Google Meet vs Zoom

Google Meet

• Organizations that already use Google Workspace
• People who want guests to join from a browser without installing anything
• Short meetings on a free Google Account
• Teams that want Gemini to take meeting notes and write summaries

Zoom

• Teams whose main need is video meetings with chat alongside
• Occasional hosts who can work within 40-minute meetings
• People who want AI meeting notes built into the meeting app
• Companies that plan to add phone, webinars or rooms later

Google Meet

• No-cost meetings end at 60 minutes unless they are 1:1 or mobile calls.
• Paid Meet features are not sold separately: they come with a Google Workspace plan, or Google One Premium for individuals.
• Business Starter has no recording, noise cancellation or Gemini in Meet, and Business plans stop at 300 users.
• Computers join through the browser; the site lists apps only for phones and tablets, not a desktop app.

Zoom

• Basic meetings end at 40 minutes, and the plan records locally only with no cloud storage.
• Meetings of 300 people need Business; beyond that the Large Meeting add-on starts at $50 a month for 500 participants.
• SSO and managed domains start at Business, and webinars, the phone PBX and Rooms are bundled only into Enterprise, which is sold by sales.
• Annual plans are charged as one upfront payment; the monthly figure shown is the annual total divided by 12.

Google Meet

Meetings in the browser

Computers join from the browser with no software to install, and phones and tablets use the Google Meet app from the App Store or Play Store.

Meeting size and length

No-cost meetings hold 100 participants for up to 60 minutes. Workspace plans allow 24-hour meetings with 100, 150, 500 or 1,000 participants depending on the plan.

Recordings and transcripts

Recordings and transcripts capture what was discussed, with recordings saved to Google Drive. Recording is a paid feature that starts at Business Standard.

Gemini in Meet

Gemini can take notes, summarize and translate meetings. It is included from Business Standard up and is not part of Business Starter.

Noise cancellation and video quality

AI reduces background noise, and video runs at up to 1080p with studio look and lighting options. These are premium features on certain paid plans.

Captions and audience tools

Live captions show subtitles as people speak. Polls, breakout rooms, moderation controls and Q&A are premium features on certain paid plans.

Zoom

Video meetings

Meetings run up to 40 minutes on Basic and 30 hours on paid plans, with 100 participants on Basic and Pro, 300 on Business and 1,000 on Enterprise.

Team chat

Instant messaging is part of every Workplace plan, including the free Basic plan, and sits in the same app as meetings and calling.

AI notes and meeting summaries

Basic includes AI note-taking 3 times a month and summaries for 3 hosted meetings. Pro makes both unlimited and takes notes in Zoom, third-party and in-person conversations.

Whiteboard and Clips

Basic allows 3 editable whiteboards and 5 two-minute clips. Clips become unlimited on Pro, and whiteboards become unlimited on Business.

Mail, Calendar and Scheduler

Basic connects Gmail or Outlook and syncs Google or Microsoft calendars. Pro adds Zoom Mail and Zoom Calendar, and Business adds unlimited Scheduler booking pages.

Recording and cloud storage

Basic records locally only. Pro adds 10 GB of cloud recording storage per license, and extra cloud storage is sold as an add-on from $10 a month for 30 GB.

Google Meet

• Free (Google Account)$0

  Meetings of up to 100 participants and 60 minutes, with no time limit on 1:1 and mobile calls.

• Business Starter$7

  per user / month, 1-year commitment, billed monthly

  Google Workspace suite plan: Meet with 100 participants and 24-hour meetings, without recording, noise cancellation or Gemini in Meet.

• Business Standard$14

  per user / month, 1-year commitment, billed monthly

  Suite plan: 150 participants, recordings saved to Drive, Studio Sound noise cancellation and Gemini in Meet.

• Business Plus$22

  per user / month, 1-year commitment, billed monthly

  Suite plan: 500 participants with attendance tracking, plus 5 TB of pooled storage per user and Vault.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Suite plan: 1,000 participants and in-domain live streaming, with no minimum or maximum number of users.

Zoom

• Workplace Basic$0

  Meetings of up to 40 minutes and 100 participants, instant messaging, 3 editable whiteboards, 5 two-minute clips and limited AI features.

• Workplace Pro$14.16

  per user / month, billed annually ($16.99 billed monthly)

  30-hour meetings with 100 participants, unlimited AI note-taking and meeting summaries, unlimited clips, and 10 GB of cloud storage per user.

• Workplace Business$18.33

  per user / month, billed annually ($21.99 billed monthly)

  300 participants per meeting, Scheduler with unlimited booking pages, unlimited whiteboards, SSO and managed domains.

• Workplace EnterpriseCustom

  1,000 participants per meeting, plus a full-featured phone PBX, webinars for 500 attendees, Rooms and translated captions.

Google Meet

• Annual discount

  Save 16% with a 1-year commitment

  Google's pricing page says the Annual plan saves 16% compared with paying without a commitment. The listed prices are the Annual ones, billed monthly.

• Other savings

  Up to 50% off the first 3 months

  New Google Workspace customers get 50% off Starter, 30% off Standard and 20% off Plus for the first 3 months. Google calls it a limited-time offer and gives no end date.

• Nonprofit

  Free Google Workspace for Nonprofits

  Eligible nonprofits get Google Workspace for Nonprofits at $0 per user with 150-participant meetings, and Business Standard for $3.50 per user / month on a 1-year commitment.

• Education

  Education Fundamentals at no charge

  Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals, which includes Meet, is available at no charge to qualifying institutions. Education Plus is a paid edition.

Zoom

• Annual discount

  About 17% less with annual billing

  Workplace Pro is $169.90 a year ($14.16 a month) against $16.99 billed monthly, and Business is $219.90 a year ($18.33 a month) against $21.99.

• Nonprofit

  50% off for verified nonprofits

  Zoom's pricing FAQ says verified nonprofit organizations worldwide get a 50% discount on Workplace Pro, Workplace Business, Webinars and Large Meetings.