In recent years, businesses have evolved to accommodate the rapid changes within the market and the demands that triggered such a trend. More and more individuals and companies have become able to offer their products and services on an international scale courtesy of the technology available. As such, in order to ensure that you and your team can stand on equal footing with your competitors, you need to be able to communicate effectively.

While our research revealed several communication systems that you can choose from, there are other options that can provide you and your team with a more streamlined and less complicated platform. There are two that stand out among such options: Google Hangouts and FaceTime. These systems were chosen for their easy-to-use interface and accessibility.

This Google Hangouts vs FaceTime comparison hopes to provide you and your team with a wealth of information that you will need to make a final decision on the question of which platform you should get. The decision-making process can be overwhelming and exhausting, and as such, this article presents you with everything you need to know about Google Hangouts and FaceTime as communication platforms.

Google Hangouts vs FaceTime: Product Introduction

Both Google Hangouts and FaceTime have steadily gained popularity as a result of their capabilities.

Google Hangouts, which is included in Google’s team and business plans, has been used by small and medium companies as well as large enterprises. It serves as a meeting and video communication platform and is, as such, equipped with various features to help you and your team maximize the time you dedicate to such meetings.

Meanwhile, FaceTime is a popular communication solution for Apple users, whether in terms of freelancers or business use. Its features have grown in time with Apple’s rising popularity and continuous evolution. Perhaps its primary selling point is that you and your team can take advantage of this platform anywhere and anytime as it is a built-in app in most of Apple’s devices. Given how both are popular options for those looking for a communication system, your decision will need to be based on what both Google Hangouts and FaceTime are capable of.

Google Hangouts vs FaceTime: Features and Capabilities

The best video communication software for you and your team should be equipped with tools that fall under three categories: video and communication tools, accessibility and usability, and finally, security features. This Google Hangouts vs FaceTime comparison tackles these categories in the subsequent section.

Video and Communication Tools

If you take the time to conduct a search on software reviews, you would be familiar with many of the video and communication tools that both Google Hangouts and FaceTime offer.

Google Hangouts boasts enterprise-grade video conferencing tools that will allow you and your team to participate in the meeting. It supports multi-person video calls, which is perfect for teams of all sizes. Furthermore, this platform also comes equipped with smart tools like live captions and low-light mode, which can help you and your team better understand each other. Finally, Google Hangouts offers noise cancellation to prevent background noise from impeding on the productivity of your meetings.

Like Google Hangouts, FaceTime also comes equipped with a comprehensive list of features that are designed to help you and your team connect and communicate better. Because this application is integrated with iMessage, you and your team can create and join a call as soon as a group meeting is proposed. You can also add a person while a call is ongoing. To further engage and provide a comfortable environment for your team to conduct conversations, you can use this platform to add camera effects like Animoji and Memoji. Moreover, FaceTime provides a range of video and audio controls that will allow you to mute your mic and your video feed or remove distractions by going full screen.

Accessibility and Usability

No matter its capabilities, a system won’t be able to improve you and your team’s productivity if it isn’t accessible or easy to use. Fortunately, both Google Hangouts and FaceTime are user-friendly.

Google Hangouts is cloud-based and is as such, available on any browser or device that you and your team may be using. The user interface is easy to understand and navigate. As a result, this platform is lightweight with a very manageable learning curve to overcome. Your participants can join a meeting from their phone or by dialing into an international phone number. It integrates with other G Suite services, like Calendar and Gmail, which makes scheduling and inviting more efficient.

In comparison, FaceTime is limited to Apple devices. You and your team can take advantage of this platform only if you already use an iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, or Mac. That said, FaceTime offers all its features in such a way that everything you need is accessible and easy to use. Aside from its iMessage integration, FaceTime is also integrated into your Apple contacts. As a result, you and your team can choose to conduct your calls on video whenever it is applicable.

Security Features

The final category in this comparison of features and capabilities concerns security. Without the proper security features, you and your team may be vulnerable to privacy breaches and identity theft. Google Hangouts addresses this issue by providing several security features. For one, all your video meetings and calls are encrypted. Moreover, it also comes equipped with a secure infrastructure, built-in protection, and anti-abuse security policies.

FaceTime also implements several security measures that can protect you and your team. Like Google Hangouts, this platform provides end-to-end encryption and ensures that the vendor has no way of decrypting your messages and calls even in transit. Apple has also declared that they will not be storing the content of all your FaceTime calls. Control is another security feature of this platform in that you and your team can determine who can join your video calls and who does not have access to your messages.

Google Hangouts vs FaceTime: Pros and Cons

Given the purpose and capabilities of both Google Hangouts and FaceTime, deciding on which one to get can still be a challenge as these platforms are similar in many ways. As such, you and your team will need to know the pros and cons of each to determine which one might be better for you and your team’s needs.

Google Hangouts’ advantages are focused on its smart tools. Because of its additional but useful features like the low-light mode and noise cancellation, this platform can ensure that you and your team can communicate better.

Furthermore, Google Hangouts’ integration with other G Suite apps ensures that if you and your team are already using these business systems, you can further take advantage of the platform.

That said, this platform is not without its cons, and there is one that you may want to keep in mind when you’re choosing the right platform for you and your team. Google Hangouts is only available as an inclusion to the vendor’s G Suite packages. This means that while there is a free trial, you can only get it in conjunction with other Google Apps that you may or may not need.

On the other hand, Apple’s FaceTime also offers several pros and cons. Its advantages include streamlined implementation within the Apple ecosystem. This can help you and your team achieves better efficiency and convenience regardless of which Apple device you’re using.

Furthermore, this platform’s user interface is much simpler and requires no training for you and your team to learn how to take advantage of its tools. However, like Google Hangouts, FaceTime has one glaring disadvantage: it is only available for Apple users. If you and your team are using Windows and Android devices, then FaceTime as a solution to your communication needs is not possible. As a result, this limitation may be a dealbreaker depending on what device you are using.

It should also be noted that none of these platforms makes it easy for your clients and customers to contact you. Google Hangouts and FaceTime are designed for you and your team’s use. As such, if you’re looking for a communication-based system that can help you keep in contact with your customers, then you may want to read this.

Google Hangouts vs FaceTime: Pricing

Wrapping up this Google Hangouts vs FaceTime comparison is a discussion on pricing.

As was mentioned above, Google Hangouts is available as an inclusion to G Suite. As such, you and your team can take advantage of this platform through three pricing packages: Basic, Business, and Enterprise. The G Suite Basic plan costs $4.20 per user per month, the Business plan will set you back $9.60 per user per month, and finally, the Enterprise package will cost you $25 per user per month. All of these plans offer free trials, which can help you and your team experience what G Suite and Google Hangouts are capable of.

On the other hand, FaceTime is free for Apple users. You and your team will only need to keep in mind that should you choose to use over your cellular data, there may be charges depending on your service provider.

The Platform For Your Remote Meetings

Both Google Hangouts and FaceTime are perfectly capable of meeting you and your team’s video meeting needs. Considering how smartphones have become more and more powerful with every passing year, these communication systems can and will ensure that you stay connected with your team and if you have their contacts, your customers and clients. The limitations of both platforms have also been presented. The only thing left for you to do is to decide which software you will use to conduct mobile meetings and achieve collaboration anywhere, anytime.