Google Hangouts (Classic) vs. Slack

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Google Hangouts (Classic)
Score 7.8 out of 10
N/A
The 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
Slack
Score 9.0 out of 10
N/A
Slack is a group messaging or team collaboration app that aims to simplify communication for businesses. Features include open discussions, private groups, and direct messaging, as well as deep contextual search and message archiving, and file sharing. Slack integrates with a number of other tools, such as MailChimp, Dropbox, and Google Drive. Slack was acquired by Salesforce in December 2020. The product is free to use, and also has paid plans with more features and greater controls. The…
$8.75
per month per user
Pricing
Google Hangouts (Classic)Slack
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Free
$0
Pro
$7.25*
per month per user
Business+
$12.50*
per month per user
Enterprise
Contact Sales
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Google Hangouts (Classic)Slack
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details*Per active user, per month, when paying once a year. Pro is $8.75 USD per active user when paying month to month. Business+ is $15.00 USD per active user when paying month to month.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Google Hangouts (Classic)Slack
Considered Both Products
Google Hangouts (Classic)
Chose Google Hangouts (Classic)
We were upgraded from Google Chat, which in some ways is better integrated into our workflow. I personally tried out Slack, but didn't see what all the fuss was about.
Chose Google Hangouts (Classic)
Slack is most similar to Hangouts in one respect: it has a consumer-like UI and is very user friendly and flexible. However, it has enterprise-level chops and features, though most of those cost money. The other 2 are more traditional corporate clients, which lack Hangouts' …
Chose Google Hangouts (Classic)
Google Hangouts is my favorite tool for video and audio. I like Slack for messaging because it can handle very large groups and makes many channels and group messages easy to manage. Google Hangouts is very easy to use because most people have a Google Account. No need to teach …
Chose Google Hangouts (Classic)
Even if it doesn't have all of the functionalities and possible integrations like Slack, Hangouts is a free alternative that works really well if you use it for communication purposes only. It is better than Skype in almost every aspect. Video and audio quality do not have any …
Chose Google Hangouts (Classic)
I have used Slack and Skype but both products seem more complex and less user intuitive than Hangouts. They tend to crash a lot and video calling is worse on both systems. Slack is more customizable and has more functionalities but Hangouts is simple and elegant and also it …
Chose Google Hangouts (Classic)
Slack is much better than Google Hangouts since it lets you have group conversations, having threads within a same conversation and integrating with lots of apps for making the work more fluent. Actually I would recommend trying Google chat that has some features that are …
Chose Google Hangouts (Classic)
Zoom is solid but it's a whole other thing to log in to and limited in what its focus is. Slack has the chat functionality but Google Hangouts is integrated into my every day use and I don't feel like it's yet another thing to manage and keep track of.
Chose Google Hangouts (Classic)
Best part of Google Hangouts is its simplicity, and performance. We never had connection problems, or quality interruptions, something that is more frequent with the other tools listed above.
Chose Google Hangouts (Classic)
Google hangouts (Classic), is a instant message solution with not much more to add, it lacks the screen sharing features, the broad app integration, and the video and audio conferencing of this software.
As a basic instant messaging communication tool it does what it promises …
Chose Google Hangouts (Classic)
We reserve Zoom for client-facing meetings as it is the "market standard" and many are familiar with it, however for most internal meetings, we use Google Hangouts due to how light and simple it is, plus the integration with Google Calendar.
Chose Google Hangouts (Classic)
Google Hangouts [(Classic)] is better than jabber, but way behind all other business chat clients. I would much rather use any of the alternatives I have listed in place of Hangouts.
Chose Google Hangouts (Classic)
Since we use Google Suite, Google Hangouts (Classic) was the obvious choice. The ease of use and access to employees makes Google Hangouts (Classic) simple to use and access. Additionally, adding users to an existing Hangout is easy. Google Hangouts (Classic) also doesn't …
Chose Google Hangouts (Classic)
The functionality of Hangouts just isn't for business. Although it has many great functions, communicating for business purposes isn't one of them.
Chose Google Hangouts (Classic)
Google Hangouts is a lot better for fast calls. It is very light-weight and easier to call people outside of my organization.
