Google Meet vs Microsoft Teams: Which Is Best for Small Businesses in 2022
Corey McCraw is a staff writer covering VoIP and Unified Communications. Corey has over a decade of experience in marketing, tech writing, and corporate communications and has even penned content for the former First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative.
This article is part of a larger series on Unified Communications.
When comparing Google Meet vs Microsoft Teams, it’s important to know that Google Meet is just for video conferencing, whereas Microsoft Teams is an all-in-one collaboration app with video meetings as a feature. Which is best for your business depends on whether you want an app that offers extensive integrations and robust collaboration tools, or if you need an easy-to-use, standalone video conferencing solution that integrates well with other Google products.
Based on our comparison, the best use cases for Google Meet vs Microsoft Teams are as follows:
- Google Meet: Better for solopreneurs and small teams wanting video conferencing software with a minimal learning curve
- Microsoft Teams: Better for larger businesses looking for a collaboration platform with ample integrations
Google Meet vs Microsoft Teams at a Glance
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Price | $6 per user, per month* | $5 per user, per month** |
Free Trial | 14-day free trial of Google Workspace, including Google Meet | 30-day free trial of Microsoft 365, including Microsoft Teams |
Free Plan | ✔ | ✔ |
Ease of Use | User-friendly interface with minimal tabs and screens | A learning curve for non-Microsoft users with a compartmentalized design |
Collaboration Features |
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Video Conferencing | 360p or 720p video quality | 1080p video quality |
Integrations | Google products, Microsoft Outlook and Calendar, and Zapier | Microsoft products and more than 600 third-party applications |
Security |
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For More Information |
*Google Meet pricing is based on the Google Workspace Business Starter plan.
**Microsoft Teams pricing is based on the Microsoft 365 Business Basic package and requires an annual commitment.
How We Evaluated Google Meet vs Microsoft Teams
We looked at free and paid plans from Microsoft Teams vs Google Meet to discover how the packages compare. Likewise, we compared the breadth of integrations and security tools available to administrators, hosts, and moderators. Lastly, we examined communication and collaboration features and the best use cases for each.
Here’s a complete breakdown of the factors we used to compare Microsoft Teams and Google Meet:
- Pricing: We compared monthly per-user costs for Google Meet and Microsoft Teams packages. Plus, we factored in overall value by considering additional tools and features accessible at different tiers.
- General features: We reviewed standard features like video conferencing, file sharing, and team messaging for usability across desktops, tablets, and mobile phones. In each case, we noted any differences between Google Meet vs Microsoft Teams.
- Ease of use: We used each platform’s tools for specific activities to determine how easy or complicated it was to perform various tasks, such as scheduling a meeting or starting a video conference. In addition, we evaluated each system based on ease of setup and installation.
- Integrations: We explored how each platform supports third-party integrations, including the amount and types of supported software. We also considered how Microsoft Teams and Google Meet work within the respective Microsoft and Google product ecosystems.
- Expert score: We analyzed each product’s value by looking at total costs and feature sets. We also checked out user reviews to determine the overall popularity of both platforms while considering our own experiences.
Best Overall Value: Microsoft Teams
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Microsoft Teams Pricing**
| Google Meet Pricing*
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*The Google Meet Workspace Individual plan will increase to $9.99 per user, per month in January 2022.
**The Microsoft 365 Business Basic plan will increase to $6 per user, per month, and the Office 365 E3 plan will cost $22 per user, per month in March 2022. All versions require an annual commitment.
In the Google Meet vs Microsoft Teams debate, Microsoft Teams takes the lead for overall value for the price. Paid versions include a Microsoft 365 subscription, giving access to web and mobile as well as desktop Microsoft Office products, depending on the plan.
The Business Basic plan is $5 per user, per month, but will increase to $6 per month for each user in March 2022. Plans require an annual commitment with no option for monthly billing. For this price, you also get features that don’t come with Google’s entry-tier plan, such as phone support for customer service, breakout rooms, and meeting recordings.
In comparison, with Google Meet, breakout rooms and meeting recordings require a subscription to a Google Workspace Individual plan for $7.99 per user, per month (which will increase to $9.99 in January 2022) or a Google Workspace Business Standard package, which costs $12 per user, per month.
