Google Hangouts (Classic) vs. Phone.com

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
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
Phone.com
Score 10.0 out of 10
N/A
Phone.com is a cloud based VoIP solution from the company of the same name in Newark, New Jersey, with video conferencing, business phone, and optional premium features (e.g. live receptionist). The company boasts 30,000 businesses as users of its cloud-based communication and collaboration solutions.
$12.99
per month
Pricing
Google Hangouts (Classic)Phone.com
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
IP Phone Connection
$4.99
per month, per device
Phone Numbers
$4.99
per month
Call Recording
$7.99
per month
Basic Users
$12.99
per user, per month
Plus Users
$19.99
per user, per month
Pro Users
$29.99
per user, per month
Lice Receptionist
Starting at $90
per month
Global Phone Numbers
Starting at $4.99
per month
International Dialing
Vary Rates
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Google Hangouts (Classic)Phone.com
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details20% discount with annual billing. Mix and match user plans to create a custom plan appropriate for the business.
More Pricing Information
Features
Google Hangouts (Classic)Phone.com
Cloud PBX
Comparison of Cloud PBX features of Product A and Product B
Google Hangouts (Classic)
6.4
57 Ratings
25% below category average
Phone.com
10.0
2 Ratings
20% above category average
Hosted PBX6.915 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Multi-level Interactive Voice Response (IVR)7.725 Ratings10.02 Ratings
User templates5.422 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Call reports9.034 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Directory of employee names3.245 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Call Management
Comparison of Call Management features of Product A and Product B
Google Hangouts (Classic)
7.9
66 Ratings
7% below category average
Phone.com
10.0
2 Ratings
17% above category average
Answering rules8.033 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Call recording7.537 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Call park7.018 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Call screening9.036 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Message alerts8.158 Ratings10.02 Ratings
VoIP system collaboration
Comparison of VoIP system collaboration features of Product A and Product B
Google Hangouts (Classic)
8.9
84 Ratings
7% above category average
Phone.com
10.0
1 Ratings
19% above category average
Video conferencing9.379 Ratings00 Ratings
Audio conferencing9.379 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Video screen sharing7.948 Ratings00 Ratings
Instant messaging9.352 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Mobile apps
Comparison of Mobile apps features of Product A and Product B
Google Hangouts (Classic)
8.4
85 Ratings
1% above category average
Phone.com
10.0
2 Ratings
18% above category average
Mobile app for iOS8.673 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Mobile app for Android8.171 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Google Hangouts (Classic)Phone.com
Small Businesses
CloudTalk
CloudTalk
Score 9.5 out of 10
CloudTalk
CloudTalk
Score 9.5 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
CloudTalk
CloudTalk
Score 9.5 out of 10
CloudTalk
CloudTalk
Score 9.5 out of 10
Enterprises
Cisco Business Edition 7000 (discontinued)
Cisco Business Edition 7000 (discontinued)
Score 9.0 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
Google Hangouts (Classic)Phone.com
Likelihood to Recommend
7.9
(91 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.0
(7 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.0
(36 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Google Hangouts (Classic)Phone.com
Likelihood to Recommend
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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Phone.com
Phone.com is a no-brainer. The cost savings over a POTS or in-house PBX system are tremendous. The affordability added on top of the easy to use and deploy features make Phone.com the best choice. Phone.com is well-suited for situations where you need other-than-standard call holding, call routing, and other similar advanced call features.
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Pros
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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Phone.com
  • Customer service and live chat are amazing
  • Simple, straight forward
  • Easy to setup
  • Affordable
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Cons
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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Phone.com
  • Phone.com has been excellent with support and I can not think of any areas for improvement with regards to that
  • Phone.com could provide more graphical assistance when programming call routing. A visual indication of the flow of a call should be presented and would come in handy when planning out difficult ques/call routes
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Usability
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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Phone.com
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
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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Phone.com
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
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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Phone.com
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
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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Phone.com
  • Reduced cost and improved our efficiency - all reps love it.
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ScreenShots

Phone.com Screenshots

Screenshot of Phone.com Dashboard