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The Google Chat Insider’s Guide

Everything we know about Google Chat in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.

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ToolGPAOctober 2026

Google Chat

The Insider’s Guide

Team messaging and spaces built into Google Workspace

Google Chat, as pictured on workspace.google.com

Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among team communication apps, read from Google Chat’s own pages.

Made by Google · checked Oct 9, 2026 · toolgpa.com

2.8GPA

Contents

  1. 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
  2. 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
  3. 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
  4. 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
  5. 05After you payGetting your money back, getting out, and getting help
  6. 06The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
  7. 07Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
  8. 08About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

ToolGPA put this guide together from Google Chat’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Google Chat’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 9, 2026.

Part 01 · Overview

Welcome

What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first

2.8

GPA, above 21 of the 33 other team communication apps we grade

Google Chat is the messaging app in Google Workspace, with direct messages, group conversations and persistent spaces for teams. It is available inside Gmail as well as on its own, and ties into Drive, Calendar, Meet and Tasks for sharing files, scheduling meetings and assigning work. Chat is not sold separately: it is included with every Workspace plan, and Gemini features such as summaries and translation start at Business Standard.

To get you started, here are 10 things to know about Google Chat, taken from its own pages and our grades.

If your company already pays for Workspace, it costs nothing extra.
From our review of Google Chat
  1. 1

    Best for teams already on Google Workspace

    Google Chat is the team chat inside Google Workspace, sitting in Gmail with direct messages, group chats and spaces.

  2. 2

    Paid plans start at $7 a month for each person

    As its pricing page puts it: $7 per user / month with a 1-year commitment (Google Workspace).

  3. 3

    There is a free plan

    Google says Chat is included for consumer Google Workspace users as well as business and education customers; some premium features need a paid subscription.

  4. 4

    It runs on 3 platforms

    Web, iOS and Android.

  5. 5

    Direct messages and spaces

    Chat covers direct messages, group messaging and persistent spaces with threaded conversations. Google says a space can hold up to 500,000 members on eligible plans.

  6. 6

    Huddles and voice or video messages

    Huddles let teammates connect in real time for drop-in collaboration, and updates can be shared as recorded audio or video messages.

  7. 7

    Gemini in Chat

    Gemini summarizes conversations, lists action items and translates messages. The pricing table includes it from Business Standard up, not in Business Starter.

  8. 8

    Refunds: no set window

    There is nothing to buy in Chat on its own. Paying for it means buying Google Workspace, and Workspace's billing rules decide everything.

  9. 9

    A 2.8 GPA, above 21 of 33

    That is against the other team communication apps we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.

  10. 10

    Keep it

    To replace Google Chat you would be making chat that a whole team counts on staying up. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.

Google Chat at a glance

Pricing
Free plan, from $7 per user / month with a 1-year commitment (Google Workspace)
Free plan
Yes
Free trial
14-day free trial of Google Workspace.
Runs on
Web, iOS, Android
Made by
Google
Category
Team Communication
Our grade
2.8 GPA, good
Store rating
4.6 on the App Store, 306,312 ratings

The report card

Best for teams already on Google Workspace

Google Chat is the team chat inside Google Workspace, sitting in Gmail with direct messages, group chats and spaces. If your company already pays for Workspace, it costs nothing extra. But you can't buy it on its own, there's no native desktop app, Gemini waits for the $14 plan, the Business plans stop at 300 users, and it does less around the edges than Slack. If you're not on Workspace, look elsewhere.

ToolGPA report cardGoogle ChatGraded Oct 10, 2026
SubjectGradeComment
Value for moneyCThere's no price for Chat: you buy Google Workspace from $7 a user a month on a one-year commitment, which is exactly what team chat typically starts at, except here it also buys Gmail and Drive. Gemini in Chat waits for Business Standard at $14.
Free plan and trialBGoogle says Chat is included for consumer Google Workspace users, so a person on a personal Google Account chats free, with direct messages, groups and spaces. A business gets the 14-day Workspace trial and then a plan, and some premium features need one.
FeaturesBDirect messages, group chats, spaces with threads, huddles, voice and video messages, Drive and Calendar in the conversation, Chat apps for Jira, GitHub, Asana and Salesforce, and an API with webhooks and Apps Script. Gaps users name: no archiving a space, and Gemini waits for the $14 plan.
Ease of useB4.6 on the App Store from about 306,000 ratings. For most people it's already open: Chat sits in Gmail's left-hand navigation, so there's no new app to learn and no second window to keep an eye on.
Platforms and integrationsBWeb, iPhone and Android, and that's the list. There's no native desktop app: a computer gets the browser, Chat inside Gmail, or a web app installed through Chrome. Gmail, Drive, Calendar, Meet, Asana, Jira, GitHub and Salesforce connect, and there's a Chat API.
Grade point averageGood, out of 4.02.8

An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.