Chose Google Hangouts (Classic)
Google Hangouts provides better audio and video experience than seen with Skype. It also has the added benefit of not making you download, install, and update a program. Google Hangouts have a much better mobile application experience than Skype as well. With Skype, users have …
Chose Google Hangouts (Classic)
Google Hangouts is easier and quicker to use. It is intuitive and simple. The majority of our organization is on Hangouts, and if anyone is logged into Gmail, they are able to be contacted. There is no additional sign-in required. The app is extremely functional and easy to use.
Chose Google Hangouts (Classic)
Favorable across the board. Skype's user interface and user experience are atrocious across the board. The software is not good at all on any platform. Google hangouts works simply in a web browser (though I'd like a better mobile web experience, not just a "download our app …
Chose Google Hangouts (Classic)
Google Hangouts is free, fast, reliable and easy to use, the reason why Google Hangouts has a huge benefit against other competitors is that it's free and all the contacts within Google account are synced automatically. Google Hangouts has HD video calls and connections are …
Chose Google Hangouts (Classic)
We selected Google Hangouts because we already use Google for our email system and we already have a variety of Google products which makes integration very simple. There is no need to manually sync across platforms with Google. We simply login with our existing account and …
Chose Google Hangouts (Classic)
The mobile app for Skype is much heavier and has a lot of functional issues, Google Hangouts works better with Android and most of the employees of the company are Android users.

Lately some versions of desktop Skype came with lot of bugs and some of our clients dismissed its …
Chose Google Hangouts (Classic)
I like Google Hangouts more than Appear, Skype, and Zoom. While Appear is lighter and easier, it's also more limited. Skype is too slow and clunky, plus I have to install the program. And Zoom is complicated, you have to install a program, and it doesn't always work well with …
Chose Google Hangouts (Classic)
Google Hangouts is just easier to use and provides an integrated Google experience. Also, it is much easier to invite others to a running meeting.
Slack
Chose Slack
Slack is better than Google Hangouts because there is communication across different modalities. Instead of having an IM system that is private it's easy for public Slack conversations to occur so all levels of the organization are on the same page. Slack is superior because …
Chose Slack
Slack provides a way to monitor and manage channels and groups, which is not an option on Google Hangouts. However, Slack also allows for the admin to check conversations between 2 people on the company, and there is no way for the 2 people to be aware of that happening, this …
Chose Slack
Before in the organization, we used Google Hangouts, but it was not well integrated into our team. The functionalities were very limited and could not cover our needs. The advice was very messy and we failed to meet the productivity objectives we had.
Chose Slack
not much function as Slack offering. Public & Private Groups creation not available in Hangout
Chose Slack
Slack has the best features and interface as compared to all other similar software that I have used. Features like huddle, channels, conversations, integrations, polls, and surveys make it better than other similar tools. The mobile application of Slack is also smooth and …
Chose Slack
Because this this tool can be used for several things such as videocalls, shortcut to create tickets in jira and so on.
Chose Slack
Slack is a way better tool as compared to Google Chat or Google Hangout. Pumble gives a Slack alike feel and could be a good option. However, Microsoft Teams can be a tough competitor as Teams has good integrations with all Office products, Outlook, and web conferencing. And …
Chose Slack
Before Slack, I used to use Telegram and Whatsapp, but they both were also my personal platform to chat with friends and family. This mix between personal and professional life was very damaging because it felt like I was always working. Slack gave me the possibility to feel …
Chose Slack
I was not involved in this decision but the decision to use Slack was primarily due to the vast options and functionalities provided by the platform around - collaboration, ability to create channels for specific purposes and effective notification management.
Chose Slack
Google products are not very easy to use and difficult to administer. Since moving from Google to Slack for our internal comms, life has been great! Top highlights of Slack over Google are its simple user interface, its brilliant and responsive and also engages work/life …
Chose Slack
Provides the huddle feature, sending attachments and get integrated with the meetings scheduled.
Chose Slack
Slack is way faster and easier to use in our opinion. We tried hangouts for a bit, but it just isn't as clean or seamless. We selected Slack because of this. We operate on efficiency and speed. Time is our largest constraint so we try to maximize it, which wouldn't be possible …
Chose Slack
Slack is my favourite tool so far. It is easy to use. It does everything that I need. I love the designer and you are free to use any email address.
Chose Slack
Slack is really easy to use, and it is easy to connect with other companies via Slack since it is so popular.
