Quick Verdict

Google Meet is the simplest, most frictionless meeting experience available — browser-based, no downloads, deeply integrated with Google Workspace. Zoom Workplace is the more feature-rich platform with stronger AI, broader integrations, and better large-meeting capabilities. Choose Meet for simplicity within Google's ecosystem; choose Zoom for maximum features and flexibility.

Head-to-Head Comparison

AI Features

Zoom's AI Companion 3.0 leads with a 9.5 score versus Google Meet's 8.8. Both platforms offer meeting summaries and action item extraction, but Zoom's implementation is more mature. AI Companion's smart chapters automatically segment long meetings into navigable sections, and the newer agentic workflows can schedule follow-ups or draft messages based on meeting context.

Google Meet's Gemini integration offers "Take notes for me," which generates summaries and action items directly into Google Docs. The advantage is seamless integration — your meeting notes appear in the same workspace as your documents. The limitation is availability: Gemini features require Google Workspace Business Standard or higher plans, while Zoom includes AI Companion on all paid tiers.

For standalone AI meeting intelligence, Zoom is stronger. For AI that flows naturally into your Google Docs workflow, Meet has a more elegant integration.

Ease of Use

Google Meet scores 9.5 here, matching Zoom. But the simplicity feels different. Meet is browser-native — there's genuinely nothing to install, ever. Share a link, click join, you're in. The interface is deliberately minimal: video grid, chat, and a few controls. It gets out of the way and lets you focus on the conversation.

Zoom is also intuitive, but it's a desktop-app-first experience. The Zoom client offers more features and controls, which means more interface elements. For power users, this is an advantage. For users who just want to join a call without thinking about it, Meet's browser-first approach is marginally simpler.

The adaptive audio feature in Meet deserves special mention — when multiple laptops in the same room join a call, it automatically reduces echo and feedback. For hybrid offices where people forget to mute, this is genuinely useful.

Collaboration Tools

Zoom takes this category decisively (9.3 vs 8.5). Breakout rooms in Zoom support up to 50 sub-rooms with pre-assignment, timer controls, and broadcast messaging. Meet's breakout rooms are functional but simpler. Zoom's built-in whiteboard, polls, and Q&A are more capable. The Zoom Apps ecosystem allows third-party collaboration tools to run inside the meeting window, which Meet doesn't offer.

Where Meet holds its own is in the surrounding ecosystem. Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides are collaborative by default, and sharing a document link in a Meet call creates a natural co-editing flow. The collaboration happens adjacent to the meeting rather than inside it.

Integration Ecosystem

Zoom's 2,500+ app marketplace is vastly larger than Meet's integration options. Meet integrates deeply with Google Workspace (Calendar, Drive, Docs, Gmail, Chat) but has limited third-party connections. If your organization uses Salesforce, HubSpot, Asana, or other non-Google tools as primary systems, Zoom connects to them natively while Meet doesn't.

For Google Workspace organizations, this gap matters less — the Google integration covers most workflows. But for organizations with diverse tool stacks, Zoom's integration breadth is a meaningful advantage.

Security & Privacy

Both platforms are strong here, with Zoom scoring 8.5/9.0 (security/privacy) and Meet scoring 9.0/8.5. Google's infrastructure security is world-class, and Meet benefits from Google Cloud's SOC 2, ISO 27001, and HIPAA compliance. Zoom has rebuilt its security reputation since 2020 and now offers E2EE, SOC 2, and HIPAA compliance.

The privacy nuance: Google's business model is advertising, which makes some organizations uncomfortable even though Google Workspace data isn't used for ads. Zoom doesn't have the same business model perception issue. For organizations with strict privacy requirements, this may factor into the decision.

Pricing & Value

Google Meet is the better value for Google Workspace customers. Business Starter at $7/user/month includes Meet with 100 participants and 24-hour meetings, plus Gmail, Drive, Docs, and the full Workspace suite. You're not paying for video conferencing — you're getting it as part of your productivity platform.

Zoom Pro at $13.33/user/month is a standalone video investment. It includes AI Companion and up to 100 participants. For teams not already in Google Workspace, the question becomes whether Zoom's superior features justify the dedicated cost, or whether switching to Google Workspace gets you both productivity tools and meetings for less.

Who Should Buy Google Meet?

• Google Workspace organizations — Meet is included and deeply integrated; adding Zoom creates unnecessary cost
• Teams that value simplicity above all — browser-native, no downloads, minimal interface that just works
• Small businesses and startups — Google Workspace at $7/user/month gives you email, storage, docs, and video in one bundle
• Hybrid offices — the adaptive audio feature handles multi-laptop rooms better than any competitor

Who Should Buy Zoom Workplace?

• Organizations needing advanced meeting features — breakout rooms, polls, Q&A, and in-meeting apps are more capable
• Teams with diverse tool stacks — Zoom integrates with 2,500+ apps versus Meet's Google-centric ecosystem
• Large meeting hosts — Zoom handles 300+ participants on Business plans with better moderation tools
• AI-first teams — AI Companion included on all paid plans, with stronger standalone meeting intelligence

The Bottom Line

Google Meet and Zoom Workplace represent different philosophies. Meet says: "Video meetings should be simple and invisible — they're part of your workflow, not a separate tool." Zoom says: "Video meetings are a primary collaboration surface that deserves rich features and deep integrations." Both are right, depending on how your team works. Google Workspace customers should default to Meet. Everyone else should seriously evaluate Zoom.