Managed IT Support Microsoft Teams vs Google Meet vs Zoom: The Definitive Videoconferencing Battle
The COVID-19 pandemic forced employees to work from home, however the program had to go on in some way. Overnight, videoconferencing platforms developed into the lifeline that held companies together. Even as operations return to regular, videoconferencing suppliers are putting resources into their items.
The two main collaboration suites, Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace deal videoconferencing capabilities, however we would be remiss not to include one of the most popular videoconferencing apps in the market today-- Zoom.
At this point, your service is almost ensured to have a videoconferencing platform currently. If not, or if you are wanting to change platforms, continue reading listed below for a breakdown of functions and alternatives that will assist you make your decision.
Are your meetings long or short? Are you primarily satisfying internally or with leads and customers? Will you be hosting webinars?
It goes without stating, if your business is currently subscribed to Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, and you are happy with the platform, you need to use Teams or Meet respectively. If you are not signed up for either and merely require a standalone videoconferencing app, Zoom has a free version that needs to solve most of your requirements.
In the sections listed below, we will compare all three significant videoconferencing platforms based upon various metrics you should consider prior to choosing the right one for your service.
Groups vs Meet vs Zoom: Integration with your other apps/services
Before diving into the full list of functions for each platform, it is important to understand how much you receive from the whole of what you are spending for.
Teams and Meet belong to larger productivity suites, whereas Zoom is a standalone product with all the videoconferencing-specific functions you might need. While Teams and Meet can be acquired independently, they are best bundled with their bigger 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 subscriptions include a full 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 quickly the apps work with each other, and the greatest distinction between Teams and its rivals is how centralized the suite is.
Groups jumps seamlessly from instant messaging to video calls, with the capability to change back and forth in between them.
Meanwhile, Google Meet is independent of Workspace's chat app, Google Chat. While users can utilize both Workspace apps concurrently, the separation of the two is a bit counterproductive.
With M365 and Teams, all chats, recorded meetings, and files are all housed in the exact same central location, making searchability far simpler.
With Meet and Zoom, you will need to look for saved chats from old meetings, or in the case of 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, implying you do not have to lose time chasing them down when you require them.
Microsoft offers even more applications in their strategies than Google, though many go undetected.
For instance, Microsoft Sway enables you to rapidly grab and trim a tape-recorded Teams meeting that you can then house in your area within Teams itself.
In the case that somebody gets here late to a conference, or a staff member records the same conference and lets it run for hours after its conclusion, you can rapidly get the part of the meeting you need and wait.
This bypasses the storage that would be consumed by an hours-long video, as well as the time it would require to publish, trim, and export said video from a video editing platform.
Furthermore, all three platforms do have integrations with numerous other company applications, so be sure to look at compatibility with any apps you currently utilize, and these platforms.
Teams vs Meet vs Zoom: Features
Comparing Free Versions vs. Paid
Microsoft, Google, and Zoom have actually all adapted well to the demand for particular functions on their platforms, thus the majority of the same functions overlap across plans for all three suites. This consists of screen sharing, video recording, live captions, and everyone's favorite: customized backgrounds. As for some other features, they differ across each company's offerings.
A table portraying the various strategies and features of Microsoft Teams vs. Google Meet vs. Zoom Audio Conferencing On-the-Go
While present throughout the board, dial-in Browse this site capabilities differ throughout strategies. Meet offers dial-in free of charge with any of their paid strategies, one of the most significant benefits that the platform has over its competitors.Groups offers its dial-in ability for $4 extra per user, each 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 useful.
Video Quality-- Who Supports the Best?
As of the time of this post, each platform shows video in HD, however the quality differs. Groups can 1080p video at 30 frames per 2nd if you have 1.5 Mbps of bandwidth.
Zoom also has 1080p video, however it is limited to the platform's business or business plans. 1080p can likewise be allowed by Zoom support in particular 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, however it can send out and receive up to 720p video.
Audio quality throughout platforms depends on microphone and speaker quality, as well as the quality of your web connection.
Spaces and Workspaces-- Breaking Things Down
Breakout spaces are basically conferences that run concurrently to the original videoconference. These were specifically essential for virtual education, so teachers might break trainees out into separate groups to find out.
There is a clear energy for breakout spaces in professional spaces, too. If a bigger team is meeting about a project, breaking down tasks into smaller sized groups, breakout rooms might be a terrific service.
Both Teams and Zoom have breakout spaces native to their base platforms, across all plans. These spaces are basically conferences that are running at the same time to the original videoconference.
Meet allows breakout spaces through their standard and plus plans, however not in the complimentary or fundamental strategies. Like many Google functions on less expensive strategies, you can include Google Chrome extensions, but this might be more of a headache than it is worth in the end.
Recently, Microsoft likewise presented Together Mode, which utilizes AI to place video participants in various digital settings, together. While the energy is light, Together Mode might be a strong morale booster.
Teams vs Meet vs Zoom: Privacy and Safety
To its credit, Zoom reacted quickly to the "Zoom bombing" of the early days of the pandemic, including end-to-end encryption and beefing up their personal privacy policy. Over 500,000 Zoom accounts were taken and posted for sale online soon afterwards.
While Meet has actually not had any famous incidents of privacy breaches, Google has actually had lots of personal privacy concerns and a track record of collecting information for use in advertising.
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 include a password element, 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 saved within OneNote and SharePoint, respectively.
In Addition, Microsoft Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) is offered on its Business Premium and E5 plans, blocking potentially malicious material from being accessed by those in your company.
Microsoft likewise utilizes Data Loss Protection (DLP) to catch sensitive data being shared (like social security numbers), and automatically block it from being sent out.
In addition to eDiscovery and legal holds within channels, talks, and files, Teams guarantees you remain certified with all data storage guidelines.
A graphic revealing the path of info as it is encrypted from Microsoft Teams through Microsoft 365.
Google does use eDiscovery in their Business and Enterprise plans and DLP in their Enterprise strategy only, however these are just restricted to Drive and Gmail. From what we can see Meet has actually no specifically listed DLP abilities.Zoom does not offer any of these features on its primary platform.
In general, Zoom has actually reacted well to its privacy difficulties, however the changes are mainly cosmetic.
End-to-end file encryption (E2EE) is fantastic to have, but its addition was more of a reaction to an issue than a total service. It is not likely that E2EE protects most users from more than encryption in transit and at rest, like with Teams and Meet.
E2EE is most beneficial in 1-on-1 conversations where sensitive information may be shared, and it will be readily available on Teams soon according to Microsoft.
The videoconferencing company has less to worry about 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.
Because your information is all stored in a single area, Teams and its security functions take your efficiency hub and turns it into your business's own data stronghold. This 2nd level of protection and personal privacy makes it the safest, in our experience.
Groups vs Meet vs Zoom: The Verdict
Most videoconferencing platforms have similar functions, your organization's exact needs must determine whether you select Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, or Zoom.
For base-level functions at a budget friendly rate, it is difficult to beat Zoom, who is focused entirely on videoconferencing. For the most value, Teams ties your whole company together in one area, with the best possible functions and security available.
If you are trying to find an all-in-one cooperation center that keeps all your interaction in one area, we highly advise Microsoft Teams.
IT Support Guys has leveraged the power of Microsoft 365 considering that 2008 when it was still called Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS), and we have actually continued our collaboration until today day.