There is no shortage of messaging apps out there for your mobile phone. You are certainly spoilt for choice, but this can leave some people wondering which is the best messaging app.
Here we take a look at the top 5 messaging apps, their similarities and the things that they do that make them stand out from the crowd.
WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app with over a billion users worldwide. You can get this app for your Android or iPhone and sometimes you might find that this app is already pre-loaded. As with many of the messages apps in this list, you can send photos, videos, voice messages and documents for free. You can also instigate or join a group chat, bringing more of your friends or work colleagues together in one place.
What do we like about WhatsApp? Your phone number is used to create your persona, so there is no need to register and your friends are easy to find. You can set up custom notification sounds and share your location, if you choose.
Messenger is the messaging app that is linked to your Facebook profile. You can easily see who is online, see when a message is received on the recipients phone and see when they have viewed it. In just a couple of taps, you can connect Messenger to your Instagram account and connect with more people that you know. You can also find a contact by entering their mobile phone number.
What do we like about Messenger? You can connect Messenger to other apps and games, such as Words with Friends, and enjoy using these and playing with your friends and family.
With Snapchat your Snaps can only be viewed for ten seconds on the recipient’s phone, before they disappear. Of course, the recipient could take a screenshot, but many people like this perceived feeling of improved privacy. Through Snapchat, you can see what friends are up to and if they are nearby on the Snap Map. You can use the Snap Map in Ghost Mode, letting you see where others are while keeping your location private.
What do we like about Snapchat? There is a handy do not disturb feature and you can create a Bitmoji cartoon avatar that loosely looks like you do. If you wish, you can immerse yourself in the Snapchat community and discover stories from CNN, Vice and Warner Music.
Telegram touts itself as the fastest messaging app and once again you can enjoy the unlimited sending of large media files. Your messaging history takes up no memory on your phone and there are no ads and no subscriptions. The app integrates a nice photo and video editing tool.
What do we like about Telegram? You can start typing a message on your phone and finish it off on your laptop or tablet. You can also create Secret Chats that self-destruct at both ends, once they have been viewed.
Slack is geared towards teams of people who work, or learn, together. Team messages, services and files are kept in one place, making it easy to collaborate on documents and projects. Slack also integrates other services from the likes of Dropbox, Zendesk and Google Drive.
What do we like about Slack? Team members can search for information and files from the automatically indexed conversations that have taken place.