Productivity Tools

Zoom vs Google Meet: Which is Best for Live Streaming?

live streaming

As more large in-person events have been cancelled, many have turned to digital live streaming to hold their events. Whether you’re planning a webinar, a charity fundraiser, or a conference meeting, you can use live streaming to host your event remotely for thousands of people. Luckily, the two top video conferencing apps, Zoom and Google Meet, include live video streaming capabilities. Thus, you can use the same platform for both conducting meetings and hosting live events. 

Let’s learn about and compare how to live stream on Zoom and Google Meet to determine which live streaming platform works best for your event. 

Zoom

zoom live stream webinar

Zoom live streaming is available for up to 100 active panelists and 10,000 attendees with Zoom’s Video Webinar add-on, starting at $40/mo. The platform also integrates with YouTube Live and Facebook Live, which lets an unlimited number of people view your live video. 

Official attendees can interact with panelists in voice and chat! Live polling and the Q&A dialogue box let attendees ask questions directly to panelists. You can also enable virtual hand-raising to ensure everyone gets their say. You can set up different chats for panelists-only and all attendees.

Zoom live streaming makes it easy to keep the event on track. As the event host, you can mute and unmute panelists and enable video and audio functions for attendees who raise their hands. Before the event, you can customize Zoom’s emails and registration forms for the event with your brand. You can also monetize your events through integrations with Payal, Eventbrite, and CVent. You can also run reports on attendees, polling, and attending engagement before, during, and after the event through Zoom analytics.

Overall, Zoom live streaming services are perfect for online business webinars, conferences, and presentations. 

Google Meet

google live stream

You can share your events with up to 100,000 viewers through Google Meet’s Google live stream. This Google lvie stream can be accessed by any guests who are sent a Google Calendar link, though guests can only view the stream, not participate. Google Meet is supported in all the most popular web browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Opera, and Safari. You can also include closed captions in English during the event. 

Up to 250 people can participate in your Google live stream through G Suite Enterprise Essentials, Google’s platform for businesses that provides access to Google Meet, Drive, Docs, and other Google services. Google livestream participants must be members of your organization on G Suite. Participants can stop and start the stream and record the event.

To stream an event, click the down arrow next to “Join Hangouts Meet” and click “add live stream” when creating the event. You must also press “start streaming” during the meeting. Watch this video to find out more. 

Overall, Google Meet is a solid option for events such as information sessions, talks, and employee training sessions. 

Zoom vs Google Meet: Choosing the Best Platform for Your Live Stream

person on a phone and laptop connecting to lots of videos


In comparing the live streaming capabilities of Zoom and Google Meet, it becomes clear which platform provides the best experience: Zoom. Zoom streaming allows for audience engagement through polling, Q&A, and virtual hand-raising. Conversely, audiences on Google Meet can only view, not participate. And while Google Meet can facilitate more viewers on its platform, Zoom’s integrations with YouTube and Facebook Live ensure that anyone can view your stream anywhere. Zoom also lets you monetize live streams and view analytics in real-time, thus letting you create your ideal event. 

However, Google Meet still has a couple of advantages over Zoom. First, Google Meet allows up to 250 panelists instead of 100, so if you are holding a meeting with over 100 presenters, you should use Meet. You can also get live streaming as part of G Suite’s Enterprise Essentials package. Zoom, on the other hand, charges an extra fee each month for live streaming on top of its base monthly cost. Google Meet will prove cheaper than Zoom for most businesses.

In summary, Zoom is the best platform for live streaming, if you can afford it. If you are planning events that necessitate audience engagement, you should choose Zoom, regardless of cost. Otherwise, Google Meet is a suitable cheap alternative for live video streaming.

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