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Google Hangouts [EOL] vs Zoom Workplace Business 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
Zoom Workplace Business
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
225
Ranking in other categories
Virtual Meetings (1st)
 

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.
Luiz Kazan - PeerSpot reviewer
Utilizing versatile features for efficient personal and work meetings
Zoom offers a number of interesting and valuable features. One of the most interesting is the ability to share only audio and provide ambient music without sharing a screen. The breakout room feature is much more developed than other solutions, allowing users to stay in the same meeting and move to different rooms and back to the main room. The sharing features are great for projecting people who should be in focus. Another valuable feature is the virtual entrance, which uses a username and password recognized by the Zoom system, showing the person's full name and ID. Additionally, the use of video and a good fixed background improves visibility compared to other applications. These features differentiate Zoom from others.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I think the simplicity of the whole thing is its valuable feature."
"The solution is easy to use and navigate."
"It's good for conferencing with others."
"It has efficient recording features."
"The scalability is good; we have added a lot of users, and it's always working."
"The solution scales well."
"Google Hangouts is very quick and easy to use, and the quality is very good."
"I think that Google Meet allows for easy interaction and has additional features, such as background blurring, among others."
"The base infrastructure is robust."
"Zoom is easy to use and does not require much network bandwidth. Additionally, it does not require a lot of configuration which is very good."
"The most valuable feature of Zoom is having the ability to be able to share your screen and chat whilst you're online."
"The grid view option is great, as you get to see everyone who is in the video conference at the same time."
"Zoom is stable and easy to use."
"Zoom is a stable solution."
"Zoom has become a straightforward solution and is valuable for various meeting types."
"Zoom is very convenient to use and the basic functions work well for us."
 

Cons

"There could be more precise instructions for beginners using the solution."
"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."
"Google will not have two identical chat platforms. Google Chat is always a winner because it is compatible with my device."
"Google Meet could be more secure."
"The only issue with the solution is that we can't split the video of participants into separate screens, which can make it difficult to manage the cameras of participants."
"We've noticed the product works better in Chrome and doesn't work as well in Safari browsers."
"I would like for the platform to have a call recording feature in the free version."
"In the next release, I would like to see call recording made available."
"They could address the product's limitation of the free version, particularly the 40-minute time constraint on meetings."
"The solution is pricier than its competitors."
"Zoom could improve by increasing the time limitation in the free version."
"When anyone installs Zoom for organizational purposes, then it's fine because all the safety and protection is taken care of by the organization. However, when it's done on a personal basis the terms and conditions, you are not secure."
"For me, the only thing I'd suggest is to make the pricing more affordable."
"Zoom can improve the user-friendliness of the management when you are doing a webinar."
"In the next release, I would like to see an easily accessible bandwidth feature so that you can see how much data you've used on a particular call."
"There is insufficient customization."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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 are using the free version of Google Hangouts."
"There is no license cost."
"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."
"We pay an annual license to use the solution."
"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."
"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."
"I pay $6 per user per month for Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Hangouts."
"The version I am using of Zoom is free."
"I use the free version that is available, so I'm not sure what the licensing prices are."
"We are on an annual license for the solution. The price of the solution could be less expensive."
"My organization has a yearly license for Zoom."
"The tool's paid version is not that expensive. You need to pay 150 USD per year."
"There is a free version available with time limits."
"Zoom is free."
"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a five out of ten."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Performing Arts
14%
University
13%
Educational Organization
11%
Computer Software Company
9%
 

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 Business97
Midsize Enterprise32
Large Enterprise101
 

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...
LucidChart vs LucidSpark for brainstorming sessions over Zoom
Hi @Krista Thompson ​ - Yes, LucidSpark is a much more nimble and, in some ways, user-friendly tool than LucidChart. LucidSpark is designed to do a better job managing multiple users participating ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zoom?
Zoom offers a free version for up to forty minutes.
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Fortinet, Veeva, Proofpoint, Box, Ticketmaster, Trend Micro, Caesars Entertainment, Santa Clara University, Pandora, Stanford Continuing Studies
Find out what your peers are saying about Zoom Video Communications, Cisco, Microsoft and others in Virtual Meetings. Updated: August 2025.
867,370 professionals have used our research since 2012.