7 alternatives to Facebook Messenger

Facebook had a lot of people talking this week about new changes to its popular messaging app – if you want to chat on Facebook, you'll have to download the separate Facebook Messenger app and keep it running at the same time as Facebook.



"That's kind of a pain," says Facebook user Stephanie Smith. "I think it's easier to just press one button, have one click and have it all in an integrated service."

Her sentiments are not unique -- so we went out and surveyed great alternatives to Facebook Messenger for those who don't want to have that second app running all the time.

The advantage of a chat app over straight texting on a phone: Fans say chat apps are more reliable than standalone text apps on phones, because it's internet based, you don't have to worry about your texts not going through.

• What'sApp (Free, Apple, Android, Windows, Blackberry) is the most popular stand-alone chat app, with 450 million users. Facebook snapped up the service earlier this year, for $19 billion, but has yet to make any substantial changes. WhatsApp is more popular overseas than here, as a way to make global texts for free. "It's the easiest way to reach my international friends," says Kelsey Doorey, who runs the Vow to be Chic startup here. "You can contact people who live all over the world."

• Viber (Free, Apple, Android, Windows, Blackberry,) Also popular worldwide, with 300 million users, Viber is more than just free texting – it also has a new desktop app that lets you make free phone calls and texts worldwide to other Viber users from your computer. Japanese media company Rakuten bought Viber for $900 million earlier this year.

• Google Hangouts (Free, Android, Apple.) The old Google Talk chat service morphed into Hangouts in 2013, and while Google hasn't released usage numbers, Hangouts offers video chat and a very cool feature only available on Apple devices – free phone calls to any number in the United State or Canada, from within the app, without having to pay carrier charges.

• MessageMe (Free, Apple, Android) is designed with group messaging in mind. Like Viber, it has a desktop app to keep the conversations flowing between mobile and desktop. "MessageMe has been one of our favorites," says Bob Wall, the Chief Technology Officer for start-up Washio. "One of the nice aspects is that you can do video, you can do photo, you can do text, you can look up pictures from the internet and put them right in there. So it takes messaging like one step further."

• TapTalk (Free, Apple, Android.)The new service advertises itself as "one to one pics and videos in a split second," Wall's Washio boss Jordan Metzner, is a big fan. "It allows you to send a really quick image, or video to your friends, and it knows your location as well. And it's almost instantaneous. So the moment you send it to your friend, you can't send that same picture to someone else, you need to send them a new picture."

• GroupMe: (Free, Apple, Android, Windows) is a way to text beyond one-to-one, with multiple friends.

"I've used it on trips with groups of people, and it's easy," says Giselle Andrea of Los Angeles. "To stay in touch with people."

• TextPlus (Free, Apple, Android,) has both free unlimited texting, and free phone calls via a TextPlus generated phone number to the 60 million TextPlus members. Outside of the network is two cents a minute.

8 popular messenging apps that will make socializing easy for you

Often blamed by telecom operators for the death of the SMS, messaging apps gained prominence around the world rather quickly, and continue to dominate app stores. And analysts at Macquarie [a global financial services provider] have estimated that the global user base of messaging apps will grow to 2.9 billion users in 2017 from 1 billion-plus currently. Here, we look at a few often-used options — listed with their number of users — and check out features that have contributed to their popularity. 



Line 
Number talk: Crossed 400 million registered users in April. 
Although voice and video calling as well as the text messaging are its mainstay, it is the app’s selection of stickers that have become a rage. Distinctly Japanese, and sporting manga expressions at times, the range includes popular characters like Pokémon, Doraemon and Hello Kitty as well as some that are well-known around the world, like Donald Duck and Snoopy. Time-limited promotions also take place. For example, Pray for Philippines stickers were available after a devastating typhoon hit the region. The proceeds were donated to help the victims.

