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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Google Chat

    Score7.9 out of 10
    N/AGoogle Chat, formerly Hangouts Chat, is a collaboration tool competing with Slack, designed to make it easy for teams to be able to get their work done in one place. From direct messages to group conversations, Chat helps teams collaborate, and with dedicated, virtual rooms to house projects over time — plus threaded conversations — Chat helps users track progress and follow up tasks. Chat currently supports 28 languages and each room can support up to 8,000 members.N/A

    Google Hangouts (Classic)

    Score8.3 out of 10
    N/AThe classic version of Google Hangouts included messaging, voice, VoIP, and video call capabilities. It was replaced by the Hangouts Chat collaboration tool, and Google continues to support conferencing via the new Hangouts Meet.N/A
    Pricing
    Google ChatGoogle Hangouts (Classic)
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Google ChatGoogle 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
    Google ChatGoogle Hangouts (Classic)
    Considered Both Products
    Google
    Chose Google Chat
    Hangouts was buggy and had frequent crashes, but Hangouts Chat has no such issues so far.
    Incentivized
    Discontinued Products
    Chose Google Hangouts (Classic)
    For its time, Google Hangouts (Classic) was a fantastic product and matched up well with all of its successors. Now however, with it having been phased on within Workspace for Education, I would not advise any new users use the product.

