Connect Google Meet to Shift so you can merge all your web apps into your browser
Download ShiftWhat is Google Meet?
Google Meet is Google’s video conferencing service included with your Google account and available through Google Workspace. You can use it for virtual meetings, remote classes, webinars, and collaboration across individuals, teams, schools, and nonprofits. Core features include high-definition video and audio with automatic adjustments, screen sharing, in-meeting chat, host moderation controls, and real-time captions. Paid Workspace or Google One plans add meeting recording, transcripts, longer durations, larger participant limits, breakout rooms, and advanced admin controls. Meet integrates with Gmail, Google Calendar, Drive, and Docs/Sheets/Slides, and runs in browsers, mobile apps, and certified meeting room hardware. Google also offers AI-enhanced features—Gemini-powered audio/video improvements, translated captions, and automated note-taking—in supported plans. Security is enterprise-grade, with encryption in transit and at rest plus organization-level privacy and admin settings. As part of a broader toolset, Meet works alongside other apps to support meeting prep, follow-up, and document collaboration.
How Google Meet works in Shift
Add Google Meet to Shift to centralize your meeting experience across accounts and contexts. With Shift’s multi-account support you can stay signed into multiple Google accounts at once, so you can join work and personal meetings without signing out or opening new profiles. Use Spaces to create dedicated meeting workspaces that include Meet, Calendar, relevant Docs or Slides, and chat tools so recurring workflows—daily standups, class sessions, or client calls—open the same way each time. Custom layouts and side-by-side views let you keep Meet next to slides or a reference doc, while Smart Links route meeting URLs to the correct account automatically. Shift’s one-window layout keeps your session persistent across restarts, reducing context switching and helping you move between back-to-back meetings with fewer tabs, fewer logins, and less lost time.
Alternatives to Google Meet
- Zoom — Zoom is a widely used video conferencing platform known for reliable HD video/audio, breakout rooms, live transcription, webinar support, and a large ecosystem of third-party integrations.
- Microsoft Teams — Microsoft Teams combines persistent team chat, file collaboration, and video meetings tightly integrated with Microsoft 365, used for both meetings and ongoing team collaboration.
- Jitsi Meet — Jitsi Meet is an open-source, browser-based video conferencing platform that can be used free of charge and self-hosted for greater privacy and customization.
- Zoho Meeting — Zoho Meeting is a browser-based meeting and webinar platform from Zoho that integrates with Zoho's app suite and offers screen sharing, recording, webinars, and CRM integration.
FAQ
1. Does Google Meet have a 1 hour limit?
Free Google Meet group meetings are generally limited to 60 minutes; 1:1 calls may have longer limits. Paid Workspace plans extend meeting durations.
2. What is the difference between free and paid Google Meet?
Paid plans add longer meeting lengths, higher participant caps, meeting recording and transcripts, breakout rooms, admin controls, livestreaming, and some advanced AI features. The free tier covers basic HD meetings, screen sharing, and captions.
3. Can people join Google Meet without a Google Account?
Yes — guests can join via a meeting link without signing in if the organizer’s settings allow it, but some organizations require Google sign-in for security or policy reasons.
4. How many participants does Google Meet support?
Participant limits depend on your plan: the free tier supports up to about 100 participants, while Workspace plans support larger counts (commonly 150–500) and livestreaming options for bigger audiences.