Facebook Messenger
 Number talk: Crossed 200 million monthy active users in March.
The app is connected to the social network and can tell you who is on Messenger or currently active on Facebook. This allows you to stay updated on latest posts and happenings even on the go. And, in a move that is likely to get more people on the service, the social networking giant confirmed on July 28 that it will be removing the messaging feature from its mobile app over the next few days, and requiring people to use its stand-alone Messenger app instead.

Viber Number talk: Crossed 350 million registered users in June. 
What sets this app apart is that it allows users to make unlimited calls or send as many messages as they want to anyone, anywhere in the world — so long as they also have the. And if that doesn’t drive home the point, the app claims that their “sound quality is much better than a regular call (sic)” on its FAQ page. 

WhatsApp Number talk: Crossed 500 million active users in April. 
Probably the most-used cross-platform messaging app, it won its millions of subscribers by keeping things simple. Replacing the SMS with a two-step set-up process, users can also send group messages, pictures and videos, as well as GPS coordinates. Ad-free for life, there is no charge for using it in the first year. However, one needs to pay $0.99 annually after that. But despite the nominal fee and the fact that video calling is still unavailable, its wide subscriber base makes it a popular option when going in for a messaging app.   


BlackBerry Messenger 
 Number talk: Crossed 160 million registered users in June.
Last year, in a move to win back subscribers who had moved on to newer platforms, BlackBerry announced the roll-out of its instant messaging service, BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), for Android and iOS phones. According to @BBM, more than 10 million downloads took place in the first 24 hours. What works for BBM is the end-to-end encryption that is available. Also, privacy is maintained as one has to approve requests and only then can people be added to chat lists.

Snapchat  Number talk: Crossed 30 million monthly active users in December 2013.
Introduced at a time when privacy concerns dominated newsprint, the app gained instant popularity because users could set a time limit for how long the recipients can view images or videos before they disappeared from their devices. Also, this content was not supposed to be stored on the company’s servers. However, these claims took a severe beating when on May 7, Snapchat settled with the Federal Trade Commission in the US over allegations that it deceived users over the amount of personal data it collected, and was responsible for a security breach that impacted 4.6 million customers.  

Hike 
 Number talk: Crossed 20 million users in June.
There has been buzz around this new entrant for its ability to send messages even when offline. And the question on almost everyone’s mind has been — how does it work? Turns out, one just taps on any undelivered message and selects the kind of offline message you want to send. If you choose to send it via Hike, it’ll go from a VMN (virtual mobile number). Select your own number, and the phone will send an SMS for which you will be charged as per an operator plan. 


Telegram Number talk: Crossed 35 million monthly users in March.
The messaging service places a premium on security and allows users to control the level of privacy they want. Those interested in maximum privacy can opt for Secret Chats, featuring end-to-end encryption to ensure that a message can only be read by its intended recipient. As part of this service, nothing is logged on the servers, and one can programme the messages to self-destruct from both devices. And if that’s not enough, servers are spread all over the world for security, and the company claims to deliver messages faster than any other app.

Why Should You have Viber in your phone?

Have you used Viber?

There are a lot of users who are now choosing to download Viber because of the flurry of features it offers. If you haven’t used Viber before, get acquainted with the basic details and understand the reason why it is hailed to be such a popular app.

Mobile and Desktop

Viber is one such app which can be used not just on mobiles, but even the desktop platform as well. It is compatible on a wide range of different platforms and you have the liberty of using it wherever you want.

While everyone loves mobile app, having a desktop version definitely adds an extra layer of flexibility. When you are working on your desktop and you want to communicate with people, you can easily log in to your Viber app on the desktop and start sending messages to your friends.

Call For Free

Viber offers you excellent call support. You can call your friends who are already using Viber and talk to them for free. If you have a 3G connection, you should not face any kind of call drop or interference and talking with your friends is going to be a whole lot easier and free too.

However, if your friends are not on Viber, you can still call them using Viber Out feature. This service is not free and will entail an additional charge. Despite the cost of calling, the rates charged are significantly lower compared to what the telecom operators are going to cost.