Chose Slack
In Slack it is easy to backtrack to older conversation people had when you're no the part of the channel. Also the sync-to-device from PC and mobile app is very good.
Chose Slack
In slack, we have the option to create and discuss in various channels very easily.
UI looks clean from the user's perspective.
UX is also good considering the feature it possesses.
Chose Slack
The main feature that keeps Slack above them all is the integration of various apps. One can never fully understand how many apps you can integrate with slack and make your professional life a lot simpler. Another important point is the price at which Slack is offered. It is …
Chose Slack
Although very similar, Slack seems to be more geared toward professional chats than Google Hangouts.
Chose Slack
With Hangouts, it's difficult to keep all of your chats organized if you're chatting with more than a few people at a time. Slack's interface keeps all of that extremely organized and their notifications make it easy to see who has recently tagged you in something or sent you a …
Chose Slack
[It has] more functionalities to share and integrate with a team.
Chose Slack
Slack was designed specifically to a work/business environment, so it stacks up pretty well against most competitors. I think they actually created a new industry standard. Nobody was controlling the "team/company communications tool" space before. And they are updating the …
Features
Google Hangouts (Classic)Slack
Cloud PBX
Comparison of Cloud PBX features of Product A and Product B
Google Hangouts (Classic)
6.3
57 Ratings
24% below category average
Slack
-
Ratings
Hosted PBX6.915 Ratings00 Ratings
Multi-level Interactive Voice Response (IVR)7.725 Ratings00 Ratings
User templates5.022 Ratings00 Ratings
Call reports9.034 Ratings00 Ratings
Directory of employee names3.045 Ratings00 Ratings
Call Management
Comparison of Call Management features of Product A and Product B
Google Hangouts (Classic)
8.0
66 Ratings
5% below category average
Slack
-
Ratings
Answering rules8.033 Ratings00 Ratings
Call recording7.937 Ratings00 Ratings
Call park7.018 Ratings00 Ratings
Call screening9.036 Ratings00 Ratings
Message alerts8.058 Ratings00 Ratings
VoIP system collaboration
Comparison of VoIP system collaboration features of Product A and Product B
Google Hangouts (Classic)
8.6
84 Ratings
7% above category average
Slack
-
Ratings
Video conferencing9.079 Ratings00 Ratings
Audio conferencing9.079 Ratings00 Ratings
Video screen sharing7.148 Ratings00 Ratings
Instant messaging9.052 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile apps
Comparison of Mobile apps features of Product A and Product B
Google Hangouts (Classic)
8.0
85 Ratings
1% below category average
Slack
-
Ratings
Mobile app for iOS8.173 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile app for Android8.071 Ratings00 Ratings
Project Management
Comparison of Project Management features of Product A and Product B
Google Hangouts (Classic)
-
Ratings
Slack
8.0
626 Ratings
3% above category average
Task Management00 Ratings7.7429 Ratings
Gantt Charts00 Ratings6.961 Ratings
Scheduling00 Ratings7.8362 Ratings
Workflow Automation00 Ratings8.1395 Ratings
Mobile Access00 Ratings9.4599 Ratings
Search00 Ratings8.3606 Ratings
Visual planning tools00 Ratings7.4274 Ratings
Communication
Comparison of Communication features of Product A and Product B
Google Hangouts (Classic)
-
Ratings
Slack
8.8
634 Ratings
10% above category average
Chat00 Ratings9.6633 Ratings
Notifications00 Ratings8.8630 Ratings
Discussions00 Ratings9.3618 Ratings
Surveys00 Ratings8.2411 Ratings
Internal knowledgebase00 Ratings7.8410 Ratings
Integrates with GoToMeeting00 Ratings8.9110 Ratings
Integrates with Gmail and Google Hangouts00 Ratings8.7182 Ratings
Integrates with Outlook00 Ratings8.9120 Ratings
File Sharing & Management
Comparison of File Sharing & Management features of Product A and Product B
Google Hangouts (Classic)
-
Ratings
Slack
8.5
601 Ratings
6% above category average
Versioning00 Ratings8.2325 Ratings
Video files00 Ratings8.3539 Ratings
Audio files00 Ratings8.5526 Ratings
Document collaboration00 Ratings8.0427 Ratings
Access control00 Ratings8.3410 Ratings
Advanced security features00 Ratings8.3361 Ratings
Integrates with Google Drive00 Ratings9.0211 Ratings
Device sync00 Ratings9.0453 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Google Hangouts (Classic)Slack
Small Businesses
CloudTalk
CloudTalk
Score 7.5 out of 10
Stackby
Stackby
Score 9.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
CloudTalk
CloudTalk
Score 7.5 out of 10
Troop Messenger
Troop Messenger
Score 9.8 out of 10
Enterprises
Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)
Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)
Score 8.6 out of 10
HCL Connections
HCL Connections
Score 9.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Google Hangouts (Classic)Slack
Likelihood to Recommend
8.0
(91 ratings)
9.2
(629 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(1 ratings)
10.0
(25 ratings)
Usability
8.0
(7 ratings)
9.0
(248 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
Support Rating
8.0
(36 ratings)
9.9
(68 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
8.8
(5 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(2 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Professional Services
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Google Hangouts (Classic)Slack
Likelihood to Recommend
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.
