Google Chat vs Nextcloud Talk

Google Chat is a messaging and collaboration service included with Google Workspace at no additional cost. It runs on the web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android. Persistent collaboration spaces can hold up to 500,000 members, while administrators can set whether message history is on or off by default. Chat connects with Workspace apps including Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Meet, and Google Groups, as well as tools such as Asana, GitHub, Jira, Salesforce, and Trello. Organizations can build custom apps with Chat APIs and Apps Script, and can migrate existing data from Slack or Teams with interoperability solutions available. Gemini in Chat can summarize conversations, share action items, translate, and brainstorm. Google Workspace offers a 14-day free trial. Business Starter costs $7 a month on an annual commitment, billed monthly for a yearly term, and supports up to 300 users. Workspace subscriptions include other apps such as Gmail, Meet, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, and Sites.

Nextcloud Talk combines meetings, chat, and webinars in a self-hosted communication service. It supports private, group, and public calls, URL invitations for external participants, and chat that remains after calls. Users can share Nextcloud Files documents and connect rooms with files, calendars, and tasks. Federation links chats and calls across Nextcloud servers, while bridges connect services such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, Matrix, IRC, Mattermost, and XMPP. Talk runs in browsers and on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, with a public API for app integrations. Security features listed include end-to-end encrypted calls, layered encryption, brute-force protection, suspicious-login detection, and a $10,000 bug bounty. Typical private deployments handle 6–10 participants, or up to 20 without video. Webinars, lobby-based public video conferences, SIP dial-in, and larger calls require the High Performance Backend.