Who Google Chat is for

  • Fits if you already pay for Google Workspace and don't want a second bill for chat
  • Works for people in Gmail all day, since Chat sits in the same window

Who it is not for

  • Skip it if you're not on Google Workspace, because Chat isn't sold on its own
  • Not for you if you want a real desktop app, since computers get a browser tab or a Chrome app that needs Chrome open
  • Pricey if you want Gemini to summarize chats, which starts on Business Standard at $14 a person
  • Too light for teams who lean on Slack's 2,600 apps and its Workflow Builder
  • Watch out: Business plans stop at 300 users, some listed features are marked coming soon, and Google has shut down chat apps before

Good to know

Good for

  • Organizations already paying for Google Workspace
  • Teams that work in Gmail and want chat in the same window
  • Companies moving chat history over from Slack or Teams

Worth knowing

  • Chat is not sold on its own: a business gets it by paying for a Google Workspace plan that also covers Gmail, Drive and Meet.
  • Gemini in Chat is left out of Business Starter, and Google marks some listed features as coming soon or limited to Business and Enterprise plans.
  • There is no native desktop app: computers use the web interface, Chat inside Gmail, or a standalone web app installed through Chrome. The store apps are for phones and tablets.
  • Business Starter, Standard and Plus can be bought for a maximum of 300 users.

Part 02 · Pricing

What it costs

Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved

$7

A month to start, for each person. There is a free plan too

Google Chat has a free plan. Paid plans start at $7 per user / month with a 1-year commitment (Google Workspace).

  • Consumer (Google Account)

    $0

    Chat for consumer Google Workspace users. Google notes that some premium features require a paid subscription.

  • Business Starter

    $7

    per user / month, 1-year commitment, billed monthly

    Google Workspace suite plan that includes Chat, with 30 GB of pooled storage per user. Gemini in Chat is not included.

  • Business Standard

    $14

    per user / month, 1-year commitment, billed monthly

    Suite plan with Chat plus Gemini in Chat to find, summarize and translate conversations, and 2 TB of pooled storage per user.

  • Business Plus

    $22

    per user / month, 1-year commitment, billed monthly

    Suite plan with 5 TB of pooled storage per user, Vault to retain and search data, and advanced endpoint management.

  • Enterprise

    Custom

    Suite plan with data loss prevention, context-aware access and data regions, with no minimum or maximum number of users.

The free plan

Google says Chat is included for consumer Google Workspace users as well as business and education customers; some premium features need a paid subscription.

Trying it first

14-day free trial of Google Workspace.

Read from workspace.google.com on Oct 9, 2026.

Ways to pay less

  • Annual discount

    Save 16% with a 1-year commitment

    Google's pricing page says the Annual plan saves 16% compared with paying without a commitment. The listed prices are the Annual ones, billed monthly.

    Stated on workspace.google.com

  • Other savings

    Up to 50% off the first 3 months

    New Google Workspace customers get up to 50% off their first 3 months, a limited-time offer with no end date given. The discount on each plan differed between copies of the US page from October 4 and 7.

    Stated on workspace.google.com

  • Nonprofit

    Free Google Workspace for Nonprofits

    Eligible nonprofits get Google Workspace for Nonprofits, which includes Chat, at $0 per user, and Business Standard for $3.50 per user / month on a 1-year commitment.

    Stated on google.com

  • Education

    Education Fundamentals at no charge

    Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals, which includes Chat, is available at no charge to qualifying institutions. Education Plus is a paid edition.

    Stated on edu.google.com

  • By country

    Lower price shown to buyers in India

    On October 9, 2026 Google's pricing page showed Starter at ₹270 per user / month to a visitor in India, against $7 in the US version, and listed a Base plan at ₹99 that the US version does not show.

