Zoom vs Google Meet vs AllTakes: Choosing the Right Video Conferencing Tool [2023]
Zoom, Google Meet, or AllTakes…which video conferencing tool should you choose? You may be gearing up for a crucial business presentation, an educational seminar, or a heartfelt family reunion, and you understandably want to use the best video conferencing platform. The software will influence the flow of the event, how secure it is, how engaging it can be, and the overall feel.
Today, video conferencing tools have become the backbone of remote work and online connectivity. Face-to-face meetings are increasingly replaced by pixels on a screen, so choosing the right tool can make all the difference in the success of your virtual interactions.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll review three popular options: Zoom, Google Meet, and AllTakes. We’ll compare the platforms, explore their strengths and any limitations, and guide you toward the best choice for your video conferencing needs.
What do Zoom, Google Meet, and AllTakes Do?
Zoom, Google Meet, and AllTakes are all video conferencing platforms that facilitate remote communication, collaboration, and virtual meetings. All three solutions provide an extensive selection of features, encompassing screen and application sharing, meeting recording, chat functionality, and integration options.
While they share some similarities, each platform also offers distinct features that set them apart.
Zoom vs. Google Meet vs. AllTakes: At-a-Glance
Zoom vs. Google Meet vs. AllTakes: Complete Comparison
Let’s take a deeper look into the unique capabilities that make each tool stand out:
Video Platform Layout
Zoom and Google Meet often arrange participants in rigid, cramped grids, which can feel claustrophobic and lack a sense of genuine interaction. However, AllTakes offers a refreshing alternative – a virtual Roundtable experience. In AllTakes, your seat remains fixed and you’re always portrait-oriented, mirroring a real-life meeting.
The speaker takes center stage, encircled by fellow participants. This unique roundtable setup fosters an open, spacious, and comfortable atmosphere, ensuring you never feel confined during your virtual gatherings.
Read what AllTakes clients have to say:
“This roundtable setup is a lot more fun than when I have done group sessions on Zoom. As new people join, it feels more communal. People start participating right away.”
AllTakes' video layout also provides a clean and well-lit environment that focuses on the participants rather than their surroundings, in contrast to the other platforms, which sometimes look crowded and dimly lit.
But, if you prefer a more traditional panel setup, that's no problem. AllTakes offers the flexibility to switch to a standard panel view, giving you the best of both worlds.
Read how AllTake’s Roundtable compares to other platforms
Ease of Use
AllTakes
AllTakes is designed with an intuitive user interface designed to make it easy for users to manage their virtual meetings, communities, and events. It provides all the features you need to run successful group or one-on-one meetings–without having to dig through complex settings and tools to reach them. Audio and video sharing is seamless, you can make breakout rooms on the fly, stay in the same spot when you raise your hand, and much more.
Zoom
Among the three platforms, Zoom is often perceived as the most complex and challenging to navigate. New users may find it less intuitive due to its extensive array of features and settings, which can sometimes feel overwhelming. The platform’s video interface, characterized by numerous options and menus, may require a steeper learning curve, making it less user-friendly compared to the other options.
Google Meet
Getting started with Google Meet is convenient if a user already uses a Google account, which is the case for individuals who have a Gmail account. The existing credentials grant users access to Google Meet.
People without a Google account can join a meeting; however, they have to create an account to host one. After creating an account, users will receive an email including a meeting code, meeting link, PIN, and dial-in number, which they can then share with the individuals they’d like to invite to the meeting.
Integration Opportunities
AllTakes
AllTakes seamlessly connects with Calendly for easy scheduling of discovery calls and one-on-one meetings to streamline your appointment booking process. Plus, AllTakes allows you to create and nurture your online community–without the hassle of juggling multiple apps.
The platform offers a comprehensive suite of features, including content sharing, a content library, chat functionality, private video conferencing, managing registrations, accepting payments, and more as an all-in-one platform.
Zoom
Zoom offers an extensive marketplace hosting over 1,000 apps. These integrations span categories, covering scheduling, collaboration, productivity, customer management, event coordination, and more.
Google Meet
It’s no secret that Google Meet collaborates with various Google products like Google Drive and Google Calendar. Additionally, it offers native integration with several platforms and services, including Skype, Cisco, Zapier, Nest, and HubSpot.
