Video conferencing apps have been an essential tool for a lot of companies for a while, but thanks to recent global events, they've exploded in popularity like never before.
There are numerous apps out there that you can use for video calling, two of the most popular being Zoom and Google Meet. These are apps focused on enterprise/business use, and each one has its own set of pros and cons.
We want to take a closer look at one of those apps, specifically, Zoom. Zoom has undoubtedly become the most talked-about app in this niche, with companies all over the world turning towards it as their digital meeting place of choice.
What makes Zoom so great? The service certainly isn't perfect, but depending on where your needs lie, there are a lot of key advantages it has that make it so appealing. Here are six of our favorites.
Up to 500 people per call
Hands-down, one of the biggest reasons to use Zoom is if you have a lot of people that need to be in a meeting at once. Google Meet's 250 participant limit should be more than enough for small businesses, but if you're part of a larger organization, Zoom is the way to go.
A Zoom Business plan will allow you to go up to 300 participants, and if you need to upgrade to Zoom Enterprise, you can have up to 500 participants — double the amount that Google Meet allows.
Not everyone needs that much wiggle room, but if you do, Zoom has you covered like no one else.
Auto-generated transcripts for recorded meetings
Both Google Meet and Zoom allow you to record meetings/calls that you have, but Zoom takes things a step further with its transcript feature.
If you subscribe to Zoom Business or Zoom Enterprise, any cloud recordings of your meetings will get transcripts automatically generated for them — meaning that you don't have to worry about taking meeting notes yourself.
This is incredibly useful if you want to have a written record of everything that was discussed, and rather than having to take notes during the meeting or do so while watching the recording after the fact, Zoom does the hard work for you. As of right now, this is something Google Meet doesn't offer at all.
Make your background whatever you want
If you've ever used Zoom, chances are you've played around with the app's custom background feature. Zoom allows you to change the background of the room you're in to basically whatever you want — including a night sky, warm beach, or your own custom picture/video.
It's silly and doesn't really change the function of your meeting, but it can also be helpful if you have a messy office/living room and want to look at presentable as possible.
Plus, with everyone on edge right now, having a little dose of fun with your work meetings can be just what you need sometimes.
Better email integration
When you aren't in a video call for work, chances are you're doing other business via email. In this regard, Zoom is a perfect fit.
No matter which tier of a Zoom membership you have, all levels come with full integration for Gmail, Outlook, Microsoft 365, etc.
Google Meet just recently picked up support for Gmail integration, but this is something Zoom's been offering for much longer (and across more email platforms).
Meeting URLs can be customized
When you create a new call in Google Meet, you're given a randomly-generated URL that people can click on to join. It works well enough, but a string of letters isn't exactly the most professional-looking thing out there.
For Zoom Business members, you get access to a vanity URL that you can customize for all of your meetings. For example, if we were to run an Android Central call using Zoom, we could make the URL androidcentral.zoom.us.
Not only does this look better than meet.google.com/vgj-fxtz-rge, but it's also easier for people to remember when they need to join the call.
Company branding
On the note of customization, there's another aspect of this that Zoom allows for — company branding.
For the landing page where other people join your meeting from, you can add custom branding for your business. It's a small touch, but just like with custom URLs, it helps to create for a more seamless overall experience. Whether you're meeting with employees or potential clients, it can be a really nice addition.
You get what you pay for
Zoom is one of the more expensive video chatting apps out there, especially when you look at the Business and Enterprise options.
Not everyone needs all of the premium features that Zoom offers, but if you do, it's the best at what it does. Google Meet has a lot going for it and is considerably more affordable, but as you can see from this article, there are some things Zoom just does better.
A pricey, but extremely powerful, video chat app
You'll need to hand over some cash in order to get the most out of Zoom, but if you can take advantage of all the features it has to offer, it's well worth it. Especially for larger businesses, the extra tools Zoom is equipped with allow you to get more out of each meeting.
