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Google Meet vs Skype: What are the differences?

Introduction

Google Meet and Skype are popular video conferencing platforms that allow users to communicate with each other through audio and video calls. However, there are several key differences between the two platforms that set them apart from each other.

  1. User Interface: Google Meet has a clean and simple user interface, with a focus on video conferencing features. On the other hand, Skype offers a more comprehensive user interface with additional features like messaging, file sharing, and screen sharing.

  2. Meeting Capacity: Google Meet allows up to 100 participants in a single meeting, making it suitable for large group conferences. Skype, on the other hand, allows a maximum of 50 participants in a single call or a maximum of 100 participants in a Skype Meet Now meeting.

  3. Accessibility: Google Meet is accessible through web browsers and mobile apps, making it easier to join meetings from different devices without the need for any installation. In contrast, Skype requires users to download and install the application on their devices before they can use it.

  4. Meeting Recording: Google Meet offers its users the option to record meetings and save them on Google Drive. This feature is especially useful for those who want to review important discussions or share the recordings with others. Skype, on the other hand, does not natively support meeting recording, although there are third-party applications available for this purpose.

  5. Integration with Other Tools: Google Meet integrates seamlessly with other Google Workspace applications, such as Google Calendar and Gmail, allowing users to schedule meetings and join them directly from their email or calendar. Skype also integrates with Microsoft Office applications, but the level of integration is not as extensive as Google Meet.

  6. Video Quality and Bandwidth Usage: Google Meet adjusts the video quality based on the available bandwidth, ensuring a smooth video conferencing experience even with low internet speeds. Skype also adjusts the video quality, but it may require more bandwidth compared to Google Meet.

In summary, Google Meet and Skype differ in terms of user interface, meeting capacity, accessibility, meeting recording capability, integration with other tools, and video quality and bandwidth usage.

Advice on Google Meet and Skype
Needs advice
on
Google MeetGoogle Meet
and
ZoomZoom

I have a google account and use google classroom. I want to give classes online, including screen-sharing, and going in and out of multiple documents on screen.

Even though I am paying for my google account, I still want to explore which of these two tools is best for what I want to do. My classes vary from 5 to 20 persons per class, three times per week, and have a duration of 2 times 45 min.

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Replies (1)
Recommends
on
ZoomZoom

I’m in the same boat as a teacher. I researched both, used both, I like Zoom much better. I like to compare it to Google having the lite version of an app while Zoom is the paid version. Zoom allows the “Host” to control every aspect from password protecting your room to the host admitting people in individually. I know Zoom is normally paid but has a limited free version. Hope this helps but Zoom seems much further ahead.

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Lisa Myers
Needs advice
on
SkypeSkypeWebexWebex
and
ZoomZoom

Hi, I am helping teachers in my kid's schools to set up distance learning and wanted to see what is better between Webex, Zoom, and Skype (although only putting this one in as most parents probably have it). The children are 8-9, so they won't be using it on their own and the parents have no experience using Webex or Zoom.

The main use will be for the teacher to explain what they will be covering in the week and enable some social interaction between the kids.

I need to be easy to use for about 20-25 people.

Thanks for your advice, Lisa

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Replies (4)
Yoram Kornatzky
Independent Information Technology and Services Professional at DR. YORAM KORNATZKY LTD · | 4 upvotes · 30.7K views
Recommends
on
ZoomZoom

I consider Skype dead. Even Microsoft strongly neglected it. Webex is more corporate-oriented. So for your use case, I recommend Zoom. It is easy to set up, and the quality is very good. Zoom became such a household name that the average person heard about it. Moreover, any person probably has friends who may have used it. So it will be easier for people to get some community help.

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Fábio Henrique Oliveira
Recommends
on
WebexWebex

Hi, Lisa,

I haven't used Skype in a long time. I have I lot of experience with Zoom and Webex. Both for me are very good tools, especially if you have money to pay for (to unlock more features, like more people in a video conference - Zoom).

Nowadays, I've used more Webex with my undergraduate students, I'm using the free account. Cloud recording is a features very useful, especially while using the free account (thanks Cisco!). Webex has control features very useful (e.g., mute, raise hand etc).

Kind regards,

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Attila Fulop
Recommends
on
ZoomZoom

We've been using Zoom for about a half a year and it's stability is unbeatable. We have all-hands on Fridays with 100+ participants. The free tier can easily handle the requirements, the only limitation is that max meeting length is 40 minutes. After that you can immediately restart the meeting, but the pro option is also very affordable. It also features screen sharing and whiteboard sharing out of the box. I also appreciate that it's not mandatory to register an account to attend a meeting.

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John Perry
Account Executive at Towerstream · | 3 upvotes · 106.9K views
Recommends
on
Microsoft TeamsMicrosoft Teams

From my experiences I feel like Zoom is a pretty intuitive program to teach kids, however Skype might be more common amongst them already.

I am a big fan of Microsoft Teams.

They all do the same pretty much but Teams I find the bells and whistles are easier to find, like custom backgrounds... creating groups for topic discussions that remain there until you want to change/edit or delete. Easy to share files.

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Needs advice
on
Google MeetGoogle Meet
and
ZoomZoom

I own an Escape Room. Since right now everyone is practicing social distancing, I would like to run my Escape Room games virtually. I would like to allow approx 4 users to log in to play. They can chitchat a few minutes before their game to get to know each other. Then once the game begins, I will introduce myself and give them the plot to their escape game. I will have a wide-angle camera mounted to the wall to show the room, and as the game master, carry a tablet or webcam around as players talk to me and direct me to show them certain items in the room, move in for closeups in certain areas, try lock combinations, etc. I will be their hands while they solve the puzzles. I am not sure if Google Hangouts Google Meet or Zoom is better for this. I did try it yesterday using google hangout meet and it was good, but I think there may have been a wifi issue where it was choppy. Just trying to figure out the best option. Thank you! Catherine

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Replies (4)
Recommends
on
ZoomZoom

Google meet, as well as zoom are amazing platforms for online meetings. But I will try to explain the pros and cons of both according to your needs.

