Google Meet

What it does

Google Meet is a video meeting service. You create a meeting, share the link or the meeting ID and guests join. Anyone with a Google Account can start a meeting and invite up to 100 participants for up to 60 minutes per meeting at no cost. Calls on mobile and one-to-one calls have no time limit.

Paid Google Workspace plans add recording, noise cancellation, larger meetings, attendance tracking and admin controls. Gemini AI features in Meet come with the Standard and Plus plans.

Why you would need it

Most small teams need a call tool that costs nothing extra and works for guests without friction. If your company already uses Google Workspace for email, calendar and files, Meet is already there, and every calendar invite can carry a Meet link.

The pain without a proper setup is paying for a second call tool, and having recordings and notes spread over several tools that nobody keeps tidy.

Where it fits

Meet is fed by your calendar and your Workspace accounts. Google Calendar adds Meet links to events, and scheduling tools such as Calendly can add Meet links to bookings. It feeds your notes and your CRM, since note takers join Meet calls, for example Fireflies.ai and Fathom.

It is part of Google Workspace next to Gmail, and it replaces a separate video tool for teams that do not need what Zoom or Teams adds.

What stands out

• A real free tier with generous limits for small meetings.
• A Meet REST API that can create meeting spaces, configure access and moderation, and automatically generate recordings or transcripts.
• Access to conference records, attendance details and smart notes, which are AI-generated summaries of key points.
• Event subscriptions through the Google Workspace Events API, so your systems hear about meeting changes.

My take

I'd pick Meet when you are on Google Workspace. You already pay for it, it is one click from the calendar and guests need no account. Add a note taker if you want transcripts and summaries.

I'd skip it as your main tool if you run large webinars or if your clients insist on Zoom or Teams. What I'd watch is the plan limits: recording and larger meetings sit on higher Workspace plans, so check which plan you really need.

Verdict

Pick it when your company is on Google Workspace and your calls are internal or small. Skip it when you need heavy webinar features or your clients expect another tool.