferencing experience, and you can access them completely for free, which is nice.
If you need Zoom for work or more people, then the Pro starts at $ a month just for the host. The Pro plan still has the 100 participant limit, but meeting duration limits are 24 hours, instead of 40 minutes. Business is $ a month for the host, and you can go up to 300 participants, and Enterprise is $ a month per host with a minimum of 50 hosts, and you can have up 500 participants (or 1,000 with Enterprise Plus) with unlimited cloud storage.
Again, Zoom is an all-around solid option for both those who just want to do some personal video calls with friends and family, as well as businesses with teams of various sizes. It also has a more robust feature set compared to Google Meet, so if you need more bells-and-whistles for your video conferencing, then Zoom is the better option.
So there you have it. Google Meet is great for those who are already using G Suite with their businesses and teams, and it’s definitely more geared for work. But Zoom offers more versatility with its service, even allowing a free tier for those who just want a video conferencing solution to catch up with friends and family. And if you require more from Zoom for your business, there are several tiers available, and all of them are pretty affordable for teams.
But don’t forget that you need some proper gear for great video conference calls. Here are a few of our favorites:
HyperX Cloud Mix Wired Gaming Headset
This headset is super comfortable and lightweight for hours of audio. It also has a detachable boom mic, and also works via Bluetooth if need be.
Logitech C270 HD Webcam
This simple webcam offers video capture of 1280-by-720 pixels and image capture of 3MP. It also has an integrated microphone for crisp audio.