    Stated on workspace.google.com

How its prices have moved

  • Feb 1, 2025Business Starter: $6 per user / month, 1-year commitment ($7.20 flexible) → $7 per user / month, 1-year commitment ($8.40 flexible)The archived copy of the Google Workspace pricing page of 1 February 2025 shows $7 for Business Starter; the copy before it, of 1 January 2025, still shows $6. The price rose between the two copies; both are US dollar copies showing the 1-year commitment price.
  • Feb 1, 2025Business Standard: $12 per user / month, 1-year commitment ($14.40 flexible) → $14 per user / month, 1-year commitment ($16.80 flexible)The archived copy of the Google Workspace pricing page of 1 February 2025 shows $14 for Business Standard; the copy before it, of 1 January 2025, still shows $12. The price rose between the two copies; both are US dollar copies showing the 1-year commitment price.
  • Feb 1, 2025Business Plus: $18 per user / month, 1-year commitment ($21.60 flexible) → $22 per user / month, 1-year commitment ($26.40 flexible)The archived copy of the Google Workspace pricing page of 1 February 2025 shows $22 for Business Plus; the copy before it, of 1 January 2025, still shows $18. The price rose between the two copies; both are US dollar copies showing the 1-year commitment price.

Part 03 · Features

What it does

Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it

3

Places it runs: Web, iOS and Android

Team messaging and spaces built into Google Workspace. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, AI features, tasks, team chat, file sharing.

Web, iPhone and Android, and that's the list.
From our grade for platforms and integrations
Direct messages and spaces
Chat covers direct messages, group messaging and persistent spaces with threaded conversations. Google says a space can hold up to 500,000 members on eligible plans.
Huddles and voice or video messages
Huddles let teammates connect in real time for drop-in collaboration, and updates can be shared as recorded audio or video messages.
Gemini in Chat
Gemini summarizes conversations, lists action items and translates messages. The pricing table includes it from Business Standard up, not in Business Starter.
Built into Gmail and Workspace
Chat appears in Gmail's left navigation and works with Drive, Calendar, Meet and Tasks, so files, meetings and assigned tasks are handled from a conversation.
Chat apps and API
Chat apps cover tools such as Asana, Jira, GitHub and Salesforce. Custom apps can be built with the Chat API, webhooks and Apps Script, or without code in AppSheet.
Migration and interoperability
Existing data can be migrated from Slack or Teams, and interoperability products from Mio and NextPlane connect Chat with other messaging platforms.

Where it runs

  • Web
  • iOS
  • Android

What it works with

  • Gmail
  • Google Drive
  • Google Calendar
  • Google Meet
  • Asana
  • Jira
  • GitHub
  • Salesforce

Who makes Google Chat

Google, the largest business of Alphabet, makes Google Workspace, which includes Chat and Meet and is sold by subscription. Alphabet earned more than 70% of its 2025 revenue from online advertising.

Founded
1998about.google
Based
Mountain View, Californiaabout.google
Ownership
Publicly traded. Google LLC is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., whose Class A and Class C shares trade on the Nasdaq Global Select Market as GOOGL and GOOG, according to Alphabet's annual report for 2025.sec.gov
Team
Alphabet, Google's parent, reported 190,820 employees as of December 31, 2025.sec.gov
Founders and leaders
Hiring
Google Careers lists 3,138 open jobs across the whole company, with no filter applied.google.com
Referral program
Google Workspace Referral Program: a one-time cash reward per new user, in the United States USD 8 for Business Starter, USD 15 for Business Standard and USD 23 for Business Plus, for up to 100 users per referred account and 200 users a year.workspace.google.com
Affiliate program
Google Workspace Affiliate Program, joined through CJ Affiliate, for people who refer at least 100 users a year. Pays per new user, for up to 300 users per account, with no annual cap; rates vary by country and edition.workspace.google.com
Lately
Follow

Read on Oct 6, 2026 from the company’s own pages and from news reports. What is not stated there is left out.

Part 04 · Standing

Where it stands

Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own

21/33

Other team communication apps it is graded above

Google Chat's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 21 of the 33 other team communication apps we grade, and level with 7.

It stands best on features (B, above 26 of 33) and worst on value for money (C, above 2).

Its paid plans start at $7 a month for each person, against a middle price of $7 for the category: 12 of the 28 others that charge start lower.

On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.0 out of 4. 4 tools score higher and cost less.

Each grade against the category

Every bar is all 34 team communication apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Google Chat’s own letter is outlined.

