Blackboard Collaborate vs Google Hangouts comparison

Blackboard and Google are both solutions in the Virtual Meetings category. Blackboard is ranked #27 with an average rating of 6.0, while Google is ranked #6 with an average rating of 8.3. Blackboard holds a 0.9% mindshare in VM, compared to Google’s 0.6% mindshare. Additionally, 75% of Blackboard users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of Google users who would recommend it.

Blackboard Collaborate

Read 4 Blackboard Collaborate reviews

140 Views
132 Comparison Views

75% willing to recommend

Google Hangouts

Read 57 Google Hangouts reviews

703 Views
703 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

Blackboard Collaborate

Google Hangouts

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 3, 2025

Blackboard Collaborate and Google Hangouts compete in the online communication and collaboration sector. Blackboard Collaborate seems to have the upper hand in educational features, while Google Hangouts appears more advantageous in cross-platform accessibility and integration.

Features: Blackboard Collaborate provides breakout rooms, polling, and a virtual whiteboard, making it effective for educational settings. Google Hangouts offers seamless integration with other Google services and provides video conferencing, instant messaging, and screen sharing.

Room for Improvement: Blackboard Collaborate could enhance its cross-platform compatibility and simplify its user interface for beginners. Additionally, expanding its integration with non-educational tools would be beneficial. Google Hangouts may improve by adding more educational-specific features, enhancing security protocols, and providing more customization options for users.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Blackboard Collaborate requires detailed setup due to its educational focus but is backed by strong customer support. Google Hangouts, however, offers easy deployment with self-service options and robust online resources, facilitating quick accessibility.

Pricing and ROI: Blackboard Collaborate tends to be more costly due to its advanced educational functions, resulting in greater ROI for educational institutions. Conversely, Google Hangouts is cost-effective, especially for those already integrating Google services, providing faster ROI for general business and personal applications.

To learn more, read our detailed Blackboard Collaborate vs. Google Hangouts Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Blackboard Collaborate vs. Google Hangouts

July 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Blackboard Collaborate

Ranking in Virtual Meetings

27th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Google Hangouts

Ranking in Virtual Meetings

6th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Virtual Meetings category, the mindshare of Blackboard Collaborate is 0.9%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Google Hangouts is 0.6%, down from 0.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Virtual Meetings

Featured Reviews

YN1

Teaching and Learning Systems Manager at a university with 5,001-10,000 employees

Useful in webinars, meetings and online classrooms

One of the features that people enjoy is the whiteboard, providing opportunities for academics to present content and for students to contribute. The platform also allows for the creating of different rooms, enabling large classes to break into smaller groups for discussions. Students can then return to the main classroom to share their opinions. It integrates with LMS.

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ANIS QURESHI

Senior Specialist- IT Systems Management at GAL

Quick and seamless meeting setup offers a smooth experience

I sometimes use Google Hangouts for my personal meetings only I find that Google Hangouts is very quick and easy to create a meeting, which is its biggest benefit. It doesn't have a 40-minute limitation unlike Zoom. It is easy to set up as well, taking just a couple of minutes. So far, I think…

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The solution allows me to connect and collaborate with my classes."

"One of the features that people enjoy is the whiteboard, providing opportunities for academics to present content and for students to contribute. The platform also allows for the creating of different rooms, enabling large classes to break into smaller groups for discussions. Students can then return to the main classroom to share their opinions. It integrates with LMS."

"Document loading and annotation."

"The initial setup process is straightforward."

"The initial setup is very easy."

"The most valuable feature has been the ability to present presentations during meetings."

"The technical support team for Google Hangouts has been pretty responsive and could solve whatever challenges arise, within a day or two."

"The initial setup is very easy."

"The most valuable feature of Google Hangouts is its popularity. A lot of people use Google. Since the solution is from Google and many of us use Google solutions regularly, it is easy to use."

"It has efficient recording features."

"Its ease of use is most valuable. It is just a click, and you're in the system."

More Google Hangouts pros

Cons

"If there were maybe more tutorials outside of what I'm aware the university is suggesting, I would take more tutorials on effective ways to deliver content. I come from the industry and content was always needed when people that were observing were smart and involved and decision-makers instead of so passively just trying to pass the course. In my imagination, the tutorials would be a tool where the learners themselves can have much more hands-on learning during a Collaborate session."

"The system can overload when too many try logging in."

"We faced outages when the user limit went over a certain number."

"Google Hangouts restricts you to those with a Gmail account."

"Google will not have two identical chat platforms. Google Chat is always a winner because it is compatible with my device."

"It would be ideal if they could include in the offering a virtual whiteboard for users when they are running meetings."

"The stability of Google Hangouts has had some issues, such as video call delays. The stability could improve."

"There should be more space for multiple users at a time so that multiple people can connect, can share, and even transfer control to another colleague, employer, student, etc."

"Collaboration in Google Hangouts has room for improvement compared to Microsoft Teams. On Microsoft Teams, you can share a document directly and work on that document all at once, in real-time, with other team members, which isn't the case with Google Hangouts."

"The solution could integrate more automation into the product."

"The solution can improve by having more integration with different platforms."

More Google Hangouts cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"I think there is a need for payment for licensing, but as students, we didn't have to pay for it when we were using it. Our professors were the ones paying for it since they needed to record the sessions."

"There is no license cost."

"There is an annual subscription to use this solution."

"We are using the free version of Google Hangouts."

"We are a small team and a small organization such as ours just uses the free version of Google, so there's no cost associated with Google Hangouts at the moment."

"This solution is available for free with the opening of a Google account."

"For individual use, there's no license requirement as such. For storage or some other purposes, if I go beyond 15 GB, then I need to buy something."

"I pay $6 per user per month for Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Hangouts."

More Google Hangouts pricing and cost advice

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Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Blackboard Collaborate?

See all answers

What needs improvement with Blackboard Collaborate?

We faced outages when the user limit went over a certain number.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Blackboard Collaborate?

We use the solution in web seminars, online classrooms, and meetings.

See all answers

What do you like most about Google Hangouts?

It's integration with Google is the valuable feature.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Google Hangouts?

I think the price is okay for us.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Google Hangouts?

One improvement could be integration with Google Calendar to help find available timeslots when scheduling meetings with many participants.

See all answers

Comparisons

No data available

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Virtual Meetings

July 2025

Download Blackboard Collaborate product report

Buyer's Guide

Google Hangouts

July 2025

Download Google Hangouts product report

Also Known As

Blackboard Mobile

No data available

Overview

Blackboard Mobile give your learners, educators, and community access to all aspects of the educational experience on their mobile devices and they'll be able to go anywhere. Giving you the power to engage everyone on their terms and devices. Offering instant access to the information they need. Encouraging the interaction they crave.

Blackboard

Hangouts Chat makes it easy for teams to be able to get their work done in one place. From direct messages to group conversations, Chat helps teams collaborate easily and efficiently.

Google

Sample Customers

University of Derby Online, Universty of Warwick, University of Liverpool, City College Norwich, Northumberland College, Mid-Kent College, Watson Pharmaceutials, Capella University, Shore Tel Sky, Lincoln PD, City of Somerville MA, Somerset County Council

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Blackboard Collaborate vs. Google Hangouts

July 2025

Free Report: Blackboard Collaborate vs. Google Hangouts

Find out what your peers are saying about Blackboard Collaborate vs. Google Hangouts and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.

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