Google Meet vs Teams. It’s become a perennial question for decision-makers. Out of the two big names in workplace collaboration, what’s better for business use?
Let’s take a look at it from a couple of different angles:
Is Google Meet better than Microsoft Teams?
This is one of the most common ways to phrase the query, but it’s not really the question we should be asking.
What we’re actually interested in is whether Google Meet meets the needs of your particular business more closely than Microsoft Teams.
The way to start working this out is to take a look at the different approaches to collaboration that these superficially similar tools offer:
1) Google Meet
Google Meet is designed to be simple and easy to use. If you need reliable videoconferencing, it does the job well.
It also integrates with all the Google Workspace apps. That’s ideal if those are the ones you and your team use every day.
2) Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams, on the other hand, certainly starts out pretty simple to use – at least to videoconference with. It offers a whole lot of functionality on top of that though. Certainly more than the more streamlined Meet.
Google Meet lets you share your screen. So does Teams. But Teams also lets you share files, is designed for project management, and much, much more (it’s integrated with the entire Microsoft 365 suite).
The downside of this is that it can take a bit of time to learn to get the most out of Teams. But if you’re looking for an all-in-one collaboration and productivity solution for your business, Teams may well be it.
Is Google Meet good for business?
This doesn’t mean that Google Meet is necessarily bad for business. It definitely has its upsides:
- It’s a more cost-effective choice – even more so if you already use Google Workspace. Teams tends to have a higher price point. Especially if you want all the bells and whistles (many of which are immensely useful for a broad range of organisations).
- It’s easy to use – handy if there’s no real need for your team to be particularly tech-savvy. It’s not that Teams is difficult to videoconference with, but its true value (on top of the enhanced cybersecurity – we’ll get to that) is in the extra features it offers.
Why do many businesses prefer Microsoft Teams?
That said, there are many reasons why businesses prefer Microsoft Teams:
1) Features, functionality, and integrations
Google Meet is streamlined and easy to use. However, its features, third-party integrations, and customisation options are all fairly limited.
Conversely, Microsoft Teams gives you multiple channels. Private chat options. Management tools for task tracking and calendars. Integration with third-party favourites like Trello. Even instant translation into several dozen languages.
In short, if you can think of some sort of functionality that would be useful in this kind of app, Teams has it or gives you a way to get it.
2) Personalisation, branding, and hosting
The customisation options Teams offers businesses are massive. The interface is feature-rich. You can create personalised workspaces and tabs with groups of tools you’ve picked yourself.
Teams also allows for AI-powered meetings (these can feature your company branding) and includes the kinds of tools that make hosting an impressive professional webinar very easy indeed.
You can also set up virtual appointments that can be integrated with your calendar, which will send out text updates to attendees if you want it to.
3) Cybersecurity in videoconferencing
In professional videoconferencing, cybersecurity is a major priority. Both Teams and Meet offer administrators the ability to set up Multi-Factor Authentication and otherwise manage permissions.
However, while Meet hits several compliance standards and encrypts calls in transit, Teams breaks through as the much more secure option. It is:
- Designed to be ready to meet a larger variety of compliance standards, allowing for granular control
- Encrypts calls in transit and at rest and also offers end-to-end encryption
- Integrated with Microsoft Defender 365 for anti-phishing and malware protection
Teams is widely adopted by businesses in every sector
Finally, it’s worth mentioning that businesses in almost any industry you care to name use Microsoft Teams. This means your own system will easily mesh with that of your clients and partners.
All in all, Google Meet is a great option for some businesses. It’s easy to pick up and use, it’s fairly secure, and if you already use Google Workspace or other Google apps, it all integrates easily.
If you’re looking for a comprehensive business videoconferencing solution though, Microsoft Teams’ incredible feature suite, customisation options, and high-level cybersecurity make it the stand-out choice for a large number of businesses.
Need to talk through whether Microsoft Teams or Google Meet is best for your business?
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