There has been recent interest in the growth of zinc oxide (ZnO) from solution phase because it is a low cost and versatile method to integrate thin films onto substrates. The prevailing mechanistic models for ZnO growth describe two different crystallization scenarios. The first scenario proposes that initially metastable phases such as Zn(OH)₂ forms. These metastable phases create reservoir rich in zinc and oxygen from which ZnO nucleate driven by dehydration. The second scenario proposes that growth occurs via solution precipitation of ZnO; ZnO colloids nucleate in the solution and then attach to the substrate. More generally, while it is appreciated that nucleation and growth behaviors impact electrical and optical performance there have not been systematic studies of ZnO growth kinetics using tools that are indicative at the nanometer scale as needed to measure island formation and atomic step propagation. To address this gap, we have employed three in situ tools to track ZnO growth: in situ atomic force microscopy to image nucleation and growth dynamics; in situ WAXS to verify material phase; and in situ quartz crystal microbalance to measure film growth rates.