8x8 Express (discontinued) vs. Google Hangouts (Classic)

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
8x8 Express (discontinued)
Score 7.3 out of 10
N/A
8x8 Express was a cloud-based phone system that included unlimited calling within the U.S and Canada, HD video conferencing, business SMS and team chat, pre-configured. As of March 2023 8x8 Express is end of sale and no longer available.N/A
Google Hangouts (Classic)
Score 7.2 out of 10
N/A
The classic version of Google Hangouts is a communication platform that includes messaging, voice, VoIP, and video call capabilities. It was part of Google’s G Suite offering and integrated with applications such as Gmail and Google+. Users of the classic version of Hangouts will be migrated to the new Hangouts Chat collaboration tool, and Google continues to support conferencing via the new Hangouts Meet.N/A
Pricing
8x8 Express (discontinued)Google Hangouts (Classic)
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
8x8 Express (discontinued)Google Hangouts (Classic)
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
8x8 Express (discontinued)Google Hangouts (Classic)
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
8x8 Express (discontinued)Google Hangouts (Classic)
Performance & Compatibility of Online Events Software
Comparison of Performance & Compatibility of Online Events Software features of Product A and Product B
8x8 Express (discontinued)
8.0
6 Ratings
0% below category average
Google Hangouts (Classic)
-
Ratings
High quality audio8.06 Ratings00 Ratings
High quality video8.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Screen Sharing
Comparison of Screen Sharing features of Product A and Product B
8x8 Express (discontinued)
8.5
2 Ratings
9% above category average
Google Hangouts (Classic)
-
Ratings
Desktop sharing8.52 Ratings00 Ratings
Online Meetings / Events
Comparison of Online Meetings / Events features of Product A and Product B
8x8 Express (discontinued)
8.7
2 Ratings
9% above category average
Google Hangouts (Classic)
-
Ratings
Calendar integration9.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Meeting initiation8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Record meetings / events9.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Online Events Collaboration
Comparison of Online Events Collaboration features of Product A and Product B
8x8 Express (discontinued)
8.5
2 Ratings
10% above category average
Google Hangouts (Classic)
-
Ratings
Live chat8.52 Ratings00 Ratings
Online Events Security
Comparison of Online Events Security features of Product A and Product B
8x8 Express (discontinued)
9.3
5 Ratings
20% above category average
Google Hangouts (Classic)
-
Ratings
User authentication9.05 Ratings00 Ratings
Participant roles & permissions9.54 Ratings00 Ratings
Cloud PBX
Comparison of Cloud PBX features of Product A and Product B
8x8 Express (discontinued)
8.0
6 Ratings
1% below category average
Google Hangouts (Classic)
6.4
57 Ratings
24% below category average
Hosted PBX7.54 Ratings6.915 Ratings
Multi-level Interactive Voice Response (IVR)8.05 Ratings7.725 Ratings
Directory of employee names8.66 Ratings3.245 Ratings
User templates00 Ratings5.322 Ratings
Call reports00 Ratings9.034 Ratings
Call Management
Comparison of Call Management features of Product A and Product B
8x8 Express (discontinued)
8.9
6 Ratings
10% above category average
Google Hangouts (Classic)
7.9
66 Ratings
7% below category average
Answering rules9.06 Ratings8.033 Ratings
Call recording9.05 Ratings7.537 Ratings
Call park9.04 Ratings7.018 Ratings
Call screening9.34 Ratings9.036 Ratings
Message alerts9.25 Ratings8.058 Ratings
Business SMS/External Messaging8.54 Ratings00 Ratings
Online Fax8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Voicemail Transcription9.05 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile apps
Comparison of Mobile apps features of Product A and Product B
8x8 Express (discontinued)
9.7
3 Ratings
15% above category average
Google Hangouts (Classic)
8.3
85 Ratings
0% below category average
Mobile app for iOS9.73 Ratings8.573 Ratings
Mobile app for Android9.62 Ratings8.171 Ratings
Unified Communications Platform and Collaboration
Comparison of Unified Communications Platform and Collaboration features of Product A and Product B
8x8 Express (discontinued)
7.1
5 Ratings
6% below category average
Google Hangouts (Classic)
-
Ratings
Centralized communications management8.05 Ratings00 Ratings
Team messaging8.24 Ratings00 Ratings
Team document sharing6.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Call and meeting analytics6.03 Ratings00 Ratings
VoIP system collaboration
Comparison of VoIP system collaboration features of Product A and Product B
8x8 Express (discontinued)
-
Ratings
Google Hangouts (Classic)
8.9
84 Ratings
7% above category average
Video conferencing00 Ratings9.379 Ratings
Audio conferencing00 Ratings9.279 Ratings
Video screen sharing00 Ratings7.848 Ratings
Instant messaging00 Ratings9.352 Ratings
Best Alternatives
8x8 Express (discontinued)Google Hangouts (Classic)
Small Businesses
Nextiva
Nextiva
Score 9.2 out of 10
CloudTalk
CloudTalk
Score 9.5 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Nextiva
Nextiva
Score 9.2 out of 10
CloudTalk
CloudTalk
Score 9.5 out of 10
Enterprises
Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)
Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)
Score 8.6 out of 10
Cisco Business Edition 7000 (discontinued)
Cisco Business Edition 7000 (discontinued)
Score 9.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
