Text messaging usage is declining. A recent study by market research company Informa found that we are now sending more messages using instant messaging services like Whatsapp or Viber than regular text messages. But what are the best alternative apps for texting and what makes them so successful?
With a constantly increasing market share of smartphones, users don’t need to pay for text messages anymore to get in touch with their friends. You only need a mobile internet- or WiFi connection and you’re good to go. It’s also more convenient to be able to communicate to your friends or colleagues using a desktop client while they’re on-the-go.
Five Best Instant Messaging Apps
- Free single contact- and group messaging
- Location-, file-, contact- and picture sharing
- Linked to your mobile phone number
Download WhatsApp for iOS | Android
- Free calling, single contact- and group text messaging
- Photo- and video messages with location-sharing
- Desktop clients for Windows and MacOS
Download Viber for iOS | Android
- Free single contact- and group messaging
- Photo sharing
- Integrated to the Facebook website
Download Facebook Messenger for iOS | Android
- Free single contact- and group messaging
- Photo- and video sharing
- Clients available for iOS and MacOS devices
Messages is automatically installed on iOS and MacOS devices
Google Hangouts
Google Hangouts offers different features like cross-device availability, a desktop version and both text- and video messaging. With the app being quite new, some bugs are still around and it’s not perfect yet. If you want to learn more about Google Hangouts, check out Daniel’s recently published review.