Google Meet was released in 2017 and was merged with Google Hangouts and Google Duo later. The idea behind its development was to create a seamless, user-friendly video conferencing solution for enterprises. It had since expanded its scope to non-enterprise users in 2020 when virtual meetings became a necessity for work as well as daily life. The service experienced massive growth during the global shift to remote work, making it a core communication service for countless businesses, schools, and individuals.
Image source: Google.com
Today, Google Meet is a widely popular video conferencing tool that is deeply integrated with other Google Workspace apps. There are separate plans for organizations and individuals and details are scattered across different pages. To help you unpack it all, here's a quick guide to Google Meet’s pricing, plans, and features.
Overview of Google Meet plans and pricing
Google offers a tiered pricing structure that includes a free version, a paid plan for individuals, and four paid plans designed for businesses. The paid plans for individuals are part of the Google One plans while the business plans are part of the broader Google Workspace (formerly G suite) suite. In other words, you can't simply pay for Google Meet alone. It either comes with other personal tools or enterprise collaboration features.
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The available plans available for businesses include:
Free Plan: $0. For individual users and teams with basic needs.
Business Starter: $7 per user/month. An entry-level plan for small businesses.
Business Standard: $14 per user/month. The most popular option for growing teams.
Business Plus: $22 per user/month. For larger organizations requiring advanced features.
Enterprise: A customizable plan for large-scale corporate needs.
The primary differences between plans involve meeting duration, participant limits, and access to advanced features such as meeting recording, breakout rooms, and enhanced security, with higher-tier plans including extra features for enhanced functionality.
Google Meet for individuals
The free plan
Anyone with a Google account can use Google Meet for free, which provides a solid set of basic features.
Key Features:
Video meetings with up to 100 participants.
A 60-minute time limit for group meetings. No limit for one-on-one meetings and mobile calls.
Invite guests with a link and participants can join meetings without signing up or signing in.
Standard functionalities like screen sharing, adjustable layouts, filters, and virtual backgrounds.
Live captions and in-call messaging.
Seamless integration with Google Calendar for scheduling.
Unlimited meetings
Recommended For: Google Meet's free plan is sufficient for individuals, freelancers, and small teams who conduct infrequent, short meetings and do not require business-grade administrative features.
Google One plans for individual users
Individual users also have the option to upgrade to a Google One plan. Only the Premium plan and above unlocks more features for Google Meet.
Price:
Premium: $13.99/month
Google AI Pro: $28.99/month
Google AI Ultra: $359.98/month
Image source: google.com
Key Features:
Longer video calls of up to 24 hours
Live stream on YouTube
Video call recording
Benefits for other Google products such as more cloud storage and better support
Image source: google.com
Google Meet pricing for personal use can actually exceed that of business pricing, which actually has a lower starting price on a per-user basis. We'll take a look at the business plans next.
Google Meet for business: Pricing and features of paid plans
The paid plans for businesses offer substantially more features and benefits compared to the free plan because you get the whole Google Workspace suite, not just Google Meet. This means you get access to a whole host of productivity features like Google Chat, Google Docs, Google Drive, the Gemini app, NotebookLM, and more. Users also get a custom business email and security and management control.
We also examined pricing for Google Workspace by country, which you can read more here. The pricing and plan breakdown below are based on the US.
Business Starter plan details
This is the entry-level paid plan for business, offering a substantial upgrade from the free plan while remaining highly affordable. There are some AI features that come with the plan but AI tools for meetings are not available. However, the basic NotebookLM features are available, which allows you to generate interactive Audio Overviews with two AI hosts for up to 3 times per day.
Price: $7/user per month
Meeting Participants: Up to 100
Meeting Duration: Up to 24 hours
Cloud storage: 30 GB pooled storage per user
AI Features: Gemini AI assistant for Gmail and the Gemini AI app.
Recommended For: Small businesses and startups that require professional email and longer meeting durations at an affordable price point.
Business Standard plan details
The Business Standard plan includes all features from the Starter plan and adds key functionalities, like higher participant limits and AI assistants, for growing businesses.
