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BigBlueButton vs Google Meet
Short answer: Pick BigBlueButton if you want virtual classrooms with built-in teaching tools; pick Google Meet if you want secure video meetings with AI assistance. BigBlueButton is free and open source; Google Meet has a free plan, paid from $3.50/month per user.
Which to pick
Pick BigBlueButton if you want…
- Virtual classrooms with built-in teaching tools
- Education-focused web conferencing
- A free, open-source tool
- Integrations with Canvas, Moodle Cloud or Sakai (on BigBlueButton's list, not Google Meet's)
Pick Google Meet if you want…
- Secure video meetings with AI assistance
- Integrations with Google Docs or Google Drive (on Google Meet's list, not BigBlueButton's)
Side by side
- What it is
- BigBlueButton:BigBlueButton is an open-source virtual classroom platform for online teaching and learning.
- Google Meet:Google Meet provides secure video conferencing with AI-powered features for businesses and teams.
- Best for
- BigBlueButton:Virtual classrooms with built-in teaching tools
- Google Meet:Secure video meetings with AI assistance
- Who it’s for
- BigBlueButton:Teachers, schools, and educational institutions needing live online classes
- Google Meet:Businesses and teams needing online meetings and collaboration
- Pricing
- BigBlueButton:Open source
- Google Meet:Freemium
- Starting price
- BigBlueButton:Free
- Google Meet:$3.50/month per user (Starter)
- Free plan or trial
- BigBlueButton:Free to use
- Google Meet:Free trial
- Plans
- BigBlueButton:—
- Google Meet:Starter $3.50 per user per month · Standard $7.00 per user per month · Plus $11.00 per user per month
- Open source
- BigBlueButton:Yes, 9,238 GitHub stars
- Google Meet:—
- Works with
- BigBlueButton:Canvas, Moodle Cloud, Sakai, Jenzabar, D2L, Schoology
- Google Meet:Google Docs, Google Drive
BigBlueButton features
- Multi-user Whiteboard. Collaborative whiteboard that lets instructors and students draw together in real time
- Breakout Rooms. Split participants into smaller groups for collaborative activities
- Live Analytics Dashboard. Shows attendance, participation, and learning metrics during sessions
- Polling & Hand-Raise. Instant polls and virtual hand-raise to gauge understanding and manage questions
- Document & Screen Share. Upload PowerPoint, PDF, images or share screen to present content
- Video Options & Emojis. Play videos at various resolutions and use emojis for quick reactions
Google Meet features
- AI-powered notes & captions. Gemini AI automatically summarizes, translates and captions meetings in real time.
- Live captions. Shows subtitles as participants speak, improving accessibility.
- Noise cancellation & audio sync. AI reduces background noise and prevents echo for clear audio.
- Premium video quality. Up to 1080p video with studio lighting and background personalization on paid plans.
- Large meetings. Host up to 1000 participants and hold calls for up to 24 hours on higher tiers.
- Integrations with Workspace. Join meetings directly from Docs, Sheets, Slides and use other Workspace tools together.
BigBlueButton vs Google Meet FAQ
What is the difference between BigBlueButton and Google Meet?+
BigBlueButton is tailored for online learning with breakout rooms and whiteboards.
Should I use BigBlueButton or Google Meet?+
Pick BigBlueButton if you want virtual classrooms with built-in teaching tools, education-focused web conferencing or a free, open-source tool. Pick Google Meet if you want secure video meetings with AI assistance or integrations with Google Docs or Google Drive (on Google Meet's list, not BigBlueButton's).
Is BigBlueButton or Google Meet free?+
BigBlueButton is free and open source. Google Meet has a free plan; paid plans start at $3.50/month per user (Starter).
Which is cheaper, BigBlueButton or Google Meet?+
BigBlueButton is free, so it costs less. Google Meet starts at $3.50/month per user (Starter).
Is BigBlueButton or Google Meet open source?+
BigBlueButton is open source (bigbluebutton/bigbluebutton on GitHub, LGPL-3.0 license). DevHunt has no public source repository on record for Google Meet.
Do BigBlueButton and Google Meet integrate with the same tools?+
Their integration lists don't overlap: BigBlueButton lists Canvas, Moodle Cloud, Sakai, Jenzabar and 2 more; Google Meet lists Google Docs and Google Drive.
On DevHunt
Based on each tool's website and DevHunt data. Details may change; check the official sites.