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In this article
If you're still using the free tier of one of these tools and wondering whether to upgrade, or you're setting up a new business and trying to pick the right platform from the start, this is for you. Three platforms dominate video conferencing for NZ small businesses in 2026 and they've all changed meaningfully in the past twelve months.
The short answer: Google Meet if you're already on Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams if you're an Office shop, and Zoom if video is genuinely central to how your business operates. But the pricing picture has shifted, and there's a Microsoft price rise coming in July 2026 that changes the maths.
How the three platforms compare at a glance
| Feature | Zoom | Microsoft Teams | Google Meet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan limit | 40 min per meeting | 60 min per meeting | 60 min per meeting |
| Free max participants | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Paid entry price | $13.33 USD/user/mo | $4 USD/user/mo (Teams Essentials) | $7 USD/user/mo (Workspace Starter) |
| Paid entry (NZD approx.) | ~$22 NZD/user/mo | ~$7 NZD/user/mo | ~$12 NZD/user/mo |
| Meeting recordings | From Pro tier | From Business Basic | From Business Standard |
| Included with existing suite | No | Yes (Microsoft 365) | Yes (Google Workspace) |
| Best for | Video-first businesses | Microsoft 365 shops | Google Workspace shops |
Google Meet
Google Meet is included with every Google Workspace plan. If you're already paying for Google Workspace, you have Google Meet. The cost is effectively zero on top of what you're already paying.
Pricing (annual billing, USD and approx. NZD):
| Plan | USD/user/mo | NZD/user/mo | Max participants | Meeting recording |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free (personal) | $0 | $0 | 100 | No |
| Business Starter | $7 | ~$12 | 100 | No |
| Business Standard | $14 | ~$23 | 150 | Yes (to Drive) |
| Business Plus | $22 | ~$37 | 500 | Yes |
The Business Starter plan at $12 NZD/user/month includes Meet with 100-participant support, but no recordings. That limitation catches people out. If you need to record client calls or team training sessions, you're looking at Business Standard at $23 NZD/user/month.
Google Meet's integrations are tight within the Google ecosystem: Calendar events auto-generate Meet links, Drive integration is native, and Gemini AI features (transcription, smart notes) are layered in from Standard upward.
Where Google Meet falls down: it's not great standalone. Outside the Workspace bubble, it doesn't integrate as cleanly with third-party tools. The desktop app is basically just a browser wrapper. And the participant caps at Starter are low by enterprise standards, though 100 is fine for most NZ small business meetings.
Who it suits: any NZ business already using Gmail and Google Drive. You're paying for Workspace anyway. Meet is included, it works well enough, and adding Google as your CRM backbone with HubSpot for sales pipelines is a common setup.
Microsoft Teams
Teams is the most misunderstood of the three. It's not really a video calling app. It's a collaboration suite with video built in, and it's priced accordingly.
Pricing (annual billing, USD and approx. NZD, post-July 2026 prices):
| Plan | USD/user/mo | NZD/user/mo | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | Teams + Chat, 60-min meetings |
| Teams Essentials | $4 | ~$7 | Unlimited meetings, 30-hr limit, 300 participants |
| 365 Business Basic | $7 | ~$12 | Teams + cloud Office + Exchange email |
| 365 Business Standard | $14 | ~$23 | Business Basic + desktop Office apps |
The Teams Essentials plan at $7 NZD/user/month is genuinely good value if you only need video and team chat. It gives you unlimited meetings up to 30 hours, 300 participants, and meeting recordings, without paying for the full Microsoft 365 suite.
Most NZ businesses looking at Teams are actually evaluating Microsoft 365 as a whole. If you need Exchange email, SharePoint, and the desktop Office apps alongside Teams, Business Standard at $23 NZD/user/month is the practical minimum. That's the same effective price as Google Workspace Business Standard.
Warning
Microsoft's July 1, 2026 price increase applies to new and renewing subscriptions. If you're currently on monthly billing with Microsoft 365, you'll see the increase on your next renewal. Business Basic goes from ~10NZDto 12 NZD and Business Standard from ~21NZDto 23 NZD per user per month.
Teams' AI features (called Copilot) are impressive but cost extra: $30 USD/user/month on top of your existing plan. That's unlikely to be worth it for most small NZ teams. The free AI companion in base Teams is useful for meeting transcripts and summaries.
