ConnectWise ScreenConnect vs. Google Hangouts (Classic)

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
ConnectWise ScreenConnect
Score 8.9 out of 10
N/A
ConnectWise ScreenConnect is a remote support, access, and meeting solution. With it, users can utilize remote support and access to repair computers, provide updates, and manage machines. Users can also conduct online seminars and presentations using remote meetings.N/A
Google Hangouts (Classic)
Score 7.6 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
ConnectWise ScreenConnectGoogle Hangouts (Classic)
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
ConnectWise ScreenConnectGoogle Hangouts (Classic)
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
ConnectWise ScreenConnectGoogle Hangouts (Classic)
Considered Both Products
ConnectWise ScreenConnect
Chose ConnectWise ScreenConnect
Price is cheaper for ConnectWise, and you just have to install the agent once.
Chose ConnectWise ScreenConnect
ScreenConnect is by far a superior product, it has better tools, it is more secure, and by far it is easier for non-technical users to get up and running with remote support. The simple, intuitive UI allows us to focus more on support rather than ports and configurations for …
Google Hangouts (Classic)

No answer on this topic

Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
ConnectWise ScreenConnectGoogle Hangouts (Classic)
Remote Administration
Comparison of Remote Administration features of Product A and Product B
ConnectWise ScreenConnect
8.3
613 Ratings
1% above category average
Google Hangouts (Classic)
-
Ratings
Screen sharing9.4583 Ratings00 Ratings
File transfer8.4556 Ratings00 Ratings
Instant message8.1490 Ratings00 Ratings
Secure remote access with Smart Card authentication7.573 Ratings00 Ratings
Access to sleeping/powered-off computers6.5303 Ratings00 Ratings
Over-the-Internet remote session9.3589 Ratings00 Ratings
Initiate remote control from mobile7.8381 Ratings00 Ratings
Remote management of servers & workstations9.2506 Ratings00 Ratings
Remote Active Directory® management8.8167 Ratings00 Ratings
Centralized management dashboard8.9470 Ratings00 Ratings
Session record8.4309 Ratings00 Ratings
Annotations8.0258 Ratings00 Ratings
Monitoring and Alerts6.6181 Ratings00 Ratings
Multi-platform remote control9.1390 Ratings00 Ratings
Cloud PBX
Comparison of Cloud PBX features of Product A and Product B
ConnectWise ScreenConnect
-
Ratings
Google Hangouts (Classic)
6.5
57 Ratings
23% 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 Ratings3.345 Ratings
Call Management
Comparison of Call Management features of Product A and Product B
ConnectWise ScreenConnect
-
Ratings
Google Hangouts (Classic)
7.9
66 Ratings
7% below category average
Answering rules00 Ratings8.033 Ratings
Call recording00 Ratings7.437 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
ConnectWise ScreenConnect
-
Ratings
Google Hangouts (Classic)
9.0
84 Ratings
8% above category average
Video conferencing00 Ratings9.379 Ratings
Audio conferencing00 Ratings9.379 Ratings
Video screen sharing00 Ratings8.048 Ratings
Instant messaging00 Ratings9.352 Ratings
Mobile apps
Comparison of Mobile apps features of Product A and Product B
ConnectWise ScreenConnect
-
Ratings
Google Hangouts (Classic)
8.4
85 Ratings
1% above category average
Mobile app for iOS00 Ratings8.773 Ratings
Mobile app for Android00 Ratings8.271 Ratings
Best Alternatives
ConnectWise ScreenConnectGoogle Hangouts (Classic)
Small Businesses
Getscreen.me
Getscreen.me
Score 9.8 out of 10
CloudTalk
CloudTalk
Score 9.5 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
mRemoteNG
mRemoteNG
Score 9.7 out of 10
CloudTalk
CloudTalk
Score 9.5 out of 10
Enterprises
Remote Desktop Services
Remote Desktop Services
Score 9.0 out of 10
Cisco Business Edition 7000 (discontinued)
Cisco Business Edition 7000 (discontinued)
Score 9.1 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
ConnectWise ScreenConnectGoogle Hangouts (Classic)
Likelihood to Recommend
8.7
(613 ratings)
7.9
(91 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(39 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
9.3
(42 ratings)
8.0
(7 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
10.0
(9 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.2
(63 ratings)
8.0
(36 ratings)
Online Training
7.5
(24 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
10.0
(20 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
10.0
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
10.0
(16 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
10.0
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
5.0
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
ConnectWise ScreenConnectGoogle Hangouts (Classic)
Likelihood to Recommend
ConnectWise
We often need to create an ad-hoc session with a device that is not under our management. We find ourselves doing this more than ever in the COVID world. Many people are working from home on personal machines with their employer, our client's permission and we are facilitating more support for these personal machines. Connectwise Control [(formerly ScreenConnect)] gives us a robust resource to control the device, navigate anywhere we need, execute various commands, and engage in an on-screen chat with the client. The session is very simple to create and very user-friendly to initiate. We do not recommend it for Android, Apple, or Chromebook applications. There is little to no support for these platforms.
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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
ConnectWise
  • The interface is easy to use and makes sense. It's easy to understand how to organize a large number of machines involving multiple clients. But, it's also applicable for smaller set of machines too.
  • The connection speed is very quick. I've used solutions in the past that take a variable amount of time to connect, or they just take a long time every time. Control is quick every time. It doesn't get in the way of being able to support the machines on the other end.
  • The connections are reliable. I haven't experienced random disconnects throughout hundreds of instances. It was a breath of fresh air coming from the previous solution we used. I consider Control a gold standard for what a great remote connection solution can be.
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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
