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Microsoft Groups and Zoom are two of the highest video conferencing instruments we’ve right now.
They assist organizations talk and collaborate from wherever at any time, making certain a seamless, uninterrupted workflow.
And as firms hold transitioning into hybrid or distant work, it’s solely pure that the demand for instruments like Microsoft Groups and Zoom continues to develop.
However which app is greatest for your enterprise?
On this article, we’ll evaluate Microsoft Groups vs Zoom by discussing their options, advantages, drawbacks, and pricing plans that can assist you select the precise one.
Desk of Contents
Let’s dive proper in!
Microsoft Groups vs Zoom: An in depth comparability
Microsoft Groups and Zoom have many related options, however they’ve some outstanding variations too.
Earlier than we dive into the variations, let’s try what these apps do:
What’s Microsoft Groups?
Microsoft Groups is a unified communications platform that mixes chats, voice calls, digital conferences, Workplace 365 instruments, file sharing, and so on., to create a shared workspace. Its cellular app permits customers to entry Groups and work from wherever.
Listed below are some key options of Microsoft Groups:
- Limitless group video calls with a time restrict of 60 minutes per session.
- Permits 100 assembly individuals per session.
- Simple file sharing by way of Microsoft apps akin to SharePoint, Workplace 365, and so on
- Entry to cloud storage.
- Personalized digital backgrounds and whiteboards for video calls.
- Out there on Android, iOS, Home windows, Mac, and Linux gadgets.
Try our step-by-step information on how you can use Microsoft Groups.
What’s Zoom?
Zoom is a cloud-based, dependable video conferencing instrument that lets arrange digital conferences, webinars, audio calls, and so on. It affords a easy person interface that anybody can simply navigate and use. It’s a well-liked collaboration instrument for workspaces in addition to non-public customers.
Listed below are some essential options of Zoom:
- Limitless group video requires 40-minutes per session.
- As much as 100 attendees per on-line assembly.
- Limitless 1:1 conferences with a 30-hour time restrict per session.
- Simple file sharing with third-party instruments like Dropbox, Google Drive, and so on.
- Entry to cloud storage.
- Helps Android, iOS, Home windows, Mac, and Linux working programs.
Learn to use Zoom with our easy step-by-step information.
Now that you realize what these instruments are, let’s dive into Groups vs Zoom:
1. Video high quality
Each apps intention to supply good video high quality for clean, uninterrupted conferences.
A. Microsoft Groups
Microsoft Groups gives an AI-based video optimization that robotically adjusts the video high quality to the person’s community high quality. It additionally affords full HD 1080p assist and bandwidth constraints for high-quality video viewing.
B. Zoom
Zoom makes use of 720p by default for its video chat.
However when you have a Zoom Enterprise or Zoom Enterprise plan, you may change the default 720p to 1080p for higher video high quality.
Zoom additionally affords digital background, video filters, and so on., for a enjoyable digital assembly.
Fast recap
MS Groups gives high-quality 1080p for many codecs apart from its stay occasions, whereas Zoom delivers the identical high quality solely in Zoom Enterprise and Zoom Enterprise plans.
2. Chat programs
A strong characteristic is important to make sure simpler file sharing and collaboration between its customers.
Right here’s a take a look at their chat capabilities:
A. Microsoft Groups
Groups affords a spread of chat functionalities, akin to:
- Particular person chats: For one-on-one messages.
- Group chat: In the event you want to chat with your loved ones or pals, first search and add them to a bunch. After naming your group, you can begin messaging immediately.
- Chat in a channel: In knowledgeable setting, you need to use channels to work together along with your crew. Right here you can begin conversations utilizing the ‘publish’ tab. Your crew members can reply beneath the actual publish, which is able to start a threaded dialog.
- Chat in a gathering: You can too chat in real-time throughout a stay assembly. This fashion, you may add essential assembly notes, share hyperlinks to docs, have conversations, and way more.
B. Zoom
Throughout a Zoom assembly, you may ship messages to all individuals like a bunch chat or choose people.
The chat characteristic permits you to share recordsdata, notice the assembly minutes, and so on. You can too ship non-public messages to people throughout a bunch video. Moreover, Zoom permits its hosts to regulate the chat operate by disabling all the chat or non-public chat throughout group conferences.
Nonetheless, the chat characteristic in Zoom is simply accessible throughout a video name. In the event you want to chat along with your crew exterior of a gathering, you’ll have to make use of one other Zoom platform known as Zoom Chat.
Fast recap
Microsoft Groups affords extra options like entry to chats out of conferences, particular person chats, chats inside a channel, and so on. inside the instrument.
In the meantime, Zoom customers have to make use of a distinct collaboration platform known as Zoom Chat to attach and ship messages to people, channels, and teams when not on Zoom calls.