The weakness: Teams can be slow and complex for small teams who just need calls. If you have two people and need to jump on a call, Teams feels like overkill. It's better once you have five or more people using it regularly.
Zoom
Zoom is the platform where video is the primary product, not a feature bundled into something else. It shows in the quality of the video experience and in the depth of controls available to hosts.
Pricing (annual billing, USD and approx. NZD):
| Plan | USD/user/mo | NZD/user/mo | Max participants | Key feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 100 | 40-min group meetings |
| Pro | $13.33 | ~$22 | 100 | Unlimited duration, recordings |
| Business | $18.33 | ~$31 | 300 | SSO, managed domains |
Zoom Pro at $22 NZD/user/month is the entry paid tier. That's expensive compared with Teams Essentials at $7 NZD or Google Workspace Starter at $12 NZD, and Zoom gives you nothing outside of the meeting room for that extra cost. No email, no docs, no shared drives.
Where Zoom earns the premium: it simply works better as a video tool. Call quality is consistently higher than Teams in my experience. Breakout rooms, polling, Q&A, and webinar features are more mature. The AI companion (ZoomMate) handles note-taking and action items well, and it's included at no extra cost from Pro upward.
Zoom is also more flexible with external participants. Anyone can join a Zoom meeting with a link. Teams meetings sometimes create friction for people who don't have a Teams account, particularly those on mobile. Google Meet is similar to Zoom here: no account required to join.
The case for Zoom over the others: you run client calls, training sessions, or webinars as a real part of your business. You want the best video experience and you're prepared to pay a premium for it. If you're pairing Zoom with a sales CRM, both HubSpot and Pipedrive have native Zoom integrations that log call activity directly.
The case against: if you mainly use video for internal team standups and the occasional client check-in, you're paying $22 NZD per seat for something that Teams or Meet handles adequately for less.
Which platform should you choose?
The honest breakdown by business type:
You're a small team already on Microsoft 365 (email, Office): Teams is the obvious answer. You're already paying for it. Enable Teams, train your team for thirty minutes, and move on. If you're not on Microsoft 365 yet and only need video, Teams Essentials at $7 NZD/user/month is hard to beat.
You're on Google Workspace: Use Meet. It's bundled in, the calendar integration is seamless, and there's no compelling reason to pay for Zoom or Teams on top.
You run a lot of external client calls, webinars, or training sessions: Zoom. The better host controls, more reliable video quality, and lower friction for external participants are worth the higher per-seat cost.
You're a sole trader who only needs the occasional call: all three free plans work. Google Meet's free tier has a 60-minute limit, Teams free has 60 minutes, Zoom free has 40 minutes. That 40-minute limit on Zoom free is a real limitation for anything that runs long. Google Meet or Teams free is more practical if you need more than 40 minutes without paying.
Tip
If you're setting up a new five-person NZ business from scratch, the most cost-effective path in 2026 is often Microsoft 365 Business Basic at $12 NZD/user/month. You get Teams (video, chat, file collaboration), Exchange business email, OneDrive, and web versions of the Office apps. That beats paying separately for email hosting and video conferencing.
Free plans: what you actually get
All three free plans have enough for occasional use, but each has a meaningful catch:
- Zoom free: 40-minute limit on group calls. Fine for quick internal standups, impractical for client meetings that run long.
- Teams free: 60-minute limit, 100 participants. Covers most small business meeting types.
- Google Meet free (personal): 60-minute limit for groups (24 hours for 1-on-1 calls). Calendar integration requires a personal Google account, not a business domain.
None of the free plans include meeting recordings. If you need to record, you're paying.
The NZD pricing reality
One thing worth noting for NZ buyers: these tools price in USD and your credit card charges at the prevailing exchange rate. With NZD currently around $0.60 USD, what looks like a $14/user/month tool from the US ends up around $23 NZD by the time GST-exclusive exchange lands on your statement. Factor in 15% GST on top and you're looking at closer to $26 NZD/user/month for a Google Workspace Standard or Teams Business Standard seat.
That's not a reason to avoid these tools. It's just worth building the actual NZD figure into your budget rather than the headline USD number.