  1. Network requirements: Google meet requires considerably more bandwidth than zoom, and it isn't a great choice if you have poor internet, or if there are more than 25 or 30 participants. While zoom is pretty lightweight and can support large groups (say about 80) with little to no internet instability.

  2. UI: Zoom and google meet have decent UI, but assuming that participants will be using mobiles, they might have a hard time with chatting in zoom as it takes up a lot of space to view all contents.

  3. Security: Even though both zoom and google meet provide 100% encrypted connections, I personally think google meet is somewhat better due to the flaws in the recent zoom security patches.

  4. Battery consumption: Google meet hogs up your battery when uploading your video and also your video quality, unlike zoom will not be adjusted based on your network, meaning, even if you have poor internet, google meet will upload your video in high quality, sometimes leading to lag and hangs.

NOTE: If you are using the free version of zoom, your meeting will automatically end after 40 minutes. So either keep your games small, or buy the premium version.

In the end I think zoom will be a better choice according to your needs, but if you plan on buying zoom, I recommend you read other reviews about zoom. Enjoy and stay safe!

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Verhaeghe Jonas
Sr. Marketing Technologist at Invisible Puppy · | 3 upvotes · 135.6K views
Recommends
on
ZoomZoom

I would suggest Zoom: - quality sound and audio is great - simple to set up and invite people + it doesn't matter if they have a microsoft, google, etc. email account or operating system - recently it added a couple of security options which could be handy in your situation = for example 'lock meeting' - once all your participants have logged in you can 'lock the meeting' to prevent others from entering. Another on is the enable waiting room, where participants can 'wait' before you allow them in the meeting.

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Recommends
on
ZoomZoom

Zoom has lot more features and higher quality. Agree with the other people's advice. Make sure to realize it is 40 min limit for free account - but you can do monthly Zoom subscription and try it out or only use during pandemic and cancel subscription once this is over if you need to.

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Pros of Google Meet
Pros of Skype
  • 35
    Free
  • 15
    Integrated with G Suite
  • 14
    Group video call
  • 10
    Gmail server integration
  • 10
    Good to make phone calls
  • 9
    Instant Messaging
  • 9
    Easy to add and remove contacts
  • 7
    Unlimited Storage (Premium version)
  • 6
    Easy setup
  • 6
    User friendly mobile app
  • 6
    Record (Premium Feature)
  • 5
    Accessible from the Browser
  • 5
    Saves the chats for future reference
  • 5
    Browser extension
  • 3
    No pornography
  • 2
    Google Meet is never buggy
  • 2
    Cool emoji extensions
  • 2
    Amazing captions
  • 2
    16 people show at the same time
  • 2
    Meet has the best quality in terms of participant view
  • 258
    Free, widespread
  • 147
    Desktop and mobile apps
  • 110
    Because i have to :(
  • 57
    Low cost international calling
  • 56
    Good for international calls
  • 10
    Best call quality anywhere, generally
  • 5
    Beautiful emojis
  • 4
    Chat bots
  • 2
    Translator
  • 2
    Skype for business integration with Outlook
  • 1
    United kingdom
  • 1
    Not the Best, but get the job done

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Cons of Google Meet
Cons of Skype
  • 9
    Quality isn't great
  • 5
    Really high CPU utilization during video/screenshare
  • 2
    No client annotation on shared screen
  • 2
    Not great sound quality
  • 2
    Difficult to share video with audio
  • 2
    Needs to take measures to improve the ecosystem
  • 1
    Auto-added to G Cal invites
  • 1
    Needs better support and rollout process
  • 1
    No interactions activities
  • 1
    Overheat cpu on Android
  • 1
    No desktop client
  • 1
    No desktop client
  • 5
    Really high CPU utilization during video/screenshare
  • 3
    Not always reliable
  • 3
    Outdated UI
  • 3
    Birthday notifications are annoying
  • 3
    The worst indicator noises of any app ever
  • 2
    Finding/adding people isn't easy

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What is Google Meet?

It is the business-oriented version of Google's Hangouts platform and is suitable for businesses of all sizes. It allows users to dial in phone numbers to access meetings, thus enabling users with slow internet connection to call in.

What is Skype?

Skype’s text, voice and video make it simple to share experiences with the people that matter to you, wherever they are.

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What companies use Google Meet?
What companies use Skype?
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What tools integrate with Google Meet?
What tools integrate with Skype?

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What are some alternatives to Google Meet and Skype?
Hangouts
It is a communication platform which includes messaging, video chat, and VOIP features.
Zoom
Zoom unifies cloud video conferencing, simple online meetings, and cross platform group chat into one easy-to-use platform. Our solution offers the best video, audio, and screen-sharing experience across Zoom Rooms, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and H.323/SIP room systems.
Webex
Collaborate with colleagues across your organization, or halfway across the planet. Meet online and share files, information, and expertise. Collaborate from wherever you are with Webex mobile apps for IPhone, iPad, Android, or Blackberry. If you can get online, you can work together.
GoToMeeting
It is an online meeting, desktop sharing, and video conferencing software package that enables the user to meet with other computer users, customers, clients or colleagues via the Internet in real time.
Duo
Duo is a next-generation package manager that blends the best ideas from Component, Browserify and Go to make organizing and writing front-end code quick and painless.
See all alternatives