Meetings with team members around the world, teaching a class, meeting with international clients or hosting an online event – all these necessitate the use of a video conferencing platform.
Israel uses the same major platforms as the rest of the world, which makes collaboration with people around the world relatively easy. Which platform you choose is often a function of what ecosystem your organization already uses and the particular function that you need.
Here’s a closer look at the most common video conferencing tools used in Israel and when each one makes the most sense.
Zoom
Zoom is probably the most universally recognized video conferencing platform in Israel. During the pandemic it became the default for everything from school classes to business meetings, and many organizations never switched away from it.
It’s popular because it’s:
- Reliable
- Easy to use and intuitive
- Works well with large groups
- Has features such as breakout rooms, screen sharing, recording and webinar hosting
- Integrates smoothly with both Google and Outlook calendars
Because it’s so widely used and participants already know how it works, Zoom is often the safest option when you’re scheduling a meeting with people outside your organization.
Zoom is especially useful for large meetings, webinars and client-facing presentations. You’ll need the paid version of the platform, though, since the Basic (free) plan has a 40-minute time limit for meetings of three or more participants, and allows up to 100 people to join at once.
Google Meet
Google Meet is also pretty common in Israel, especially among Israeli startups, schools and small businesses. The main reason is that many teams already use Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Docs for their daily work, so they’re already used to using Google tools.
The advantages of Google Meet are:
- Runs directly in a browser, so participants don’t need to install anything
- Simple to invite and join, great for speed and convenience
- Integration with Google Workspace, including scheduling, document sharing and collaboration
- Time limits are generous (24 hours for two people, 60 minutes for three or more)
Google Meet tends to work best for internal team meetings and organizations that rely heavily on Google Workspace.
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is widely used in larger companies, universities and organizations that are connected to Israeli government or institutional systems. They often rely on Microsoft 365 for email, document management and collaboration, so Teams is a natural choice for meetings.
Here’s why it works:
- Includes chat, shared files and project discussions, for one centralized workspace
- Meetings can be scheduled directly through Outlook
- Up to 60 minutes per session, with up to 100 participants, in the free version
- The full business version (up to 30 hours) is included in many Microsoft 365 subscriptions
Microsoft Teams is typically the best fit for larger organizations that use Microsoft 365 as their core productivity platform.
Jitsi
Jitsi is a less mainstream, open-source video conferencing platform that can be used through public servers or hosted privately by organizations that want more control over their infrastructure.
In Israel, Jitsi tends to attract developers, tech communities and privacy-focused organizations. Because the platform is open source, companies can customize it and host it on their own servers.
While it does not offer the same polished ecosystem as the larger commercial platforms, it can be an appealing option for organizations that prioritize flexibility, transparency or data control.
Which platform should you choose?
The good news is that you don’t have to choose just one. You can use different platforms based on what you’re trying to accomplish and who you’re meeting with.
| Situation | Best platform | Why it works well |
| One-on-one client call | Google Meet or Zoom | Easy to join from a calendar link and no learning curve for participants |
| Webinar or large presentation | Zoom | Strong webinar tools, breakout rooms and reliable performance with large groups |
| Internal team meetings in Google Workspace companies | Google Meet | Built directly into Google Calendar and Gmail, quick to start meetings |
| Internal meetings in Microsoft-based organizations | Microsoft Teams | Seamless integration with Outlook, Microsoft 365 and internal collaboration tools |
| Ongoing team collaboration with chat and files | Microsoft Teams | Combines meetings, messaging and document collaboration in one platform |
| Privacy-focused or developer teams | Jitsi | Open source, customizable and can be self-hosted |
| Spontaneous meetings with external partners | Zoom | Widely used and familiar to most people worldwide |
Most professionals end up using whichever platform their organization prefers internally and whichever tool their clients or partners send in the meeting invitation. It can also make sense to subscribe to the paid version of one platform that you use frequently while relying on the free versions of the others when needed. Being comfortable with a few different platforms makes it much easier to collaborate smoothly with local and international team members, partners and clients.
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