Google Chat icon

Google Chat

Google Chat is a communication and collaboration platform developed by Google as part of G Suite. It allows teams to have conversations, share files, and manage tasks in dedicated spaces called rooms.

What is Google Chat?

Google Chat is a cloud-based team communication and collaboration tool offered by Google as part of its G Suite office productivity suite. It allows teams to have conversations, share files, and manage tasks in dedicated digital spaces called rooms.

Key features of Google Chat include:

  • Group messaging with threads and replies
  • Ability to create rooms for teams, projects, or topics
  • Direct and group video calling
  • File sharing up to 1TB
  • Integration with other G Suite apps like Drive, Docs, and Calendar
  • Bots and integrations to boost productivity
  • Works across devices - web, iOS, Android, etc.

Google Chat aims to streamline team communication by keeping relevant conversations, people, files and tasks in one place. With its minimalist, mobile-friendly interface, it allows for faster information sharing across organizations. It competes with team chat apps like Slack and Microsoft Teams.

An advantage of Google Chat is its tight integration with G Suite and other Google services. Overall, it works best for organizations that already use G Suite and want a unified communication experience across Google's productivity apps.

The Best Google Chat Alternatives

Top Apps like Google Chat

WhatsApp, Slack, Discord, Telegram, Jitsi Meet, Signal, Skype, Pidgin, Matrix.org, Tox, Jitsi Desktop, Talky are some alternatives to Google Chat.

WhatsApp

WhatsApp is a freeware, cross-platform centralized instant messaging (IM) and voice over IP (VoIP) service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to send text messages, voice messages, video calls, images, documents, and user location for free over an internet data connection.Originally launched in 2009, WhatsApp was acquired by Facebook...

Slack

Slack revolutionizes team communication by providing a centralized and real-time messaging platform. Designed to replace email as the primary mode of workplace communication, Slack offers a dynamic and organized space where teams can collaborate, share information, and stay connected. At the heart of Slack's functionality are channels, which allow users...

Discord

Discord is a widely used communication platform that provides a combination of voice, video, and text chat features. Initially created for gamers, Discord has grown to become a versatile and inclusive platform used by diverse communities, including gamers, hobbyists, study groups, and professional teams. It offers a user-friendly interface that...

Telegram

Telegram is a popular cloud-based instant messaging and voice over IP service launched in 2013 by Pavel Durov and Nikolai Durov. It emphasizes security and speed over other messaging applications. Some key features of Telegram include:End-to-end encrypted messaging, video calls, group chats, file sharing etc.Sync across multiple devices like...

Jitsi Meet

Jitsi Meet is an open-source video conferencing application that allows users to easily conduct meetings, webinars, presentations, and other events with high-quality video, audio, and screen sharing. It is developed by Jitsi, an organization focused on providing secure and fully encrypted communication tools.Some key features of Jitsi Meet include...

Signal

Signal is a free, open source software application for iOS, Android, and Desktop that employs end-to-end encryption, allowing users to send end-to-end encrypted group, text, picture, and audio & video messages, and have encrypted phone conversations between Signal users.First released in July 2014, Signal is developed by the Signal Foundation...

Skype

Skype is a telecommunications software application that specializes in providing video chat and voice calls between computers, tablets, mobile devices, the Xbox One console, and smartwatches via the Internet. Skype also provides instant messaging services. Users may transmit text, video, audio and images.Skype was first released in August 2003. eBay...

Pidgin

Pidgin is a popular open source chat application used primarily for instant messaging. It supports multiple mainstream chat protocols and accounts including AIM, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo, XMPP/Jabber, IRC, Bonjour, Gadu-Gadu, Novell GroupWise, Lotus Sametime, Zephyr, and more. This allows users to manage all of their instant messaging accounts and...

Matrix.org

Matrix.org is an open standard, open source, decentralized communication protocol for secure and private communication over IP. It allows different communication platforms and apps to interconnect via APIs and SDKs, facilitating messaging, voice/video calling, IoT communication, and more.Matrix aims to create a unified global namespace for communication...

Tox

Tox is an open-source, peer-to-peer instant messaging and video calling platform that focuses on privacy and security. It provides end-to-end encryption for chats and calls to ensure user data remains private.Unlike many other messaging apps, Tox does not rely on central servers - it uses a distributed network where...

Jitsi Desktop

Jitsi Desktop is a free, open source video conferencing application for Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems. It allows users to easily conduct encrypted video meetings with multiple participants.Some of the key features of Jitsi Desktop include:End-to-end encryption for secure video callsScreen sharing to present documents, slides, and...

Talky

Talky is an open-source, self-hosted video conferencing solution built with a focus on privacy and security. It allows teams and organizations to have full control and ownership over their video calls, meetings, and webinars.Some key features of Talky include:End-to-end encrypted video calls to ensure private conversationsScreen sharing for...