The way we live has changed dramatically since Corona came into our lives. We've adapted our way of life to the new normal. Due to Covid, almost every aspect of work has changed, including meeting people, attending official meetings, and attending or taking classes. We hold meetings, classes, and seminars via video call.
After Covid video calling became a part of our professional life that is why WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Google Duo, FaceTime and some other social media apps were not enough for a professional group video conference.
Applications like Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams came to help with this. These apps are fantastic for those who work from home. Many professionals and students use these applications to attend webinars, meetings, and online classes.
Zoom and Google Meet are the most popular apps for large group video calls. You might be wondering which of these two well-known apps is best for group video conferences with additional features.
Here's a comparison of the two most famous apps, Zoom and Google Meet. The key features, compatibility, pricing, and ease of use and safety are all considered in the comparison.
Let's see which one is the better of the two.
Let’s see Zoom vs. Google Meet.
Time and participants limit
Both Zoom and Google Meet offer a free service with some limitations. For example, video calls with a fixed number of participants have a time limit.
Zoom has a 40-minute time limit with 100 participants, whereas Google Meet has a 60-minute time limit with 100 participants.
Time and the number of participants are limited. Google Meet has a 20-minute advantage over Zoom in terms of time limit, which can be very useful, especially for online classes. However in Zoom if users need more time, they can use another meeting session for 40 minutes. Even so, having 60 minutes rather than 40 minutes is preferable.
Safety
Let's start with Zoom. While Zoom video calls are relatively safe these days, there are still some major security concerns. The most important security feature in video calling and chatting applications is end-to-end encryption. Zoom has this feature, but the major drawback is that it is not turned on by default, and users must enable it in the settings.
End-to-end encryption should be enabled by default in all applications, especially in those like Zoom, but it isn't but Zoom has two factor authentication for user accounts. There are some really good security features, such as a password-protected conference and a waiting room where the host can choose whether or not to allow a participant to join the video conference.
Zoom has been blamed for mishandling user data and asking unwanted permissions, which isn't entirely true but also not entirely false. Many large corporations, such as SpaceX, NASA, and Bank of America, have prohibited the their employees to use the Zoom app.
Let's take a look at what's going on with Google Meet in terms of security and privacy.
Google has a very strong security system and online security team to keep their data secure. While Google cannot be considered 100% safe because we all know how Google handled our data in the past, it's not that Google's services like Google Meet aren't safe to use; in fact, Google Meet is considered to be a more secure service than Zoom.
Google encrypts data transfers between its own server and Google Meet users, and any data you save on Google Drive that is related to Google Meet is also encrypted and secure. For added security, Google Meet uses two-factor authentication.
The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) ensures Google Meet's online security, which is why it's rated higher than Zoom in terms of online safety.
Key features and compatibility
When it’s compatibility, both Zoom and Google Meet supports all types of operating system like Mac OS, Windows, iOS, Android and Linux.
First let’s see Zoom, shall we?
Collaboration –Chat, annotation, whiteboarding, and breakout rooms are all available for collaboration with up to 300 UR and non-UR individuals.
Screen and application sharing –Presenters have the option of share their entire desktop or just a few selected programmes.
Dynamic voice detection – Primary camera view will automatically toggle to the active microphone, really beneficial for online classes.
Scheduling – Options for scheduling in the browser, client, and plugin, as well as delegation for co-hosts and schedulers.
Recording – Meetings can be recorded locally and then uploaded to Blackboard Learn, Box, OneDrive Video, or Youtube.
Large room and webinar – Zoom sessions can be expanded to allow larger groups, up to 500 interactive participants in Large Rooms or 10,000 viewers via Zoom Webinars.
Now let’s see what are the key features that are offered by the Google Meet.
Encryption enabled by default – This encryption key is never to disc and is only sent over a secure and encrypted RPC channel (Remote Procedure Call)
Background noise cancellation – This feature is not unique to Google Meet, but it is necessary for an application like Google Meet, so it is worth mentioning.
Unique sharing feature – Users can now share high-quality videos with audio in a new way with Google Meet. Instead of allowing users to share an entire app or desktop, Google Meet users can share a single Chrome tag. This feature has been said to give remote viewers a better viewing experience.
Low-light support – The mobile version of Google Meet now has a low-light mode. If there isn't enough ambient lighting, this mode brightens the users' video.
Google Workspace support – The main benefit of Google Meet is that it provides full access to Google Workspace at a low cost. This is a great way to stay in sync with your work and be more productive.
User-friendly clean UI – Google Meet has always been praised for having a simple and easy-to-use user interface, which is especially useful for those who aren't particularly tech-savvy.
Pricing of Zoom vs. pricing of Google Meet
We've already seen what Zoom and Google Meet have to offer in their free versions; now let's look at what these apps have to offer in their paid versions.
Zoom offers three paid subscription options: pro, small business, and enterprise. Because the majority of us will use the pro and small business versions, we'll focus on those two.
Zoom's pro version costs ₹1300 per month, and the features include an increase in participants up to 1,000 with the large meeting add-on, group meetings up to 30 minutes, social meetings, and cloud storage (cloud meeting storage) up to 1 GB for pro users.
Zoom's small business version costs ₹1800 per month and which include all of the pro version's features and furthermore single sign-on, transcript recording, domain management, company branding, and an optional add-on: Premium Toll & Call Out in India.
Let's look at the Google Meet paid versions now. Google Meet is part of the Google workspace, which includes all of Google's services such as Gmail, Google Drive, Google Docs, and Google Jamboard.
Google Workspace plans start at ₹125 per per month per user for Business Starter, ₹672 per month for Business Standard, and ₹1260 per month for Business Plus.
Business starter packs that cost ₹125 per month offer custom and secure business email, 30 GB cloud storage per user, 100 participant video meetings, security and management controls and standard support. Business standard costs ₹672 and offers custom and secure business email, 150 participant video meetings + recording, 2 TB cloud storage per user, security and management controls and standard Support (paid upgrade to Enhanced Support). Whereas Business plus costs ₹1260 that include features like custom and secure business email + eDiscovery, retention, 250 participant video meetings + recording, attendance tracking, 5 TB cloud storage per user, enhanced security and management controls, including Vault and advanced endpoint management standard Support (paid upgrade to Enhanced Support).
When it comes to pricing and features, Google Meet easily outperforms Zoom, especially with Google Workspace's full support, which is well worth purchasing, especially for those who work from home.
Conclusion:
Zoom and Google Meet are both fantastic apps with interesting features. To answer the question of which is better between Zoom and Google Meet, it all depends on your needs.
If you're a student or a tutor who teaches online classes or holds small group meetings, Google Meet cloud is a better option because it supports Google Workspace.
Zoom, on the other hand, could be a better option for large group meetings, international meetings, and webinars.