  • CValue for moneyAbove 2 of 33
  • BFree plan and trialAbove 23 of 33
  • BFeaturesAbove 26 of 33
  • BEase of useAbove 24 of 33
  • BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 1 of 33

Price against what you get

Each dot is one of 31 team communication apps. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Google Chat is the marked dot.

D1.0C2.0B3.0A4.0Free$2$5$10$20$50$100More for lessCosts more, scores moreCosts less, scores lessCosts more, scores lessGoogle ChatPumbleJitsi MeetSlackWire

What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →

Keep it, or make your own?

Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.

Keep it

To replace Google Chat you would be making chat that a whole team counts on staying up. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.

It costs $84 a year.

What you could make

  • Tasks: an app builder makes this well.

What you could not

  • Chat that a whole team counts on staying up.
  • Storing and serving files for other people.
  • A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
  • It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team.
  • It plugs into other products, Gmail, Google Drive and Google Calendar among them, and has an API.
  • AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
  • The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.

What this rests on. Google Chat’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.

Part 05 · Refunds

After you pay

Getting your money back, getting out, and getting help

BRefunds
ASupport

What happens once you have paid: whether you can get your money back, how to leave, and how to reach a person when something goes wrong. Each is graded from Google Chat’s own terms and help pages.

Refunds and cancelling

BGrade

Good · checked Oct 18, 2026

There is nothing to buy in Chat on its own. Paying for it means buying Google Workspace, and Workspace's billing rules decide everything. Choose monthly and the deal is fair: an admin cancels in the console, you pay for the days you used, and leftover credit is sent back without asking. Choose the yearly commitment and you owe the rest of it whatever you do. That split, under an agreement that says Google need not refund anything, is a B.

Refund window
No set window
How you cancel
Yourself, in settings
Getting your money back

Google says it prorates and refunds unused credit: cancel everything and a refund of any remaining credit to the original payment method starts by itself, and a balance can also be claimed from Billing, then Payment accounts. On an Annual or Fixed-Term Plan you are charged the rest of the commitment instead. The Workspace agreement states that ending or not renewing does not oblige Google to refund fees.

Stated on knowledge.workspace.google.com
How to cancel Google Chat

An administrator with the Billing management privilege cancels the Workspace subscription in the Admin console, under Billing and then Subscriptions. Google's comparison of the two payment plans says the monthly Flexible Plan can be ended at any time with no penalty, while an Annual or Fixed-Term Plan is still owed in full. A consumer Google Account has nothing to cancel, since Chat costs nothing there.

  1. Sign in to the Google Admin console with an account that has the Billing management privilege
  2. Open Menu, then Billing, then Subscriptions
  3. Click your subscription, then More, then Cancel Subscription
  4. Choose a reason for cancelling and click Continue
  5. Read the alternatives Google offers, then click Continue to carry on cancelling
  6. Tick the confirmation box, enter your email address and submit the cancellation
Stated on knowledge.workspace.google.com
What you keep afterwards

Cancelling ends the core Workspace services, Chat among them. Google warns that users' Workspace data will be deleted and cannot be restored, and says to pull everything out with the Data Export tool beforehand. The user accounts, groups and organisational structure survive unless you also delete the organisation's Google Account. A new subscription can be added within 51 days, or else after 84.

Stated on knowledge.workspace.google.com
Renewals

The Workspace agreement puts the Flexible Plan on a monthly term that renews by itself until an admin cancels in the console, and renews an Annual or Fixed-Term order as the order form or the console sets out. Either side that does not want the next term must say so at least 15 days before the current one ends. Nothing in the agreement promises a reminder first.

Stated on workspace.google.com

In your favour

  • Monthly billing can be stopped by your own admin at any time, with no penalty attached.
  • You are charged for the days you actually used, so a mid-month exit is not a wasted month.
  • Any credit left when you cancel everything is refunded to the card without you chasing it.
  • The Data Export tool lets you take the conversations and files out before the door shuts.

Watch out for

  • A yearly commitment is owed in full. Cancelling early buys you nothing back.
  • The agreement says plainly that ending or not renewing does not oblige Google to refund you.
  • Workspace data is deleted after cancellation and cannot be restored, so export it first.
  • The terms want 15 days' notice before the term ends if you do not want it to renew.

Customer support

AGrade

Excellent · checked Oct 18, 2026

Standard Support comes with every Workspace licence, and it is real support: live chat with a Google agent from the Admin console, available around the clock in English, with a published four-hour target on the most serious cases. A large help centre and a public community sit behind it. Live help on every paid plan, with hours and a response time in writing, is an A. Two caveats: only admins can open a case, and consumers on the free Chat get articles and a forum only.

