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GoToMeeting vs Google Hangouts [EOL] comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 27, 2025

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

Google Hangouts [EOL]
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
59
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
GoToMeeting
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
26
Ranking in other categories
Virtual Meetings (8th)
 

Featured Reviews

Mariana-Piñeres - PeerSpot reviewer
Recording and transcription enhance global client meetings
Google Hangouts sometimes consumes significant resources. When comparing it to WhatsApp on desktop for calls, there are instances when Google Hangouts freezes or stops working, but switching to WhatsApp runs smoothly. This might be related to the resources Google Hangouts requires. The service occasionally experiences lag issues where the image gets frozen or the voice transmission becomes interrupted. When these issues occur, possibly due to internet connectivity or other factors, WhatsApp continues to function properly while Google Hangouts does not perform well.
Gavin Tomlins - PeerSpot reviewer
Clunky with poor interface, lacks sufficient functionalities; it did reduce need for in-person meetings
We're phasing out the use of GoToMeeting because of some of its deficiencies. It lacks ease of connectivity, calendar integrations, and third-party app integrations. The user interface is quite poor and needs to be reworked and the product is quite clunky in comparison to its competitors. It currently lacks the ability for sharing collaborative materials during a meeting. We also found that the ability to switch between audio and video configurations isn't as intuitive as in other applications. I generally do 20-30 hours of video conferencing a day, so it makes a difference to have these features. It doesn't integrate as easily into phone systems as well as other organizations and it doesn't integrate as easy into instant messaging and collaboration tools or into software solutions. In general, some of the functionalities need to be improved.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It is easy to use, and we don't need to make a lot of configurations."
"The initial setup is very easy."
"The best features of Google Hangouts include the option with Gemini to record and create call transcriptions and provide a meeting summary."
"Stable communication tool with a good history feature and very easy installation."
"It's integration with Google is the valuable feature."
"Google Meet has excellent audio quality, good images, and a robust set of features."
"The video call feature is the most valuable."
"We use transcriptions to document meetings, which is important for productivity."
"We like that this solution allows us to assign separate numbers to people without having to have a physical telephone system in place."
"With GoToMeeting, I like that it works well for seminars and similar events. Finding a platform where multiple people can share their images, split the screen with content, and manage presentations smoothly is uncommon. It allows the presenter to handle questions, answers, and other opinions."
"The solution worked well specifically for audio meetings."
"The key advantage of GoToMeeting is the ability to use it without installing anything."
"It's easy to set up."
"Screenshare is the most valuable feature as well as the number of meeting participants possible in a meeting. It also has good quality."
"GoToMeeting's low latency is crucial because everybody is using VPN to connect to their PCs at work. The sound and video quality are solid, and the whiteboarding features were especially useful. The administrative side of it was fairly simple and intuitive to use."
"The most valuable feature is the dial-in capability."
 

Cons

"The design could be a little bit better."
"Google Hangouts restricts you to those with a Gmail account."
"One improvement could be integration with Google Calendar to help find available timeslots when scheduling meetings with many participants."
"The solution can be improved by integrating other tools."
"Google Meet could be more secure."
"There could be more precise instructions for beginners using the solution."
"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."
"It would be better to have a feature for recording the meetings in Google Hangouts."
"The solution must include archive options to save the recorded meetings for future reference. The recording functionality can benefit our team by improving how meetings are recorded and shared. Previously, only admins could record meetings, sometimes leading to issues if recordings were missed or not shared properly. The recent update now allows hosting GoToMeeting sessions with the ability to delegate recording rights to other team members."
"The interface is a little outdated and could be better."
"The enrolment for a non-IT user should be easier. It should be simplified for non-IT users."
"The solution could always be more secure."
"I would like to see better support for mobile devices."
"In the next release, I would for it to incorporate files more efficiently from one computer to another when we covert things and send them out. I'm not sure if it's capable of that."
"The sound quality is good but the video quality needs improvement."
"I didn't like the fact that they tried to make their new version look like Zoom."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."
"Google Hangouts has reasonable pricing, but I don't use the paid version because I only have a small budget, though you get more features from the paid version."
"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."
"We access the solution through Google Workspace. It is inexpensive to use."
"I pay $6 per user per month for Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Hangouts."
"I don't need to buy Google Hangouts separately because it comes free with Google Workspace, and it is also available for my personal Gmail ID."
"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."
"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."
"Negotiate for discounts."
"It is a little expensive although now, with the competition from Zoom and other products, they have lowered their prices and it is better."
"GoToMeeting is a little bit expensive compared to other products."
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Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business28
Midsize Enterprise16
Large Enterprise18
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business17
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise5
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Google Hangouts?
It's integration with Google is the valuable feature.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Google Hangouts?
Google Hangouts comes as a package, so it's difficult to say or comment on the price of this particular product.
What needs improvement with Google Hangouts?
Sometimes when we have a call and need to share audio or play a video, we find it challenging to switch from sharing the complete desktop to only a particular Chrome tab, as it doesn't support audi...
What needs improvement with GoToMeeting?
The solution must include archive options to save the recorded meetings for future reference. The recording functionality can benefit our team by improving how meetings are recorded and shared. Pre...
What is your primary use case for GoToMeeting?
I use the solution when someone is comfortable using it, and I recommend using it.
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
AAPT, ACD Groupe, Addison Fire, Avigilon Corporation, Basic Industries Ltd., Bitdefender, Branson School Online, Budd Van Lines, Business Fitness, Business Wire
Find out what your peers are saying about Zoom Video Communications, Cisco, Microsoft and others in Virtual Meetings. Updated: October 2025.
871,408 professionals have used our research since 2012.