Google Meet
Free video conferencing from Google
What it does
Google Meet is Google's video conferencing tool, bundled into Google Workspace and available free with any Google account. Video calls up to 100 (free) or 1000 (Enterprise) participants, screen sharing, live captions, recording (paid tiers), noise cancellation, Gemini-powered meeting summaries and note-taking on paid tiers. Integrated natively with Google Calendar, Gmail, and Google Chat.
Free tier
Yes
Starts at
$6/mo
Setup
easy
Key features
Integrates with
Google Calendar, Gmail, Slack
Who this fits
- Any team already on Google Workspace
- Solo founders and small teams whose meeting count is modest (short internal calls, quick client chats)
- Anyone who wants zero-install browser-based video (no Zoom download)
- K-12 and higher education (Meet is standard in Google for Education)
- Businesses whose calendar and email live in Google
Who it does NOT fit
- Teams running large webinars for external audiences (Zoom Webinar, Livestorm, or dedicated webinar tools fit better)
- Enterprises standardized on Microsoft Teams (already bundled with M365)
- Teams needing sophisticated meeting rooms, breakout depth, or transcription-first workflows (Zoom's ecosystem or dedicated meeting tools fit)
- Clients who need call-in via traditional dial numbers in every country (Meet supports many but not all)
Pricing
Real gotchas
- The free tier's 60-minute cap on group calls (3+ participants) was reinstated after Google's COVID-era unlimited free access ended. 1:1 calls remain up to 24 hours [source: support.google.com/meet/answer/9760270].
- Recording requires Business Standard or higher. Free tier and Business Starter cannot record meetings inside Meet (Chrome extensions or third-party bots are workarounds).
- Live captions and transcription work well in English; other languages have variable quality.
- Meet's "Companion mode" (join without audio/video for in-room screen sharing) is a paid-tier feature; free users get a simpler experience.
- Screen sharing on Safari and Firefox has occasional codec bugs; Chrome is the reliable browser.
Integrations that matter
Otto’s take on this tool
Default video conferencing recommendation for any client on Google Workspace, or any solo founder using free Gmail. Recommend Zoom for teams running large webinars, dedicated meeting rooms, or existing Zoom investments. Recommend Microsoft Teams only if the client is on M365. Pair with Fathom or Fireflies for AI notetaking when transcription matters.
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