Its ease of use is most valuable. It is just a click, and you're in the system.
Senior Business Development Manager at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
Easy to use, and you're in the system with just a click
Pros and Cons
- "Its ease of use is most valuable. It is just a click, and you're in the system."
- "It is not as stable. They can improve its stability."
What is most valuable?
What needs improvement?
It is not as stable. They can improve its stability.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using it for probably a couple of years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is not as stable.
Buyer's Guide
Google Hangouts [EOL]
March 2026
Learn what your peers think about Google Hangouts [EOL]. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2026.
884,933 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have issues when we have multiple users. That's why we use Zoom. If we got a big meeting, we use Zoom.
How are customer service and support?
We have our own support team that manages it, so I let them worry about it.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We use Google Meets for internal meetings, but we use Zoom for client-facing meetings.
I've used Microsoft teams. It used to be Skype, and now, it is probably Microsoft Teams.
What other advice do I have?
I would advise others to know the purpose of the tool. I would rate this solution an eight out of 10.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Product Manager at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Video conferencing that is of good quality and is easy to use, but scheduling meetings is not part of the package
Pros and Cons
- "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 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."
- "Google Hangouts restricts you to those with a Gmail account."
- "Google Hangouts is complicated and there are many solutions on the market that are more simplified, which is the reason I stopped using it."
What is our primary use case?
The primary use cases of this solution are virtual meetings with colleagues and video conferencing with friends.
What is most valuable?
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. This is because it is already in your Google account.
What needs improvement?
Connectivity and voice clarity is good. If I had to rate it out of ten, I would give it an eight. However, there were times when I used Google Hangouts on my phone and the voice quality was bad.
The back button functionality needs to be improved. When you hit the back button, you get out of the meeting. What should happen if you are in a meeting and you press the back button is that you would still be in the meeting but you would be able to see the other available features of your phone or use other apps. With Zoom, you are able to do those things.
They don't have a way to schedule a meeting as you with other solutions. If you compare it to Zoom, in that product you can schedule a meeting and send a link to others. The option it provides is to start a meeting then to invite or add. If you don't know their Gmail address then you can't invite them to join.
Google Hangouts restricts you to those with a Gmail account.
It's not easy to share. If you are with Zoom there is not share or deny, you send a link and they will be able to join you. It's made to be simple.
Once Google Hangouts is launched you are able to start meetings. Your contacts are all listed but only Google Hangouts contacts are available. If someone does not have Google Hangouts then there is no way to invite them to the meetings.
The UI is good, but the transaction needs improvement. The flow from jumping from one screen to another is a bit complicated.
For how long have I used the solution?
I used Google Hangouts for approximately two months.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have never contacted technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I stopped using Google Hangouts about a month ago. I now use Zoom or Google Meet for video conferencing. Google Hangouts is complicated and there are many solutions on the market that are more simplified, which is the reason I stopped using it.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. It's easy and fast. Depending on your internet speed, it only takes a few minutes.
What other advice do I have?
I would not recommend this solution. They have Google Meets, which does the same as Google Hangouts and it has more features. I would advise them to use Google Meets instead.
I would rate this solution a six out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Google
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
Google Hangouts [EOL]
March 2026
Learn what your peers think about Google Hangouts [EOL]. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2026.
884,933 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Testing Center of Excellence - Head at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Easy to use and integrates well with Google suite
Pros and Cons
- "It is very easy to use and is available as soon as you open a Google account."
- "My advice for anybody who is looking to start using Google Hangouts is that it is plug-and-play, and comes free with Google Suite."
- "I would like to see support for showing virtual backgrounds."
- "I would like to see support for showing virtual backgrounds."
What is our primary use case?
I use Google Hangouts for both chat and online meetings.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the seamless integration with Google Suite. For example, in Google Calendar, if you set a meeting then it will automatically prepare the google Meet or Google Hangouts meeting for you.
It gives you the ability to make online presentations, and there is a little-known tool that allows you to use it as a remote desktop.
It is very easy to use and is available as soon as you open a Google account.
