Managed IT Support Microsoft Teams vs Google Meet vs Zoom: The Definitive Videoconferencing Fight
The COVID-19 pandemic forced workers to work from home, however the program had to go on somehow. Overnight, videoconferencing platforms developed into the lifeline that held companies together. Even as operations return to normal, videoconferencing providers are pouring resources into their items.
The 2 main cooperation suites, Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace deal videoconferencing capabilities, but we would be remiss not to include one of the most popular videoconferencing apps in the market today-- Zoom.
At this point, your company is practically guaranteed to have a videoconferencing platform currently. If not, or if you are looking to change platforms, continue checking out listed below for a breakdown of features and alternatives that will assist you make your choice.
Are your meetings long or short? Are you mostly fulfilling internally or with leads and clients? Will you be hosting webinars?
It goes without saying, if your company is currently signed up for Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, and you more than happy with the platform, you should utilize Teams or Meet respectively. If you are not signed up for either and simply require a standalone videoconferencing app, Zoom has a free variation that should resolve most of your needs.
In the areas listed below, we will compare all 3 major videoconferencing platforms based upon various metrics you must think about before selecting the best one for your service.
Teams vs Meet vs Zoom: Integration with your other apps/services
Before diving into the complete list of functions for each platform, it is essential to understand just how much you receive from the whole of what you are spending for.
Groups and Meet are part of larger efficiency suites, whereas Zoom is a standalone product with all the videoconferencing-specific features you may require. While Teams and Meet can be obtained independently, they are best bundled with their larger suites, Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace.
Case in point, a Zoom Pro membership just offers you videoconferencing abilities. For less than Zoom Pro, the M365 Business Standard and Workspace Business memberships consist of a complete suite of service applications.
With Microsoft 365, you get a totally incorporated experience with desktop variations of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more. The most significant selling point of Microsoft is how easily the apps deal with each other, and the biggest difference between Teams and its rivals is how centralized the suite is.
Teams jumps effortlessly from immediate messaging to video calls, with the ability to switch back and forth between them.
Meanwhile, Google Meet is independent of Workspace's chat app, Google Chat. While users can make use of both Workspace apps simultaneously, the separation of the 2 is a bit counterproductive.
With M365 and Teams, all chats, recorded meetings, and files are all housed in the exact same central area, making searchability far easier.
With Meet and Zoom, you will need to look for saved chats from old meetings, or when it comes to Meet, head over to Google Chat.
This is likewise the case when working on collaborative files. Any files connected in a Teams chat will appear under its files tab at the top of the window, implying you don't have to lose time chasing them down when you require them.
Microsoft provides even more applications in their strategies than Google, however lots of go undetected.
For instance, Microsoft Sway allows you to rapidly get and cut a tape-recorded Teams meeting that you can then house locally within Teams itself.
In the event that someone arrives late to a conference, or an employee records the exact same meeting and lets it run for hours after its conclusion, you can rapidly get the part of the meeting you require and save it.
This bypasses the storage that would be consumed by an hours-long video, in addition to the time it would require to publish, cut, and export stated video from a video editing platform.
Additionally, all 3 platforms do have integrations with various other company applications, so make certain to check on compatibility with any apps you currently utilize, and these platforms.
Groups vs Meet vs Zoom: Features
Comparing Free Versions vs. Paid
Microsoft, Google, and Zoom have actually all adjusted well to the demand for specific features on their platforms, thus the majority of the exact same functions overlap throughout plans for all three suites. This consists of screen sharing, video recording, live captions, and everybody's favorite: custom backgrounds. When it comes to some other functions, they vary throughout each company's offerings.
A table portraying the different plans and functions of Microsoft Teams vs. Google Meet vs. Zoom Audio Conferencing On-the-Go
While present throughout the board, dial-in capabilities differ across strategies. Meet provides dial-in for free with any of their paid plans, one of the greatest benefits that the platform has more than its rivals.Teams provides its dial-in capability for $4 additional per user, monthly; while Zoom's dial-in is toll-based.
Both Teams and Meet offer internet-based PBX options that can change your in-house phones, while Zoom's toll-based setup is not useful.
Microsoft 365 Business Voice incorporates seamlessly with Teams, enabling staff members to take business on the go, all with complete continuity.
