Comparison
PartyLab vs Google Meet
Google Meet is the go-to platform for video calls and virtual meetings. But it has no guest photo gallery, no QR upload flow, and no slideshow — nothing for collecting the photos your guests actually took. PartyLab fills that gap with a purpose-built photo collection layer that works alongside any video or event platform.
Feature by feature
| Feature | PartyLab | Google Meet |
|---|---|---|
| Guests need to create an account | No | Yes |
| Guests need to download an app | No | No |
| One QR code for all guests to upload | Yes | No |
| Collects candid photos from all guests | Yes | No |
| Original photo quality preserved | Yes | No |
| Live gallery during the event | Yes | No |
| Built-in slideshow for venue TVs / screens | Yes | No |
| Digital guestbook captions | Yes | No |
| Photo reactions & likes | Yes | No |
| ZIP download of all photos | Yes | No |
| One-time pricing — no subscription | Yes | No |
| Purpose-built for in-event photo collection | Yes | No |
Where Google Meet falls short for photo collection
Google Meet is a video call tool, not an event gallery
Google Meet is built for real-time video conferencing — screen sharing, virtual backgrounds, and live video calls. It has no concept of a guest photo gallery, no way for participants to upload their own photos to a shared album during or after the meeting, and no slideshow feature for venue screens. If you want attendees’ photos from your event, you would need to ask each person to manually share files in a separate tool. PartyLab is purpose-built for this exact moment: a QR code on every table activates an upload flow in any mobile browser, photos land in a live gallery instantly, and you can run the slideshow on a TV without leaving the page.
Google accounts create a participation barrier
Hosting a Google Meet event requires a Google Workspace or personal Google account for the organizer, and guests typically need a Google account to join without being placed in a waiting room. For a birthday party, wedding reception, or corporate offsite where guests range from grandparents to international colleagues, requiring a Google account is a real barrier. PartyLab requires nothing from guests — scan a QR code with the phone camera, enter a name once, and photos start uploading immediately in the browser. No account, no app, no waiting room.
No photo collection, no archive, no export
Even for hybrid events where Google Meet is used for remote participants, there is no built-in way to collect photos from attendees during the event. Chat attachments disappear when the meeting ends, and there is no gallery, no ZIP export, and no way to download all attendee photos in one click. PartyLab’s ZIP export (included in the $19 one-time PAID tier) gives you every original-quality photo from your event in one download — ready for your team recap, LinkedIn post, or photo book.
Event organizers who added PartyLab
“We used Google Meet for the virtual component of our hybrid company party. But for collecting photos from both in-person and remote attendees, PartyLab was the answer. I put the QR link in the Google Meet chat and in the Zoom link too. By the end of the night we had 300 photos from people at the venue and on video call. Nobody had to install anything.”
Sarah K.
People Ops Manager, hybrid company holiday party
“Our family reunion was split between in-person and remote relatives on Google Meet. I added the PartyLab QR code on a slide in the Google Meet presentation so remote family could scan it on their second screen. The live gallery updated in real time with photos from both sides of the family. It was magical.”
James T.
Family reunion organizer, 80 guests in-person and remote
“For our conference breakout sessions we used Google Meet. Afterward I wanted all the attendee candids in one place. PartyLab made it trivial — I posted the QR link in the Google Meet chat and had 150 photos from 40 attendees by the time the session ended. The ZIP download had everything I needed for our post-event LinkedIn post.”
Nina R.
Conference organizer, B2B tech summit
Frequently asked questions
Does Google Meet have a photo sharing or gallery feature?
Google Meet does not have a dedicated photo gallery or guest upload feature. Participants can share image files in the meeting chat, but these attachments are temporary and there is no gallery view, no slideshow, and no way to download all shared photos after the meeting ends. For in-event photo collection from a crowd, you need a separate purpose-built tool like PartyLab.
Can I use Google Meet and PartyLab together at a hybrid event?
Yes — they complement each other well. Use Google Meet for your live video call component and share the PartyLab QR code or link in the Google Meet chat. Remote participants can open the PartyLab link on a second device, upload their own photos, and see the live gallery updating in real time. In-person guests scan the QR code at the venue. All photos land in the same gallery regardless of where guests are.
Do guests need a Google account to upload photos to PartyLab?
No. PartyLab is completely independent of Google. Guests scan a QR code or open a link, enter their name once, and upload photos directly in any mobile browser. No Google account, no Gmail, no sign-in of any kind required. This is especially important for events with older guests, international attendees, or anyone who does not have or want to use a Google account.
What does PartyLab cost compared to Google Meet?
Google Meet is free for personal use and included in Google Workspace subscriptions. PartyLab is $19 as a one-time payment per event for the full experience — live gallery, TV slideshow, ZIP export, up to 500 MB per photo/video, no subscription. For one event or one hundred events per year, the $19 one-time model per event is straightforward and predictable.
Use Google Meet for the call. Use PartyLab for the photos.
One QR code at the entrance or shared in the meeting chat. Every guest scans with their phone camera, uploads in seconds, and sees their photo in the live gallery. No app. No account. $19 one-time.