Read full review
Salesforce
Slack is great for tracking commits to new coding projects. You can take parts of code that still need to be implemented later and easily search through the history of comments if there is something that goes wrong with a code commitment. It can be difficult for people that only like Teams to adjust to a new platform if you are using both to communicate.
Read full review
Pros
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.
Read full review
Salesforce
  • Huddles Run smoothly without any interferences.
  • Smooth individual calls quick and easy without any interruptions.
  • seamless notifications across multiple devices
  • The ability to easily tag a team member to urgently attend to a specific escalation.
  • Slack being user friendly and able to integrate easily with other platforms and apps.
  • How to easily open up different channels for different escalations and needs.
  • a safe direct messaging option.
Read full review
Cons
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.
Read full review
Salesforce
  • Would love a better integration with GitHub. For example, notifications when your PR is updated, when review is requested, @-mention in comments, etc.
  • Improved "Later" tab, for example the ability to create to-do lists or making the "Later" tab into a more powerful to-do list (annotate items with notes)
  • More powerful integrations, e.g. Google Calendar could render a calendar view within Slack, rather than sending the daily schedule
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Discontinued Products
No answers on this topic
Salesforce
To be more transparent, I give 10 because Slack serves our collaboration needs. It provide us a good platform for team communication relaying important update within the company, it has even mobile app where you can install in your phone to monitor any updates within that team that needs your immediate attention and intervention.
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Usability
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
Read full review
Salesforce
My rating was 7. Its intuitive interface and user-friendly features like channels, threads, and integrations make it excellent for team communication and onboarding. However, its usability is held back by the resource-intensive desktop app and cluttered feeling in large workspaces. The mobile app's performance and unreliable notifications have also been noted as weaknesses.
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Reliability and Availability
Discontinued Products
No answers on this topic
Salesforce
Yes, the app works 24/7. I don't even recall having any period that we could not use since the implementation. Even the maintenance periods are barely noticeable and our work is not impacted by it when it happens.
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Performance
Discontinued Products
No answers on this topic
Salesforce
Slack is a soft app, we don't have many issues with it. I recall one or two people complaining about something during our usage period, but I didn't have a bad experience. When the app is slow, usually the problem is with my computer or my internet. The app works just fine.
Read full review
Support Rating
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.
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Salesforce
Whenever I've had to troubleshoot an issue with Slack (which, to be honest, has not happened very often), their online documentation has been easy to locate, easy to understand, and effective in resolving my issue. Slack's ever-growing popularity also means that there's a large community of practice out there that can be depended upon.
Read full review
Implementation Rating
Discontinued Products
No answers on this topic
Salesforce
I was not part of the implementation team, but I recall being 100% happy and excited to learn and use a new tool. I'm still am to be honest.
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
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.
Read full review
Salesforce
I like Slack better than ClickUp, because I would spend 30-60 minutes a day updating my ClickUp tasks. The way ClickUp was used was very micromanaging. I billed by the hour, so I was willing to put in the time to alert the boss what tasks I was working on.
One of my jobs used Hive - I mostly just ran it in the background in case anyone messaged me. I did not use it often.
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Return on Investment
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.
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Salesforce
  • Slack has been incredibly helpful in connecting various tech apps and ecosystems, creating a more streamlined and responsive process.
  • Slack has made it significantly easier to communicate with our team members across multiple time zones, creating a more engaging environment for our all-remote team.
Read full review
ScreenShots