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Videoconferencing Tools: Zoom vs Microsoft Teams vs Google Meet vs GoToMeeting vs WebEx vs Slack – making the right choice
COVID-19 has pushed the need for quality videoconferencing tools at the top of most businesses and organizations success factors.
American business people hold approximately 11 million meetings a day, which equals 55 million meetings per week and 220 million meetings per year. Zoom usage shot up in March 2020. Over the course of that month, Zoom was seeing 200 million daily meeting participants. The following month, this figure had risen to 300 millions.
In this blog, we are going to help you choose the best videoconferencing and web collaboration/webinars tools for your business or organization.
I- Class A Videoconferencing Apps and Tools
Features
Zoom
Google Meet
Microsoft Teams
Winner
Pricing/Cost
ZOOM Zoom is free for up to 3 people for an unlimited amount of timeand more than 3 people up to 100 participants for 40-minute meetings. From US$14.99/month per host Pro plan for user management, unlimited meeting length, and reporting.
GOOGLE MEET G Suite now called Google Workspace is priced at a starting cost of US$6 per user for a month but access to Google Meet itself is free. Get 20% Off with thesePromo Codes Google Workspace for Business is starts at US $12 per month Promo Codes
MICROSOFT TEAMS For unlimited use, it comes with all Microsoft 365 plans (whose starting is $5 per user for a month). The Office 365 Business Premium Plan starts at US$12.50/user/month with additional features
WINNER 1- Zoom wins for individuals, families, not for profits,startups, small businesses, large enterprises interacting with external vendors or international clients, moms and pops shops, etc..
2- Google Meet wins for Education, Research, Companies that are already using GCP or G-Suite. Google doesn’t charge an additional call-in fee. 3- Teams wins for large organization using Office 365 already.
Zoom offers Online Meetings, Videos webinars, conference rooms, phone system. Zoom offers a much more stable connection than all of its counterparts, with crystal clear audio and video even while using a not so great internet connection.
GOOGLE MEET Unlimited number of meetings. Live captioning during meetings. Compatible across devices. Video and audio preview screen. Adjustable layouts and screen settings. Controls for meeting hosts. Screen sharing with participants. Messaging with participants.
Google Meet allows anyone with a Google Account to create an online meeting with up to 100 participants. By utilizing Google’s advanced features, it can host up to 250 people per call for 60 minutes and record those calls to save them automatically to Google Drive. Furthermore, Google Meet also supports live streaming for a hundred thousand viewers within a domain.
MICROSOFT TEAMS Online meetings & webinars. Calling. Video conferencing. Screen sharing. File sharing. Custom backgrounds. Instant messaging.
Microsoft Teams offers business VoIP, video and collaboration featuresall-in-one. Additionally, it’s integrated with all the Microsoft apps which makes collaborative work a lot easier if you are a Microsoft Office user.
WINNER 1- Zoom 2- Google Meet 3- Microsoft Teams
Zoom is super easy to set up, use, and manage. Zoom works on low-quality internet. Zoom gives the best quality video output.
Capacity and Compatibility
ZOOM
A special feature of Zoom for large audiences is the Zoom webinar which can host up to 3000 participants. Although it’s not free and a Zoom Premium account needs to be purchased for it, it is one of the best platforms for hosting events or seminars with a huge audience that can participate as well. Unlimited meetings for up to 100 participants HD audio and video
GOOGLE MEET By utilizing Google’s advanced features, it can host up to 250 people per call for 60 minutes and record those calls to save them automatically to Google Drive. Furthermore, Google Meet also supports live streaming for a hundred thousand viewers within a domain. If you have a google account, you’ll be able to have 24-hour meetings with up to 100 people.
MICROSOFT TEAMS Teams can host up to 250 members per call and even provide transcripts of the call after it ends. This feature is enabled in both desktop and web applications and regardless of participants being guests or users. The Microsoft Teams Live Events has an audience capacity of 10,000 attendees with a duration limit of 4 hours. An Office 365 Organization can run up to 15 live events at a time.