    Google Chat, combined with Google Meet, …
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Hangouts (Classic)
    Google Hangouts (Classic) is just as good as any of its competitors. Google Hangouts (Classic) has everything that is needed for an internal communication tool, besides the software makes work really fun with the cool and funny stickers. I have personally liked using Google …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    92%
    Would buy again
    24 Answers
    83%
    Would buy again
    44 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    26 Answers
    98%
    Delivers good value for the price
    46 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    92%
    Happy with the feature set
    24 Answers
    89%
    Happy with the feature set
    47 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    94%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    16 Answers
    91%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    31 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    95%
    Implementation went as expected
    19 Answers
    98%
    Implementation went as expected
    41 Answers
    Features
    Google ChatGoogle Hangouts (Classic)
    Project Management
    Comparison of Project Management features of Google Chat and Google Hangouts (Classic)
    Feature
    Google Chat
    8.3
    26 Ratings
    7% above category average
    Google Hangouts (Classic)
    -
    Ratings
    Task Management8.014 Ratings00 Ratings
    Gantt Charts8.29 Ratings00 Ratings
    Scheduling8.616 Ratings00 Ratings
    Workflow Automation7.412 Ratings00 Ratings
    Mobile Access9.225 Ratings00 Ratings
    Search9.123 Ratings00 Ratings
    Visual planning tools7.713 Ratings00 Ratings
    Communication
    Comparison of Communication features of Google Chat and Google Hangouts (Classic)
    Feature
    Google Chat
    8.9
    26 Ratings
    11% above category average
    Google Hangouts (Classic)
    -
    Ratings
    Chat9.826 Ratings00 Ratings
    Notifications9.126 Ratings00 Ratings
    Discussions8.824 Ratings00 Ratings
    Surveys9.417 Ratings00 Ratings
    Internal knowledgebase8.915 Ratings00 Ratings
    Integrates with GoToMeeting8.07 Ratings00 Ratings
    Integrates with Gmail and Google Hangouts8.215 Ratings00 Ratings
    Integrates with Outlook9.06 Ratings00 Ratings
    File Sharing & Management
    Comparison of File Sharing & Management features of Google Chat and Google Hangouts (Classic)
    Feature
    Google Chat
    8.6
    26 Ratings
    7% above category average
    Google Hangouts (Classic)
    -
    Ratings
    Versioning8.817 Ratings00 Ratings
    Video files7.623 Ratings00 Ratings
    Audio files7.922 Ratings00 Ratings
    Document collaboration8.021 Ratings00 Ratings
    Access control9.318 Ratings00 Ratings
    Advanced security features9.319 Ratings00 Ratings
    Integrates with Google Drive8.115 Ratings00 Ratings
    Device sync9.624 Ratings00 Ratings
    Cloud PBX
    Comparison of Cloud PBX features of Google Chat and Google Hangouts (Classic)
    Feature
    Google Chat
    -
    Ratings
    Google Hangouts (Classic)
    6.3
    57 Ratings
    23% below category average
    Hosted PBX00 Ratings6.915 Ratings
    Multi-level Interactive Voice Response (IVR)00 Ratings7.725 Ratings
    User templates00 Ratings5.022 Ratings
    Call reports00 Ratings9.034 Ratings
    Directory of employee names00 Ratings3.045 Ratings
    Call Management
    Comparison of Call Management features of Google Chat and Google Hangouts (Classic)
    Feature
    Google Chat
    -
    Ratings
    Google Hangouts (Classic)
    8.0
    66 Ratings
    3% below category average
    Answering rules00 Ratings8.033 Ratings
    Call recording00 Ratings7.937 Ratings
    Call park00 Ratings7.018 Ratings
    Call screening00 Ratings9.036 Ratings
    Message alerts00 Ratings8.058 Ratings
    VoIP system collaboration
    Comparison of VoIP system collaboration features of Google Chat and Google Hangouts (Classic)
    Feature
    Google Chat
    -
    Ratings
    Google Hangouts (Classic)
    8.6
    84 Ratings
    8% above category average
    Video conferencing00 Ratings9.079 Ratings
    Audio conferencing00 Ratings9.079 Ratings
    Video screen sharing00 Ratings7.148 Ratings
    Instant messaging00 Ratings9.052 Ratings
    Mobile apps
    Comparison of Mobile apps features of Google Chat and Google Hangouts (Classic)
    Feature
    Google Chat
    -
    Ratings
    Google Hangouts (Classic)
    8.0
    85 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Mobile app for iOS00 Ratings8.173 Ratings
    Mobile app for Android00 Ratings8.071 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Google ChatGoogle Hangouts (Classic)
    Small Businesses
    Flock
    Score9.5 out of 10
    CallFire
    Score9.7 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Troop Messenger
    Score9.8 out of 10
    Fuze
    Score8.2 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Cisco Business Edition 7000 (discontinued)
    Score9 out of 10
    Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)
    Score8.3 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Google ChatGoogle Hangouts (Classic)
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.2
    (26 ratings)
    8.0
    (91 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    8.0
    (2 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Usability
    8.9
    (9 ratings)
    8.0
    (7 ratings)
    Support Rating
    7.3
    (3 ratings)
    8.0
    (36 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Google ChatGoogle Hangouts (Classic)
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Google
    It is a easy and quick way to chat and send instant message using the Google account, even send files, emojis, create groups. I have used it to communicate even with external people with a personal gmail account and is great to stay in touch with all around. I recommend it for anyone who wants to stay communicated using a google account.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Google
    • When discussing about a specific project, I can quickly share google docs or sheets within the chat which helps my team to view the document in real time and they do not have to leave the conversation.
    • Scheduling a meeting with someone is very easy on Google Chat.
    • We have remote team members in different time zones and instead of waiting for emails we use Google Chat to quickly discuss anything.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    • 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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Google
    • Google Hangouts Chat has a room for improvement in customizing the themes background.The themes are outdated and hard to change if you don't know the right key to change it.
    • It could be more user friendly if there will be no hidden features. Formatting messages is very likely to use and fun.
    • With conversations going on about everything all the time, it's easy to get pulled into far too many discussions but sometimes its hard to mention names because it shows many result even the users are not included on the chat room.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    • 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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Google
    The updates, support, general reviews on Google Chat are great everywhere. The development of the features is ongoing and this adds a great value to Google as a big company in the market. Other applications are limiting communication while Google Chat is allowing communication to grow. It is very easy to use it and teach others how to use Google Chat.
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    No answers on this topic
    Usability
    Google
    As stated from the starting we found this application is well suited for a small audience and a group of people across the organization can be communicated easily with no additional hectic of doing any setup. When you have a Gmail account ready then you can easily access google chat and continue the communication. This tool is simple,secure and robust helping the global leading partner for their internal precise communication and handling the tasks in a great way
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    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
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Google
    I have not needed to contact the support folks for Google Hangouts Chat, so I can't speak to this with any accuracy. The online instructions are fairly clearly written, so it is fairly intuitive to start with. I did not feel the need to use the support people anyway.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Google
    Slack has a few more features than Google Chat. Slack, for a long time, had thread chats that grouped a thread of thoughts together, making the main chat group space a lot less cluttered. A while back, Google Chat implemented a similar thing in a different but similar way, making the group less crowded. They are catching up.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    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.
    Incentivized
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    Return on Investment
    Google
    • In my work it allows us to report troubles that may cost loss of investment thru Google Hangouts Chat we were able to communicate on how to fix it.
    • I hope we can make it on our own choice of colors to heightened workers vibe
    • It is connected to your email
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    • 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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots