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Abiyekoko - PeerSpot reviewer
Independent Consultant - Digital Transformation at Jennifer Yalden
Real User
Top 5
Has a straightforward initial setup process, but they should increase the session time
Pros and Cons
  • "The initial setup process is straightforward."
  • "They should increase the platform's session time beyond an hour."

What is our primary use case?

We use the platform for scheduling meetings with clients.

What needs improvement?

They should increase the platform's session time beyond an hour.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Google Hangouts for five years. At present, we use the latest version.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup process is straightforward. We have deployed it on the cloud.

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Google Hangouts
July 2025
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What about the implementation team?

I implemented the product myself.

What other advice do I have?

I recommend Google Hangouts and rate it a seven out of ten. I advise others to have a clear idea of their business use cases before they deploy the product.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
RexSun - PeerSpot reviewer
PT at PNTL
Real User
User-friendly with a good interface and decent pricing
Pros and Cons
  • "The initial setup is very easy."
  • "The solution could integrate more automation into the product."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for virtual meetings. 

What is most valuable?

It works well. It makes having meetings very easy.

The interface is fine.

It is user-friendly, and we have no issues navigating the product. You simply book a meeting, send an invitation, and go into the meeting. That's it. 

The initial setup is very easy.

The solution is stable.

Pricing is very reasonable, and there are multiple licensing tiers to choose from. 

What needs improvement?

The solution could integrate more automation into the product. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for five years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is very good. There are no bugs or glitches and it doesn't crash or freeze. It is reliable. OI'd rate the stability eight out of ten. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I've never tried to scale the solution. I cannot speak to the scalability process. 

20 to 30 people use the solution in our company.

We do not have plans to increase usage. 

How are customer service and support?

I have never used Google's technical support. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I did not use any other solution previously. 

How was the initial setup?

I found the initial setup to be very straightforward. It is not overly complex. It's very fast. It takes ten seconds to deploy it and get up and running. 

What about the implementation team?

I am able to handle the initial setup myself in-house. I do not need any consultants or outside assistance. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

There is licensing required. You can choose whichever plan makes sense for your company. The price is okay. It's not overly expensive. 

What other advice do I have?

I do not know which version of the solution we're using.

We're an SMB.

I'd recommend the solution to others. 

I would rate the solution eight out of ten. 

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Google Hangouts
July 2025
Learn what your peers think about Google Hangouts. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: July 2025.
861,524 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Presales engineer at Goodus
Real User
Easy to use and simple implementation
Pros and Cons
  • "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."
  • "The stability of Google Hangouts has had some issues, such as video call delays. The stability could improve."

What is our primary use case?

We are using the solution for online meetings. It has become popular when people were working from home.

What is most valuable?

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.

What needs improvement?

The call reliability could improve in Google Hangouts.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using hangouts for a few years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of Google Hangouts has had some issues, such as video call delays. The stability could improve.

I rate the stability of Google Hangouts an eight out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have approximately 100 people using this solution in my organization.

How are customer service and support?

I have not contacted the vendor for support.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have used Zoom in parallel with Google Hangouts. We use Google Hangouts mostly for internal meetings and Zoom for external meetings.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of Google Hangouts is simple.

What about the implementation team?

I did the implementation of the solution myself.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I have not found any profound differences between Google Hangouts to other similar solutions on the market.

What other advice do I have?

There is not any maintenance needed for this solution.

I rate Google Hangouts an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Marcelo_Marciano - PeerSpot reviewer
Account Executive - Special Accounts at Iron Mountain Incorporated
MSP
An excellent user-friendly tool that helps us with our commercial and sales meetings
Pros and Cons
  • "It is easy to use, and we don't need to make a lot of configurations."
  • "The solution can be improved by integrating other tools."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case for the solution is having internal meetings for ongoing projects. We also use it for our commercial and sales meetings with our customers.

What is most valuable?

It is easy to use and we don't need to make a lot of configurations. Additionally, It's a very user-friendly tool.

What needs improvement?

The solution can be improved by integrating other tools such as Microsoft Teams to make calls with different servers because many of our customers wouldn't have to change their tools to attend meetings. Additionally, the next release could include viewing the main screen and zooming in and out during a presentation on the desktop version.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using the solution for approximately three years and are currently using the most recent version.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. Approximately 1,200 people in different roles are using the solution at Iron Mountain Brazil.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward, and I rate it a ten out of ten. As a user, it took no time because when I logged in as a user, the workspace was already pre-configured, and I didn't do anything to start using the solution. However, I cannot comment on how long it may have taken from an IT perspective.

