Google Chat

The pitch is simple. You probably already have it. Google Chat comes with every Google Workspace plan, so if your work email is Gmail, it's sitting in the sidebar right now.

That's handy in a boring, everyday way. Email on one side, chat next to it, no extra app to keep open.

It does what you'd expect. Direct messages, group chats, and spaces, which is Google's word for channels. Spaces have threads, so a side chat about "who's bringing the projector" doesn't bury everything else.

It ties into the rest of Google, too. Share a Drive file, start a Meet call or give someone a task without leaving the conversation.

There's room to grow. Google says a space can hold up to 500,000 people on eligible plans, and there are apps for Jira, GitHub, Asana and Salesforce.

And opinions have warmed up. More than one Hacker News commenter says it's much better than it used to be, and one who uses both rates it above Teams.

You can't just buy Google Chat. It only comes inside Google Workspace. So for a business, choosing Chat really means choosing Gmail, Drive and the rest.

There's no proper desktop app. Google's help pages offer a "standalone app", but it's a web app you install through Chrome, and Chrome has to be open for it to work. One commenter grumbled about keeping a whole browser running just to chat.

The AI sits on the dearer plan. Gemini in Chat, which summarises and translates conversations, isn't in Business Starter. It starts at Business Standard.

Small gaps add up. Even a fan on Hacker News listed two: you can't archive a space, and the message box won't do nested bullet points.

Then there's Google's history. It has launched and closed so many chat apps that it's a running joke, and some people don't trust this one to stick around.

Google's own page also says some listed features are "coming soon" or only on Business and Enterprise plans. So check before you count on one.

There's no price for Chat itself. You pay for Google Workspace, per person, on a one-year commitment.

Business Starter is $7 a month. Chat is all there apart from Gemini, with 30 GB of storage each.

Business Standard is $14. That's where Gemini in Chat arrives, along with 2 TB of storage. Business Plus is $22, with 5 TB and Vault for keeping and searching old data.

Those three stop at 300 users. Past that it's Enterprise and a call with sales.

Is it free for anyone? Sort of. Friends and families chat on personal Google Accounts without paying, but for a company it's the 14-day trial, then a plan.

Already paying for Workspace? Then the sum is easy. Chat costs you nothing more, where Slack Pro would be another $7.25 a person.

Google Chat has 4.6 on the App Store from about 306,000 ratings.

Funny thing: lots of the reviewers aren't at work at all. They're friend groups and families on a mix of iPhones and Android phones who wanted one chat that works for everyone.

The crossest reviews are from 2021 and 2022, when Google moved people over from Hangouts. They hated the layout, with every message down one side of the screen. The screens on Google's listing now show bubbles on both sides, so that one looks sorted.

What else did they grumble about? Direct messages and spaces living in separate places, slow video uploads, and redesigns nobody asked for.

Hacker News is split. One person has been on it since it launched and says it's everything they want in a chat. Another only has it because their clients do, and calls it terrible.

A third says it's been getting slower for years.