Zoom’s biggest competitor, Google Meet, is now free for everyone with a Google account

Here’s a good one for those of you that are still unconvinced of the safety of Zoom for video conferencing – Google Meet is now free for anyone. Starting in early May, anyone with a Google account will be able to use the service for free, with meetings of up to 100 people that have no time limits.

Google has said that after September 30, meeting length may get restricted to 60 minutes. But still, that’s longer than some of the competition’s offerings on the free tiers.

Will the requirement to have a Google account put off those who are used to the ease of connecting with other services? Maybe, but it’s balanced out by better security controls for the host.

Google will also be adding more security-conscious features, such as dropping attendees that weren’t explicitly added to a meeting via a calendar invite into a virtual green room. So the host has to approve them to join in. You won’t be able to use a landline to call in on the free version either, which is unfortunate as it limits access to a large section of the population.

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Image: Google

Still, things like simple scheduling, screen sharing, and adaptable layouts are definitely cool, and then there’s Google’s standout feature – real-time captioning. Google is also integrating Meet into Gmail, for both personal and G Suite accounts.

So if you’ve been looking for a worthy Zoom alternative, this is your best choice. I mean, hey, it’s free. You can’t complain about that.

Do you plan on dropping Zoom for Google Meet? Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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Editors’ Recommendations:

• Facebook is releasing a Zoom-alternative called Messenger Rooms – here’s how it works
• If you’ve been sharing nudes on Zoom, just know it’s using AI to watch you
• Google Meet just got a much-needed Zoom-like upgrade – here’s what is new
• Hackers are selling over 500,000 Zoom passwords, so switch to Discord already

Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere. His hobbies include photography, animation, and hoarding Reddit gold.