WhatsApp is one of the most legendary apps on the planet, having more than one billion active users every month. It offers many features, including group chats, voice calls, and video calls.
How WhatsApp Changed Our Lives?
It has transformed how we communicate and live since Facebook purchased WhatsApp in 2014 for 22 Billion Dollars.
Chatting with friends is free.
Whatsapp lets you chat with your friends and loved ones without spending a fortune. Internet data is all you have to pay for; the best part is that it is affordable and readily available.
Media sharing is easy.
Flash drives and memory cards are rapidly disappearing. WhatsApp allows you to share and distribute photos and videos efficiently. The recipient of the images will download them.
Bridging between customers and businesses
Entrepreneurs now use WhatsApp to promote their businesses through status updates and WhatsApp stories. WhatsApp also helps bridge the gap between customers and businesses as any customer can complain by messaging the company on the messaging app.
Organizing meetings simplified
You can set a group to allow you to have meetings, delegate responsibilities, and agree on deadlines. Meetings don't require you to be present physically. You only need to be online.
Students at universities no longer have to miss school activities.
You will never miss activity on WhatsApp, whether an exam, an impromptu test, or a campus gig.
Why are users looking for WhatsApp Alternatives?
WhatsApp is so popular that it is often referred to as "the Facebook of messaging apps." However, the company's recent decision to share user data with parent company Facebook has caused many people to consider alternatives for their messaging needs.
WhatsApp Alternatives with Great Features
1. Apple iMessage
It is the built-in messaging app on iPhones. It's a great way to send text messages to other iPhone users and works seamlessly over Wi-Fi or cellular data. You can also send photos, videos, and audio clips to people with iPhones.
The app has a dedicated Messages section in the Settings app, enabling you to disable read receipts, video calls, audio calls, and location sharing with contacts. It's also possible to disable these features across all your devices at once by accessing them from the main Messages settings page in Settings.
iMessage doesn't require an internet connection to work. Still, it does need an active phone number registered with Apple's iCloud service so that you can communicate with other iPhone users.
The advantage of using iMessage is that it's available on iOS and macOS, so it's easy to use whenever you're communicating with someone who also owns an iPhone (or Mac).
2. Viber
Viber is a free application for Android and iOS that allows you to make calls, send messages and even share your location.
It's also a great alternative to WhatsApp.
What is Viber?
It is an app developed by Viber Media Ltd., a company based in Cyprus. It allows users to talk to each other through voice or text messages, share photos and videos up to 30 seconds long, and send stickers, emoticons, and GIFs. The app also has group calling capabilities, making it even more similar to WhatsApp.
The app was created in 2010 by the Israeli company Viber Media Ltd., which has offices in Cyprus, Israel, and Ukraine. It became available on Android in 2011, followed by iOS devices in 2012. Since then, it has had over 1 billion downloads from Google and Apple App Stores.
How Is Viber An Alternative To Whatsapp?
Like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger, Viber uses your phone number as your username when signing up for an account. Hence, people can easily find you without remembering lengthy usernames or email addresses like Gmail or Yahoo Mail.
3. Facebook Messenger
It is a mobile messaging app that allows you to connect with your Facebook friends and family. You can send messages, photos, videos, stickers, and more. The app lets you make free calls to other people on Messenger and send them money via PayPal. It's available for Android and iOS devices.
What Is Facebook Messenger?
Facebook Messenger is a communications platform that allows users to chat with their friends in real time and share photos, videos, and files through group chats or private conversations.
Users can also make voice calls directly from inside the app or send SMS texts via their phone number. All they need is a data plan or Wi-Fi connection on their device.
How Does It Work?
The Facebook Messenger app lets users send instant messages to anyone who has downloaded the app. They can also send audio and video clips to their friends by tapping on the microphone icon or camera icon at the bottom of the screen when composing new messages. Users can also send pictures from their photo albums if they want to share something that doesn't involve audio or video clips.
4. Telegram
Telegram is a free instant messaging service that allows you to send text-based messages, photos, videos, and files (documents, music, etc.) to people. Telegram also includes Secret Chats, which uses end-to-end encryption to ensure that the recipient and nobody else can only read a message.
What does Telegram Offer?
Telegram is available for different platforms: Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Windows Desktop, and macOS. You can use it as an app or web client.
Telegram is free and open source, so everyone can use it no matter which operating system they use on their computers.
The most crucial feature of Telegram is that it's fast and easy to use. You can send messages and media of any type (documents, music, videos) without limits on storage size in your cloud. Using this messaging app, you can create groups for up to 200 participants to share content with them or hold online discussions with your friends.
