As a business leader – regardless of your active role – your main concern will be maintaining team engagement and culture to keep morale high and productivity bringing in the results.
Therefore, the importance of choosing the right tech and software for communication and collaboration is a necessary ‘evil’ and a lot like choosing the right toothpaste…It has to WORK but you’d rather it be a pleasant experience.
If you have ever used video conferencing, it is likely that you have been met with a choice of Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Meet or WebEx. You may have seen others but these are by far four biggest around. But which video conferencing platform is best? And what makes it better than the rest?
Video Conferencing Market Share
According to Vlinkinfo, Zoom is the most popular video conferencing platform across the world. In our experience and according to a poll ran on our LinkedIn, Microsoft Teams has a massive following in the UK, with Zoom mostly being implemented by American companies (or American parent companies). Google and WebEx (from Cisco) have a far lesser share of the market but are hot on the heels of Teams.
But first, a quick overview of each of the most popular platforms.
What is Microsoft Teams?
In short, it is Microsoft’s cloud-based unified communications tool. It is a business communications tool that allows users to share messages, video call, audio call and collaborate using a number of apps. You may already be familiar with Skype For Business, also owned by Microsoft, but this was dropped in favour of getting users to utilise Teams.
Pros:
- There is a huge number of Microsoft Teams certified devices that generally play nicely together in your boardrooms.
- Easy device management
- Seamless integration with Microsoft Office suite
- Robust security and compliance features.
- Extensive collaboration tools, including document sharing and co-authoring.
- Simple licensing
Cons:
- Does not play well with 2FA (in fact, it’s recommended to remove 2FA from Teams room devices but users still do it).
- Don’t expect support from Microsoft if you use any un-certified cable or product
- Steeper learning curve for new users
- Limited customisation options
- Some users feel the license doesn’t give them much in comparison to other vendors
What is Zoom?
Zoom, much like Teams, is a cloud-based communications tool that provides users with a number of associated products from phone calls and video calls. However, they also offer webinars, digital signage, visitor management and many more add on packages to support the full range of business communications. Zoom surged in popularity during COVID and has continued to impress users since.
Pros
- Zoom rooms have a huge number of certified hardware options.
- Zoom rooms admin portal makes room management a breeze
- Intuitive user interface and easy to use
- Wide range of features, including breakout rooms and virtual backgrounds
- Cross-platform compatibility across devices
Cons
- Can be difficult to deploy a Zoom Room without access to the admin portal
- Security and privacy concerns in the past
- There are a LOT of extra licenses
- Limited integration with other productivity tools
- Synonymous with the phrase ‘Zoom fatigue’
What is Google Meet?
Meet is Google’s Workspace collaboration platform. As long as you have a Google account, you can use Meet. You can use all of Google’s Workspace tools such as Sheets and Docs to build your content and then talk to colleagues about it via Meet all for the princely sum of zero. As long as your video call is no more than an hour anyway. For room licensing and premium features, they offer a tiered model to suit businesses of all sizes and Meet has been growing in popularity in the past few years, but still has a relatively small market share.
Pros:
- A growing number of certified hardware options
- Seamless integration with Google Workspace (formerly G Suite)
- Simple and straightforward interface
- Accessibility across devices with no additional software required
- Most people have a Google account somewhere
Cons:
- They want you to use their preferred hardware which leaves you with limited choice
- Limited features compared to competitors, such as breakout rooms and virtual backgrounds
- Less customisation options for meetings
- Far less businesses have Google Meet making it hard to communicate easily
What is Cisco WebEx?
WebEx, like the rest, is a fully integrated collaboration suite with phone, video and messaging tools. Similar to Zoom, they also offer events and webinar experiences to further support businesses with their communications. They also utilise reliable hardware from Cisco.
Pros:
- Their own hardware is typically very reliable
- Strong security
- Easy deployment and management
- Normally found in high end boardrooms, it has a high-end feel
Cons:
- Cisco hardware can be expensive
- Some users have complained about poor video quality
- WebEx design doesn’t appeal to all tastes
- Limited customisation
Why use Teams vs Zoom, WebEx or Meet?