WINNER: 1- Zoom 2- Google Meet 2- Microsoft Teams You don’t need a Google Account to participate in Meet video meetings. However, if you don’t have a Google Account, the meeting organizer or someone from the organization must grant you access to the meeting. Tip: If you are not signed into a Google or Gmail account, you cannot join using your mobile device. Microsoft Teams is excellent for internal collaboration, whereas Zoom is often preferred for working externally – whether that’s with customers or guest vendors.
GOOGLE MEET All data in Google Meet is encrypted in transit by default between the client and Google for video meetings on a web browser, on the Meet Android and Apple® iOS® apps, and in meeting rooms with Google meeting room hardware. Meet recordings stored in Google Drive are encrypted at rest by default. Google Meet has an anti-abuse feature that keeps the meetings safe with its anti-hijacking features and allowing the host to secure all controls of the meeting. This feature also allows multiple 2-step verification processes and security keys.
MICROSOFT TEAMS Teams enforces team-wide and organization-wide two-factor authentication, single sign-on through Active Directory, and encryption of data in transit and at rest. Files are stored in SharePoint and are backed by SharePoint encryption. Notes are stored in OneNote and are backed by OneNote encryption.
WINNER: 1- Google Meet 2- Microsoft Teams 3- Zoom
Extra Unique Features
ZOOM Zoom has all the basic features such as screen sharing, file sharing, and a message box. But the distinguishing feature of Zoom is it allows you to control all settings, from enabling waiting rooms, allowing participants to rename themselves and give reactions, controlling the chatbox options, and much, much more.
GOOGLE MEET Google Meet allows live captioning during meetings with its automated live captions powered by Google Speech. It also allows you to check video and audio controls before you enter a meeting. The Google Meet layout automatically adjusts to display the most active content and participants. It also has screen sharing features, chat features, file sharing features, and is integrated with Microsoft and Google Apps.
MICROSOFT TEAMS Additional features that Microsoft Teams has, are the customizable backgrounds, the ‘together mode’ in which all members sit together in the same background making it feel like they are all at one place, and file sharing and co-authoring files in real-time.
Winner: 1- Google Meet 2- Zoom 3- Microsoft Teams Google Meet is a far stronger and more intuitive product than the video calling feature on Microsoft Teamsand Zoom.
Device compatibilities
ZOOM Zoom is compatible with all devices whether it is a desktop/laptop, Android, iPhone, or iPad.
GOOGLE MEET Google Meet is compatible across many devices whether it is a desktop/laptop, Android, iPhone, or iPad. REVIEWS
TEAMS Microsoft Teams is compatible with iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows and is mostly free for up to 300 people and 5GB worth of files. REVIEWS
WINNER: Tie
REVIEWS: PROS
PRO ZOOMREVIEWS We have had great success and increase moblity by using this product. Extremely intuitive so video conference meetings are now becoming more popular than the face-to-face. Gary A. Read the full review This is a great platform to have a video conversation. It is easy to use and for the most part the video quality is good. Fonda C. Read the full review We love being able to hold meetings and the ease of inviting and logging on is worth the money spent on this service. Jeana L. Read the full review
PROGOOGLE MEETREVIEWS It’s a good tool for what it does – but there are other tools that do it better; but those cost. Anonymous Reviewer Read the full review I like that it’s super intuitive and easy to use and set up. Since it’s Google, it also has good tech support. Anonymous Reviewer Read the full review Google Hangouts is a popular tool for video-chatting your friends, clients, family members and the sort. The platform is daily gaining popularity since its establishment in 2013. Anonymous Reviewer Read the full review
