Google Meet vs Teams for business users

As the trends of flexible, hybrid, and remote work continue to grow, the appetite for video conferencing continues to reach new heights.

The surge in demand for video conferencing is a direct response to the global shift towards remote employment. With the widespread adoption, businesses are relying on virtual meetings to bridge the physical gap between teams, helping maintain a sense of connection. 

Remote collaboration tools now play a pivotal role in broader suites of workplace software. Google Meet and Teams are both front-runners in the video conferencing space. Each is now an integral component of their respective software suites, Google Workspace and Microsoft 365. 

Let’s delve into the features, benefits and drawbacks of each of these video conferencing titans.

Google Meet vs Teams: essential business benefits & drawbacks

Google Meet or Microsoft Teams come as part of a wider package of essential business software, so your business won’t be using the tools in isolation. This is one of the main strengths that each of these tools can draw from, and something that truly sets them apart from upstart competitor, Zoom.

Google Meet is simple and accessible for running video calls, which are all managed through Google Calendar. Its seamless integration with Google Workspace is its greatest strength. This means that while you’re on a video call, you can collaborate through real-time document sharing and editing. Plus, after a call, the meeting recording can be saved directly to Google Drive. 

The platform boasts a straightforward user interface. It’s always clear on how to book a meeting, add invitees, check for their availability, and add notes or documents to an invitation.

However, Google Meet may lack a few advanced features offered by its competitors. Its customisation options and third-party integrations are limited, potentially restricting scalability for businesses with unique requirements. Additionally, the free version has limitations on meeting size and duration, which is highlighted in our features head-to-head, below.

Microsoft Teams also shines with its own comprehensive suite of collaboration tools. With tight integration with Microsoft 365, Teams facilitates seamless document collaboration, project management, and communication. Its versatility makes it a great choice for businesses looking for a comprehensive solution.

On the flip side, the abundance of features can be overwhelming for some users. Microsoft Teams’ interface, while powerful, may require more time for users to navigate effectively, compared to the intuitive setup of Google Meet. As with Google’s tool, there are limitations for free users, which is covered in the next section.

Google Meet vs Teams: key features head-to-head

Features for video meetings

Google Meet:

• Meeting size: up to 100 participants (Free)/Up to 250 participants (Paid – Enterprise edition).
• Duration: 60 minutes (Free, extended until March 2023)/Unlimited (Paid).
• Screen sharing: supported, but basic when compared with Teams (see Teams’ additional features below).
• Recording: available on paid plans.
• Whiteboards: limited, primarily reliant on third-party tools.
• Audio/video quality: excellent, with adaptive resolution.

Microsoft Teams:

• Meeting size: up to 100 participants (Free)/Up to 300 participants (Paid – up to 1,000 with Large Gallery View).
• Duration: 60 minutes (Free)/Unlimited (Paid).
• Screen sharing: includes options like individual application sharing, allowing users  to choose what  applications are shared rather than their entire screen; remote control of shared screens; built-in, real-time annotation tools and integrates with Microsoft Whiteboard; and advanced controls, including the ability to restrict screen sharing to specific participants.
• Recording: available on paid plans.
• Whiteboards: integrated, allowing real-time collaboration.
• Audio/video quality: excellent, with advanced features like Together Mode – a feature that places meeting participants in a virtual shared space (such as an auditorium or coffee shop), which enhances the sense of connection and engagement during video meetings.

Collaboration

Google Meet:

• File sharing: supported, integrates seamlessly with Google Drive.
• Real-time co-editing: available on Google Workspace applications, such as Docs and Sheets.
• Task management: project management tools are a surprising miss for Google; there’s limited native support, leaving you reliant on third-party apps.
• Messaging/chat: basic chat features, but not as comprehensive as Teams.

Microsoft Teams:

• File sharing: integrates with Microsoft 365, offering seamless document collaboration for Word, Excel, and more.
• Real-time co-editing: built-in for Microsoft 365 applications.
• Task management: comprehensive Planner app for task organisation.
• Messaging/chat: advanced chat features, threaded conversations, and channel-based communication.

Integrations

Google Meet:

• Native integrations: this includes Google’s own tools (Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides) There’s also a strong integration with Google Workspace apps.
• Third-party integrations: this is limited when compared with Teams.

Microsoft Teams:

• Native integrations: extensive integration with Microsoft 365 apps, including  Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft PowerPoint.
• Third-party integrations: there’s a rich marketplace offering a wide array of third-party apps such as Slack, Dropbox and Skype.

Advanced features

Google Meet

• Transcriptions: limited automated transcription features.
• Live captions: available in multiple languages.
• AI-powered features: limited AI-driven functionalities at present.

Microsoft Teams

• Transcriptions: advanced transcription services with speaker attribution.
• Live captions: rich, live captioning options.
• AI-powered features: advanced AI capabilities, including Insights for productivity analytics.