Ways to get help

  • Live chat

    The Get help panel in the Admin console starts with an assistant; asking it to contact support and choosing Chat puts you in a queue for a Google support representative. It requires an administrator account with the Support administrator privilege.

    Stated on knowledge.workspace.google.com

  • Phone

    A phone route exists only for Premium Support customers and certain Education editions, in English. You generate a PIN in the Admin console that lasts 60 minutes and call the number listed for your region.

    Stated on knowledge.workspace.google.com

  • Email

    The same Get help flow offers Email instead of chat, which sends the case to Google support and continues over email rather than live.

    Stated on knowledge.workspace.google.com

  • Account manager

    Premium Support assigns a designated Technical Account Manager, described as helping with operational rigour, platform health and architectural stability.

    Stated on knowledge.workspace.google.com

  • Help centre

    The Google Chat Help Center covers messaging, spaces, apps and troubleshooting and is open to anyone, paying or not, without signing in. Administrators get a separate help centre for billing and settings.

    Stated on support.google.com

  • Community or forum

    A public Google Chat help community where users and Google product experts answer questions. Workspace administrators also have their own admin community.

    Stated on support.google.com
When people answer

Google lists hours country by country. English support is shown as 24 hours a day, seven days a week everywhere. Some local languages are office hours only: German in Austria and Germany, and Dutch and French in Belgium, are listed as 9:00 to 18:00, Monday to Friday, UTC+1.

Stated on knowledge.workspace.google.com
How fast it says it replies

Standard Support, which every Workspace licence includes, carries a four-hour service-level objective for P1 cases. Enhanced Support cuts that to one hour and Premium Support to 15 minutes. These are the published targets for the highest priority, not for everyday questions.

Stated on knowledge.workspace.google.com
What depends on your plan

Standard Support is bundled with every paid edition at no extra cost, with round-the-clock access. Enhanced and Premium are paid upgrades buying faster targets, triage by specialists, help with third-party software and, on Premium, a designated technical account manager. Every Workspace user, whatever the edition, can read the help centre and the admin community.

Stated on knowledge.workspace.google.com

In your favour

  • Live chat with a Google agent is part of the licence, not something you buy on top.
  • The target is published: four hours for the most urgent cases on the included tier.
  • English cover is listed as 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in every country.
  • Chat's own help centre and community are free to read without any account at all.

Watch out for

  • Only administrators holding the Support administrator privilege can open a case.
  • Phone help is reserved for Premium Support and some Education editions.
  • An assistant answers the chat first, and you have to ask it for support to reach a person.
  • On the free consumer Chat there is nobody to write to: articles and the forum are all there is.

What these two grades rest on. Read on 18 October 2026: the Google Workspace agreement, Google's admin help on cancelling, refunding remaining credit, the two payment plans and renewals, and its pages on support offerings, contacting support, language hours and phone PINs, plus the Google Chat Help Center and its community. Chat has no billing of its own, so the Workspace rules were read. Nobody here cancelled a plan or contacted its support. They are graded apart from the five that make the GPA. How we grade refunds and support.

Part 06 · Alternatives

The alternatives

The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side

Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoho Cliq, Lark and Pumble

The 5 tools Google Chat is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.

  • 2.8GPA

    Slack

    Free plan · from $7.25/mo

    Channel-based team messaging with huddles, workflows and AI.

    • Only Slack lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
    • Google Chat also covers tasks.
    • Slack also covers workflow automation, documents and video calls.
    Google Chat and Slack compared in full
  • 3.0GPA

    Microsoft Teams

    Free plan · from $4.00/mo

    Chat, video meetings and calling tied into Microsoft 365.

    • Only Microsoft Teams lists macOS and Windows apps.
    • Google Chat also covers tasks.
    • Microsoft Teams also covers transcription, noise cancellation, whiteboard and video calls.
    Google Chat and Microsoft Teams compared in full
  • 3.4GPA

    Zoho Cliq

    Free plan · from $16.20/mo

    Team chat, calls and meetings from the Zoho suite.

    • Only Zoho Cliq lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
    • Google Chat also covers tasks.
    • Zoho Cliq also covers whiteboard, workflow automation and video calls.
    Google Chat and Zoho Cliq compared in full
  • 2.2GPA

    Lark

    Free plan · from $6/mo

    All-in-one suite of chat, meetings, docs, email and workflows.

