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Google's Classic Hangouts instant messaging service will be officially sunsetting within a month. Business and enterprise users will all see the service leave on or before March 22, 2022.

The replacement will be Google Chat, and thanks to an automatic redirect, all Google Workspace customers will be on Chat by the end of March, whether they get the memo or not.

If this seems like old news to you, that's because it kinda is: We've been discussing this Google migration since October 2019. Finally, the end is in sight.

What to Know Across the weeks leading up to March 22, 2022, Google's activating a “Chat preferred” setting to make Chat the default for all customers across the board.

Both Hangouts in Gmail on desktop and the Hangouts mobile apps will redirect to Chat. Hangouts.google.com will “continue to work,” Google explained in a blog post about the change, adding that it “is not possible to opt out of this change.”

“After domains are upgraded to ‘Chat preferred,' all classic Hangouts applications, except hangouts.google.com, will be disabled. Additionally, the ‘Chat and classic Hangouts' and ‘Classic Hangouts only' settings will be removed from the Admin console,” Google explains.

Google also indicates that it may be possible to export classic Hangouts and Chat data, although there does not seem to be a simple way to do so.

Google Branding: Kind of a Mess One last thing: This is all applicable to enterprise and business users, but will not affect personal use of Hangouts from a Google account.

For personal users, Hangouts seems to be remaining the main messaging and video call service. Business users will have the different branding of Google Chat for messaging and Google Meet for video calls — the latter of which was already rebranded from “Hangouts Meet” back in April 2020.

Google's free services and business software might offer amazing functionality, but this latest rebrand is far from the first sign that the higher-ups at Alphabet love to shuffle rapidly through different brands and names. G Suite was once Google Apps for Work, which was once Google Apps for Your Domain.

Their messaging apps have included Allo, Duo, and Android Messages as well as “GChat,” but don't ask me to remember which brands became which.

Is Google Workspace for You? You may not care about the difference between Chat and Hangouts, but you probably care about being able to complete your work as seamlessly as possible, and Google Workspace can help you there. It starts at $6 per user per month for the Business Starter plan, so the price is right.

It's a broad solution that ties in easily with Google's range of business softwares, which makes Microsoft 365 and its Microsoft integrations the closest platform to compare Workspace with. But if you're interested in a lower price for a more stripped-down service, consider Zoho Workspace instead.

Other project management services worth looking at include monday and Clickup — we've included a table with all the top options and prices below. And none of them will ever migrate your messaging abilities to Google Chat.

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| Price | Pros | Cons | Support | Verdict | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | BEST ALL ROUND

| GREAT VALUE

| |

| * Strong Free Forever plan * Unlimited access – $5/month per user * Business – $9/month per user * Business Plus – $19/month per user * Enterprise – P.O.A.

| * Pro plan – $7/pu/mo * Business plan users – $25/pu/mo * Enterprise – Bespoke

| * Free * Professional – $9.80 pu/pm * Business – $24.80 pu/pm * For Marketing Teams – Bespoke * For Professional Services – Bespoke * Enterprise – Bespoke

| * Essential – $19 pm/pu * Standard – $29 pm/pu * Pro – $49 pm/pu * Ultimate – Bespoke

| * Basic – Free * Premium – $10.99. pm/pu * Business – $24.99 pm/pu * Enterprise – Bespoke

| * Free * Premium – $5 pu/pm * Enterprise – $10 pu/pm

| * Free Plan * Standard – $5/user/mo * Premium – $10/user/mo * Enterprise – $17.50

| * Free Version * Standard – $7.50 pu/pm * Premium – $14.50 pu/pm * Enterprise – Bespoke

| * Free * Deliver – $12.50 pu/pm or $120 pu/pa * Grow – $22.50 pu/pm or $216 pu/pa * Scale – Bespoke

| | * Free Trial * Highly customizable platform * A bit more affordable compared to other services * Automation features save loads of time

| * Free tier available * Competitive pricing options * Somewhat robust free plan * Very customizable

| * Spreadsheet-based interface * Easy for beginners * Great for any sized company

| * Free tier available * No-nonsense, robust feature catalog * Lots of customizability * Integrates with Slack, Google Hangouts, Adobe

| * Multiple budgeting options * Designed with sales & service teams in mind * Attractive user interface

| * Free plan available * Wide range of third party integrations * Incredible clean and intuitive interface * Free options available

| * Easy to use platform * Great free tier for small teams * Lots of available integrations * Functionality for various scenarios

| * Intuitive, drag-and-drop interface * Lots of add-ons available * Free option available

| * Simple interface * Helpful integrations * Scalable pricing

| * Lots of communication options * Kanban boards and Gantt charts * Affordable price and solid free option

| | * Limited third party integrations * Higher tiers required for some features

| * Limited storage outside of Unlimited plan * Better for small teams, few enterprise level features * Customizability can be overwhelming to new users

| * Few third party integrations * Some features have limited functionality

| * Limited options on free plan * Mobile options are limited

| * No free plan is available * Pricier than most other providers * No automation features

| * Most key features require Premiu * High prices for larger teams * Limited customizability

| * Can get expensive for bigger teams * Some functions could be simplified * No post-project feedback gathering

| * Very limited free option * Too basic for larger teams * Add-ons come at a price

| * Missing more advanced project management features * Integrations can be confusing * Monthly rates are a bit high

| * Limited built-in integrations * Lacks software development * Lack of automation feature

| | * Email/Community forum * Knowledge base * Onboarding assistance (enterprise only)

| 24/7 | * Phone (Business & Enterprise only) * Email/Community forum * Knowledge baseYes

| * Email/Knowledge base * Community forum

| * Phone * Email/Community forum * Knowledge base * Onboarding assistance (min. 9 users)

| * Onboarding assistance (contact sales team) * Email/Community forum * Knowledge base

| * Email/Community Forum * Knowledge Base (FAQs)

| M-F, 9 am to 5 pm, ET | 24/7 | * Onboarding assistance (Enterprise only) * Phone and Live chat * Email * Knowledge base

| | A great task management system due to strong customizablity and support team, with a generous Free Trial period. | Slick, simple software with a powerful core, plus a genuinely usable free tier for individuals, and great value plans for teams. | A great tool for spreadsheet-natives, which can take your Excel-based task planning to the next level, and there's a free trial, too. | A feature-rich service with a plain interface that's easy to learn, and has a free tier option to try. | Scoro's clean interface allows for easy use of its dedicated financial tools and full CRM features, automatically collating all essential information | A simple project management platform with a strong feature set and an impressive free tier. | A solid project management solution with an attractive free tier for small teams, as well as great automations that can help speed up workflows | A fairly-priced, stripped-down option best for small teams. | All-around great software, thanks to ease of use and a scalable pricing scheme. | A management tool with a complex functionality. |

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