The Question Is: To Zoom, Team or Meet?
Choosing the best video call and conference app for you.
Whether you’re running your own business, working as a student or managing teams of workers, a tailored video-call platform plays an integral role in task efficiency. The question becomes however, which mega-monopolistic application do you choose and why would it be the ideal option for you? We’re here to break down the logistics of the three platforms making waves in 2020’s digital history: Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet. Let’s see how they rival up.
Zoom:
Zoom currently has over 300 million daily users, and acts as both a personal or work based video call/conference platform. If you’re using Zoom for business, you’ll be making use of both the Zoom Meeting (the video meeting itself) and the Zoom Room (the hardware permitting you the ability to schedule and host meetings from your workplace areas). Zoom’s pricing is one of its most attractive features as the free plan offers you screen sharing and background image customization options, unlimited one-on-one meetings with no time limit and group calls with a 40 minute time limit. The desktop app is available for both Windows and macOS, while the mobile app caters to both Android and IOS devices. Paid plans start at around R260 per month per member whilst Zoom Room payment plans require additional subscription fees which may not be ideal for smaller companies but a great means to structure work schedules for larger businesses. In addition to the features above, Zoom allows you to record your calls, make use of a chat tab and, select from adjustable lighting and appearance tools to make sure you’re looking camera ready (and maybe to hide the lack of sleep you had the night before). You can even make sure you’re using Zoom safely when you drive, by implementing it’s Safe Drive feature. Pretty handy!
Microsoft Teams:
With over 44 million daily users including schools, universities and organizations worldwide, Teams has proved a great upcoming competitor to Zoom and Meet. If you’re a business that already uses Google Suite then this may not be the best platform for you, particularly because Google offers its own video call platform (Google Meet). If you’re willing to experiment however, with the range of features and tools that Teams has in store, you may just find it the ideal virtual channel for your call and conference needs. If you’re already a Microsoft fundi, you’ll enjoy the design of Teams which integrates countless Microsoft 365 apps such as Skype and Outlook amongst others. Chat tabs allow you to keep track of conversation and revisit particular threads of interest whilst calendar integration makes organising your team schedule super easy and efficient. The platform is able to host up to 259 participants in a single call additionally offering screen sharing, recording and transcription options. If you’re using the free version of Teams, you’ll have further access to external guest invitation, co-author, file sharing, and background screen blur options. If you want to get busy with their paid plans to make use of the full range of Microsoft features, tools and support systems available, you’re looking at roughly R92-R366 per month, plan-dependent.
Google Meet:
With over 100 million daily users operating the video-conferencing channel of Google Meet alone, this tech giant has claimed its rightful place amongst the top global video-call platforms this year. Suitable for IOS, Android and most internet browsers- Meets (previously known as Hangouts) stands as a viable option for multifaceted businesses of varied sizes. The aesthetic user-friendly design makes it an attractive, simple and efficient platform with which to work and host meetings with up to 250 participants. If you already have a Google account, you don’t require a G Suite subscription to maximise off Meets- you’re even able to host meetings with up to 100 participants for up to 24 hours completely free of charge. Screen sharing options further allow you to see up to 16 screens at once- pretty impressive we think. For G Suite subscribers, amongst many features available at the touch of your fingertips, you’ll be able to live stream your meets for up to 100 000 viewers and broadcast recorded meetings off Drive. You’ll also be able to set up calls via Google Calendar with URLs, unique codes or dial-in phone numbers. Paid plans range from roughly R100-R430 per month depending on the plan you believe would fit your business operations best.
So what to choose? That’s entirely up to you as each platform offers their own advantages and minor setbacks but at the end of the day, they all excel at bringing people closer together and encouraging a productive work atmosphere. Who knows? Maybe give them all a try and tell us what you think!
Article sources: t.ly/QkE7, t.ly/ebUs , t.ly/22O4 , t.ly/uKqk