Most businesses already run Microsoft environments and it is easy to get more licenses from the same vendor. Microsoft is considered the biggest software company used in corporate environments so it makes sense to continue purchasing for the same environment. Familiarity also helps with user adoption as users understand the comfort of the Windows environment. However, many users have become frustrated that the changes implemented by Microsoft in the Teams environment are counter-intuitive. For several months in 2023, Teams Android based devices had troubles staying connected because of the changes made by Microsoft and became one of our most popular service calls. Managing Teams room devices is easy with Azure and is a popular choice in boardrooms everywhere, just make sure that you understand how to properly implement the hardware.
Why use Zoom vs Teams, WebEx or Meet?
Zoom is a hugely popular alternative to Teams. Many users like the array of software and apps offered by Zoom including Zoom Phone, Zoom Meetings and Zoom Webinar. Whilst Zoom may have a large number of personal device users, it can also be used on almost the exact same hardware as Teams. Zoom requires an extra license to Microsoft Windows so, for some businesses, it is an expense they don’t want to incur. The Zoom admin portal does make life easy, just make sure you remember the password! Oh, and make sure you read the set up first and deploy Zoom products correctly.
Why use WebEx vs Meet, Zoom or Teams?
WebEx by Cisco is more often found in high end meeting rooms. AV engineers everywhere will understand the enjoyment of installing or dismantling a Cisco Room 70 (spoiler, DEFINITELY read the instructions first!). Again, like Zoom, WebEx has a number of complimentary services such as Webinars, Events and Meetings. So why does Cisco WebEx have a much smaller market share? It is a premium product with a premium price tag. Same reason you don’t see a line of Rolls Royce Phantoms parked at Tesco each week, they are an expensive product and, compared to the competitors, it doesn’t make sense to fork out so much for seemingly very little difference. But they work, day in day out. Cisco provide their own hardware and design their own systems so they are extremely secure and keep functioning when other products may have failed. Sure, you pay for the privilege but you would never feel short changed.
Why use Meet vs Teams, Zoom or WebEx?
Did you know that Google Workspace (the rival to Microsoft Office) actually has a 50% of the collaborative tools market share, whilst Microsoft 365 has 45%? One thing to note on these numbers is that this is PURELY the cloud based services but it is still a significant number. Certainly many educational environments are using Google over Microsoft and younger users of meeting room technologies are familiar with the Google environment. Meet is more likely to be found in businesses that have had enough of Microsoft’s changes and have gone as far down the Google route as possible. Cost is a major factor, as well as being able to collaborate easily. But it has a smaller market share making it harder for businesses to communicate outside of their workplace. Hardware choice is also a limiting factor, but this is rapidly changing as manufacturers understand the potential Google has. Expect adoption to pick up in the future and for Google’s market share to increase.
What about video conferencing platform interoperability though?
Yes it’s true, you CAN join across video conferencing platforms. You can join a Zoom meeting despite having a Teams room system for instance. It isn’t always on by default and you would need to check your specific hardware for instructions on how to implement this, and make sure that you understand that there are some restrictions.
After all of this you might be disappointed to learn something.
There isn’t one single platform that is universally better than the rest.
Choosing the right platform for your hybrid work force
In all instances, there are a number of factors to consider
- Integration with existing systems and workflows
- Security and compliance requirements
- User experience and ease of adoption
- Scalability and support for large meetings and events
- Cost and licensing considerations
However, some easy to answer questions would be:
Do you already use one that you are happy with and meets your needs? Use that one.
Do you already have a Windows Environment and love the Microsoft Experience? Consider Teams.
Do you have a high number of users who need access to live events and conferencing tools? Consider Zoom with their add on packages.
Do you want to move away from the Microsoft Environment but still need collaborative tools to deliver your business day-to-day? Consider Google Meet.
Do you only want the most reliable hardware and not worry about cost? Consider WebEx.
Are you still not sure? Consider having a chat with existing users of these tools or having a chat with us directly to talk about your options.