Google Hangouts is a Great Option if Budget is a Concern
September 23, 2019

Google Hangouts is a Great Option if Budget is a Concern

Richard Crane | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with Google Hangouts

I use Google Hangouts to collaborate with team members for different initiatives. Primarily it's used like Microsoft Teams. I can do video calls, chat, and share documentation with other members. I find that it's a great tool if everyone is on Gmail already. If not, it's not hard to use. Anyone can pick it up and start using it.

Pros

  • I love that I can use it seamlessly between my desktop and phone or tablet. In fact, I think I prefer the mobile experience to the desktop version. Very easy to use. We had a call where everyone was a new user except for the organizer, and everyone got in fine. Video quality is really good too.
  • I like that it saves my chats: I can go back and review for things I either forgot or need to verify. It also helps to see who's available for a chat as well. I know before I try to message them if they're available or not.
  • I like how I can separate my groups as needed. It's organized incredibly well. I can have one-on-one chats or group chats as well.

Cons

  • I'd like the ability to edit chats. I get why that feature isn't offered, but it would be a nice alternative to clean up language or disparaging remarks about organizations or individuals involved in the chat. I know you can't stop people from including things they may regret in the chat, but it would be nice to edit those after they were sent.
  • Again, I use this personally for my volunteer work outside of my day-to-day job. That being said, if it had a more professional feel, I'd feel great about recommending it to my organization. However, we already have a solution in place (Microsoft Teams), which I honestly like better.
  • I get the impression that Hangouts was made in mind for small to medium-sized groups, which is great. It's not designed for large groups or corporate use. This really isn't a negative, but just something to consider before jumping into it.
  • For my volunteer projects, Hangouts is great because we don't have a big budget. I need an effective, easy-to-use solution to get project work completed.
  • Collaborating together from anywhere definitely saves on travel (no budget for that). It also saves on rework. We can collaborate together, make changes, and come to a decision quickly.
Slack is very similar to Hangouts. I may like Slack better, but it also doesn't have the video feature that Hangouts has. But maybe that's why I like it better! But I do miss screen sharing when I'm using Slack. I guess it comes down to the chat feature. I feel like chat is more effective and easier to use on Slack than Hangouts, but you're also sacrificing other features if you go with Slack strictly. That's why we use both.
Hangouts is great for what it is, but I'm not going to give it higher than an 8 because I just don't believe it offers that same level of professionalism that Teams or Webex provides. Again, it's great for volunteer work or collaboration on a small to no budget, but I would be hesitant on going solely with Hangouts, especially for my professional career.

Do you think Google Hangouts (Classic) delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Google Hangouts (Classic)'s feature set?

Yes

Did Google Hangouts (Classic) live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Google Hangouts (Classic) go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Google Hangouts (Classic) again?

Yes

Hangouts is a great free option for video conferencing and chat on a budget. That's what makes it so attractive for my volunteer work with the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA). I'm not getting charged for anything except for storage, which is really cost-effective. You won't find a better, cost-effective tool than Hangouts. However, it just doesn't have that professional feel that makes me want to bring it to my organization to promote as a solution. Webex pretty much rules that space. But it's really hard to beat otherwise. I think it depends on exactly what you're using it for.

Google Hangouts (Classic) Feature Ratings

8.4
Hosted PBX
8
Multi-level Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
8
User templates
8
Call reports
8
Directory of employee names
10
8.0
Answering rules
8
Call recording
8
Call park
8
Call screening
8
Message alerts
8
9.5
Video conferencing
10
Audio conferencing
8
Video screen sharing
10
Instant messaging
10
10.0
Mobile app for iOS
10
Mobile app for Android
Not Rated

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