ConnectWise
  • I'd like to see the ability to selectively log off the remote machine via a button on the toolbar. Currently it's a setting to always lock on disconnect, or never lock on disconnect, requiring the tech to manually lock the machine if called for at the end of a session. Its a small time save that would add up!
  • The chat feature could be expanded to be a lot more useful. Allowing clients to start conversations, and have conversations ping an email address if no one is monitoring the dashboard would be extremely valuable.
  • Some clarity on licensing when providing host-passes to guest technicians would be a boon, especially for one-off support sessions with vendors.
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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
ConnectWise
I would recommend this product for both internal remote control of end user workstations and remote access to other clients over the internet. It provides a secure and feature rich product that allows me to complete any necessary tasks without ever leaving the office. I will continue to renew as I'm eager to see what they do next. I would however wish the cloud service had a better API to work in conjunction with team collaboration or chat services to make it easier to connect with end users who use multiple workstations. (Slack or Stride provide this functionality)
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Google
No answers on this topic
Usability
ConnectWise
On the whole SC is a very powerful tool that is a vital part of the IT service arsenal. On-site visits are an "emergency" only type of scenario. Just "showing your face" is not winning any browny points for me. If my client sees my face, it's usually just to upgrade hardware or to deal other aspects of business. SC provides me and my client the bulk of the info I need to get projects done.
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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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Reliability and Availability
ConnectWise
In my 5 years of using the product, I am only aware of one time when the service was down and is was due to a backbone outage upstream.
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Google
No answers on this topic
Performance
ConnectWise
It performs well. It also has full control over windows security and does not get hung up like GoToMeeting when trying to install remote software at the prompt to install as admin / override. I have used TeamViewer, WebEx, LogMeIn and GoToMeeting. This is by far the best at spontaneous, remote control. It is also very easy to get a novice user connected to the session.
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Google
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
ConnectWise
There have been two times when something has went wrong and I needed immediate assistance in order to be able to use Screenconnect to be able to help clients and response has not been immediate. The response time has been within 24 hours. Both times if there had been easier to navigate self help I would have been able to help myself. With better self help and a speedier response it would definitely be a 10 as they always respond and help. Just a little more difficult or slow than it should be at times
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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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Online Training
ConnectWise
I find ScreenConnect to be very simple and effective overall, with the main problem being that a number of my clients can't download the app due to existing firewalls and so on. Otherwise it does its job well, and I'm happy with it.
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Google
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
ConnectWise
ConnectWise has done everything they could to help us in any situation. Great support team and their new updates are always providing features that we need. Its a simple solution that works the way we need it to. Their legacy pricing model is still much better than their subscription based model however it is still fair pricing
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Google
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
ConnectWise
I have worked with Citrix, AnyDesk, LogMeIn, VNC Connect, and many others. I ultimately installed ConnectWise as a self-hosted solution, based on the incredible list of features and capabilities, and the pricing at the time. I continue to use the product as it is still one of the best solutions out there and is certainly capable of growing and expanding to meet the needs of my business.
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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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Scalability
ConnectWise
I have used multiple remote desktop support software in the past (Bomgar, Team Viewer, Logmein and Join.me) and this is far the easiest of the bunch to use. It is very easy to create a session and easy to maintain remote desktops from their access view (where you install the software and can get in at any time) I highly recommend this product from ConnectWise!
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Google
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
ConnectWise
  • Instead of waiting 30+ seconds to initiate sessions, they initiate and display a desktop in two or three seconds. The amount of frustration this avoids is immeasurable.
  • Once installed it doesn't need more handholding, i.e., having the remote enter a username/password. It is always just there.
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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

ConnectWise ScreenConnect Screenshots

Screenshot of The guest page, where end-users enter a code to join a session with a technicianScreenshot of Connecting from a Windows machine to a macOS machineScreenshot of The Extension Marketplace, where administrators can install and configure new features and integrationsScreenshot of The Access view of the Host page, where a technician can connect to unattended machinesScreenshot of The toolbox menu, which allows technicians to store and run executables, scripts, and other frequently-used filesScreenshot of the Host page, where a command can be run directly without connecting to the machine