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 program had to go on in some way. Overnight, videoconferencing platforms turned into the lifeline that held organizations together. Even as operations go back to typical, videoconferencing service providers are pouring resources into their products.
The 2 main partnership suites, Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace deal videoconferencing capabilities, however we would be remiss not to consist of one of the most popular videoconferencing apps in the market today-- Zoom.
At this point, your service is nearly ensured to have a videoconferencing platform already. If not, or if you are wanting to change platforms, continue checking out below for a breakdown of functions and options that will assist you make your decision.
Are your meetings long or short? Are you mainly satisfying 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 are happy with the platform, you need to utilize Teams or Meet respectively. If you are not registered for either and just need a standalone videoconferencing app, Zoom has a complimentary version that ought to resolve most of your needs.
In the sections listed below, we will compare all 3 significant videoconferencing platforms based on different metrics you must think about prior to selecting the ideal one for your business.
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 essential to understand just how much you obtain from the entirety of what you are spending for.
Groups and Meet belong to bigger efficiency suites, whereas Zoom is a standalone item with all the videoconferencing-specific features you may require. While Teams and Meet can be procured separately, they are best bundled with their larger suites, Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace.
Case in point, a Zoom Pro subscription only gives you videoconferencing capabilities. For less than Zoom Pro, the M365 Business Standard and Workspace Business subscriptions include a full suite of organization applications.
With Microsoft 365, you get a completely integrated experience with desktop versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more. The most significant selling point of Microsoft is how quickly the apps work with each other, and the biggest difference in between Teams and its rivals is how centralized the suite is.
Groups jumps perfectly from instantaneous messaging to video calls, with the ability to change back and forth between them.
Google Meet is independent of Workspace's chat app, Google Chat. While users can use both Workspace apps simultaneously, the separation of the two is a bit counterproductive.
With M365 and Teams, all chats, taped meetings, and files are all housed in the exact same central area, making searchability far simpler.
With Meet and Zoom, you will need to seek out saved chats from old meetings, or in the case of Meet, head over to Google Chat.
This is likewise the case when dealing with collective files. Any files connected in a Teams chat will appear under its files tab at the top of the window, meaning you don't have to lose time chasing them down when you need them.
Microsoft uses much more applications in their strategies than Google, however lots of go undetected.
Microsoft Sway enables you to rapidly grab and trim a taped Teams meeting that you can then house locally within Teams itself.
In the case that someone gets here late to a conference, or an employee records the same meeting and lets it run for hours after its conclusion, you can rapidly grab the part of the meeting you need and wait.
This bypasses the storage that would be consumed by an hours-long video, along with the time it would require to publish, cut, and export said video from a video modifying platform.
Furthermore, all three platforms do have integrations with numerous other business applications, so make certain to examine compatibility with any apps you already use, 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 need for certain features on their healthcare it platforms, thus the majority of the exact same functions overlap across prepare for all three suites. This includes screen sharing, video recording, live captions, and everybody's favorite: customized backgrounds. When it comes to some other functions, they differ across each business's offerings.
A table illustrating the various plans and features of Microsoft Teams vs. Google Meet vs. Zoom Audio Conferencing On-the-Go
While present throughout the board, dial-in abilities vary across strategies. Meet offers dial-in free of charge with any of their paid strategies, among the biggest benefits that the platform has more than its rivals.Groups offers its dial-in capability for $4 additional per user, per month; while Zoom's dial-in is toll-based.
Both Teams and Meet deal internet-based PBX solutions that can change your in-house phones, while Zoom's toll-based setup is not practical.
Microsoft 365 Business Voice integrates effortlessly with Teams, permitting workers to take managed it services for mining organization on the go, all with full continuity.
Video Quality-- Who Supports the very best?
As of the time of this post, each platform shows video in HD, but the quality differs. Teams can 1080p video at 30 frames per 2nd if you have 1.5 Mbps of bandwidth.