What other advice do I have?

I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer936699 - PeerSpot reviewer
CEO at a energy/utilities company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Communication platform with a straightforward setup; designed for virtual meetings, project planning, and project status updates
Pros and Cons
  • "Communication platform that's effective in project planning, project status communication, and virtual meetings. Setting it up is straightforward."
  • "The stability of Google Hangouts could still be improved. How virtual backgrounds are handled also needs improvement."

What is our primary use case?

I work for a project-oriented company, and we focus on product design and development, cloud services development, etc. We have multiple virtual meetings daily, both internally and with our clients, so our primary use case for Google Hangouts is for our meetings.

What is most valuable?

The value of Google Hangouts is that it enables us to communicate project status very effectively. It also allows us to plan effectively, and get people all over the world into our virtual meetings.

What needs improvement?

An additional feature I'd like to see in Google Hangouts is more of a personal preference, e.g. it's not a pain point. There may be little differences in the way virtual backgrounds are handled, but it's no big deal.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using Google Hangouts for two years. The company started standardizing the use of the platform at the beginning of the pandemic, e.g. that's when we made the shift to Google Hangouts.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I've seen some stability problems in Google Hangouts, particularly when communicating with developers in Eastern Europe, but that's to be expected given the current situation there.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup for Google Hangouts was straightforward, and I never experienced any issues with it, but it would still depend on how technical the users are, e.g. the pain points are going to differ.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I evaluated Zoom.

What other advice do I have?

The company I'm working for is a big Google user, so we use Google Hangouts, and we share Google sheets, Google docs, etc. We use different Google solutions for work.

I can't think of any pain points in Google Hangouts that would make me say: "I wish it had this capability, or not." I do so many virtual meetings, and I have to think if it's going to be on Zoom, or if it's going to be on Google Hangouts, e.g. what are we using for this meeting, because we have different clients, so every once in a while, we get called into someone else's meeting, but internally, we use Google Hangouts.

I'm in very much in favor of Dev Ops, e.g. I like to see those updates come, but I have no problems with updates for this platform, because Google is normally doing something, or fixing a problem, or providing an enhancement, etc. The key is I manage when I apply updates, so it's not a problem for me. For some people, it can be a problem, but the updates don't bother me. I managed a Dev Ops environment, so we were putting out updates regularly, so we don't surprise people too often.

I have no information on the pricing of Google Hangouts, because I was not involved in that aspect.

My advice  to others looking into implementing this platform is that we've had good success with it. I have no issues. It's worked for us, and we keep using it. We're not looking at anything else, so that for me, says it all.

I'm giving Google Hangouts a rating of eight out of ten, as I rarely give nines or tens.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1294218 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Cloud Architect and Team Lead at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Stable solution that enables communication between peers and has a good history feature, but it's not as feature-rich as the competition
Pros and Cons
  • "Stable communication tool with a good history feature and very easy installation."
  • "Google Hangouts is not as feature-rich as Slack. Adding more features to this solution would make it better."

What is our primary use case?

Google Hangouts enables communication between peers.

What is most valuable?

I like that Google Hangouts has better history features now.

What needs improvement?

Google Hangouts is not as feature-rich as Slack, but it's sufficient.

I'd like to see more features in this tool in the next release. What they need to do is add more features.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using Google Hangouts for a few years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Google Hangouts is a stable product. I haven't seen any problems with its stability, so for me, it's stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's hard for me to say if Google Hangouts is scalable, but if we're talking about scalability in terms of users, it allows many, many users.

How was the initial setup?

Installing Google Hangouts was very easy. It comes with the package, e.g. this product comes out-of-the-box to a large extent.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I was able to evaluate Slack and Flowdock.

What other advice do I have?

I have some experience with Zoom, but not so much. We mainly use Google Hangouts, Google Meet, and Slack.

We have several thousand users of Google Hangouts in the company, and we'll probably increase usage for it.

I've never contacted technical support for this product, e.g. currently we have no issues with it.

I'm not recommending Google Hangouts to others. I'm recommending Slack instead.

I'm unsure, but we're probably paying yearly for Google Hangouts.

I'm rating Google Hangouts a seven 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.
PeerSpot user
reviewer968541 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Business Development Manager at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
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?

Its ease of use is most valuable. It is just a click, and you're in the system. 

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.

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.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1374795 - PeerSpot reviewer
Testing Center of Excellence - Head at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
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."
  • "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.
PeerSpot user
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