Screen Sharing & Recording
AllTakes
AllTakes enables full-screen or regular view options on mobile devices when someone is presenting. With the share audio feature, you can effortlessly distribute audio content without the need to share your entire screen or window. This functionality simplifies the process of sharing music, podcasts, or any other audio content.
Hosts can also record a meeting, and participants will receive a notice when recording starts. However, recording is not allowed while participants are in private breakout rooms.
The recorded sessions will become accessible within the content library. Once available, business owners and managers will be able to download the recording to their devices.
Zoom
Zoom's screen-sharing feature offers the flexibility to share either a specific portion of your screen or the entire device screen. Zoom also allows users to share content from a second camera, utilize a whiteboard, share audio, or select specific apps to share from. Recording is allowed on both free and paid plans, although only paid users can store recordings on the cloud.
Google Meet
Google Meet's screen-sharing lets users choose to share a specific window, tab, or the entire screen. However, users can't limit screen sharing to only a portion of their screen, potentially leading to unintentional sharing. Users can also present their screen when someone else is sharing theirs.
Hosts in Google Meet can prevent participants from sharing their screens, and there's an option to join a meeting solely for presentation purposes. Recording is available only on paid plans.
Participant Engagement Features
Spontaneously create breakout rooms with AllTakes.
AllTakes
AllTakes prioritizes creating a sense of community and warmth, resulting in a wide range of participant engagement opportunities that foster genuine connections and energizing interactions. Unlike Zoom and Google Meet, AllTakes offers the ability to pin chat messages, allowing for quick access to information. The platform further enhances interactions with unique and animated expressions during video calls, enabling personalized touches in conversations in meetings.
AllTakes also offers fireside chats and panel modes that provide versatility in meeting formats. While Zoom and Google Meet require users to configure breakout rooms before a meeting, AllTakes allows you to configure your breakout room in seconds; users can also choose what room they want to join–just like in real life. What makes AllTakes' hand raise feature different from others is that it shows the order in which participants raised their hands, ensuring orderly discussions.
Zoom
Zoom’s engagement features include hand-raising tools for questions, polls for audience interaction, Q&A sessions, breakout rooms for smaller group interactions, emoji reactions for expression, and the option for virtual backgrounds. Zoom also offers a live captioning feature that is only available with a live transcription license.
Zoom also limits chat message visibility to the duration of an active video call; messages sent before or after the call are not accessible. Zoom allows private messaging to individual participants and incorporates reactions into its interface.
Google Meet
Google Meet offers similar features to Zoom, however, the platform retains chat logs for recorded meetings, which is a feature not currently available in Zoom.
Also, unlike Zoom, Google Meet restricts chat messages to the visibility of all participants on the call, without the option for private messaging.
Video Quality
AllTakes
AllTakes elevates video quality with features like a portrait-oriented view that emphasizes a focus on participants rather than their surroundings. It also offers a pristine panel view for a professional discussion ambiance, mood-setting options, and a user-friendly audio and video-sharing feature that makes it a smoother experience than sharing on Zoom.
Zoom
By default, Zoom employs standard video for group meetings, but users have the option to upgrade to 720p (HD) when using Room Connector or Zoom Room. Zoom also supports up to 1080p HD video for Business and Enterprise plans.
Google Meet
Google Meet’s standard video quality is 320p. However, users can elevate the quality to 720p HD video calls if they have the necessary setup.
Security
AllTakes
AllTakes is committed to protecting the privacy and security of its users. They do not use your content for AI training or any other purposes.
Zoom
Zoom experienced a boom in usage during the COVID-19 pandemic and this came with several security challenges, including data privacy concerns and frequently hijacked meetings by 3rd parties. To combat these, they implemented TLS encryption and AES-256 encryption for real-time content.
Zoom has also extended the E2EE to all users of the platform, which was previously limited to paid users before the pandemic. Other security enhancements include waiting rooms for meeting attendees and the option for password-protected meetings.
Google Meet
Google Meet provides robust security features, including two-step verification, encryption both in transit and at rest, and an advanced protection enrollment program. Enterprise clients benefit from additional security enhancements, such as access to a security alert center, security dashboards, Data Loss Prevention (DLP) for Google Drive, access transparency, and endpoint management.
