Blackboard Collaborate vs Google Hangouts comparison

Blackboard and Google are both solutions in the Virtual Meetings category. Blackboard is ranked #28 with an average rating of 6.0, while Google is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.4. Blackboard holds a 0.4% mindshare in VM, compared to Google’s 0.4% mindshare. Additionally, 75% of Blackboard users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of Google users who would recommend it.

Blackboard Collaborate

Read 4 Blackboard Collaborate reviews

111 Views
47 Comparison Views

75% willing to recommend

Google Hangouts

Read 55 Google Hangouts reviews

1,698 Views
75 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

Blackboard Collaborate

Google Hangouts

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 3, 2025

Blackboard Collaborate and Google Hangouts compete in the online communication and collaboration sector. Blackboard Collaborate seems to have the upper hand in educational features, while Google Hangouts appears more advantageous in cross-platform accessibility and integration.

Features: Blackboard Collaborate provides breakout rooms, polling, and a virtual whiteboard, making it effective for educational settings. Google Hangouts offers seamless integration with other Google services and provides video conferencing, instant messaging, and screen sharing.

Room for Improvement: Blackboard Collaborate could enhance its cross-platform compatibility and simplify its user interface for beginners. Additionally, expanding its integration with non-educational tools would be beneficial. Google Hangouts may improve by adding more educational-specific features, enhancing security protocols, and providing more customization options for users.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Blackboard Collaborate requires detailed setup due to its educational focus but is backed by strong customer support. Google Hangouts, however, offers easy deployment with self-service options and robust online resources, facilitating quick accessibility.

Pricing and ROI: Blackboard Collaborate tends to be more costly due to its advanced educational functions, resulting in greater ROI for educational institutions. Conversely, Google Hangouts is cost-effective, especially for those already integrating Google services, providing faster ROI for general business and personal applications.

To learn more, read our detailed Blackboard Collaborate vs. Google Hangouts Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Blackboard Collaborate vs. Google Hangouts

April 2025

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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

Blackboard Collaborate

Ranking in Virtual Meetings

28th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Google Hangouts

Ranking in Virtual Meetings

5th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Virtual Meetings category, the mindshare of Blackboard Collaborate is 0.4%, down from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Google Hangouts is 0.4%, down from 1.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Virtual Meetings

Featured Reviews

YN1

Teaching and Learning Systems Manager at a university with 5,001-10,000 employees

Useful in webinars, meetings and online classrooms

One of the features that people enjoy is the whiteboard, providing opportunities for academics to present content and for students to contribute. The platform also allows for the creating of different rooms, enabling large classes to break into smaller groups for discussions. Students can then return to the main classroom to share their opinions. It integrates with LMS.

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ANIS QURESHI

Senior Specialist- IT Systems Management at GAL

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…

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution allows me to connect and collaborate with my classes."

"Document loading and annotation."

"One of the features that people enjoy is the whiteboard, providing opportunities for academics to present content and for students to contribute. The platform also allows for the creating of different rooms, enabling large classes to break into smaller groups for discussions. Students can then return to the main classroom to share their opinions. It integrates with LMS."

"The screen sharing is the most valuable feature. It ties in with Google docs and Google sheets so that we can work on a single document as a whole group of us at once. That's the biggest feature we rely on."

"I think the simplicity of the whole thing is its valuable feature."

"The solution is extremely stable."

"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."

"The solution scales well."

"Google Hangouts is an excellent tool."

"The most valuable feature of Google Hangouts is the ability to record the classes that I'm not able to attend. I can use the class recording to view whatever I missed later."

"Google Meet is a clear and simple solution."

More Google Hangouts pros

Cons

"We faced outages when the user limit went over a certain number."

"If there were maybe more tutorials outside of what I'm aware the university is suggesting, I would take more tutorials on effective ways to deliver content. I come from the industry and content was always needed when people that were observing were smart and involved and decision-makers instead of so passively just trying to pass the course. In my imagination, the tutorials would be a tool where the learners themselves can have much more hands-on learning during a Collaborate session."

"The system can overload when too many try logging in."

"I would like to see support for showing virtual backgrounds."

"The platform's screen-sharing feature and the participant panel could be improved."

"It would be better to have a feature for recording the meetings in Google Hangouts."

"The solution could integrate more automation into the product."

"The solution can be improved by integrating other tools."

"Support could be a bit faster."

"There is no recording feature in Google Meet. However, Zoom has the recording feature and we use it for any calls that require recording."

"The product was quite unstable during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially when we shared our screens, as it often resulted in a black screen."

More Google Hangouts cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"We access the solution through Google Workspace. It is inexpensive to use."

"We pay an annual license to use the solution."

"There is an annual subscription to use this solution."

"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."

"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 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."

"There is no license cost."

"I pay $6 per user per month for Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Hangouts."

More Google Hangouts pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Educational Organization

97%

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

Healthcare Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Blackboard Collaborate?

See all answers

What needs improvement with Blackboard Collaborate?

We faced outages when the user limit went over a certain number.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Blackboard Collaborate?

We use the solution in web seminars, online classrooms, and meetings.

See all answers

What do you like most about Google Hangouts?

It's integration with Google is the valuable feature.

See all answers

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.

See all answers

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.

See all answers

Comparisons

No data available

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Virtual Meetings

April 2025

Download Blackboard Collaborate product report

Buyer's Guide

Google Hangouts

April 2025

Download Google Hangouts product report

Also Known As

Blackboard Mobile

No data available

Overview

Blackboard Mobile give your learners, educators, and community access to all aspects of the educational experience on their mobile devices and they'll be able to go anywhere. Giving you the power to engage everyone on their terms and devices. Offering instant access to the information they need. Encouraging the interaction they crave.

Blackboard

Hangouts Chat makes it easy for teams to be able to get their work done in one place. From direct messages to group conversations, Chat helps teams collaborate easily and efficiently.

Google

Sample Customers

University of Derby Online, Universty of Warwick, University of Liverpool, City College Norwich, Northumberland College, Mid-Kent College, Watson Pharmaceutials, Capella University, Shore Tel Sky, Lincoln PD, City of Somerville MA, Somerset County Council

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Blackboard Collaborate vs. Google Hangouts

April 2025

Free Report: Blackboard Collaborate vs. Google Hangouts

Find out what your peers are saying about Blackboard Collaborate vs. Google Hangouts and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.

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