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Catalog Personal messaging Google Hangouts
Discontinued Google Hangouts was discontinued in November 2022. The alternatives below are active products you can switch to. All discontinued →

Alternatives to Google Hangouts

Google's chat, replaced by Google Chat

None of its 12 checklist rows are verified yet.

Google's chat, replaced by Google Chat. Google Hangouts has been discontinued; the active alternatives listed here are maintained products you can switch to.

Most compared with BeeperDelta ChatJami
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Who it's for

Google Hangouts was aimed at everyday Gmail and Google Account users who wanted a single app for messaging, voice, and video calls with friends, family, or coworkers, without needing separate tools for each.

What you get

Hangouts combined text messaging, group chats, and video calling in one app, supporting group video calls with up to 10-25 participants depending on the version. It integrated with Gmail and Google+ contacts, and offered photo sharing, emoji, and (in later iterations) screen sharing during calls. It was available as a web app, browser extension, and native Android/iOS apps.

How it works

Users signed in with a Google Account, started a one-on-one or group conversation by selecting contacts, and could switch between text chat and a video or voice call within the same thread. Google discontinued Hangouts in 2022, migrating consumer users to Google Chat and Google Meet.

Why people leave Google Hangouts

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Ranked alternatives

Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.

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01

Unified inbox for many chat networks on Matrix.

Proprietary iOSAndroidWindowsmacOS +1
02

Chat over email with Autocrypt encryption.

GPL-3.0 iOSAndroidWindowsmacOS +1
03

Fully distributed P2P messenger from GNU.

GPL-3.0 iOSAndroidWindowsmacOS +1
04

Onion-routed messenger with no phone number.

GPL-3.0 WindowsmacOSLinuxiOS +1
05

The reference E2E encrypted messenger, nonprofit-run.

AGPL-3.0 iOSAndroidWindowsmacOS +1
06

Messenger without any user identifiers at all.

AGPL-3.0 iOSAndroidWindowsmacOS +1
07

Cloud messenger with huge groups; E2EE optional.

GPL-3.0 iOSAndroidWindowsmacOS +2
08

Paid Swiss messenger usable without a phone number.

AGPL-3.0 iOSAndroidWindowsmacOS +2
09

Consumer messenger popular in Eastern Europe.

Proprietary iOSAndroidWindowsmacOS +1
10

Meta's E2E encrypted messenger tied to phone numbers.

Proprietary iOSAndroidWindowsmacOS +1
11

E2E encrypted team messenger from Switzerland.

GPL-3.0 iOSAndroidWindowsmacOS +2

FAQ

Yes. Beeper, Delta Chat and Jami have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.

Delta Chat, Jami and Session — every license claim links its source.