3. Participant limits
It’s essential to know what number of individuals a video conferencing app will allow you to add. That’ll enable you to select an acceptable app in response to your group’s measurement.
A. Microsoft Groups
A free model of the Microsoft Groups account permits you to create a bunch of 100 individuals. You can too add extra individuals with:
- Its primary paid plan that helps a session of 300 attendees.
- A Microsoft Workplace account that permits you to add 20,000 listen-only individuals.
- Dwell occasions that assist 10,000 individuals.
B. Zoom
The free Zoom plan helps 100 attendees per 40-minute group assembly.
In the meantime, you may add a most of 500 individuals with its Zoom Enterprise paid plan. If in case you have a bigger enterprise, you may at all times enhance the assembly individuals by buying an add-on.
Fast recap
Zoom helps 1000 attendees with its addon, whereas MS Groups customers can solely add 300 individuals per session.
4. Person interface
Person interface refers to how effectively you need to use an utility or software program.
Right here’s an in depth comparability of the person interfaces of each apps:
A. Microsoft Groups
In MS Groups, customers must navigate throughout a stream of options akin to totally different channels, groups, the Microsoft Workplace ecosystem, and so on. So, it might take them a while to turn out to be conversant in the app and its limitless collaboration options.
However on the plus aspect, it opens up a complete new world of collaboration amongst your staff that’ll assist run your digital workplace seamlessly.
B. Zoom
Zoom’s person interface is understood for its simplicity and ease of use. It embeds all its extra options within the settings, leaving the house display screen with simply the important options.
The house display screen additionally makes use of a visible hierarchy in coloration, measurement, and place, serving to customers simply discover what they want. This fashion, even individuals with the slightest technical data can begin utilizing Zoom instantly.
Fast recap
In its quest to supply its customers with a complete collaboration expertise, Groups needed to sacrifice a bit on ease of use. However, Zoom affords a simple, intuitive, and clear interface.
5. Room programs
A well-configured room system enhances your group’s collaboration by offering top-notch audio conferencing, video conferences, and productiveness options.
So, let’s try how effectively the room programs of MS Groups and Zoom fare:
A. Microsoft Groups
In Microsoft Groups, you may each enter a room or create one simply with only a few clicks. You can too add a channel for every of your group’s departments, giving them an area of their very own to work individually and host unique group conferences.
Groups allows you to add round 300 individuals (paid account) for one session, and you may broadcast it to 10,000 individuals at a time.
You can too schedule particular person or group conferences on the calendar or maintain one at a second’s discover. All of your assembly recordings shall be uploaded to your Onedrive or SharePoint account, and its hyperlinks will get added to the chat.
It additionally gives extra options like whiteboards, display screen sharing, stay occasions, stay captions in 28 languages, webinars, and so on.
Microsoft Groups lets you’ve gotten just one assembly organizer for a room or video convention. Because of this nobody else can management the Microsoft Groups rooms of their absence. The host may take part in a person breakout room and see their chat historical past.
B. Zoom
Just like Groups, you may assign a Zoom room to every digital crew in your group. Customers should wait in a ready room till they’re assigned a breakout room.
You possibly can schedule conferences in Zoom by integrating the instrument with default calendars like Google Calendar and Microsoft Outlook. Hosts can report the Zoom assembly, and these assembly recordings shall be saved both in Zoom portals or in your PC.
All Zoom invites will both have a hyperlink or a Zoom assembly ID and password that you need to use to affix a gathering. You can too be part of with the telephone quantity given within the invite hyperlink.
Zoom additionally allows you to assign hosts and co-hosts, making it simpler to facilitate group conferences. Moreover, Zoom certifies each integrators and {hardware} suppliers to supply a high quality Zoom room expertise.
With Zoom, you may as well share screens, conduct webinars, use whiteboards, and stay captions.
Fast recap
Microsoft Groups and Zoom share similarities of their room programs like breakout room, whiteboard, display screen sharing, webinars, and so on.
Nonetheless, Zoom gives extra options akin to a number of hosts, safe login, licensed integrators, and {hardware} to make sure a high quality person expertise.
6. Integrations
Integrations throughout varied functions enable you to carry your data collectively and centralize your work. Additionally they allow you to incorporate totally different collaboration instruments, enhancing your productiveness.
Let’s evaluate integrations in Groups and Zoom:
A. Microsoft Groups
Groups affords integrations with the desktop variations of Microsoft Phrase, Excel, PowerPoint, and different Microsoft Workplace instruments akin to Microsoft SharePoint, OneDrive, Microsoft Stream, Skype, and so on. The fundamental Microsoft Workplace integrations can be found without spending a dime customers as effectively.