PRO TEAMS REVIEWS I like that you have the capability to hold a meeting and have the camera on or off-it is great when collaborating with team members who may not be in the office. Anonymous Reviewer Read the full review Very good, it increased productivity, good online meeting experience, some flaws like file storage and creating new channels but overall it is a great product. Akashbir S. Read the full review With the current pandemic situation, Teams has been a big lifesaver to us. It is easy to use, all integrated application with good customer support. Lakshika G. Read the full review
WINNER: 1- Zoom 2- Google Meet 3- Microsoft Teams
REVIEWS: CONS
CONS ZOOM REVIEWS It might be people’s internet connection that causes these problems, but sometimes the video lags and is unclear. People’s audio sometimes cuts out too. Sally L. Read the full review The recent discovery of the forced video/automatic video without your warning due to the install on your machine is very concerning, and I avoid this software now because of this. Diana B. Read the full review Meeting setup can be a bit confusing – this is a pretty common problem among most platforms, but generating conference ID can get a little confusing depending on who is navigating the meeting. Anonymous Reviewer Read the full review
CONS GOOGLE MEET REVIEWS It’ll switch off audio or drop someone at random during larger group chats. It also doesn’t add back group members, nor does it have any feature that tells you if your microphone setting is wrong. Anonymous Reviewer Read the full review It is a downside that you need a gmail account to use this. Some people have email accounts specific to their internet provider or they have yahoo. Victoria K. Read the full review The hardest part is actually finding it on the email interface – I have a google phone number too and that takes priority in the side bar which can be confusing. Sarah F. Read the full review
CONS TEAMSREVIEWS The teams arrangement is not straightforward and the UI is very busy. Often times, notifications are lost when there are multiple channels within a team and those channels are in the collapsed view. Anonymous Reviewer Read the full review I sometimes have trouble opening the software, but I think it might be more of a problem with our internet connection. It is very difficult to figure out how to use the call feature. Christina B. Read the full review Notifications for teams are not automatically enabled so you have to enable it yourself but you might run into problems because it is not very user-friendly. Anonymous Reviewer Read the full review
LOSER: TIE
As of December 2020, Google Meet has 30 million daily users, Microsoft Teams has 75 Million daily active users, and Zoom takes the lead with 300 Million daily active users.
Zoom is super easy to set up, use, and manage.
It’s popular as well as user-friendly.
Works on low-quality internet.
Gives the best quality video output.
Allows you to host up to 100 participants for up to 40 minutes absolutely free of cost.
The Cloud is the future: The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate Averge salary is $149,446/year. Get Certified Now with the apps below: [appbox googleplay com.awscloudpractitonerexampreppro.enoumen]
GOTOMEETING GoToMeeting Professional allows you to host meetings with up to 150 participants and costs $12 monthly (billed annually at $144).
GoToMeeting Business costs $16per month (billed annually at $192).
WEBEX Free $ 0 per host, per month 1 host maximum
Starter $ 13.50 per host, per month 1-9 hosts Business $ 26.95 per host, per month 5-100 hosts
SLACK Free For small teams trying out Slack for an unlimited period of time Standard For small- and medium-sized businesses $6.67 USD/month Plus For larger businesses or those with additional administration needs $12.50 USD/month
1- GoToMeeting 2- Slack 3- Webex
Offerings
GOTOMEETING Virtual Whiteboard. Built-In Audio. Meeting Scheduler. Hand Over Control. One-Click Recording. Join via Mobile Options. Desktop/Application Sharing. Personal Meeting Room.
WEBEX 20 million reliable video conferences a month. Free video calls and screen sharing with Webex. Screen share — free. Webex webinars are delivered reliably. Easily present online. Collaborate with your team. Get more from your conference call.