Price: $14 per user per month
Meeting Participants: Up to 150
Meeting Duration: Up to 24 hours
Meeting Recording: Meetings can be saved directly to Google Drive for archival or distribution, with the ability to generate notes and facilitate note taking during meetings.
Breakout Rooms: Facilitate smaller group discussions within a larger meeting.
Noise Cancellation: Includes advanced AI-powered noise reduction, adaptive audio, and studio sound noise cancellation for enhanced audio clarity.
Polling and Q&A: Increase audience engagement during meetings.
Cloud Storage: The pooled storage allotment increases to 2 TB/user.
AI Features: Gemini AI assistant for Gmail, Docs, Meet, and more as well as an AI research assistant.
Recommended For: Small to medium-sized businesses that need to record meetings, use interactive features, and require more cloud storage.
Business Plus plan details
The Business Standard plan includes all features from the Standard plan. It offers even higher participant limits, more AI features, and attendance tracking.
Price: $22 per user per month
Meeting Participants: Up to 500
Meeting Duration: Up to 24 hours
Attendance Tracking: Automatically generate reports of meeting attendees.
Enhanced Security: Access to Google Vault for eDiscovery, data retention, and archiving, plus encryption of audio streams to protect sensitive information and ensure regulatory compliance.
Advanced Endpoint Management: Greater control over the devices accessing corporate data, including an AI-powered assistant to help with meeting management and boost productivity.
Cloud Storage: Pooled storage increases to 5 TB/user.
AI Features: Same as the Standard plan.
Recommended For: Larger businesses or organizations in regulated sectors (e.g., finance, legal) that require robust security, compliance, and administrative controls.
Enterprise plan details
This plan offers a customized solution that includes all Business Plus features and more security and compliance features as well as enhanced support for large-scale organizations.
Price: Custom pricing; requires consultation with Google’s sales team.
Meeting Participants: Up to 1,000
Meeting Duration: Up to 24 hours
In-domain Live Streaming: The ability to broadcast meetings to up to 100,000 viewers within the organization.
Cloud Storage: Pooled storage of 5 TB per user (same as Business Plus)
Advanced Security and Analytics: The highest level of data protection, transparency reporting, and analytics.
Premium Support: Access to a dedicated support team for expedited issue resolution, allowing organizations to receive dedicated assistance and support.
AI Features: Same as the Standard plan.
Recommended For: Large enterprises, educational institutions, and government agencies with extensive and complex operational requirements. For large-scale deployments, there is also the option to buy video conferencing hardware directly from trusted vendors to ensure compatibility and reliability.
How to choose the right Google Meet plan
To select the most appropriate plan, consider the following questions:
What is the size of your team? If you regularly host meetings with over 100 participants, you will need the Business Standard plan or higher.
What is the typical length of your meetings? If meetings frequently exceed 60 minutes, a paid plan is necessary.
Is meeting recording a requirement? If so, your starting point is the Business Standard plan.
How critical are security and compliance? For businesses that handle sensitive information, the features in the Business Plus or Enterprise plans are essential.
What is your budget? Google’s per-user pricing can quickly add up. It is often practical to start with the plan that meets your current needs and upgrade as your organization grows.
Limitations of Google Meet
While Google Meet is a powerful video conferencing software, it’s important to understand the limitations of each plan to choose the right one.
Free plan limitations
The free version of Google Meet is quite functional for casual use but comes with significant restrictions for professional settings. The most notable constraint is the 60-minute time limit on group meetings, which can disrupt longer discussions. Additionally, free users lack the ability to record meetings, track attendance, or use interactive tools like breakout rooms and polls.
Business plan limitations
Even the paid Google Meet plans have certain caps and feature gates that may require you to upgrade sooner than expected.
Participant Caps: The Business Starter plan is still capped at 100 participants, the same as the free plan. The Business Standard plan is limited to 150 participants, which may not be enough for larger webinars or all-hands meetings.
Feature Gating: Critical tools like meeting recording and breakout rooms are only available from the Business Standard plan upwards. Similarly, attendance tracking is reserved for the Business Plus plan or higher.
Limitations across all plans
Bundled with Google Workspace/One: Google Meet cannot be purchased as a standalone product. Accessing its advanced features requires a subscription to the entire Google Workspace suite or Google One, which may include features you don't need.