Google allows monthly payments instead of requiring an annual prepayment, which may be better for solopreneurs and small teams. However, there is no discount available for those seeking an annual subscription discount.
Both Microsoft Teams and Google Meet provide free versions for unlimited one-to-one video meetings and 60-minute conferences for up to 100 participants. Google Meet has a slight edge here because it gives 15GB of file storage per user versus 10GB across all teams on Microsoft Teams. Yet, Microsoft’s 30-day free trial for Microsoft 365 products is twice the duration of a Google Workspace trial.
Best for Video Conferencing: Microsoft Teams
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Microsoft Teams supports up to 300 participants and provides 1080p video quality. Features include in-meeting chat, chat transcriptions, breakout rooms, raise hand, whiteboard, webinar capabilities, live captions, screen sharing, remote desktop control, and polling. | Google Meet supports up to 250 participants and has 360p video quality by default, but 720p is available. Features include in-meeting chat, breakout rooms, raise hand, whiteboard, live captions, polling, question and answer (Q&A), and screen sharing. |
Microsoft Teams is already on our list of the best video conferencing software for businesses. Although Google Meet is easier to use, it lacks features like remote desktop control, webinar functionality, and chat transcriptions. Plus, you can only record meetings on desktop devices for Google Meet, whereas Microsoft Teams users can start recording on mobile devices.
Video quality is inherently better with 1080p on Microsoft Teams vs Google Meet’s default of 360p or max resolution of 720p. The “Together” mode, which puts meeting participants in front of a shared background, is a feature unique to Microsoft Teams.
Some minor differences may appeal to your company’s users when comparing Google Meet vs Microsoft Teams. For example, your video feed stays on the screen when presenting in Google Meet, whereas Microsoft Teams disables it. With Microsoft Teams, you get a transcription of chat messages from the meeting, but once you leave a Google Meet, chat messages are deleted.
However, when using the free version of Google Meet in a web browser, you have more functionality than with Microsoft Teams. Google Meet offers tiled, spotlight, or sidebar layouts, vs Microsoft Teams, which provides tiled (called gallery) or together modes. Google Voice supplies about 27 backgrounds, a whiteboard, and host controls within the browser-based free meeting, but you need a paid plan to access these with Microsoft Teams.
Best for Collaboration: Microsoft Teams
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Interact with teams using in-meeting chat, standalone chat, whiteboard, screen sharing, file sharing, the Microsoft To-Do list, calendar, and Planner app for project management. | Collaborate using in-meeting tools like chat, screen sharing, file sharing, and a whiteboard. |
As a video conferencing platform, collaboration in Google Meet is limited to video meetings. Google Workspace users can co-annotate documents and spreadsheets, but this function is separate from the Google Meet app.
In contrast, Microsoft Teams provides a single space for collaboration, allowing you to jump from a chat into a video meeting with just a couple of clicks. Conversations among co-workers can occur in a meeting, under the chat tab, or in various channels for different teams in Microsoft Teams.
You can add graphics interchange formats (GIFs), stickers, and emojis to your comments. Microsoft Teams supports rich text editing, allowing bullet points, links, quotes, and highlighting within the message. Hashtags improve searchability, and you can share a message across multiple channels.
The standalone Google Meet app or web browser version simply lacks the advanced collaboration features offered by Microsoft Teams. If your company intends to embrace the Microsoft ecosystem, Microsoft Teams is an excellent space for working together remotely. However, it offers fewer features than a complete unified communications system.
Best for Ease of Use: Google Meet
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A video conferencing platform with all features accessible using a web browser during a meeting. | An all-in-one collaboration platform with different tabs and sections for each Microsoft product. |
If your organization is new to remote meetings, Google Meet is more straightforward to use than Microsoft Teams. That’s partly because Google Meet is only for video conferencing—that’s all you see when you want to start a meeting. On the other hand, Microsoft Teams includes a whole workspace with tabs for your calendar, tasks, chat, and channels, so there’s more to navigate.
Google Meet provides four function buttons and one drop-down menu under the video inside a meeting. Host controls, team chat, and additional features like breakout rooms are available via buttons off to the bottom right side of the screen.
If you accidentally click the red phone to leave a call in Google Meet, you must confirm your decision in a pop-up box. In contrast, the call abruptly ends if you (inadvertently or purposefully) click the red phone icon in Microsoft Teams.
