Google Meet

Avantages

Integration with your Google account, you can generate your virtual meeting from your email, from your calendar, etc.
Screen sharing allows you to improve your presentation

Inconvénients

It lacks some features, like being able to make notes about what you are presenting ... and the option of being able to record the meeting or part of the meeting.

Avantages

As a teacher, I used Google Meet during our distance learning. It was easy for my 5th grade students to understand, and they were able to use it without any problems. I also enjoyed that I could link it with my Google Calendar and my students would receive the invite that I shared. I absolutely loved that there was no time limit on it, unlike other online video meeting software.

Video was clear, and I was able to mute students who had distracting background sounds. Both students and I were able to share our screens with the group when we needed to explain something that was on our computers.

Inconvénients

I would have loved it if there was a waiting room for the students, so that I could admit them when I was ready. I would also like if there was a background feature so that both I, and my students, could have a background that was less distracting than our rooms.

Avantages

I need to stay connected with my employees in store and business partner when I am working remotely from my home or hotel. Google Hangouts Meet software enables me to be in touch. So I can discuss any content changes on my e-commerce website, new order processing or answer any customer questions or complaints with products purchased. My favorite features include screen sharing and setting-up a new meeting using Google's calendar which is integrated into my Gmail account. Because I can share my computer screen to show to my employees specific product pages on website which need to be updated. And, quickly set-up a call with my business partner for quarterly review of our business profits and losses.

Inconvénients

I struggle with two specific features of Google Hangouts Meet when using them to connect and collaborate. First, the share screen feature. It doesn't work until I double-click in step 2. In step 1, I click 'screen share' and then I have to complete step 2. Second, after the video conference starts, I hear participant's voice echo. Or, screen multiplying. So, I have to ask the participant to mute. Or, I have to ask the participant to click join Hangout once and then screen share or disconnect and join the hangout call again. These two challenges with Google Hangouts Meet cause confusion and reduce productivity of calls.

Avantages

Hangouts Meet is already available from within Gmail. It's simple to add to a meeting invitation from Gcal or to launch for impromptu meetings from the G-Suite launchpad.

Inconvénients

Many large organizations have firewall settings that block this tool. Also, Google definitely is no longer a privacy advocate, so be aware that your call.video is stored on one of their servers for their purposes. Finally, while this is all browser-based on Macs/PCs, it is a resource hog, but not as bad as Webex.

Avantages

This tool is built seamlessly into the Google Suite, so if your organization is a GSuite organization or if you are a Gmail user, you have access to this, free of charge, and it works very well. The controls are quite straightforward. The tool is not very feature rich, but whatever it does, it does well.
The integration with Gmail came a little late, and was largely in response to Covid19, and before this the tool was only meant for enterprise users.

Inconvénients

Google's messaging and meeting platform is full of confusion. The fact that I started out thinking I was writing a review for Google Hangouts and then I ended up on the Google Meet review page is a good summary of this bungled world of messaging. Google is not a reliable company when it comes to communication. They have gone back and forth on Hangouts, Meet, Messenger, Wave, Plus, Duo, Allo... you name it, they have it, and nothing has really lasted forever. Google Meet works for now, but who knows where it will be in a year!