Another feature that makes Telegram stand out among other messaging apps is its end-to-end encryption protocol known as MTProto. It provides privacy protection against surveillance programs like PRISM and XKEYSCORE developed to monitor Internet traffic.
5. The Line App
The Line App is a messaging app for Android and iOS that lets you send messages, photos, and videos to your friends and family.
The Line has a similar design to WhatsApp but has some added features. You can send a message with one tap or record audio messages, which are then played back in real-time. You can also use stickers similar to those on Snapchat and Instagram stories.
The Line also allows you to send messages in secret. They're encrypted end-to-end, so nobody can read them except the sender and recipient.
Features of The Line App
The Line App has many features which make it very popular with users. Some of these features are:
Free Messaging Service: Users can send messages for free to other users on the app. It is one of the biggest reasons why people love The Line App.
Free Calling: You can use this feature to call any user in your contacts list for free.
Music Player - This app can listen to music using its integrated music player feature. There is also a radio station section where you can listen to live radio stations worldwide without downloading them separately!
Photo Viewer - You can view photos uploaded by friends on this app using its photo viewer feature, which has several nifty effects like the blur effect.
Chat Rooms: Users can create their chat rooms, where they can invite other people to join them and talk about different topics. The chat rooms are divided into different categories such as business, lifestyle, and entertainment, among others.
Mini Game: This feature allows users to play games against each other while chatting on their phones or tablets. The games include racing games, puzzle games, and more.
Theme Creator: This feature enables users to create themes for their chats. Users can choose from various colors, fonts, and pictures to create unique themes for their chats.
6. Skype
The Skype app is a free application that allows you to make free calls to other Skype users and low-cost calls to landlines and mobiles. You can also send text messages and share photos and video calls. Many mobile phones come with the Skype app pre-installed; if yours doesn't, you can download it from the App Store or Google Play Store.
Why should a user switch to Skype?
Skype offers several advantages over traditional phone services:
It's designed specifically for smartphones (which have smaller screens than desktop computers), so you can easily use it on your mobile device. The program also has some handy shortcuts - for example, you can call someone by simply tapping on their name in your contact list.
There are no hidden costs. You Don't have to pay monthly line rental or call charges when using the service. It makes it ideal for people who want to keep track of their monthly spending. You'll only pay for what you use, so if you don't make calls or send messages, you won't be charged anything!
In addition to making calls over Wi-Fi or a cellular data plan, you can use the app to make calls to traditional landlines and mobile phones for a fee. It varies depending on where you're calling from and how much time you spend on the call.
You can set up Skype accounts for family members so they can call each other free using Skype credits instead of paying per-minute rates or fees.
You can also buy minutes in bulk, so you don't have to worry about running out of credits. Hence, you can make international calls and have an effective line of communication.
7. Signal
The Signal app is a simple and secure messaging application that allows users to exchange messages in a private and safe environment. It also enables users to make end-to-end encrypted calls and send encrypted texts. The application uses the same protocol as Whatsapp but has been developed independently of Facebook since 2013.
The Signal app is available for Android, iOS, and desktop operating systems. You can also use it on multiple devices simultaneously (for example, on your iPhone and iPad). It makes it ideal for people who are on their smartphones or tablet most of the time. They can use Signal to communicate securely with colleagues or friends worldwide even if they don't have Internet access.
What does Signal Offer?
Signal allows users to exchange messages without worrying about their privacy being compromised by third parties like governments or hackers.
Privacy
Signal encrypts calls, messages, and media end-to-end by default so that no one can see what you're saying except the person you're talking to. It works across all major mobile and desktop platforms and syncs your conversations seamlessly. You can send messages across Signal Desktop or Android while keeping in touch with friends on Signal iPhone or Windows Phone.
Built on top of the same data transport technology used by WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, Signal offers highly encrypted communication with forwarding secrecy. It ensures past messages remain private even if keys are compromised in the future.
Great Features
Signal is a popular messaging app because it's easy to use and offers robust security features. It has various features similar to other apps but focuses on privacy. For example, you can send texts, photos, and videos to your contacts and make voice calls over 3G or Wi-Fi networks (on Android only). It also supports group chats with up to 100 participants at once.
Conclusion:
The real competition for Whatsapp will come not from other messaging apps but from its shortcomings. However, there's no reason to put all our faith in one app. With the many great alternatives today, It's up to us to try them and make our minds up.
So far, we have taken a look at the Top 7 WhatsApp Alternatives. All of them are great in their ways, so it ultimately depends on your personal preference. All apps are secure and keep your conversations private, WhatsApp is great, but there is a whole other world to see.
