Google Hangouts vs Polycom RealPresence Desktop comparison

Google and Poly are both solutions in the Virtual Meetings category. Google is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.4, while Poly is ranked #20 with an average rating of 7.0. Google holds a 0.4% mindshare in VM, compared to Poly’s 2.0% mindshare. Additionally, 93% of Google users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Poly users who would recommend it.

Google Hangouts

Read 56 Google Hangouts reviews

1,698 Views
75 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

Polycom RealPresence Desktop

Read 1 Polycom RealPresence Desktop review

258 Views
126 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Google Hangouts

Polycom RealPresence Desktop

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Google Hangouts and Polycom RealPresence Desktop based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Zoom Video Communications, Cisco, Microsoft and others in Virtual Meetings.

To learn more, read our detailed Virtual Meetings Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Virtual Meetings

April 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

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

Polycom RealPresence Desktop

Ranking in Virtual Meetings

20th

Average Rating

7.0

Reviews Sentiment

8.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Virtual Meetings category, the mindshare of Google Hangouts is 0.4%, down from 1.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Polycom RealPresence Desktop is 2.0%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Virtual Meetings

Featured Reviews

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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Norm Hubert

VTC Network manager at a government with 10,001+ employees

Regular use enables effective communication with room for improvement in interoperability

The most valuable part of the desktop is the ability to make voice and video calls. Without getting too technical or divulging too much due to the environment we are in, it allows us to further our reach, from a traditional video conferencing room. Scalability was easy. It was based on calls, not licenses.

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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

"I find that Google Hangouts is very quick and easy to create a meeting, which is its biggest benefit."

"The most valuable feature of Google Hangouts for me is content sharing."

"This is a stable solution."

"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 most valuable feature of Google Hangouts is there are no predefined or meeting durations. For example, Zoom meetings have a set duration, typically ranging from thirty minutes to an hour, whereas Google Meet meetings can continue indefinitely. Additionally, it is effortless to generate a meeting, whether it is a live session or for future use, and distribute your link to others, making these aspects appealing to me."

"The solution scales well."

"Google Meet is a clear and simple solution."

"Stable communication tool with a good history feature and very easy installation."

More Google Hangouts pros

"It allows us to further our reach, from a traditional video conferencing room."

Cons

"It would be great if this solution could be added to smart TVs. We would also like the ability to broadcast to a YouTube channel when having a meeting or session using this solution."

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

"Google Hangouts is not good enough to be used in a professional environment or for some official work, especially when compared to a product like Microsoft Teams."

"I would like for the platform to have a call recording feature in the free version."

"Maybe they should offer more security features."

"Can be improved by including a larger library of video filters and adding custom filters."

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

"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

"There is probably room for improvement in interoperability."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."

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

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

"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."

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

"We access the solution through Google Workspace. It is inexpensive to use."

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

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

More Google Hangouts pricing and cost advice

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

97%

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

University

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

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 can't comment on the pricing as I have no idea about it.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Google Hangouts?

So far, I think it's going well. I haven't found anything that I feel should be added.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Polycom RealPresence Desktop?

The solution is built right into Clarity.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Polycom RealPresence Desktop?

There is probably room for improvement in interoperability.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Polycom RealPresence Desktop?

We use the desktop. It was used in the same case. We use it with our partners.

See all answers

Comparisons

No data available

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Compared 38% of the time

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Compared 33% of the time

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Compared 29% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Google Hangouts

April 2025

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Buyer's Guide

Virtual Meetings

April 2025

Download Polycom RealPresence Desktop product report

Also Known As

No data available

RealPresence Desktop

Overview

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

Polycom RealPresence Desktop is a powerful, enterprise-grade video chat app for PC & Mac. The video conferencing software extends communications beyond the typical conference room setting to mobile professionals. RealPresence Desktop combines quality HD video, industry-leading interoperability, and security that is both cost effective and highly scalable.

When powered by Polycom's infrastructure, customers can extend desktop collaboration value with app management, interoperability, scalability, resiliency, and multi-point calling.

Poly

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

John Laing, China Daily, Lincoln Fire and Rescue, NATO Communications and Information Agency, NHS Home Dialysis, Silver Chain, South Carolina Department of Mental Health, nimed

Find out what your peers are saying about Zoom Video Communications, Cisco, Microsoft and others in Virtual Meetings. Updated: April 2025.

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