Cisco Desk Series vs. Google Hangouts (Classic)

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Cisco Desk Series
Score 8.4 out of 10
N/A
A whiteboarding, videoconferencing and a second laptop display in one single device. The Cisco Desk Series delivers a collaboration experience to desks, in shared spaces, or small huddle spaces. Models include the Desk Pro, Desk, and Desk Mini. All Desk devices have advanced audio intelligence built in for distraction free meetings, a USB-C connection to pair devices wirelessly or dock a laptop.
$5,495
one-time fee **discounts available
Google Hangouts (Classic)
Score 7.5 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
Cisco Desk SeriesGoogle Hangouts (Classic)
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Cisco Desk SeriesGoogle Hangouts (Classic)
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Cisco Desk SeriesGoogle Hangouts (Classic)
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Cisco Desk SeriesGoogle Hangouts (Classic)
Cloud PBX
Comparison of Cloud PBX features of Product A and Product B
Cisco Desk Series
-
Ratings
Google Hangouts (Classic)
6.4
57 Ratings
25% below category average
Hosted PBX00 Ratings6.915 Ratings
Multi-level Interactive Voice Response (IVR)00 Ratings7.725 Ratings
User templates00 Ratings5.422 Ratings
Call reports00 Ratings9.034 Ratings
Directory of employee names00 Ratings3.245 Ratings
Call Management
Comparison of Call Management features of Product A and Product B
Cisco Desk Series
-
Ratings
Google Hangouts (Classic)
7.9
66 Ratings
7% below category average
Answering rules00 Ratings8.033 Ratings
Call recording00 Ratings7.537 Ratings
Call park00 Ratings7.018 Ratings
Call screening00 Ratings9.036 Ratings
Message alerts00 Ratings8.158 Ratings
VoIP system collaboration
Comparison of VoIP system collaboration features of Product A and Product B
Cisco Desk Series
-
Ratings
Google Hangouts (Classic)
8.9
84 Ratings
7% above category average
Video conferencing00 Ratings9.379 Ratings
Audio conferencing00 Ratings9.379 Ratings
Video screen sharing00 Ratings7.948 Ratings
Instant messaging00 Ratings9.352 Ratings
Mobile apps
Comparison of Mobile apps features of Product A and Product B
Cisco Desk Series
-
Ratings
Google Hangouts (Classic)
8.4
85 Ratings
1% above category average
Mobile app for iOS00 Ratings8.673 Ratings
Mobile app for Android00 Ratings8.171 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Cisco Desk SeriesGoogle Hangouts (Classic)
Small Businesses
Zoom
Zoom
Score 8.2 out of 10
CloudTalk
CloudTalk
Score 9.5 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Cisco Webex DX80 (discontinued)
Cisco Webex DX80 (discontinued)
Score 9.2 out of 10
CloudTalk
CloudTalk
Score 9.5 out of 10
Enterprises
Cisco Webex DX80 (discontinued)
Cisco Webex DX80 (discontinued)
Score 9.2 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
Cisco Desk SeriesGoogle Hangouts (Classic)
Likelihood to Recommend
8.6
(28 ratings)
7.9
(91 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(1 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(7 ratings)
Support Rating
9.1
(1 ratings)
8.0
(36 ratings)
User Testimonials
Cisco Desk SeriesGoogle Hangouts (Classic)
Likelihood to Recommend
Cisco
The tool is great for having a day in and day out video calls with the client in today's COVID world, where physical interaction is limited and the best suited is for having meetings with clients and showcasing them the product demonstration, at a large scale as this has smooth video interaction and makes any large scale webinar a piece of cake while using it.
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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
Cisco
  • It charges my laptop while being an amazing secondary monitor.
  • Optimizes the video and audio with superior sound and microphones.
  • A very nice compact digital whiteboard.
  • Hooks in with Webex meetings and Teams in such a seamless way.
  • Handles calling like a desk phone and is natural to use.
  • Looks so beautiful and is such a great addition to your desk.
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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
Cisco
  • The WebRTC function that's used for certain meeting types should include a progress bar. A lot of users think the device is frozen.
  • At entry, the price was a bit high. I haven't bought one recently.
  • More backgrounds would be nice.
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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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Likelihood to Renew
Cisco
Simple, Fantastic and always improving with software upgrades
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Google
No answers on this topic
Usability
Cisco
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
Cisco
I have not had to use support yet as our use of Webex Desk Pro is so new, but all the questions that I have had have been answered with such promptness and clarity that it is clear Cisco has a passion about this device and about providing high quality in all that they do. Their support is top notch and you will never need to fear when reaching out to them.
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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
Cisco
Organisation decided to went ahead with Cisco Webex Desk Pro becase of these following key differences: 1.- Microphone: Advanced noise-canceling microphone array vs Built-in microphone with Logitech MeetUp. 2.- Speakers: Superior Sound system vs Built-in speakerphone with Logitech MeetUp. 3.- Display: 27-inch 4K touchscreen vs. No touchscreen with Logitech MeetUp. Cisco TAC support is great.
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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
Cisco
  • For team work, projects are completed sooner and you can make a profit
  • Saving time and this means the possibility of more profit
  • If the number of projects is large, the investment will return quickly
  • The software license fee is too high
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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

Cisco Desk Series Screenshots

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