Managed IT Support Microsoft Teams vs Google Meet vs Zoom: The Definitive Videoconferencing Fight
The COVID-19 pandemic forced employees to work from house, however the show had to go on in some way. Overnight, videoconferencing platforms developed into the lifeline that held organizations together. Even as operations return to typical, videoconferencing suppliers are putting resources into their products.
The two main cooperation suites, Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace offer videoconferencing capabilities, but we would be remiss not to consist of one of the most popular videoconferencing apps in the market today-- Zoom.
At this point, your business is nearly guaranteed to have a videoconferencing platform currently. If not, or if you are aiming to alter platforms, continue reading listed below for a breakdown of features and alternatives that will assist you make your decision.
Are your conferences long or short? Are you primarily meeting internally or with leads and customers? Will you be hosting webinars?
It goes without saying, if your company is currently subscribed to Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, and you enjoy with the platform, you must use Teams or Meet respectively. If you are not signed up for either and simply require a standalone videoconferencing app, Zoom has a totally free variation that must fix the majority of your needs.
In the areas below, we will compare all 3 significant videoconferencing platforms based upon various metrics you must think about before picking the best one for your company.
Teams vs Meet vs Zoom: Integration with your other apps/services
Prior to diving into the complete list of functions for each platform, it is necessary to comprehend just how much you obtain from the totality of what you are spending for.
Groups and Meet become part of bigger efficiency suites, whereas Zoom is a standalone product with all the videoconferencing-specific features you may require. While Teams and Meet can be procured separately, they are best bundled with their bigger suites, Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace.
Case in point, a Zoom Pro subscription just gives you videoconferencing abilities. For less than Zoom Pro, the M365 Business Standard and Workspace Business memberships consist of a full suite of company applications.
With Microsoft 365, you get a completely incorporated experience with desktop versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more. The greatest selling point of Microsoft is how quickly the apps deal with each other, and the greatest difference in between Teams and its rivals is how centralized the suite is.
Groups jumps flawlessly from instantaneous messaging to video calls, with the capability to switch back and forth in between them.
On The Other Hand, Google Meet is independent of Workspace's chat app, Google Chat. While users can utilize both Workspace apps concurrently, the separation of the 2 is a bit counterintuitive.
With M365 and Teams, all chats, recorded meetings, and files are all housed in the exact same main location, making searchability far much easier.
With Meet and Zoom, you will have to seek out conserved chats from old conferences, or when it comes to Meet, head over to Google Chat.
This is likewise the case when working on collaborative files. Any files attached in a Teams chat will appear under its files tab at the top of the window, suggesting you don't need to waste time chasing them down when you need them.
Microsoft uses a lot more applications in their plans than Google, though lots of go undetected.
For example, Microsoft Sway enables you to quickly get and cut a tape-recorded Teams satisfying that you can then house locally within Teams itself.
In the event that somebody shows up late to a meeting, or a worker records the very same meeting and lets it run for hours after its conclusion, you can rapidly get the part of the conference you need and save it.
This bypasses the storage that would be consumed by an hours-long video clip, in addition to the time it would take to submit, cut, and export stated video from a video modifying platform.
In addition, all 3 platforms do have integrations with different other organization applications, so be sure to look at compatibility with any apps you currently use, and these platforms.
Teams vs Meet vs Zoom: Features
Comparing Free Versions vs. Paid
Microsoft, Google, and Zoom have all adapted well to the need for certain features on their platforms, therefore the majority of the same functions overlap across plans for all three suites. This includes screen sharing, video recording, live captions, and everybody's favorite: custom backgrounds. When it comes to some other functions, they differ throughout each company's offerings.
A table portraying the various strategies and functions of Microsoft Teams vs. Google Meet vs. Zoom Audio Conferencing On-the-Go
While present throughout the board, dial-in capabilities differ throughout plans. Meet provides dial-in free of charge with any of their paid strategies, one of the greatest advantages that the platform has more than its rivals.Groups uses its dial-in capability for $4 additional per user, each month; while Zoom's dial-in is toll-based.
Both Teams and Meet deal internet-based PBX services that can replace your internal phones, while Zoom's toll-based setup is not practical.