Video Quality-- Who Supports the very best?
As of the time managed it services of this post, each platform displays video in HD, but the quality varies. Teams can 1080p video at 30 frames per 2nd if you have 1.5 Mbps of bandwidth.
Zoom likewise has 1080p video, however it is restricted to the platform's service or enterprise plans. 1080p can likewise be enabled by Zoom support in specific cases. Zoom's 1080p performance requires 1.8 Mbps of bandwidth for 1-on-1 calls and 2.5 Mbps on group calls.
Meet will default to 360p video, but it can send and get up to 720p video.
Audio quality across platforms depends upon microphone and speaker quality, along with the quality of your internet connection.
Rooms and Workspaces-- Breaking Things Down
Breakout rooms are essentially conferences that run at the same time to the initial videoconference. These were particularly essential for virtual education, so instructors might break trainees out into separate groups to find out.
There is a clear utility for breakout rooms in professional areas, too. If a larger group is meeting about a project, breaking down tasks into smaller groups, breakout rooms might be a great service.
Meet allows breakout rooms through their standard and plus strategies, but not in the complimentary or fundamental strategies. Like the majority of Google functions on cheaper plans, you can add Google Chrome extensions, however this might be more of a headache than it is worth in the end.
Recently, Microsoft likewise rolled out Together Mode, which uses AI to place video participants in numerous digital settings, together. While the utility is light, Together Mode could be a strong spirits booster.
Teams vs Meet vs Zoom: Privacy and Safety
To its credit, Zoom reacted promptly to the "Zoom battle" of the early days of the pandemic, adding end-to-end encryption and beefing up their personal privacy policy. Over 500,000 Zoom accounts were taken and posted for sale online soon thereafter.
While Meet has actually not had any well-known occurrences of privacy breaches, Google has had plenty of privacy issues and a performance history of collecting information for use in marketing.
Microsoft has the best performance history of security and they likewise have the most transparent privacy policy.
All 3 platforms support two-factor authentication. Considering that 99% of cybersecurity attacks involve a password aspect, two-factor authentication is a must if you desire a legitimate defense versus cybercriminals.
As a part of the broader M365 suite, all chats, notes, and files are encrypted and kept within OneNote and SharePoint, respectively.
Furthermore, Microsoft Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) is offered on its Business Premium and E5 strategies, obstructing possibly malicious material from being accessed by those in your business.
Microsoft also utilizes Data Loss Protection (DLP) to catch sensitive information being shared (like social security numbers), and immediately block it from being sent out.
Along with eDiscovery and legal holds within channels, talks, and files, Teams ensures you remain certified with all data storage policies.
A graphic showing the path of info as it is encrypted from Microsoft Teams through Microsoft 365.
Zoom does not provide any of these functions on its main platform.
In general, Zoom has actually responded well to its personal privacy challenges, but the modifications are mostly cosmetic.
End-to-end encryption (E2EE) is great to have, however its addition was more of a response to a problem than a complete option. It is unlikely that E2EE safeguards most users from more than encryption in transit and at rest, like with Teams and Meet.
E2EE is most beneficial in 1-on-1 discussions where sensitive details might be shared, and it will be readily available on Teams soon according to Microsoft.
The videoconferencing business has less to stress over due to the fact that they are a single-purpose app, dealing solely with videoconferencing, and not the storage of files, chats, and other information like Microsoft or Google.
Based upon credibility alone, Microsoft stands well above the others in terms of security.
Since your information is all kept in a single space, Teams and its security features take your performance center and turns it into your company's own data stronghold. This second level of defense and personal privacy makes it the most safe, in our experience.
Groups vs Meet vs Zoom: The Verdict
Though most videoconferencing platforms have similar functions, your service's exact needs need to figure out whether you select Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, or Zoom.
For base-level functions at an inexpensive cost, it is tough to beat Zoom, who is focused solely on videoconferencing. For the most bang for your buck, Teams ties your entire business together in one area, with the best possible features and security offered.
If you are trying to find an all-in-one partnership hub that keeps all your communication in one space, we extremely advise Microsoft Teams.
IT Support Guys has actually leveraged the power of Microsoft 365 because 2008 when it was still called Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS), and we have actually continued our partnership up until today day.