8x8 Express (discontinued)Google Hangouts (Classic)
Likelihood to Recommend
7.6
(8 ratings)
7.9
(91 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(7 ratings)
Support Rating
9.1
(2 ratings)
8.0
(36 ratings)
User Testimonials
8x8 Express (discontinued)Google Hangouts (Classic)
Likelihood to Recommend
Discontinued Products
The 8x8 app is great and very user friendly and straightforward. Team Members can adjust their own setting as needed.
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Google
Had I completed this review a couple years ago, I would have given a rating of 9 or 10 as Hangouts (Classic) is an excellent product. However, now that Google Chat has succeeded Hangouts, I would not recommend that any new users begin using it where other more modern options are available. Android users who want an internet based instant messaging that also supports calling and video calling could benefit from using Hangouts (Classic) as Google Chat requires the user to also have Google Meet installed to make video calls and there is no voice only calling option.
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Pros
Discontinued Products
  • So easy to use!
  • Voicemail - can be accessed anywhere, includes transcription of the voicemail and an email message with the recording
  • Telephone services without all the fees of a landline service
  • Auto attendant, offering recordings of our messages
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Google
  • Google Hangouts (Classic) is embedded within Gmail's scheduler, so setting up the link is as quick as a click of the button. It's a one-step process.
  • Google Hangouts (Classic) is user-friendly and [has] features to share screens easily.
  • Google Hangouts (Classic) is much easier to use than its competitors.
  • Google Hangouts (Classic) have [a] good connection time and there are few glitches.
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Cons
Discontinued Products
  • We are just starting to use the platform and using limited features at the moment and 8x8 is doing everything we need it to do.
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Google
  • I would like to see improved video support, so that saved videos can be sent back and forth via Hangouts more easily, without having to start a separate meet chat
  • More pronounced notifications of messages would be helpful; pop up notifications are good, but once there is one, additional messages do not pop up
  • Custom muting times would be great, so that if I am in a 90 minute Zoom meeting, I can set it for that time; right now, it is 1 hour or 2 hours. Easy to forget.
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Usability
Discontinued Products
No answers on this topic
Google
The tool is almost self-implemented. It is likely to be available in every pc or mobile device a user or potential user might have, and all you need to do is adding the company's account and you are done. Once you are setted up, you have almost all actual communication methods available in one tool
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Support Rating
Discontinued Products
If you get less than 4 phones you fall into the online only customer service. There were a couple of times that I could have used more assistance but figuring it out online was a bit of a hassle.
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Google
Google Hangouts works great and does not require a lot of work to troubleshoot. Everything is simple and easy to use. Google provides all of the tools that one requires to utilize Google Hangouts and any information can be found in the built-in help tools. There is also a forum for users to report issues and typically, Google responds well and will try to work out any issues.
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Alternatives Considered
Discontinued Products
8x8 has a much lower cost that avaya for the same features. 8x8 is a bit more user friendly than some other larger well established brands. It still uses industry standards in terminology and call flows to for anyone with voip experience its a pain free switch to make over.
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Google
Google is the white cotton socks of the conferencing world. It’s a great ad-hoc tool, but not too much more. If you are not looking to spend money or operate completely on WiFi (without data charges), it’s a great free option as well. The benefit of being free and open is also the liability. It doesn’t have a great integration story with other corporate tools, but [it doesn’t have to] if you aren’t looking for that. All in all, it’s as helpful and ubiquitous as a public payphone…without the pay…and with a video capability.
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Return on Investment
Discontinued Products
  • Being able to listen to phone calls when there is a discrepancy
  • Keeping the honest honest by knowing we can listen to calls
  • Easy to communicate internally, been very helpful and time saving
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Google
  • I believe it was part of the google suite that was purchased. It was worth the cost as it was cheaper. I believe it is now free, but also becoming deprecated. It is much better to use Teams, Discord, Telegram, etc. Google does not provide enough support or features to make using hangouts worth it these days.
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ScreenShots

8x8 Express (discontinued) Screenshots

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