Google Hangouts (Classic) vs. GoTo Meeting

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

I provide regular training as a big portion of my job. There is weekly training with an infinite number of users in attendance on any given date—GoTo Meeting is not the best option for this because I would have to mute users as they join the meeting. However, I also provide frequent training sessions to a small number of users that feature more individualized content, and having them able to mute/unmute at will is a better fit for a smaller group with in-depth materials.

Incentivized

• 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

• Excellent audio and video quality.
• Functional and easy-to-use screen-sharing feature for product demonstrations and presentations.
• Possibility of recording meetings that we can later review and share with those who could not attend.
• Possibility of managing the microphone of the participants in host mode so as not to disturb the entire event.

Incentivized

• 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

• We occasionally experience slow performance during screen sharing.
• The help center should have detailed tutorials on commonly asked FAQs and also to initially set up the profile.
• One of my initial thoughts regarding recordings was to edit them in the future when the product changes.

Incentivized

We used other software like goto meetings but found it best because of its user friendly interface and easy interfacing. It helped us in COVID and now we can say we are depending on it and love it. We recommend it to our friends company and they are also using it. It is very affordable and easy to integrate with system

Incentivized

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

The simplicity of GoToMeetings desktop, mobile, and web-based applications make it a very robust and user-friendly meeting solution. At times, it may be more complex than needed, but it is nice to have so many features that can be used if needed. Once installed, it is very easy to use and navigate.

Incentivized

This application has always been available. Never an issue

Incentivized

This application is fast. Loads fast, no stall

Incentivized

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

When we have issues, they seem to respond quickly and do everything they can to help us. They have even tried to find other ways we could get more use out of their product, or improve the way we are currently using it. Overall, their support has been fairly good for us.

Incentivized

It was very easy and self-explanatory.

Incentivized

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

Many times, it seems like GoTo Meeting requires less bandwidth to run. We noticed with a few test machines that if you have over twenty video streams, this product could handle the load better than if we used Microsoft Teams and had many video streams.

Incentivized

• 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

• Any collaboration app these days are now a great addition for those organizations which have more than one office and they need to collaborate with each other.
• GoTo Meeting can contribute to cost savings by reducing the need for extensive travel, accommodation, and related expenses associated with in-person meetings especially in case like us as we have multiple branches.

Incentivized