SLACK Create open channels Support for private groups and 1:1 direct messaging File Sharing Deep, Contextual Search Always In Sync Chat functionality Tags, keywords & @mentions 1:1 and group calls Screen sharing Activity logging API availability Activity tracking Open API to build your own integrations
WINNER 1- GoToMeeting 2- Slack 3- WeBex
Capacity compatibility
GOTOMEETING Join from Mac, PC, iPad®, iPhone® or Android
WEBEX WebEx mobile Mobile home screen widget Video call recording “Call Me” alternative to dial-in Remote desktop control, iOS, android
SLACK Single sign on All data transfer is encrypted SSL Security Reviews
WINNER 1- WeBex 2- Slack 3- GoToMeeting
Other Videoconferencing Tools and Apps:
1- LiveStorm: Livestorm is a browser based online web conferencing software used to share real-time live streams. It can be used to power remote live meetings, product demos, sales webinars, online lessons, onboarding sessions, more etc.. Cost: Starting from €89/month – Reviews
2- ClickMeeting: Video conferencing, online meetings, and webinar software to bring your students, customers, and team members together. Cost: Starting from $25/month – Reviews
3- AirMeet:Airmeet is a platform for virtual summits, meetups & workshops with a social lounge to deliver a rich networking experience. Virtual events, real connections. Starting at $99 per month.
4- GoToWebinar: Video conferencing and webinar hosting for large events. Cost: Starting from $89 per month. Reviews
Videoconferencing Q&A:
The Cloud is the future: The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate Averge salary is $149,446/year. Get Certified Now with the apps below: [appbox googleplay com.awscloudpractitonerexampreppro.enoumen]
I prefer Zoom and I have used all three of these mediums.
I prefer Zoom because its streamlined and easy for domestic and international clients. I like Zoom because you can utilize breakout rooms to easily divide people in to groups for short periods of time and have people raise their hand so you can toggle over audio during a busy call with a lot of people on. It’s great for managing webinars as well as internal team meets or client correspondences.
1. In Google Meet, start recording the meeting. Click “More” (3 vertical dots on the lower right-hand side) and choose the “Record Meeting” option.
2. Recorded Google Meet video will be automatically stored in your Google Drive. Check “My Drive” -> “Meet recordings” folder. An email with a link to the Google Meet recording will also be sent to the meeting administrator. You need to download it to your computer.
3. Create a trial SpeechText AI account. It’s free.
4. Locate your downloaded recording on your computer and upload it to the cloud transcription service.
5. SpeechText AI is the first multilingual and industry-specific audio transcription engine. To start transcription you should accurately select the transcription language (the service supports more than 30 languages and accents), industry to accurately transcribe domain-specific terms and audio type (in your case it will be the ‘Meeting record’).
6. Hit the “Transcribe” button and SpeechText AI transcribes your Google Meet meeting in seconds.
I’ve attached the example of transcription results you can get using SpeechText AI service. It’s the interview of Elon Musk at The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
The Cloud is the future: The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate Averge salary is $149,446/year. Get Certified Now with the apps below: [appbox googleplay com.awscloudpractitonerexampreppro.enoumen]
Google Classroom and Zoom are completely different types of programs. Classroom is used for assigning and tracking student work while Zoom is a platform for video conferencing. Google does have an equivalent to Zoom in their Google Meets app, but Zoom does not have an equivalent to Google Classroom.
As teachers at my school had already started is Zoom back when lockdown started, it was easier to continue using the same format than to transition to a different platform, plus there was a *ridiculously* long wait to get approval for Google Classroom back when every school in the country was scrambling to become a provider of online education all at the same time.
From the reports I’ve heard, both Google Meets and Zoom had security issues when they got all of those new customers all at once. Both have increased security over the past few months & added extra layers of security to the point that security issues seem to be pretty far in between, or at least you hear fewer reports of them. Now it seems to be more an issue of them both working on improving system stability, so there are fewer system-wide crashes & fewer dropped participants.
You can use a third-party screen recorder to meet that goal. The tool I widely used to capture meeting calls on PC is RecMaster. It comes with multiple recording modes and simultaneously provides versatile recording tools. Here let me show you how to record Google Meet in Full screen.
Step 1: Download and make RecMaster running on your computer. After that, choose the Full screen mode to capture the Google Meet call.
