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Google Hangouts vs Webex comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 3, 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
Ranking in Virtual Meetings
5th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
56
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Webex
Ranking in Virtual Meetings
2nd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
124
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 Webex is 17.1%, up from 15.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Virtual Meetings
 

Featured Reviews

ANIS QURESHI - PeerSpot reviewer
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…
AlexandruCioruta - PeerSpot reviewer
Used to conduct online third-party client meetings or third-party vendor meetings
The solution's video conferencing quality is good, and I rate it a nine out of ten. The solution's security features are end-to-end encrypted, and I rate them ten out of ten. The version we're using requires no technical team for deployment and maintenance. The solution has an enterprise version, but we're not currently using it. I would recommend the solution to other users because it has good video conference quality. I mostly leverage the solution for third-party client meetings or third-party vendor meetings. Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Stable communication tool with a good history feature and very easy installation."
"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."
"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."
"It is very easy to use and is available as soon as you open a Google account."
"The initial setup is very easy."
"The video call feature is the most valuable."
"I find that Google Hangouts is very quick and easy to create a meeting, which is its biggest benefit."
"The initial setup is very easy."
"It is a scalable solution."
"The stream is very smooth. That's what I like about Webex. Other video conference solutions like Zoom sometimes freeze and get buggy, but Webex doesn't."
"The most valuable feature is that you can host presentations with a lot of attendees."
"Great quality of sound, quality of pics and video."
"The most valuable features are video conferencing, the integration with Outlook, and scheduling meetings."
"WebEx provides the option to record the chat or delete it. You can also dial into the video on your mobile to communicate with the engineer or whoever. One aspect we like most is that the audio is clear. That is one of the most valuable features of WebEx."
"One of the most valuable features of WebEx is that it's very quick for ad hoc meetings, and I use it all day, every day, for internal chat with my team. It's just a good platform."
"The most noteworthy aspect of Webex is its quality, which I found satisfactory without any notable issues."
 

Cons

"We don’t have any complaints."
"I would like to have a whiteboard feature, where I can draw a sketch or diagram and show it to the people in the meeting."
"Support could be a bit faster."
"Google Hangouts is not as feature-rich as Slack. Adding more features to this solution would make it better."
"We've noticed the product works better in Chrome and doesn't work as well in Safari browsers."
"We purchased a videoconference system called Zoom. We want to see if Google Hangouts has the ability to integrate our Zoom device to use it with Hangouts and meet directly."
"It would be better to have a feature for recording the meetings in Google Hangouts."
"The improvement needs to be done as per customer requirements."
"We switched from Webex to Teams because there was a lag in the WebEx experience and also a lack of integration. Easy integration with a free email account like Microsoft or Google would be helpful."
"The pricing could be improved."
"The solution's initial setup process is lengthy."
"They should work to make it simpler."
"I have had issues with the frequent updates from Webex."
"Webex's stability could be improved. It crashes very often. The user interface could also be improved to be more modern because it looks outdated."
"There is a small bug when it comes to connecting my Webex with my Outlook Calendar. Some meetings show up, and others don't. They should fix this bug."
"Webex's translation feature could work more accurately."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There is no license cost."
"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 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 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."
"We access the solution through Google Workspace. It is inexpensive to use."
"I use the free version of the solution."
"There is an annual subscription to use this solution."
"This solution is available for free with the opening of a Google account."
"Licensing is subscription-based and the cost varies depending on how many minutes are included in the plan."
"The tool is expensive."
"The price should be improved significantly."
"There are no licensing fees."
"I am not aware of the pricing details."
"Price is the one area where Webex needs to improve relative to its competitors. It's difficult to sell to small and medium-sized businesses (SMB) because of the license price."
"There is an annual license required for this solution."
"I am using the free version of Webex."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
97%
Computer Software Company
1%
Financial Services Firm
1%
University
0%
Educational Organization
64%
Computer Software Company
8%
Government
6%
Financial Services Firm
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

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?
I can't comment on the pricing as I have no idea about it.
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.
What do you like most about Webex?
Webex improved our overall team collaboration.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Webex?
Webex is expensive. If it weren't that expensive, we would probably use it for all our telecommunication needs, not just for telemedicine.
What needs improvement with Webex?
Usability needs improvement. Webex is more complex compared to Zoom ( /products/zoom-reviews ). Zoom ( /products/zoom-reviews ) has a big advantage in simplicity, especially for the other side to c...
 

Comparisons

No data available
 

Also Known As

No data available
Cisco Spark
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Seagate Technology, Kohn Pedersen Fox, World Vision International, Glen Raven, University of Notre Dame, CEV Multimedia, The Food Group, LUMEDX, California Baptist University, and Georgetown University Law Center.
Find out what your peers are saying about Google Hangouts vs. Webex and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
850,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.