The recently added noise-cancellation feature works well.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see support for showing virtual backgrounds.
A better resolution that is capable of showing hi-resolution videos would be useful.
The capability of transferring files through chat, other than just images and videos, would be useful. There are some workarounds for it, but they are not as robust as the other features. Most other messenger allows you to send files through chat.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Google Hangouts for several years, since 2012.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I use it every day and the stability is pretty good. It has never quit on me except in the case where my internet connection was down. Basically, if you have a working internet connection then it's up.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I have not tested the scalability, but I have been part of meetings with more than 100 participants. My understanding is that it can handle up to 250 concurrent users in a meeting. For our purposes at work, it has been good.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have never been in contact with technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I also use Zoom and Microsoft teams, although not as extensively as Hangouts. Zoom allows you to show a virtual background, which is a nice feature. Also, most other messengers support sending generic files through chat, whereas Google Hangout supports sending images and videos only.
One problem with Zoom is that you can only have chats when you're in a video conference, whereas with Hangouts, it's real-time. The chat box is always there. I have never used the chat feature in Microsoft Teams.
I have not explored the integration between Teams and Microsoft Office.
How was the initial setup?
Running Hangouts for the first time is pretty seamless. Once you have a Google account, there is no setup that is needed. You simply log in and it's there.
What about the implementation team?
It was easy to set up on my own.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
This solution is available for free with the opening of a Google account.
What other advice do I have?
My advice for anybody who is looking to start using Google Hangouts is that it is plug-and-play, and comes free with Google Suite. The minute you have a Google account, it's already there. It is easy to use and works right out of the box.
Having more than 100 people in a meeting is pretty good.
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Google
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Network Administrator at Lahore Garrison university
video conferencing features enable more than two or three people to be connected at a time but it should have meeting reminders
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features are the chat features and the video conferencing features that enable more than two or three people to be connected at a time."
- "The most valuable features are the chat features and the video conferencing features that enable more than two or three people to be connected at a time."
- "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."
- "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."
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are the chat features and the video conferencing features that enable more than two or three people to be connected at a time.
What needs improvement?
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.
Another feature I want to add is a meeting date to schedule meetings or if I want a meeting after two days, I would like to have a reminder and a note.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Google Hangouts for ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The current version is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable. We have around 1,500 users.
How are customer service and technical support?
We don't use technical support. We are multiple users and we have more features than other colleagues.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We also use Zoom. Zoom has more control options than Google Hangouts because a presenter can give control to another colleague or student. If anyone wants to ask any question, they can raise their hand to ask a question, can send a message or can ask the presenter to give them control, or they can annotate at a certain time. They have more features. We can also send voice messages with Zoom.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate it a six out of ten. The security is already there but there should be more ability to share features. The other feature they should include is Zoom control; if one colleague wants to give control to another, there can be two, three or four sharing their presentations.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Senior Executive at Divine IT Limited
Excellent voice and video clarity without time lag issues
Pros and Cons
- "Very good voice and video calling options."
- "We use Google Hangouts as our major mode of communication."
- "Sending documents and other things is not an option."
- "I'm not completely happy with the message options in Hangouts because for now it's only possible to send pictures, which is unfortunate because I would also like to be able to send documents and other things."
What is our primary use case?
We use Google Hangouts as our major mode of communication. I'm a senior executive and we're a user of the solution.
What is most valuable?
I like the voice and video calling options because I feel that Google Hangouts has more voice clarity and video clarity than Skype most of the time. It may even be better than Zoom which sometimes lags and tends to crash quite often.
What needs improvement?
I'm not completely happy with the message options in Hangouts because for now it's only possible to send pictures, which is unfortunate because I would also like to be able to send documents and other things. I also think that because we've all become very used to using WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, I think they could also include a reply option.
