Zoom Review: The Video Meeting Standard
Zoom became a household name during the pandemic, growing from 10 million daily participants in December 2019 to 300 million by April 2020. That explosive growth made "Zoom" a verb—and put enormous pressure on the platform to deliver.
Now that the dust has settled, how does Zoom stack up against Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and other video platforms? We use Zoom for 50+ meetings weekly, and this review shares our honest assessment.
The Verdict: Zoom
Zoom set the standard for video conferencing with reliable quality and ease of use. It's evolved into a complete collaboration platform.
Pros
- Excellent video and audio quality
- Very easy to use
- Robust webinar and event features
Cons
- Security concerns in the past
- Can get expensive for large teams
- Zoom fatigue is real
Why Zoom Won the Video Wars
Zoom succeeded where others struggled by focusing relentlessly on reliability and ease of use. Joining a Zoom meeting requires one click—no downloads, no account creation, no friction. The video and audio quality "just works," even on unreliable connections.
Product Suite
- Zoom Meetings: Core video conferencing for teams and 1:1s.
- Zoom Webinars: Broadcast to up to 50,000 attendees.
- Zoom Events: Multi-session virtual events with registration.
- Zoom Phone: Cloud phone system replacing traditional PBX.
- Zoom Rooms: Conference room solutions with dedicated hardware.
- Zoom Team Chat: Persistent messaging (competing with Slack).
- Zoom Whiteboard: Collaborative digital whiteboard.
Key Meeting Features
- HD Video: Up to 1080p video (720p on free plan).
- Virtual Backgrounds: Hide your messy room or add some fun.
- Breakout Rooms: Split large meetings into smaller discussion groups.
- Recording: Local or cloud recording with transcripts.
- Screen Sharing: Share your screen, specific apps, or a whiteboard.
- Waiting Room: Control who enters your meeting.
- Polls & Q&A: Engage participants with interactive elements.
- Live Transcription: Real-time captions powered by AI.
Pricing Plans
- Basic (Free): 40-minute limit on group meetings, 100 participants.
- Pro ($15.99/user/month): 30-hour meetings, 100 participants, 5GB cloud recording.
- Business ($21.99/user/month): 300 participants, SSO, managed domains, company branding.
- Business Plus ($26.99/user/month): Phone included, 10GB cloud recording.
- Enterprise (Custom): 1,000 participants, unlimited cloud storage, dedicated support.
Zoom vs Google Meet
| Feature | Zoom | Google Meet |
|---|---|---|
| Free Meeting Length | 40 minutes | 60 minutes |
| Max Participants (Free) | 100 | 100 |
| Breakout Rooms | Yes (all plans) | Paid only |
| Recording | Local & Cloud | Cloud (paid) |
| Virtual Backgrounds | Excellent | Good |
| Calendar Integration | All calendars | Best with Google |
Security Improvements
Zoom faced significant security scrutiny in 2020 ("Zoombombing," encryption concerns). They've responded with substantial improvements:
- End-to-end encryption for all users
- Waiting rooms enabled by default
- Password requirements for meetings
- Host controls to remove participants and lock meetings
- SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, and GDPR compliance
Considerations
- Zoom Fatigue: Back-to-back video calls are exhausting. Use audio-only or async alternatives when possible.
- Feature Overlap: Zoom Team Chat competes with Slack; Zoom Docs competes with Google Docs. Do you need another ecosystem?
- Free Plan Limits: 40-minute cap pushes you toward paid plans for real work.
Final Verdict
Zoom remains the gold standard for video conferencing. The reliability, ease of use, and feature depth are unmatched. Google Meet is a solid free alternative, and Microsoft Teams makes sense for M365 shops, but Zoom is still the safest choice for mission-critical meetings.
Our recommendation: Default choice for video meetings and webinars. Consider alternatives if you want a more integrated workspace (Google or Microsoft) or to reduce subscription costs.