Summary
Zoom, Google Meet and Cisco Webex are teleconferencing solutions available to the University. This article compares the different features of Zoom, Google Meet and Cisco Webex to allow for informed decisions on which application to use.
Google is providing premium licenses to all universities until September 30, 2020. This information is reflective of the premium licenses.
- Zoom is great for small and large meetings where attendees are allowed to participate if desired. See a quick look at its features below.
- Google Meet is great for smaller meetings with the Google Calendar integration.
- Google Meet Live Stream is great for larger meetings that doesn't need attendee participation. A community gathering would be a good example.
WebEx will no longer be available by May 2021. Please transition to using Zoom or Google Meet as soon as possible. If you need further assistance with that transition, please reach out to our help desk at either service.bethel.edu or by calling 651.638.6500. Troubleshooting assistance will only be available for Zoom and Google Meet going forward.
- Webex Meetings are very similar to Google Hangouts Meetings and work well for smaller meetings without specific presenters.
- Webex Events are similar to Google Hangouts Meet Live Stream except they allow for more attendee participation and do not require Bethel or google accounts.
- Webex Training work well for classes where breakout sessions, polling and screen sharing by the presenter are needed features.
| Zoom | Google Meet | Webex Meeting | Webex Events | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethel account required | Account required to create, but not to join | Account required to create, but not to join | No | No |
| Primary Usage | Meeting and Webinar | Meeting | Meeting | Presentation |
| Total attendees | Meeting = 300 Webinar = 100 and 500 depending on prior authorization *requires a special license to be enabled ahead of time - please contact the help desk for more information. | 100 250 *premium license | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| Live Stream | Yes - YouTube and Facebook | Yes *premium license 250 meeting attendees with 1,000 view-only Transcription, screen sharing and chat only enabled for presenters | ||
| Time limit | N/A | N/A | 24 hours | 24 hours |
| Record session | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Live transcription | Yes - transcription is not automatic, but can be assigned during the meeting. | Yes | No | No |
| Screen sharing | Yes | Yes - only one at a time | Yes | Presenter only |
| HIPAA compliant | No, but is fully FERPA complaint | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Breakout sessions | Yes | No | No | No |
| Chat | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Question & Answer | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Spotlight speaker | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Panelist presentation | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Polling | Yes | No | No | No |
| Mobile app support | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Call in number | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Attendee involvement | Yes | Yes | Yes |
|