Zoom Breakout Rooms vs. Google Meet Breakout Rooms: A Comprehensive Online Comparison

Last Updated Mar 14, 2025

Zoom breakout rooms offer seamless, easy-to-manage group interactions with intuitive controls ideal for online pet training sessions, enhancing engagement through customizable participant distribution. Google Meet breakout rooms integrate smoothly with Google Workspace, providing reliable collaboration tools and real-time document sharing, but have more limited participant management features compared to Zoom. Choosing between Zoom and Google Meet breakout rooms depends on the specific needs for interactive pet training, with Zoom excelling in versatility and Google Meet focusing on integrated productivity.

Table of Comparison

Feature Zoom Breakout Rooms Google Meet Breakout Rooms
Maximum Participants per Room Up to 200 Up to 100
Number of Breakout Rooms Up to 50 rooms per meeting Up to 100 rooms per meeting
Room Assignment Manual, Automatic, or Pre-assign via CSV Manual only
Room Duration Control Timer with automatic closing option Manual close only
Host Controls Move participants freely between rooms Limited participant movement
Participant Engagement Chat and video within rooms; Return to main session anytime Chat and video; Optional return to main session
Session Recording Record main session only No breakout room recording
Accessibility Available on desktop, mobile, and web Available on desktop and mobile; limited web features
Pricing Included in Pro and above plans Included in Google Workspace Business Standard and above

Introduction to Breakout Rooms in Online Education

Zoom breakout rooms offer educators dynamic group interaction by allowing seamless division of large classes into smaller, manageable sessions, enhancing student engagement and collaboration. Google Meet breakout rooms provide a straightforward, integrated solution within Google Workspace, enabling quick creation and management of smaller discussions directly within video meetings. Both platforms support the essential need for interactive, focused learning experiences in online education environments.

Key Features of Zoom Breakout Rooms

Zoom breakout rooms offer advanced customization with options to manually assign participants, automatically divide them, or let attendees choose rooms, enhancing meeting flexibility. Features like pre-assigning breakout rooms before the meeting and allowing hosts to broadcast messages to all rooms improve seamless communication and organization. The ability for participants to move between rooms with host permission and integration with Zoom's extensive collaboration tools distinguishes Zoom breakout rooms from Google Meet's simpler implementation.

Key Features of Google Meet Breakout Rooms

Google Meet breakout rooms offer seamless integration with Google Workspace, allowing hosts to create up to 100 breakout rooms with participant assignments either manually or randomly. Features include room timers with automatic rejoining, easy navigation between main and breakout sessions, and enhanced moderation tools for effective management. Real-time collaboration is supported through Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides integration directly within breakout rooms for efficient teamwork during meetings.

Ease of Setup and Accessibility

Zoom breakout rooms offer intuitive, user-friendly setup with customizable options accessible via desktop and mobile apps, making it straightforward for hosts to manage multiple sessions seamlessly. Google Meet breakout rooms integrate directly within the main meeting interface, providing quick access but with slightly fewer configuration features and requiring a Google Workspace subscription for advanced control. Both platforms support real-time participant movement between rooms, yet Zoom's advanced moderation tools enhance ease of use and accessibility for large-scale online events.

Participant Management and Control

Zoom breakout rooms offer advanced participant management features, including the ability to pre-assign participants, manually move attendees between rooms, and broadcast messages to all rooms simultaneously. Google Meet breakout rooms provide basic controls such as creating and assigning participants during the meeting but lack granular management options like individual room notifications or participant movement once assigned. Zoom's robust controls cater to facilitators needing dynamic interaction and real-time adjustments, while Google Meet suits simpler breakout scenarios with straightforward participant grouping.

Customization and Flexibility Options

Zoom breakout rooms offer extensive customization, allowing hosts to pre-assign participants, set time limits, and enable multiple moderators with varying permissions for seamless session control. Google Meet breakout rooms provide basic flexibility, allowing manual or automatic participant splitting but lack pre-assignment and advanced moderator controls, limiting tailored session management. Zoom's richer customization tools improve interactive online collaboration, whereas Google Meet favors simplicity and ease of use for quick, straightforward group discussions.

Integration with Other Educational Tools

Zoom breakout rooms seamlessly integrate with popular educational tools such as Canvas, Blackboard, and Microsoft Teams, enabling educators to streamline class management and enhance collaborative learning experiences. Google Meet breakout rooms connect effectively with Google Workspace for Education apps like Google Classroom, Drive, and Jamboard, promoting easy sharing and real-time collaboration within the Google ecosystem. Both platforms support third-party plug-ins and extensions, but Zoom's broader compatibility offers more flexibility for diverse educational technology environments.

Security and Privacy Considerations

Zoom breakout rooms offer end-to-end encryption options, ensuring enhanced data security during subdivided sessions, while Google Meet utilizes robust encryption in transit and at rest but lacks end-to-end encryption for breakout rooms. Both platforms comply with major privacy regulations such as GDPR and CCPA, but Zoom provides more granular host controls for managing participant permissions within breakout rooms. Google Meet integrates seamlessly with Google Workspace security features, including advanced phishing and malware protections, offering a secure environment for organizations using Google's ecosystem.

User Experience and Student Engagement

Zoom breakout rooms offer advanced user controls such as customizable room assignments and real-time host monitoring, enhancing seamless student interaction and engagement. Google Meet breakout rooms provide simpler, automatic division but lack granular host management, which may impact active student participation. Zoom's interface supports higher engagement through features like timed sessions and participant feedback, positioning it as a more robust platform for interactive online learning environments.

Choosing the Right Platform for Educators

Zoom breakout rooms offer advanced features such as customizable room settings, participant assignment options, and real-time host controls, making it ideal for educators seeking flexible and interactive online classroom management. Google Meet breakout rooms integrate seamlessly with Google Workspace, providing easy access to collaborative tools like Google Docs and Slides, which benefits educators heavily using Google's ecosystem. Choosing between Zoom and Google Meet depends on the specific needs for interactivity, platform familiarity, and integration with other educational tools.

Zoom breakout rooms vs Google Meet breakout rooms Infographic

Zoom Breakout Rooms vs. Google Meet Breakout Rooms: A Comprehensive Online Comparison


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The information provided in this document is for general informational purposes only and is not guaranteed to be complete. While we strive to ensure the accuracy of the content, we cannot guarantee that the details mentioned are up-to-date or applicable to all scenarios. Topics about Zoom breakout rooms vs Google Meet breakout rooms are subject to change from time to time.

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