Google Meet vs Zoom
Editor Sebastiaan Smits ·
Published September 30, 2026 · Updated October 20, 2026
Google Meet is the meeting tool inside Google Workspace and runs in a browser tab with nothing to install. Zoom is a standalone platform whose paid plans include AI Companion and whose webinar, events and rooms products are sold separately. Workspace companies holding ordinary meetings stay on Meet; companies that live on external calls, large events or many conference rooms tend to pay for Zoom.
Side by side
 Google Meet |  Zoom | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Browser-based meetings built into Google Workspace | Market-leading meetings platform grown into a work suite |
| Best for | Google Workspace organizations | External-facing teams of any size |
| Headquarters | United States | United States |
| Pricing model | Per user / month | Per user / month |
| Pricing | Included in Google Workspace plans priced per user per month; free with a personal Google account with a 60-minute cap on group calls. | Per user per month on published tiers, with a free plan capped at 40 minutes per meeting; webinars, rooms, phone and larger meetings are add-ons. |
| Free option | Free plan | Free plan |
| List price as listed on September 30, 2026 | €6.80 per user per month (Google Workspace Business Starter, which includes Meet; 16% less with a one-year commitment) | $14.16 per user per month, billed annually (Zoom Workplace Pro; $16.99 billed monthly) |
| Place in our video conferencing software ranking | #6 of 14 | #4 of 14 |
| Website | workspace.google.com | zoom.com |
Both are reviewed in full in Best Video Conferencing Software in 2026. Position in that ranking can be paid for; the wording of a review or of this comparison cannot. Placement disclosure.
Which one to choose
Choose Google Meet if
you already pay for Google Workspace, most meetings are everyday internal and client calls, and you want guests to join from a browser with nothing to install.
Google Meet, #6 in the ranking · Visit Google Meet →
Choose Zoom if
meetings with outsiders are your core business, you run webinars or large events, or you are fitting out many conference rooms that must also join other platforms' calls.
Zoom, #4 in the ranking · Visit Zoom →
Where they differ
Getting a guest into the call
Google says Meet guests join from a computer browser with no software to install, which suits people on locked-down laptops. Zoom is the product most outsiders already know from invitations, but in the site's view its desktop app is heavy and steers guests toward installing it. For a first-time guest who cannot add software, Meet has fewer steps.
Edge: Google Meet
Webinars and large audiences
Zoom sells Webinars, Webinars Plus and Events separately, with webinars for up to 100,000 attendees, Q&A, polls, simulive sessions and streaming to YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook. Meet's size depends on the Workspace tier: 100 participants on Business Starter, 150 on Standard, 500 on Plus and 1,000 on Enterprise, with livestreaming listed only on Enterprise. A regular webinar program fits Zoom better.
Edge: Zoom
What the license really costs
Meet comes with Workspace, which Google showed us at 6.80 euros per user per month for Business Starter, though that tier has no meeting recording or Gemini in Meet. Zoom Pro is $14.16 per user per month billed annually, with AI Companion included, while webinars, rooms, phone and large meetings are extra. Which is cheaper depends on whether you already pay for Workspace.
Edge: even
Free use and meeting length
A personal Google account can use Meet free, with group calls capped at 60 minutes and up to 100 participants. Zoom's free Basic plan caps meetings at 40 minutes, also for 100 participants, and limits AI Companion to a few summaries a month. On paid plans the caps lift to 24 hours on every Workspace tier and 30 hours on Zoom. For free group calls, Meet gives more time.
Edge: Google Meet
Conference rooms
Zoom Rooms supports up to three displays, AI camera framing and central room management, and its Direct Guest Join and Conference Room Connector let a room join Teams, Google Meet or Webex meetings. Google offers certified Meet hardware from itself and partners, which can also join Zoom and Webex calls. For an office fitting out many rooms, Zoom's room product is the more developed.
Edge: Zoom
Tally: Google Meet 2, Zoom 2, even 1.
When neither fits
If the company runs on Microsoft 365, neither is the obvious answer: Microsoft Teams is tied into the chat, files and phone staff already use. If meetings must run on your own servers, Jitsi Meet is free, open source and self-hostable.
See Microsoft Teams and Jitsi Meet among the 14 products in Best Video Conferencing Software in 2026.
Questions and answers
Is Google Meet good enough to replace Zoom?
For a Google Workspace company whose meetings are daily internal and client calls, usually yes, and it removes a second license. It is a weaker replacement if you run regular large webinars, since Meet tops out at 1,000 participants on Enterprise, or if you are fitting out many conference rooms.
Which is easier for guests, Google Meet or Zoom?
Meet runs in the browser with nothing to install, which suits guests who cannot add software. Zoom benefits from familiarity, since most outsiders have used it, but in the site's view its app pushes guests toward installing. Test both with the kind of guest you actually meet.
Do Google Meet and Zoom include AI meeting notes?
Zoom includes AI Companion on its paid plans, and the free Basic plan gets a small monthly allowance of summaries. Google lists Gemini in Meet, which summarizes, translates and takes notes, on Business Standard, Plus and Enterprise, but not on Business Starter.
How many people can join a Google Meet or Zoom call?
Meet allows 100 participants on Business Starter, 150 on Standard, 500 on Plus and 1,000 on Enterprise. Zoom allows 100 on Pro, 300 on Business and 500 or more on Enterprise, with larger meetings and webinars of up to 100,000 attendees sold as add-ons.
Sources
Prices, plan limits and product facts on this page were checked against the vendors' own pages on September 30, 2026. Vendors change both without notice, so treat the figures as of that date.
- Google Workspace pricing page: Workspace plan prices, Meet participant limits per tier, recording, livestreaming, Gemini in Meet by plan and the 24-hour meeting length
- Google Meet product page: browser joining with no install, the free 60-minute group call cap, captions and Meet hardware interoperability
- Zoom pricing page: Zoom plan prices, meeting length and participant limits, cloud storage, AI Companion by plan and add-on modules
- Zoom Webinars product page: webinar tiers, the 100,000-attendee capacity and event features
- Zoom Rooms product page: room features and joining other platforms' meetings from a room