If you are tired of your increasing phone bills, you can always choose to call your friends for free, using apps like Viber.

The Ease of Use

If you are not much into technology and you do not want to have an app that requires considerable effort on your part to get familiar with the interface, Viber is the app to use. Viber comes designed with an extremely interactive interface and understanding the platform will be a cakewalk.

The app has been designed with flawless precision and you will be able to operate it without the need for help. You can find the people in your contact list who are already on Viber and there is no need for any invite to join.

All you need to get started is to register your phone number, after you have downloaded the app. Make sure to choose the version of the app which is compatible with your phone, and start texting friends and calling them for free.

Apps like Viber have made it much easier to stay in touch with international friends as well. As the app is available for free download, you can get it on your device and explore the different features. After you have used the app, you can pass a verdict on how you found it to be. Most people who have chosen to download Viber have been extremely pleased with the features. Bring your conversation to life and talk for free.

The 100 Best Android Apps of 2014

Communication and Social

Plain ol' SMS and voice calls just don't cut it anymore. These apps help you keep in touch with the most important people in your life, all from your handy Android.

Hangouts   Free Google Talk is dead, long live Google Hangouts! This app can not only send instant messages to other Google users, but it can also do video chatting for free. Users lucky enough to have Android 4.4 can also use it manage their SMS messages, and Google+ users can enjoy video conference calls with up to 12 participants.

Viber: Free Messages & Calls   Free Viber distinguishes itself from other free voice and texting apps by adding your computer as a communication device. From your Android, you can seamlessly transfer a voice call to the Viber PC app and keep talking, or pick up a text message conversation already in progress. With a growing list of fans, Viber is well positioned to make talking and texting a little easier (and cheaper).

TextSecure :: Private SMS/MMS   Free If you're worried about the NSA or anyone else peeking at your text messages, consider TextSecure. Messages sent to other TextSecure users are encrypted over the air, but the app will also encrypt all of your text messages when they're at rest on your phone to keep them away from prying eyes. We first reviewed the app when it was in Beta, but it's since had a full version release and is ready for prime time.

RedPhone :: Secure Calls   Free The companion to TextSecure, this handy app lets you make encrypted calls over the developer's secure VoIP network to other TextSecure users. I particularly like that it works with your existing dialer and phone number, alerting you when another RedPhone user is on the line and the call can be encrypted. If all those PRISM and NSA headlines have you worried, be sure to give this app a try.

Wickr   Free Sometimes the most secure message is one that simply doesn't exist. That's the thinking behind Wickr, a fully encrypted, secure messaging service that even handles media messages. The twist is that you set a lifespan for each message, ensuring that your private messages stay private. And, if you doubt their security chops, here's what the company's founder told the FBI when they asked for a backdoor.

Facebook Free Those addicted to the big blue social network can now stay connected at all times thanks to the Facebook Android app. You can use it to browse the entirety of Facebook and chat with other users, and you can also access all the settings available on the website. It's a brilliant mobile adaptation of a sprawling service.

Circle of 6 Free This unique app is for those dangerous situations when you need to quickly (and discreetly) get help from your friends. Two quick taps sends one of three pre-written text messages to as many as six of your contacts. One message sends your GPS location and a request to be picked up, while another asks your friends to quickly get in touch with you. The app also includes links to the RAINN and Love is Respect hotlines.

Plume for Twitter   Free Sure, there are plenty of ways to fire off a 140-character Tweet, but users looking for more control should consider Plume. This powerful Android Twitter client lets you change all sorts of settings, right down to the LED color used to alert you of a message. My favorite feature is muting, which lets you suppress users, and even specific words, from your timeline.

Tumblr Free Tumblr has grown in leaps and bounds since it first came onto the scene, letting users quickly share their creations and discoveries and—most importantly—re-blog things they find on Tumblr. The blogging platform's slick new Android app shows just how far it's come with a great new interface. —Next: Security »