    • Only Lark lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
    • Google Chat also covers tasks and file sharing.
    • Lark also covers transcription, wiki, calendar, workflow automation, documents and video calls.
    Google Chat and Lark compared in full
  • 3.6GPA

    Pumble

    Free plan · from $2.49/mo

    Team chat with unlimited message history on the free plan.

    • Only Pumble lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
    • Google Chat also covers tasks.
    • Pumble also covers video calls.
    Google Chat and Pumble compared in full

Part 07 · Questions

Quick answers

The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two

21

Questions, each answered in a line or two

The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.

Is Google Chat free?

Google Chat has a free plan. Google says Chat is included for consumer Google Workspace users as well as business and education customers; some premium features need a paid subscription.

How much does Google Chat cost?

Google Chat lists 5 plans. Consumer (Google Account): $0.

What platforms does Google Chat work on?

Google Chat is available on Web, iOS and Android.

Does Google Chat offer any discounts?

Google Chat publicly lists the following: Save 16% with a 1-year commitment; Up to 50% off the first 3 months; Free Google Workspace for Nonprofits; Education Fundamentals at no charge; Lower price shown to buyers in India.

How is Google Chat rated?

Google Chat's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.6 out of 5 from 306,312 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 5, 2026.

Does Google Chat have a Windows app?

No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 9, 2026. Google Chat is listed for Web, iOS and Android.

Does Google Chat have a macOS app?

No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 9, 2026. Google Chat is listed for Web, iOS and Android.

Is Google Chat open source?

Google Chat is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 9, 2026.

Does Google Chat have an API?

Yes. Google Chat offers a public API, according to its own site.

What does Google Chat integrate with?

Google Chat's listing names Gmail, Google Drive, Google Calendar, Google Meet, Asana, Jira, GitHub and Salesforce.

Does Google Chat have a student discount?

Education Fundamentals at no charge. Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals, which includes Chat, is available at no charge to qualifying institutions.

Does Google Chat have a free trial?

Yes. 14-day free trial of Google Workspace.

Who makes Google Chat?

Google Chat is made by Google. Google LLC is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., whose Class A and Class C shares trade on the Nasdaq Global Select Market as GOOGL and GOOG, according to Alphabet's annual report for 2025.

What are the alternatives to Google Chat?

The closest alternatives to Google Chat in our directory are Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoho Cliq, Lark and Pumble.

Does Google Chat give refunds?

Google says it prorates and refunds unused credit: cancel everything and a refund of any remaining credit to the original payment method starts by itself, and a balance can also be claimed from Billing, then Payment accounts.

How do I cancel Google Chat?

An administrator with the Billing management privilege cancels the Workspace subscription in the Admin console, under Billing and then Subscriptions.

What happens to my data if I cancel Google Chat?

Cancelling ends the core Workspace services, Chat among them. Google warns that users' Workspace data will be deleted and cannot be restored, and says to pull everything out with the Data Export tool beforehand.

How do I contact Google Chat support?

Google Chat's pages list these ways to get help: live chat, phone, email, account manager, help centre and community or forum.

How does Google Chat compare with other team communication apps?

Google Chat's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 21 of the 33 other team communication apps we grade, and level with 7.

Is Google Chat good value for money?

ToolGPA grades Google Chat C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $7 a month for each person, against a middle price of $7 for the category: 12 of the 28 others that charge start lower.

Could I make my own version of Google Chat?

To replace Google Chat you would be making chat that a whole team counts on staying up.

Where this guide comes from

The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Google Chat’s own pages on Oct 9, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Based on Google's Workspace pricing page, its Chat product page and Chat help pages as of 9 October 2026, its App Store reviews and Hacker News threads about it. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-06-29.

Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Google. Prices change, so check workspace.google.com before you buy.

Part 08 · About

About ToolGPA

Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

3,189

Tools graded, in 94 categories

ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.

Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.

  • 3,189

    tools graded

  • 94

    categories

  • 426

    price changes on record

  • 579

    apps priced in 12 countries

What else is on toolgpa.com

Scan for the live page

Prices and grades as they are today

Quoting this guide?

Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:

ToolGPA, "Google Chat: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 9, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/google-chat

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Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/google-chat/guide

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The best-graded team communication apps after Google Chat, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.

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Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Google Chat’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Google Chat is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Google. Prices and plans change: check workspace.google.com before you buy.