Groups additionally combine with non-Microsoft instruments akin to:
- Adobe Inventive Cloud.
- Mail Clark.
- Zapier.
- ClickUp.
- GitHub.
- Google instruments (Google Meet, Google Drive, Google Workspace, and so on.)
B. Zoom
Zoom affords 1000+ integrations within the Zoom Apps Market, out there to free and paid customers.
A few of the integrations Zoom affords embrace:
Fast recap
Groups is a perfect choice for those who use the Microsoft Workplace ecosystem because it gives tons of collaboration options with its personal apps. Nonetheless, Zoom nonetheless affords extra integrations than Microsoft Groups.
7. Safety
As your work shifts on-line, it’s essential to make sure that your whole organizations’ delicate data and information are well-protected.
Right here’s how Microsoft Groups and Zoom defend their customers’ information:
A. Microsoft Groups
Microsoft Groups assures you a safe collaboration platform constructed on Microsoft 365’s enterprise grade cloud. For added security measures, you may at all times take the assistance of third-party cloud safety instruments.
It additionally affords crew and organization-wide two issue authentication, information encryption, and single sign-on by Energetic Listing. Moreover, Microsoft Groups gives superior risk safety (ATP) for Groups and content material shared throughout all built-in apps.
For instance, if a file you acquired is malicious, ATP helps you detect if it’s malicious and blocks customers’ entry to this content material.
B. Zoom
After a number of safety scares up to now, Zoom has diligently labored on its safety – aiming to supply the perfect for its customers.
It encrypts all voice calls, video chat, and display screen sharing with a 256-bit Superior Encryption Normal. You can too select to activate finish to finish encryption for every video assembly. This assures that no third occasion, together with Zoom, can entry your periods.
Your chats in Zoom are additionally subjected to Superior Chat Encryption in order that solely the meant recipient receives the message.
Fast recap
Zoom continues to boost its security measures, whereas Microsoft has already established itself as a dependable, safe platform.
8. Pricing
Let’s take a look at the pricing plans of those service suppliers:
A. Microsoft Groups
Microsoft Groups affords a free model with restricted options, and its paid plans embrace each private in addition to enterprise plans.
The private plans for a single person are priced at $6.99 and at $9.99 for six individuals.
Whereas Groups enterprise plans are as follows:
Free Plan:
- 60-minute video name periods.
- Helps 100 members per session.
- Chat and collaboration for 500k members.
- And extra.
Microsoft 365 Enterprise Primary ($6 person/month)
- Conferences of 300 attendees
- Net and cellular variations of Workplace apps
- Cloud storage of 1TB
- And extra.
Microsoft 365 Enterprise Normal ($12.50 person/month)
- Webinars.
- Premium desktop variations of Workplace 365.
- Attendee registration and reporting instruments.
- And extra.
Microsoft 365 Premium ($22 person/ month)
- Superior safety.
- Cyber risk safety.
- Superior machine administration choices
- And extra.
Microsoft Groups additionally affords a 30-day free trial.
B. Zoom
Zoom affords the next pricing plans:
Free plan:
- Limitless 1:1 calls.
- 100 individuals per assembly.
- 40-minute group conferences.
- And extra.
Zoom Professional ($12.49 person/month)
- Limitless whiteboards.
- 30-hour group conferences.
- Giant Assembly add-on allows you to add 1000 members for $50 a month.
- And extra.
Zoom Enterprise ($18.32 person/month)
- 300 individuals per session.
- Managed domains
- Firm branding.
- And extra.
Zoom Enterprise (Contact gross sales)
- All options of Enterprise and Professional plans
- Helps 1000 individuals.
- And extra.
Fast recap
Microsoft Groups’ paid plans begin as little as $6/month, providing primary options which might be an enormous assist for small companies. It additionally gives a 30-day free trial for its paid plans.
However, Zoom’s paid plans are barely costly, ranging from $12.49. However it affords attention-grabbing options like add-ons so as to add extra individuals. It additionally gives a vast free plan with primary options.
Closing verdict
Each Microsoft Groups and Zoom have their strengths and weaknesses.
Microsoft Groups could be the best choice for individuals already utilizing Workplace 365 and small companies on the lookout for a less expensive premium plan.
In the meantime, Zoom affords a user-friendly interface, extra integrations, and a better participant restrict.
And whereas each operate as standalone apps, you may as well combine them with different apps for optimum performance. You should utilize Groups for inner communication whereas utilizing Zoom for exterior conferences with purchasers.
In the end, the perfect video conferencing app is the one which meets your small business wants. So use our detailed comparability of Microsoft Groups vs Zoom to make the precise alternative on your firm!