For new users, Google Meet’s streamlined user interface with minimal buttons and features for video conferencing is a more straightforward option. However, if your company uses other Microsoft products, employees won’t have a big learning curve as it’s similar to other Microsoft tools.
Best for Integrations: Microsoft Teams
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Integrations are extensive, including Microsoft 365 tools, Google Calendar, and more than 600 productivity, sales, operational, marketing, and finance apps. | Integrations are limited to Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Workspace, Zapier, and Microsoft Outlook Calendar. |
Microsoft Teams is the clear winner when it comes to integrations. Along with connecting to hundreds of third-party services, you can add tabs to channels for other applications like YouTube, Trello, and Slack. In comparison, Google Meet mainly works with Google products, though it does connect to Microsoft Outlook and Calendar.
While you can extend Google Meet’s functionality by using Chrome extensions or Zapier, it lacks the built-in integrations offered by Microsoft. Simply put, if your company uses popular third-party software, it’s likely that Microsoft Teams integrates with it.
Best for Security: Microsoft Teams
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Microsoft Teams’ security features include encryption at-rest and in-transit, anti-hijacking measures, SSO, enforced MFA, optional advanced threat protection (ATP), disable video function, remove people from meetings, device management, and advanced user management. | Google Meet’s security measures include MFA, encryption in-transit and at-rest, anti-hijacking measures, audio and video lock, optional Advanced Protection Program (APP), ability to mute all participants at once, chat and present lock, SSO, and free versions require participants to have a Google account. |
While both Google Meet and Microsoft Teams meet or exceed industry standards for security, Microsoft Teams has the advantage because it supplies advanced user and endpoint management tools. It enforces multi-factor authentication (MFA) on paid plans, whereas Google Meet paid subscribers must enable the feature. Both vendors offer single sign-on (SSO) paid packages, and it’s easier to use Google Meet’s host controls from a web browser.
Microsoft Teams was built for large organizations first, whereas Google Meet was initially a consumer project. When it comes to security, Microsoft Teams has more protocols for managing internal employee usage. You can set individual permissions or create policies for nearly every function within Microsoft Teams, including viewing channels or posting messages.
Microsoft provides many tools and tutorials on protecting your organization accessible via the Microsoft 365 security center. The optional advanced threat protection (ATP) helps monitor content for malicious code. Although Google offers fewer resources, the Advanced Protection Program (APP) provides a security key and helps protect against phishing attacks.
Microsoft Teams also offers activity and device reports so you can see how your employees use the software. In comparison, endpoint management and security dashboards are only available with Google’s Enterprise plan, with a price quote available upon request.
Best Alternatives
Ultimately, the choice of whether to use Google Meet vs Microsoft Teams comes down to personal preference, familiarity with the software, which tools and features you want, and the size of your business. However, Microsoft and Google aren’t the only players when it comes to communication and collaboration tools. Alternatives range from standalone video conferencing platforms to systems with a full suite of unified communications (UC) features.
A few of the best Google Meet and Microsoft Teams alternatives include:
- Zoom Meetings: Like Google Meet, Zoom Meetings is extremely user-friendly, and Zoom’s free plan comes with features others don’t, like local recordings and image filters. Still, the free version of Zoom Meetings only allows 40-minute meetings, which is 20 minutes less than either Google Meet or Microsoft Teams.
- RingCentral: Choose a RingCentral business phone system with meeting capabilities and UC features or the provider’s standalone RingCentral Video application. Both integrate with Google and Microsoft products. RingCentral supports video conferencing and collaboration, allowing you to share files, assign tasks, and chat.
- Zoho Meeting: Like Google and Microsoft, Zoho Meeting offers a video conferencing platform that integrates easily within the Zoho ecosystem of products, including Zoho Bookings and Zoho Projects. The free version doesn’t restrict the conference duration but is limited to 10 participants.
Bottom Line
In most cases, if you’re already using Microsoft or Google products, it’ll be easier to use tools from the same ecosystem, such as Microsoft Teams or Google Meet. Microsoft Teams has webinar capabilities and provides chat transcripts, two features Google Meet lacks. For video conferencing without a learning curve, go for Google Meet. However, for a virtual workspace, Microsoft Teams has a stronger system.