AI features compared

The AI revolution is upon us, and neither Google nor Microsoft want to be left behind. Each has an AI assistant available for its business users on higher tiers. But when it comes to integrating AI into business video calls, one brand seems to have made up a lot more ground than the other. 

In short, Google Duet is surprisingly far behind the advances Microsoft has already made with its Copilot AI assistant. We have a full guide on Google Duet vs Microsoft Copilot that explains some of the wider functions of each tool, below we’ll focus on the video call capabilities:

Google Duet for Meet

• Automatic meeting notes: Duet can take the hassle out of note-taking by automatically transcribing meeting discussions.
• Action items highlight: Duet can identify and highlight action items, ensuring essential tasks are not overlooked.
• Language translation: Duet breaks language barriers by providing real-time translation during meetings.

Availability: Exclusive to Google Workspace Plus and Enterprise Plus plans.

Teams Copilot AI Companion

• Intelligent agenda creation: Copilot analyses meeting agendas, suggesting and organising items for a more structured discussion.
• Natural language processing: the AI comprehends and interprets spoken language, aiding with context-aware responses.
• Sentiment analysis: Copilot gauges the emotional tone of the meeting, fostering a better understanding of participant engagement.

Availability: Part of Microsoft 365 subscription, available across various plans, including Business Premium and Enterprise.

Free plans compared

Google Meet (Free)

For most business users, we wouldn’t recommend using a free Google account. As well as having to put up with limitations (including some listed below), you won’t be able to connect a domain name address. This means your email address will have to be a standard ‘@gmail.com’ one. This can just about work if you’re an online coach or personal trainer, but will be off-putting to most businesses. 

If you’re determined to stick to a free Google account, here’s what you can expect from Google Meet:

Meeting size and duration:

• Up to 100 participants for 60 minutes

Features and limitations:

• Basic screen sharing
• Limited recording capabilities
• Integration with Google Workspace applications including Docs and Sheets

Teams (Free)

As with a free Google plan, most businesses will want to avoid relying on a non-paid Microsoft account. Your email address will have to end with ‘@outlook.com’ or ‘@hotmail.com’, and some of the limitations on video calls will deter larger teams.

Meeting size and duration

Up to 100 participants for 60 minutes

Features and limitations

• Screen sharing (including individual application sharing)
• Limited recording capabilities
• Integration with Microsoft 365 apps including Word and Excel

Premium plans: Google Meet vs. Microsoft Teams costs

Google Meet

Cost per user

Business Starter: £5 per user, per month

• Essential apps like Docs, Sheets, and Slides
• 100-participant video meetings 
• 30 GB storage

Business Standard: £10 per user, per month

• Enhanced collaboration tools
• 150-participant video meetings + recordings 
• 2TB storage

Business Plus: £15 per user, per month

• Advanced security features
• 500-participant video meetings
• Meeting recording and attendance tracking
• 5TB storage

Enterprise: bespoke pricing

• 1,000-participant video meetings 
• Recording, attendance tracking, noise cancellation
• In-domain live streaming
• 5TB pooled storage per user, with the ability to request more. 
• Advanced security and enhanced support 

Microsoft Teams

Cost per user (annual subscription required):

Microsoft Teams Essentials: £3.30 per user per month

• File sharing, tasks, and polling
• Data encryption for meetings, chats, calls, and files
• Live captions in meetings (English)
• Microsoft Whiteboard
• Hundreds of collaborative apps

Microsoft 365 Business Basic: £4.90 per user per month.

• Live captions in meetings (more than 30 languages)
• Teams meeting recordings with transcripts
• Web and mobile versions of Microsoft 365 apps
• Expanded cloud storage of 1TB per user
• Email hosting with a custom domain address and business email

Microsoft 365 Business Standard: £10.30 per user, per month.

• Everything offered on Microsoft 365 Business Basic
• Desktop versions of Microsoft 365 apps with premium features
• Webinar hosting
• Attendee registration and reporting tools
• Customer appointment management

Conclusion

Google Meet and Microsoft Teams are both top choices for video conferencing. Each of them ties together fluently with their respective office tools – Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. The greater question is which of these two providers your business is going to buy into. The video conferencing software will effectively come as part of the package.

Still, there are a few key features that draw these two apart. Google Meet wins when it comes to simplicity – it’s effortlessly easy to book a meeting, add guests, share documents and take recordings. Of course, you can do all of this with Teams, too. There’s an argument it’s a little less intuitive at points, but it makes up for this with some impressive depth of features. In particular, Microsoft looks to have moved faster than Google when it comes to integrating AI into its video calling (though we expect continued investment from both sides).

Still unsure? Take a look at our Teams vs Zoom review, or our full guide to the best video conferencing software for small businesses.