The competition between Facebook and Google+ continues one. Although the social network reigns in terms of size, it appears that customer satisfaction goes to the underdog, Google+.

According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), Google‘s social network scored a 78 percent customer satisfaction rating. Facebook, however, set a new record low coming in at just 61 percent.

In fact, Facebook placed among the five lowest-scoring companies out of the 230 that were measured. It even ranked below platforms like Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn — all three of which Google+ still ranked higher than.

Despite being the underdog, Google+ doesn’t have the pressure to monetize like Facebook does. The overall user experience isn’t complicated with ads. Unlike Facebook, which is now testing up to 10 ads at a time on a single page.

Another advantage, according to VentureBeat, is that Google’s audience is significantly more technical. It’s possible that its members might be more accustomed to change, whereas Facebook’s user base are very vocal about their dislike for change.

These results, however, are arguably skewed. It’s unfair to pit Google+, which boasts 150 million active members, against Facebook, which is closing in on 1 billion. It’s much easier to satisfy a smaller audience than a massive one.

For now, the study should be taken with a grain of salt. While both platforms have their obvious pros and cons, there’s no rule stating you can’t use both and play off of their different strengths.

[Via: VentureBeat, Image credit: Pascal]