Making its debut in late June, Google+ is taking on social networking giant Facebook, “face-to-face.” But what’s the difference? Does switching networks make sense? Here’s a quick summary of the differences to help you understand your options.

Google+ allows you to put friends into “circles” and share updates with friends in some circles while keeping posts hidden from other friends. Facebook allows you to create lists and share information with select friends, too. Unlike Facebook, Google+ makes it easy to drag and drop friends into circles by topic or relationship.

With Google+, you don’t need to go to Google+ to respond when a friend posts or reshares your post. You’ll receive instant notification and can directly reply from any Google application, without leaving that application. Simply use the drop down menu.

If you’re into chatting, Google+ allows you to group chat with up to 10 people. Facebook allows you to leave a video message. Facebook makes it easy to “Ask a Question” of your friends; Google+ doesn’t offer this function. As for business pages, Facebook makes it easy to build your brand; Google+ has plans to roll out an option for businesses.

As you can see, there are pros and cons for being part of both social networks. Which you choose to join may depend on where your friends are. After all, it’s about sharing, networking, and being social—and you need your friends and family on the same site to make it possible.