Google Meet vs. Signal Messenger

Google Meet was a perfect video conferencing solution for us during our training sessions. The only problems encountered were due to weak signals, which sometimes required us to turn off our video. All features worked very well in tying together a team across four different time zones. I was very impressed with the tool's performance

Signal is best when you want to keep a conversation confidential. The whole premise of Signal is privacy, based on keeping location, contents, and what's in the content private. By having the delete function and the time limit on messages, as well as auto-delete, messages that are seen are not left on the device longer than they need to be. It's not appropriate for simple regular chatting or sending files that need to be shared. That's not its strong suit. What is its strong suit is the peace of mind that your confidential conversations are meant to be kept that way.

Incentivized

• First off, the quality of the call is pretty good, especially when all of us are working remotely.
• We can easily schedule our meeting in Google Calendar.
• Sending an invitation link is easy.
• What makes Google Meet stand out from other video conferencing tools is that we can use it for an unlimited time, even if we use the free account.

• Security - This is the main feature Signal is known for, and it's no joke. Signal's encrypted messaging is best in class and you can rest assured that it would be very difficult for a third party to intercept your messages.
• Filesharing - You can share all manner of files and audiovisual content through Signal in a secure way.
• Desktop/Mobile Sync - In order to sync your mobile installation of Signal to the desktop version, you have to use a QR Code, and do it every time you update. Old versions of Signal are no longer able to send or receive messages. This is a good and bad thing as it is a bit of a hassle, but it helps to add extra layers of security.
• Message Drafts - A nice feature where you don't lose messages you are in the middle of writing.
• Named Conversations - It's nice to be able to organize conversations
• Temporary Messages - You can send messages that will be deleted after a certain time, or when read.
• Video and Voice Chat - In addition to texting, Signal lets you make video and voice calls.

Incentivized

• Meet as it comes doesn't have a great way to handle large meetings.
• I don't like the way they hide the mute button. It's a disruptive view to mute/unmute.
• Chat box is the only way to document collaborations within the meeting.

Incentivized

• Needs to add video
• Add time zone information so you don't call at the wrong time
• Improve the interface, as it's too bland

Incentivized

Google Hangouts Meet is easy to use and easy to access. I've experienced very few technical issues compared to other similar software options. It's a little less formal than Microsoft Teams but makes it easy to access other google items such as google drive and google docs. Meeting in hangout gives you an easy-to-use hub to not only meet for planning or team-building purposes but to easily share information that can help you with your meeting goals.

Incentivized

Google Meet is very easy and simple to use. I can schedule a meeting right on my calendar - it literally takes a few seconds. There is no additional app I have to open to schedule anything. Guests can click on the link easily to join any meetings. 10/10!

Incentivized

Google does a great job of providing tech support for this product, as it does many others. Similarly, Google has FAQs that cover a large amount of issues faced by users. Problems have not persisted in our use of this product. Problems are resolved quickly and easily, with or without personal Google support.

Incentivized

I've never contacted support but I see that they are on the ball for bug fixes, highly communicative in release notes, and continually releasing updates to Signal that address common user complaints. Given how responsive the development team is, and how they are continually improving Signal, I think their support is top notch.

Incentivized

The main positive feature in Google Meet over Zoom to me is the fact that Google meet can be seamlessly deployed in the browser with its full functionality. Unlike Zoom for which you need to download an extra application to use. This consequently makes workflow smooth when transitioning between something like emails and taking part in a meeting.

Incentivized

The closest competitor we've found for Signal is Telegram. We do use Telegram with some clients and individuals who prefer it. Unfortunately, in this climate where there is no clear winner and a lot of diversity in applications, if you work with a lot of clients you're going to have to install a whole suite of instant messaging apps. Still, given the choice, we prefer Signal over its competitors, specifically for applications where high security is a concern.

Incentivized

• Negative: on each webinar someone from our team had to write manually the people that were participating and after that matching it with the registered people list. We wasted time. It could be easily resolved by adding the export list feature
• Positive: Collaboration and internal meetings. Calendar integration helps us save time.

Incentivized

• Communication is crucial to accomplishing our mission
• Cost of similar commercial apps could be very prohibitive

Incentivized