Step 2: Choose the system sound button so that the speaker’s voice will be recorded. Here you can also make configuration on the video format, video quality, frame rate one by one. If you are holding any fixed-time recording, you can preset the beginning and ending time of the recording and it will automatically start.
Step 3: Press REC button to start. When it’s time to end this task, tab the red button again to terminate the recording.
Now you’ve got the desired video. You can upload it to Google Drive, YouTube or share with ease.
Live Zoom training daily: These include sessions specifically highlighting Zoom Meetings for Education (Students & Educators), focusing on using Zoom Meetings as your classroom setting. Zoom Webinar training is also available.
Recorded Zoom training: Watch previously recorded sessions on demand and at your convenience. Several are in German, Japanese, and Korean, in addition to English.
Tips for instructors: Check out this Twitter thread from USC Ph.D. student and online instructor Alana Kennedyon some of the most useful features and best practices for teaching over Zoom.
March 6
Zoom has a wealth of experience helping educational institutions optimize the Zoom platform for virtual classrooms and online learning. It’s our goal to make Zoom easy to use and accessible for everyone, and we’re committed to streamlining the experience for our educational users amid the global coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
Zoom’s teams are working to provide teachers, administrators, and students around the world with the resources they need to quickly spin up virtual classrooms, participate in online classes, and continue their studies online. It’s our intention that everyone, from seasoned Zoom users to those who’ve never interacted with our product, can easily download the client, start and schedule meetings, set students up with Zoom, and start using Zoom for virtual instruction with ease.
This post is designed to help our education users:
Sign up for a Zoom account
Pick the best account option
Understand best practices for using Zoom in education
To ensure all of our K-12 districts and other institutions can most effectively leverage Zoom for virtual education during this time, Zoom is:
Temporarily removing the 40-minute limit on free Basic accounts for schools in Japan and Italy, and by request for K-12 schools in the United States
Providing multi-language resources specifically designed for principals, vice principals, teachers, students, and parents to set up and use Zoom
Expanding live trainings, webinars, and recorded offerings to share best practices for using the platform
How to enable your free Zoom account
To have the 40-minute time limit temporarily removed for your organization’s free Basic accounts:
Have your administrators, staff, and teachers sign up for a free Zoom account.
Have a member of your school fill out this form to request the temporary removal.
Upon verification, all free Basic accounts using your school’s email domain will have the time restriction lifted.
Now teachers will be able to log in, schedule their classes, and send out invites to students. Students are not required to have a Zoom account and can join classes using the links sent from the teacher. For the best experience, we do recommend every user download the Zoom application on their preferred Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, or Android device.
We have numerous short videos on support.zoom.us to help you get started.
Zoom account features & benefits
Zoom offers robust collaboration and engagement tools as part of its standard free license, including the ability to connect using VoIP or via traditional phone when internet is not available. Administrators, teachers, parents, and students also have access to:
For organizations requiring a more robust feature set and administrative control, Zoom’s Education plan provides the above capabilities and more at a low cost, including:
Unlimited meetings for up to to 300 participants
Single sign-on (SSO)
LTI integration to support most LMS platforms
Enhanced user management to add, delete, and assign add-on features
Advanced admin controls for enabling/disabling recording, chat, and notifications
500 MB of cloud recording
Cloud recording transcription
Usage reports to track participation
Need help deciding whether a Basic or Education plan is right for you? Connect with a Zoom education specialistfor assistance.
Resources for Zoom’s education users
Here are some guides to help school administrators, staff, teachers, students, and parents leverage Zoom for virtual learning:
We’re also providing multi-language resources specifically designed for principals, vice principals, teachers, students, and parents to set up and use Zoom.
Additional measures
Zoom is also proactively monitoring our global infrastructure to ensure reliability and uptime for your online learning programs. Our proven infrastructure regularly supports over 8 billion meeting minutes a month, and we are confident that our architecture can handle spiking levels of activity and support educational institutions around the world during this time.
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