Zoom also has 1080p video, however it is restricted to the platform's organization or enterprise strategies. 1080p can also be enabled by Zoom assistance 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 out and receive as much as 720p video.
Audio quality across platforms depends on microphone and speaker quality, along with the quality of your web connection.
Rooms and Workspaces-- Breaking Things Down
Breakout spaces are basically conferences that run at the same time to the initial videoconference. These were specifically needed for virtual education, so instructors could break students out into separate groups to learn.
There is a clear energy for breakout spaces in professional spaces, too. If a bigger team is meeting about a task, breaking down jobs into smaller groups, breakout spaces might be an excellent solution.
Both Teams and Zoom have actually breakout rooms native to their base platforms, throughout all plans. These spaces are basically conferences that are running simultaneously to the initial videoconference.
Meet enables breakout rooms through their standard and plus plans, but not in the complimentary or standard plans. However, like a lot of Google functions on more affordable plans, you can add Google Chrome extensions, however this could be more of a headache than it is worth in the end.
Just recently, Microsoft likewise rolled out Together Mode, which utilizes AI to position video individuals in different digital settings, together. While the energy is light, Together Mode could be a solid 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 file encryption and intensifying their privacy policy. Over 500,000 Zoom accounts were taken and posted for sale online quickly afterwards.
While Meet has not had any famous incidents of privacy breaches, Google has actually had a lot of privacy issues and a performance history of gathering data for use in marketing.
Microsoft has the very best track record it support for healthcare of security and they also have the most transparent privacy policy.
All 3 platforms support two-factor authentication. Thinking about that 99% of cybersecurity attacks involve a password aspect, two-factor authentication is a need to if you desire a genuine defense versus cybercriminals.
As a part of the wider M365 suite, all chats, notes, and files are secured and kept within OneNote and SharePoint, respectively.
Furthermore, Microsoft Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) is offered on its Business Premium and E5 strategies, obstructing potentially destructive material from being accessed by those in your business.
Microsoft also uses Data Loss Protection (DLP) to catch delicate data being shared (like social security numbers), and automatically block it from being sent out.
Along with eDiscovery and legal holds within channels, chats, and files, Teams guarantees you remain certified with all data storage regulations.
A graphic showing the path of details as it is secured from Microsoft Teams through Microsoft 365.
Google does offer eDiscovery in their Business and Enterprise strategies and DLP in their Enterprise strategy only, but these are just restricted to Drive and Gmail. From what we can see Meet has no specifically listed DLP capabilities.Zoom does not use any of these functions on its main platform.
Overall, Zoom has actually reacted well to its privacy obstacles, however the modifications are mostly cosmetic.
End-to-end file encryption (E2EE) is fantastic to have, but its addition was more of an action to a problem than a complete service. It is not likely that E2EE secures most users from more than encryption in transit and at rest, like with Teams and Meet.
E2EE is most helpful in 1-on-1 discussions where sensitive info may be shared, and it will be offered on Teams soon according to Microsoft.
The videoconferencing business has less to worry about because they are a single-purpose app, dealing solely with videoconferencing, and not the storage of files, chats, and other info like Microsoft or Google.
Based on track record alone, Microsoft stands well above the others in regards to security.
Because your data is all kept in a single area, Teams and its security features take your productivity hub and turns it into your business's own information fortress. This 2nd level of protection and privacy makes it the best, in our experience.
Teams vs Meet vs Zoom: The Verdict
Though the majority of videoconferencing platforms have comparable features, your business's precise requirements ought to identify whether you choose Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, or Zoom.
For base-level functions at a budget friendly price, it is tough to beat Zoom, who is focused exclusively on videoconferencing. For the most bang for your buck, Teams ties your whole business together in one area, with the very best possible functions and security readily available.
If you are trying to find an all-in-one cooperation hub that keeps all your communication in one space, we highly advise Microsoft Teams.
IT Support Guys has leveraged the power of Microsoft 365 because 2008 when it was still called Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS), and we have continued our partnership until today day.