Blackboard Collaborate vs Google Hangouts comparison

Blackboard and Google are both solutions in the Virtual Meetings category. Blackboard is ranked #28 with an average rating of 6.0, while Google is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.3. Blackboard holds a 0.5% mindshare in VM, compared to Google’s 0.5% 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

116 Views
43 Comparison Views

75% willing to recommend

Google Hangouts

Read 57 Google Hangouts reviews

1,035 Views
43 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

Blackboard Collaborate

Google Hangouts

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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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: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Blackboard Collaborate vs. Google Hangouts

June 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

28th

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

5th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Virtual Meetings category, the mindshare of Blackboard Collaborate is 0.5%, down from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Google Hangouts is 0.5%, down from 0.8% 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

"Document loading and annotation."

"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."

"The most valuable features are that you don't have to create a separate account, it's easy to use, and you don't have to enter an ID or password to start video conferencing."

"The solution is stable."

"The most valuable features of the solution are its ability to allow the sharing of screens and the way it allows a user to take control of another system."

"It is easy to use, and we don't need to make a lot of configurations."

"Google Hangouts is an excellent tool."

"I find the sound quality of Google Meet a valuable feature. You can join Google Meet with just your phone. You only need the link of the meeting to join."

"The screen sharing is the most valuable feature. It ties in with Google docs and Google sheets so that we can work on a single document as a whole group of us at once. That's the biggest feature we rely on."

"The scalability is good; we have added a lot of users, and it's always working."

More Google Hangouts pros

Cons

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

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

"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."

"I would like to see support for showing virtual backgrounds."

"Support could be a bit faster."

"The design could be a little bit better."

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

"Google Meet should extend the time limit for a meeting from five minutes to at least thirty-five minutes."

"There is no delete option for messages which could be an added feature in a future release."

"We've noticed the product works better in Chrome and doesn't work as well in Safari browsers."

"As someone who is not very familiar with technology, I find it acceptable. I prefer to wait and see what they will come up with in the future. However, I notice that they keep introducing new features that are better than the previous ones."

More Google Hangouts cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"I believe my company has a yearly license for Google Hangouts, but I'm not sure because this is a corporate account, so I don't have the details."

"We pay an annual license to use the solution."

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

"The screen-sharing feature is the most valuable feature."

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

"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 use the free version of the solution."

"There is a need to make certain payments towards the licensing costs attached to the product and some other tools that are included in the suite offered by Google. Google Hangouts alone as a product is available for free."

More Google Hangouts pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Educational Organization

95%

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

University

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

May 2025

Download Blackboard Collaborate product report

Buyer's Guide

Google Hangouts

June 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

June 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: June 2025.

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