With so many people working remotely right now, it’s no wonder you’re hearing about Microsoft Teams and Google Meet more than ever. If you’re wondering which is better for you or your organization, I’ve compiled some of the key points to consider below.
Integration
Google Meet
No surprises here–Google Meet has built-in integration with Gmail and Google Calendar that allows you to quickly start or join meetings right from your inbox. There is also an add-on available to install for integration with Outlook. You can also use Google Meet from within Google Classroom, which you can learn more about here.
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams has integration with Outlook via two different plugins–one designed for meetings (automatically installed if you have both Teams and Outlook), and one designed for sharing emails with Teams. It’s also important to note that Microsoft Teams is a dedicated application that does so much more than meetings. Integration options are nearly endless for Microsoft users, allowing you to access everything from OneNote to Dynamics 365 to tons of third-party applications.
Security
Google Meet
Google has beefed up security features for the free and premium versions of Google Meet, including safeguards such as:
- Google account required for Free users
- Lengthy meeting pin to prevent brute-force entry
- A waiting room for anyone not on included in a meeting invitation: these users must request to join the meeting, and only the host can accept these requests
For more information, please see this page
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is unique in that it’s such a deep application with uses extending far beyond just meetings. With that in mind, however, the security features are extremely robust. Teams is compliant with HIPAA, GDPR, and FERPA, just to name a few. For meetings specifically, hosts specify who from outside your organization can join a meeting directly, and who must be enter a waiting room to be accepted into a meeting, much like Google Meet. For more on Microsoft Teams security, check out this page as well as this Microsoft blog post from April addressing video conferencing security specifically.
Meeting Features
Google Meet
- Real-time captions
- Choose meeting layout (tiled, spotlight on speaker, etc)
- Meeting recording
- Options for screensharing: share desktop, a specific window, or a Chrome tab
- Up to 16 video and 100 audio participants
A free version is available with the following limitations:
- 60-minute meeting time limit (enforced September 2020)
- No Call-in option
- No meeting recording
- Google account required
Note: some premium features such as an increased participant maximum, meeting recording, and live streaming for 100k viewers, are temporarily available for free users until September 30, 2020.
For more information, see https://gsuite.google.com/products/meet/
Microsoft Teams
- Edit video background
- Options for screensharing: share desktop, a specific window, PowerPoint files, or meeting whiteboard (which can be saved).
- If continuing to work in Teams during a meeting, the meeting will pop out into a small window that you can move within the application—a great use case would be participating in a meeting and collaborating on a file within Teams simultaneously
- Up to 9 video participants* and 250 audio participants
*Microsoft is actively working to increase this
A free version is available with the following limitations:
- No call-in option
- No scheduled meetings (NOTE: Scheduled meeting is being rolled out for Free users beginning March 2020)
- No meeting recording (NOTE: Meeting recording is being rolled out for Free users beginning March 2020)
Note: for Enterprises, a six-month free trial of Office 365 E1 is currently available (as of 5/18/2020), which includes the full version of Teams. For small and medium-sized businesses, a free one-month trial of Microsoft 365 Business Standard is available (as of 5/18/2020), which includes the full version of Teams.
Bottom Line
At the end of the day, Google Meet will most likely be the best meeting option for existing G-suite users due to the built-in integration with Gmail and Google Calendar, but it’s “just” a meeting application. Microsoft Teams is, without a doubt, the best option for Microsoft/Office 365 users thanks to its robust integration, security, and collaboration features that extend far beyond meetings.
Please note that Microsoft and Google are frequently rolling out new features for both the premium and free versions of their software—this is current as of 5/18/2020.