Reliance on Google Ecosystem: The platform works best when deeply integrated with other Google services like Calendar and Drive. This can pose a challenge for organizations not already committed to the Google ecosystem.
Jump to Enterprise: For hosting more than 500 participants or needing features like in-domain live streaming, organizations must move to the custom-priced Enterprise plan, which represents a significant jump in cost and complexity.
A better all-in-one alternative to Google Meet
While Google Workspace offers a suite of powerful tools, it isn't a truly integrated platform. At its core, it remains heavily reliant on email to connect its different parts, which slows down collaboration. This often forces teams to adopt third-party apps like Slack for real-time, chat-based communication, adding another layer of complexity and cost. It also means Google Meet costs more than its sticker price when third party costs are taken into consideration.
Lark provides a fundamentally different, more streamlined approach. Like Google Workspace, Lark includes all the essential business tools your team needs—such as Docs, Sheets, Calendar, and Meetings—but it unifies them into a single, cohesive ecosystem. It also goes a step further by including a powerful project management tool, Lark Base, eliminating the need for another separate subscription.
The difference is most apparent in how collaboration happens. In Lark, everything is built around a central chat-based interface.
Seamless Meeting Experience: Booking a meeting is done instantly through a chat conversation or the calendar without ever needing to send a traditional email invite. Lark Meetings are deeply integrated with Docs, allowing you to go beyond screen sharing and share a live document in the call. This means all participants can scroll, interact, and edit the document together in real-time without leaving the video call window, creating a truly collaborative space.
Superior Value and Features: When comparing plans, the value proposition becomes even clearer. Lark's Pro plan costs only $12/user per month, while Google′s comparable Business Standard plan is $14/user per month. For that lower price, Lark offers significantly more:
Higher Storage: 15 TB of pooled storage compared to Google's 2 TB.
Larger Meetings: A 500-participant limit right out of the box (vs. Google's 150), with the option to upgrade to 10,000 for webinars.
Smarter Meetings with Lark Minutes: Every Lark meeting comes with a powerful AI meeting assistant designed to make your meetings more productive. Its key features include:
AI Notes & Summaries: Automatically generates summaries of key discussion points and action items, so you can quickly catch up if you're in a hurry.
Real-time Transcription & Speaker ID: Provides an accurate, real-time transcript of the entire conversation, identifying who said what.
One-Click Translation: Instantly translate the entire meeting transcript into multiple languages, breaking down barriers for global teams.
Smart Chapters: The AI intelligently divides the meeting recording into chapters based on the topics discussed, making it easy to navigate to specific points in the conversation and uncover meeting insights quickly.
Frequently asked questions
What can I do with the AI for Google Meet?
It can provide AI-generated summaries of your video calls and automatically create meeting notes, which can be sent to your Gmail. These features provide valuable meeting insights and allow you to focus on the discussion. The AI can also translate captions to break down communication barriers.
Can I use Google Meet for free?
Yes, you can use it for free if you have a Google account. However, Google Meet features are limited compared to the paid plans, and are only sufficient for personal use.
What is Google Meet API pricing like?
Google Meet API can be used for free, without any additional costs. Even if the quota request limits are exceeded, you won't be charged.
What are some alternatives to Google Meet?
Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Lark all offer video conferencing software and are very compelling alternatives. Microsoft Teams paid plans start at $4 per user per month. Zoom pricing plans start at $13.33 per user per month. Lark's paid plans which start at $12 per user per month and come with a full suite of collaboration features, including powerful AI tools, project management, advanced meeting functions, and more.
For a more detailed breakdown of Google Meet vs Zoom pricing, click here.
Final thoughts
Ultimately, Google Meet stands as a powerful and reliable choice for video conferencing, trusted by millions of users worldwide. Its seamless Google Calendar integration makes scheduling and joining meetings incredibly convenient, making it a go-to choice for many individuals and businesses already embedded in the Google ecosystem.
For a more seamless collaboration experience that isn't dependent on endless back and forth emails, Lark offers a compelling alternative. From scheduling meetings and presenting documents to generating minutes and translating captions, everything can be done on a single platform with Lark.