Pricing
AllTakes
AllTakes offers a free plan that includes unlimited meetings, 60-minute session durations, and a participant limit of up to 20. The next subscription tier, the Gather Plan is tailored for coaches, community builders, and event organizers. Priced at $12 per month when paid annually, it extends session durations to up to 5 hours, increases the participant limit to up to 200 per session, offers recording functionality with cloud storage of 5GB, and provides access to breakout rooms.
The Community Plan is priced at $32 per month and adds the ability to create one Private Gated Space (Studio), accept registrations and payments, manage members, host live sessions with email reminders, engage in community chat, and share content. The plan also comes with 25GB of cloud storage.
The Growth Plan is priced at $72 per month, offers access to a total of 10 Private Gated Spaces (Studios), includes 1 extra business owner to assist in management, the ability to add managers for each studio, and enhanced content organization with folder-based sharing. The Pro Plan is priced at $120 per month and provides access to a total of 50 Private Gated Spaces (Studios). Both plans extend session durations to up to 10 hours and offer cloud storage of 50GB and 100GB capacity accordingly.
Zoom
Zoom offers a basic plan, which is free. However, this free plan is limited to 40-minute meetings and 100 participants. The platform also presents three paid subscription tiers, ranging from $15.99 to $25 per month per user. For companies requiring meetings accommodating up to 1,000 attendees, a custom-priced Enterprise plan is required.
Along with the participation capacity, Zoom offers additional cloud storage options with storage plans commencing at $50 per month. Paid users are provided 1 GB per user on the Pro and Business plans, while Enterprise clients have unlimited storage.
Google Meet
Google Meet as a stand-alone app is free but limited to 60-minute meetings and 100 participants. However, users can access it through the Google Workspace package, along with other business and personal productivity tools. Paid Meet subscribers also get storage options, ranging from 30 GB to unlimited storage capacity on Google Drive.
AllTakes Pros & Cons
Pros:
Fosters a welcoming atmosphere, making it easy for new members to seamlessly join and actively contribute, which enhances the sense of belonging
You can enjoy responsive customer support always ready to assist, ensuring you promptly have the help you need
Offers an intuitive user interface that makes setup and management a breeze, saving you time and frustration
Replaces tools like Zoom, Google Meet, and more, streamlining your workflow and allowing you to focus on your community
Tailor-made for coaches, community builders, and event organizers, simplifying community management
Allows you access complimentary 60-minute sessions, adding significant value to your community management toolkit
Cons:
AllTakes is best suited for interactive community sessions rather than one-way lectures or webinars
Zoom Pros & Cons
Pros:
Provides the option to create subgroups using the breakout room feature
Allows users to craft polls to engage participants during meetings
Users have the flexibility to share screens with or without accompanying audio
Security measures, including waiting rooms, and password-protected meetings
Generates small-sized recordings, which is advantageous for storage and sharing
Cons:
Limited meeting time of 40 minutes on free plan
May randomly log users out
Could be difficult to use for older, less tech-savvy people
Users report a steep price for the features it offers
Privacy issues, including sharing user data with unauthorized 3rd parties and weak E2EE
Audio and video may often not be in sync while screen-sharing video files
Google Meet Pros & Cons
Pros:
User-friendly and accessible on web and Gmail
Integration with Google ecosystem of tools
Screen sharing feature is intuitive
Real-time translation subtitle
Users can record meetings
Cons:
Users sometimes experience sound echoing
Users can only share one screen at a time
No waiting room for late participants
Some users experience blank screens while presenting
The Bottom Line on Zoom vs Google Meet vs AllTakes
Video conferencing has become an integral part of our personal and professional lives, providing a vital means of communication and collaboration. And both Zoom and Google Meet offer valuable features that cater to a range of users. However, if you’re looking for a comprehensive platform that prioritizes engagement, authenticity, and engagement, AllTakes is the best choice.
With its intimate, novel approach to online connectivity, AllTakes offers a holistic solution for coaches, community builders, and event organizers to truly connect with their audience. Enhance your virtual communication experience with AllTakes and experience the difference for yourself.
