Video platforms
Coaches record sessions on Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and sometimes in person with a phone or dictaphone. Each platform handles recording, transcription, and storage differently, and none of them make it easy.
This section explains what each platform offers, what it costs, and why the coaching platform integrates with Zoom first.
You do not need Zoom to use the coaching platform.
- Core features. Sessions, people, ICF certification tracking, development plans, coaching log import/export, and data portability all work without any recording or transcript.
- Recordings from any platform (video or audio) can be imported via the Staging page for playback inside the platform.
- AI features. Competency assessment, development seeding, person insights, and coaching/client reflections require a VTT transcript with speaker-attributed timestamps.
- In-person recordings (phone, dictaphone) are also supported. Import the audio file via Staging, then follow the transcription guide to produce a VTT.
The Zoom integration automates the recording and transcript fetch. For other platforms or in-person recordings, the process is manual but all platform features work identically regardless of where the recording came from.
The problem with video platform recording
Free tiers are restrictive. Paid tiers add up. Storage fills and gets gated. Transcript formats are inconsistent.
Coaches who record sessions regularly face a set of compounding frustrations:
- Zoom Free limits meetings to 40 minutes with local-only recording and no transcription. The Pro plan (A$25.99/month) adds cloud recording and transcription but includes only 10 GB of storage, roughly 50 sessions. Once full, Zoom blocks new cloud recordings until you upgrade or delete older sessions.
- Microsoft Teams Free offers no recording at all. Recording requires a Microsoft 365 Personal or Family subscription (from ~A$13/month), where recordings auto-expire after 30 days with no transcription. Transcription requires a Business Standard plan or higher.
- Google Meet Free offers neither recording nor transcription. Both require Google Workspace Business Standard (approximately A$22/month). Transcripts are saved as Google Docs, not a timed subtitle format, with no native VTT export.
Coaches end up paying ongoing subscriptions just to capture and transcribe their sessions, before any review or learning begins.
Platform comparison
| Zoom | Microsoft Teams | Google Meet | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | 40-min limit, local recording (MP4), no transcription | No recording, no transcription | No recording, no transcription |
| Cheapest plan with recording | Pro: A$25.99/month | M365 Personal: ~A$13/month | Workspace Business Standard: ~A$22/month |
| Cheapest plan with transcription | Pro: A$25.99/month | Business Standard: ~A$27/month | Workspace Business Standard: ~A$22/month |
| Recording format | MP4 | MP4 | MP4 |
| Transcript format | VTT (speaker names + timestamps) | VTT + DOCX (speaker names + timestamps) | Google Docs (speaker labels, no timed subtitles) |
| Cloud storage | 10 GB on Pro (~50 sessions) | OneDrive (1 TB on Business plans) | Google Drive (2 TB pooled on Business Standard) |
| Auto-expiry | No expiry, but storage cap blocks new recordings | 30-day expiry on Personal/Family plans | No expiry |
| API for third-party apps | OAuth marketplace, free app creation, no metering | Microsoft Graph APIs, metered (paid per call) | Google Meet REST API, recordings via Drive API |
| Webhook support | Yes (recording.completed) | Change notifications (metered) | No native webhook |
For full details on each platform, see Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet.
Why Zoom
The coaching platform integrates with Zoom because it is the only major video platform that ticks every box for a coaching workflow.
VTT transcripts natively
The coaching platform uses VTT (WebVTT) files with speaker-attributed timestamps for session review, talk-time analytics, ICF competency tagging, and AI assessment. Zoom Pro cloud recordings include a VTT transcript file as standard, no extra steps, no conversion.
Microsoft Teams provides VTT downloads on Business Standard plans, but availability has been inconsistent (some users report the download option disappearing intermittently). Google Meet saves transcripts as Google Docs with speaker labels but no timed subtitle format. There is no native VTT export.
Mature developer API
Zoom's App Marketplace allows free OAuth app creation. Recordings and transcripts are fetchable via API with no per-call metering. Webhooks (recording.completed) enable automatic staging of recordings on the Server and K8s editions the moment a meeting ends.
Microsoft Teams offers Graph APIs for recordings and transcripts, but they are metered APIs with per-call costs and require Azure AD app registration. Google Meet provides a REST API, but transcripts are only accessible via the Google Docs API and would need format conversion before the coaching platform could use them.
Most common in coaching communities
ICF peer coaching programs, including those in the AU/NZ and Asia-Pacific regions where the platform launched, predominantly use Zoom. Building the first integration for the platform coaches already use maximises immediate value.
Zoom Free is not enough
Zoom's free tier provides local recording only (MP4, no cloud storage, no VTT transcript, no API access). Coaches on Zoom Free need the same manual transcription workflow as Teams or Google Meet users. The coaching platform's Zoom integration requires Zoom Pro or higher for cloud recording access. See the Zoom page for plan details.
Works with any platform
The coaching platform is not limited to Zoom. The Staging feature accepts video, audio, and VTT files from any source.
Coaches using Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, or any other recording method can:
- Download their recording (MP4 or audio file)
- Produce a VTT transcript. See the transcription guide
- Import both files via the Staging page
- Use all platform features identically
If you do not need AI features, you can skip the transcript entirely. Import just the recording and use all core features, session tracking, ICF certification, development plans, without a VTT file.
On the roadmap
Built-in audio extraction and transcription, so coaches can skip the manual transcription step, is being considered for a future release. As an early adopter, you can vote for this feature on the Roadmap to help prioritise it.
Direct Microsoft Teams and Google Meet integrations may also be added if requested by purchasers via roadmap voting and if the platform APIs support the required VTT transcript format.
Pricing and features were researched in March 2026. Video platform plans change frequently. Check each provider's current pricing page for the latest information.