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Zoom vs GoToMeeting Comparison 2021

by Arthur Zuckerman

Meetings are an essential part of business operations. However, it can sometimes be difficult to organize these because of geographic limitations as well as time zone differences. Luckily, with video conferencing, participants no longer have to physically see each other to discuss business matters. All they have to do is log in to their video conferencing apps, and from there, they can communicate and collaborate without hassle. These can even work alongside collaboration software to streamline operations.

Right now, there’s a host of applications that will allow you to accomplish that, and we’ll be discussing two of them. This Zoom vs GoToMeeting comparison aims to stack each product against each other feature-for-feature. At the end of the article, you’ll only have to consider your business requirements, goals, budget, etc., to determine which one is the ideal video conferencing tool for you.

Zoom Overview

Zoom is an easy-to-use video conferencing tool and meeting software that’s ideal for conducting online training, virtual meetings, and video demonstrations. It’s also designed for teaching online courses, and hosting webinars. It caters to businesses of all sizes as well as healthcare organizations, educational institutions, and more. Zoom can host online conferences with up to 10,000 attendees who can only view the meeting and 100 people who can directly participate.

Zoom dashboard

Zoom is an easy-to-use yet powerful video conferencing tool that can accommodate a large number of participants.

GoToMeeting Overview

GoToMeeting is a straightforward and simple web conferencing platform that sports a series of international features, making it ideal for multi-location conferences. This means that it’s a good solution if you regularly hold a meeting with international colleagues and clients. It also offers seamless integration with numerous business applications, such as Accord LMS, MS Office 365, Zapier, Slack, Podio, and more.

gotomeeting dashboard

GoToMeeting is a simple meeting software that lets you streamline online collaboration and communication efforts.

Zoom vs GoToMeeting Comparison

Video Conferencing Features

Both the products offer HD audio and video. They also feature multiple video feeds and different types of webcam views like full screen, gallery view, etc. You can show up to 49 webcams at a time in Zoom and 25 in GoToMeeting. All these video conferencing features are more than enough for typical business settings.

Zoom, however, offers various unique capabilities. For example, it lets you replace green screens and similar backgrounds with a virtual background image during the meeting. You can also use its Touch Up My Appearance tool to automatically apply a softening filter in real-time. This is useful if one or more participants are conducting the meeting in place with harsh lighting.

Web Audio, Dial-In, and Calling Options

Zoom and GoToMeeting offer high-quality audio so any participant can simply use his/her device’s phone and speakers for the meeting. This means you won’t have to dial in over your phone. Both products also provide dial-in long-distance conference lines. There are Call Me and toll-free dialing features as well.

Zoom allows you to test your audio by recording a sample and playing it back before a meeting starts. It’s Call Me feature is also available as an add-on package which costs $100/month.

GoToMeeting, on the other hand, includes the Call Me feature on all plans. It’s also not tied to toll-free dialing because they’re separate features. This gives GoToMeeting the upper hand in this category, especially if you typically use your phone for meetings.

Group Chat

Each product offers chat features that are comparable in many aspects. The host can make the chat window during a meeting. Anyone then can type their questions or comments, read what others say, or share files. Both video conferencing tools also let participants send messages to each other even before or after the meeting starts. Additionally, you can invite or send messages to people that are not present in the meeting.

However, even though they’re practically similar in group chat offerings, Zoom features a bit more chat functionalities. For instance, it offers a full window dedicated to the text chat alone, complete with all the file and image sharing features. You can create groups as well. Zoom also features Breakout Rooms, where you can split your meeting into as high as 50 separate sub-meetings. You’re able to switch between the sub-sessions anytime. As you can see, Zoom’s chat feature is so robust that it’s considered a top communication software today.

Recording, Transcripts, and Storage

Recorded meetings can be useful because you can watch or listen to the conference again by streaming or downloading it. Both of the featured products offer powerful recordings, transcripts, and storage tools. However, GoToMeeting takes the cake on this one.

GoToMeeting’s mid-level plan grants you unlimited transcripts, recordings, and cloud storage. You can easily and regularly record your meetings and share them locally or through the cloud. You’re also able to share the automatic transcripts of the meeting you record or search through them if you’re looking for a particular text.

On the other hand, Zoom lets you save your meeting recordings in text, audio, and video form with .txt, .m4a, and .mp4 formats, respectively. Transcripts can be generated automatically in higher plans. Zoom also provides you with 1GB cloud storage. If you need more, you’ll have to purchase an add-on, which starts at $40/month.

Screen Sharing

Screen sharing is an essential tool for online collaboration. Bad support for this functionality could easily become a deal-breaker when it comes to video conferencing software. Fortunately, both Zoom and GoToMeeting offer rich and intuitive screen sharing options. Let’s first talk about what they both have in common.

Both apps provide the option of selecting who can share their screen—either the hosts only or every participant. You can also use the screen sharing feature on your mobile devices like Android or iOS smartphones. Furthermore, both Zoom and GoToMeeting offer mouse and keyboard screen sharing.

However, Zoom offers more advanced screen sharing options. For instance, you can select which specific portion of the screen to share. Zoom also lets you share your computer’s audio. Additionally, you can screen share in a dual monitor, simultaneously screen share with multiple people, and share documents through your mobile devices.

Annotation and Whiteboarding

Whiteboarding and annotation features can be very useful during an online presentation. Being able to highlight, point out, and comment on particular information makes the meeting more impactful and clear. As expected of top video conferencing software, both Zoom and GoToMeeting offer this function.

However, Zoom is the clear winner on this one. This is because GoToMeeting’s annotation tool is limited compared to Zoom’s. For starters, GoToMeeting only lets you highlight, point, or draw a thin line using different colors. Meanwhile, Zoom allows you to point, highlight, and spotlight an area. It also lets you create text boxes, apply formatting to texts, add different shapes, insert graphics, and a lot more. Plus, GoToMeeting’s erase tool only allows you to erase all annotations instead of a particular area.

Additionally, Zoom’s whiteboarding is useful for project planning and brainstorming during your online conferencing. It’s easily accessible too, just a few clicks, and you’re all set to use the whiteboard.

Pricing

Of the two, the more robust solution with lower pricing is Zoom but with a twist. It charges for cloud storage, extra attendees, and add-ons that you might need. The high-tiered plans have minimum host requirements as well. For instance, the business plan for Zoom costs $19.99/month. However, it requires a minimum of 10 hosts. So it actually costs at least $199.90/month. GoToMeeting does not impose such a requirement.

With that said, however, Zoom might still be the cheaper solution because of its pro plan. As long as 1GB of cloud storage is enough, and there are fewer than a hundred users. Zoom also offers a free plan for a 40-minute meeting with three or more participants.

You can check out our Zoom vs RingCentral Phone comparison to see how Zoom stacks up against another popular communication system.

Which Video Conferencing Software is Better?

This Zoom vs GoToMeeting comparison has shown why these two products are two of the most popular solutions in this category. They’re both industry leaders that can cater to your organization’s video conferencing needs. Zoom and GoToMeeting offer topnotch video and audio quality, plus their collaboration features ensure that your online meeting experience is productive and smooth. However, Zoom seems to be better in most video conferencing aspects.

With that said, if you’re an upstart or an organization that belongs to the small or mid-sized category, Zoom might be the better choice. That’s because if you only need to accommodate less than a hundred participants, then you can avail of all of Zoom’s features for a lower price. If, however, you need a larger scale of video conferencing tool to accommodate around 200 people, then GoToMeeting might be the better value choice.

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