Microsoft 365 Business Voice incorporates seamlessly with Teams, enabling staff members to take service on the go, all with full continuity.
Video Quality-- Who Supports the Best?
Since the time of this post, each platform shows video in HD, however the quality differs. Groups can 1080p video at 30 frames per second if you have 1.5 Mbps of bandwidth.
Zoom also has 1080p video, however it is restricted to the platform's business or business plans. 1080p can also be allowed by Zoom support in specific cases. Zoom's 1080p functionality 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 receive approximately 720p video.
Audio quality across platforms depends on microphone and speaker quality, along with the quality of your internet connection.
Rooms and Workspaces-- Breaking Things Down
Breakout spaces are basically meetings that run at the same time to the initial videoconference. These were especially necessary for virtual education, so instructors might break trainees out into different groups to learn.
There is a clear energy for breakout rooms in expert spaces, too. If a larger team is satisfying about a job, breaking down jobs into smaller groups, breakout rooms might be a fantastic option.
Both Teams and Zoom have breakout spaces belonging to their base platforms, across all plans. These rooms are basically meetings that are running simultaneously to the original videoconference.
Meet enables breakout rooms through their standard and plus strategies, however not in the totally free or basic strategies. Like most Google functions on cheaper strategies, you can add Google Chrome extensions, but this might be more of a headache than it is worth in the end.
Recently, Microsoft also rolled out Together Mode, which uses AI to put video individuals in numerous digital settings, together. While the utility is light, Together Mode might be a strong spirits booster.
Groups vs Meet vs Zoom: Privacy and Safety
To its credit, Zoom reacted promptly to the "Zoom bombing" of the early days of the pandemic, including end-to-end file encryption and intensifying their privacy policy. Over 500,000 Zoom accounts were taken and published for sale online quickly thereafter.
While Meet has not had any well-known incidents of privacy breaches, Google has actually had plenty of privacy concerns and a track record of collecting data for use in advertising.
Microsoft has the very best track record of security and they likewise have the most transparent personal privacy policy.
All three platforms support two-factor authentication. Considering that 99% of cybersecurity attacks include a password component, two-factor authentication is a should if you desire a genuine defense versus cybercriminals.
As a part of the wider M365 suite, all chats, notes, and files are encrypted and kept within OneNote and SharePoint, respectively.
In Addition, Microsoft Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) is offered on its Business Premium and E5 strategies, blocking possibly malicious content from being accessed by those in your company.
Microsoft also uses Data Loss Protection (DLP) to capture sensitive information being shared (like social security numbers), and automatically block it from being sent.
Along with eDiscovery and legal holds within channels, talks, and files, Teams ensures you remain compliant with all information storage regulations.
A graphic showing the path of info as it is encrypted from Microsoft Teams through Microsoft 365.
Google does offer eDiscovery in their Business and Enterprise strategies and DLP in their Enterprise strategy only, however these are only limited to Drive and Gmail. From what we can see Meet has no specifically noted DLP abilities.Zoom does not provide any of these features on its main platform.
In general, Zoom has reacted well to its personal privacy challenges, but the changes are mostly cosmetic.
End-to-end file encryption (E2EE) is excellent to have, however its addition was more of a reaction to an issue than a total option. It is unlikely that E2EE secures 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 fret about since they are a single-purpose app, dealing entirely with videoconferencing, and not the storage of files, talks, and other information like Microsoft or Google.
Based upon credibility alone, Microsoft stands well above the others in regards to security.
Because your information is all stored in on site it support services a single area, Teams and its security features take your performance center and turns it into your company's own information fortress. This second level of defense and privacy makes it the most safe, in our experience.
Groups vs Meet vs Zoom: The Verdict
Though a lot of videoconferencing platforms have comparable functions, your company's precise needs need to figure out whether you pick Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, or Zoom.
For base-level functions at a cost effective price, it is hard to beat Zoom, who is focused entirely on videoconferencing. For the most value, Teams ties your entire company together in one area, with the best possible functions and security readily available.
If you are looking for an all-in-one cooperation center that keeps all your communication in one space, we highly suggest Microsoft Teams.
IT Support Guys has actually leveraged the power of Microsoft 365 considering that 2008 when it was still called Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS), and we have continued our collaboration till the present day.