Google Hangouts (Classic) vs. Rakuten Viber

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
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
Rakuten Viber
Score 7.9 out of 10
N/A
Viber, now from Rakuten (acquired 2014) is an instant messaging and cross-platform VoIP software solution designed for personal use and available for both desktops and as a mobile app. It includes features such as video and audio calls, instant message, and unlimited-member group chats. Users can also make paid international calls.
$0.02
Per Minute
Pricing
Google Hangouts (Classic)Rakuten Viber
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
USA
$0.019
Per Minute
UK
$0.019
Per Minute
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Google Hangouts (Classic)Rakuten Viber
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 Hangouts (Classic)Rakuten Viber
Considered Both Products
Google Hangouts (Classic)
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)
Overall Google stacks up well when it comes to the other products. Google Hangouts was selected only because other coworkers suggested it and everyone used it as an effective means to communicate and keep all contact done in a professional setting while keeping personal …
Rakuten Viber
Chose Rakuten Viber
Skype offers similar communication features as Viber, but Viber is more convenient as it uses the phone number as contact details. So instead of having to remember the user id, you just need to add your business partner's contact number and you have their viber already. Al, o …
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Google Hangouts (Classic)Rakuten Viber
Cloud PBX
Comparison of Cloud PBX features of Product A and Product B
Google Hangouts (Classic)
6.5
57 Ratings
23% below category average
Rakuten Viber
9.5
13 Ratings
15% above category average
Hosted PBX6.915 Ratings9.56 Ratings
Multi-level Interactive Voice Response (IVR)7.725 Ratings9.68 Ratings
User templates5.422 Ratings8.87 Ratings
Call reports9.034 Ratings9.89 Ratings
Directory of employee names3.345 Ratings9.68 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
Rakuten Viber
9.3
15 Ratings
10% above category average
Answering rules8.033 Ratings9.59 Ratings
Call recording7.437 Ratings9.69 Ratings
Call park7.018 Ratings8.84 Ratings
Call screening9.036 Ratings8.89 Ratings
Message alerts8.158 Ratings9.814 Ratings
VoIP system collaboration
Comparison of VoIP system collaboration features of Product A and Product B
Google Hangouts (Classic)
9.0
84 Ratings
8% above category average
Rakuten Viber
9.5
13 Ratings
14% above category average
Video conferencing9.379 Ratings9.513 Ratings
Audio conferencing9.379 Ratings9.613 Ratings
Video screen sharing8.048 Ratings9.05 Ratings
Instant messaging9.352 Ratings10.09 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
Rakuten Viber
10.0
18 Ratings
18% above category average
Mobile app for iOS8.773 Ratings10.017 Ratings
Mobile app for Android8.271 Ratings10.017 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Google Hangouts (Classic)Rakuten Viber
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 9.1 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
Google Hangouts (Classic)Rakuten Viber
Likelihood to Recommend
7.9
(91 ratings)
9.6
(18 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.0
(7 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.0
(36 ratings)
9.4
(7 ratings)
User Testimonials
Google Hangouts (Classic)Rakuten Viber
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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Rakuten Group
As mentioned previously, it is easy to use and access since the you can chat, send voice memos or stickers in a conversation. So in overall it's very entertaining. But throughout that, the audio quality can seem to be a bit off. (Could be personal headset issue) Overall that is the only issue that is present or consistent.
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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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Rakuten Group
  • Viber is a cross platform product. It does not matter if someone uses Android or iOS device, it will work exactly the same.
  • Also the desktop version is very good. You can switch between the desktop and mobile versions within a conversation and see updates right away.
  • It's a very international product. It has been available for very long time, which makes it very wide spread - it has a good user base.
  • You can see the status of your messages.
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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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Rakuten Group
  • When someone sends a file in Viber, the program automatically saves it in your phone memory. This means that you must delete them manually and it really annoys me, as it takes a lot of time to do that.
  • It contains enormous amounts of adds.
  • There is file sharing limit.
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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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Rakuten Group
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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Rakuten Group
I have not frequently used the support for Viber as I have not had many problems with it on my phone. I did use support one time for problems with the computer application and used the forums to solve my problems. They were fairly easy to follow and I appreciated the online help in that format.
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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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Rakuten Group
End-to-end encryption scrambles my messages and delivers them as a scrambled code to my friend's device, whether mobile or desktop, so that only their device can decode them into plain text. If my friend's phone is turned off or they don't have access to the internet, my message will be stored on Viber's servers (for a limited time) until their device is ready to receive it.

Because Viber can't access or read my private conversations in the first place, Viber can't sell them.
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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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Rakuten Group
  • Viber saves me financially since I am now able to communicate with my international clients for free.
  • Viber helps keep my clients engaged by the fact that I can so easily share photos, which is important as a freelance photographer.
  • Viber allows me to make my messages to clients appealing in a visual way, which I have noticed helps drive actions of my clients, such as remembering to book their next session or pay for their photo order.
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ScreenShots