I sometimes find that the topic that I want to speak to a particular person about, or the topic that we spoke about gets lost among all the words. A reply button would enable me to physically save certain information.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Google Hangouts for a couple of years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a stable solution. I'm enjoying using it. It's all part of Google, so I'm seldom disappointed.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I believe scalability is excellent. They should continue the way they have been and maybe developing some of the features mentioned earlier but scalability is good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Like most people, we also use WhatsApp. We've become used to using it for personal and professional purposes. We have lots of groups in our company and among our colleagues where we use WhatsApp for a specific department or specific project. We use both, but I believe Google Hangouts is the perfect place for professionals to come together and work. It's a perfect collaboration space.
What other advice do I have?
I would give this solution a perfect score if they could tweak some of the issues they have such as the messaging. Other than that, I think it's a great product.
For now, I would rate this solution an eight out of 10.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Technical Consultant at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Quick and easy to use, and the quality of audio is superior to other products
Pros and Cons
- "Google Hangouts is very quick and easy to use, and the quality is very good."
- "Google Hangouts is very quick and easy to use, and the quality is very good."
- "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."
- "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."
What is our primary use case?
We have been using Google Hangouts for video conferencing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
What is most valuable?
Google Hangouts is very quick and easy to use, and the quality is very good.
What needs improvement?
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 for recording meetings would be helpful.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Google Hangouts for about three months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We have been using this solution approximately twice a week and it has been very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Google Hangouts is a scalable system. We have had meetings that include at least ten members and it has been fine.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have not been in contact with Google's technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Prior to Google Hangouts, I have used Cisco Webex for web conferencing and meetings. I found that the voice and image are much more clear in Hangouts, compared to Webex. In fact, I think that the biggest difference between them is that the voice in Google Hangouts is better.
How was the initial setup?
This solution is quite easy to set up. You can create a meeting using the calendar and it starts working. It can be started in a matter of seconds.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We are users of Google G-Suite, so we did not consider other options.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Technical Lead at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Reliable group meetings with automatic focus on the speaker
Pros and Cons
- "The group chat is a very good feature, where you can see all of the participants on cameras."
- "Online sessions are reliable and there are almost no glitches."
- "I would like to see more focus on features for interacting with the participants in a group chat, such as screen sharing."
- "I would like to see more focus on features for interacting with the participants in a group chat, such as screen sharing."
What is our primary use case?
We are using Google Hangouts for video meetings and group chat sessions.
How has it helped my organization?
All of our employees are using this solution and it allows them to easily catch up and keep in touch with each other.
What is most valuable?
What I like best is that once a person starts speaking, you will see immediately who it is.
The group chat is a very good feature, where you can see all of the participants on cameras.
Online sessions are reliable and there are almost no glitches.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see more focus on features for interacting with the participants in a group chat, such as screen sharing. This would be great.
Having an option for participants to ask questions, like a "raise hand" feature, would be helpful because as it is now, they have to send a message and I have to watch for it. The message might be private for me or sent to the entire group but either way, I have to watch the list of participants all of the time for these messages.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Google Hangouts for more than six months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The reliability is very good because there are almost no glitches.
It is more stable than other products.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have 130 employees in the company and all of us use Google Hangouts. However, I have only used it for sessions with 12 participants. With this number of people, it was fine.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have not been in contact with Google's technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have been working extensively with products like Google Hangouts, Zoom, and Webex to finish various projects. I find that Google Hangouts is more reliable than Zoom. On the other hand, Webex has more features available for interacting with the participants.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We are using the free version of Google Hangouts.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Google
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Director Of Engineering at Smarg Technologies
Has good screen-sharing features and good stability
Pros and Cons
- "Google Hangouts is wonderful in order to communicate with the rest of the world."
- "Not a ten because there's room for improvement. Sometimes there is disconnectivity."
- "Not a ten because there's room for improvement. Sometimes there is disconnectivity."
What is most valuable?
The screen-sharing feature is the most valuable feature.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Google Hangouts for one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I haven't had any problems with stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is definitely scalable.
How are customer service and technical support?
I haven't needed to contact customer support because there haven't been any problems.
What other advice do I have?
Google Hangouts is wonderful in order to communicate with the rest of the world.
I would rate Google Hangouts an eight out of ten. Not a ten because there's room for improvement. Sometimes there is disconnectivity.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Updated: March 2026
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