There are many clients available for instant messaging and making VoIP calls through the desktop or through mobile phones. Chatting has now left the PC and entered the mobile world in a very big way.
Messaging apps offer additional features, such as making voice and video calls as well. You can even send and receive files, share photos and videos and group conversations through such hangouts. In fact, there are so many apps, such as WhatsApp, Skype and Viber, that the user is spoiled for choice. What makes one better than the other? Let’s see if we can sort it out.
WhatsApp
It is a very popular messaging app for mobile platforms and has more than 200 million users from all over the world. It is available for the Android and iOS phones, as well as for the BlackBerry and Windows Phones. It was recently bought over by Facebook and is also looking towards including audio calls in the near future. Its top features are text chatting, including chatting with groups. It also offers sharing of files, such as photos and videos and location sharing.
WhatsApp is very accessible and simple to use. You don’t have to incur any more SMS charges through your carrier, if your friends also have the app installed on their smartphones. You get a free trial for a year after which you have to pay $1 for a year as subscription. However, at present, you cannot make audio or video calls through this application. In addition, it does not have a presence on PCs and is available only for the mobile platform. It was founded in the year 2009 by two Yahoo employees who created this SMS alternative.
Skype
Skype has the largest user base among all VoIP apps and presently enjoys more than 300 million users from all over the world. It works on the desktop as well as on mobile platforms. The app is a cross platform one and can be installed on the Android and iOS devices, as well as Windows Phone and the BlackBerry. You can also install it on your Windows 8 desktop or a Mac OS X. Skype offers text chatting and instant messaging as well as group chatting. In addition, Skype also offers audio and video calls for free, to all other users who have the app on their devices. You can also make calls to other landlines and other mobile numbers at a very reasonable rate. Skype enables sharing of files, photos and videos as well in addition to a screen-sharing feature.
Skype has become so synonymous with Internet calls that it has gained a verb status. Those who want to make free or cheap international calls generally make use of this app. It has also entered smart TVs and the Xbox One as well as mobile phones. You can have group-chatting with hundreds of users or contacts at the same time. Skype has also introduced the Skype Qik, which can be used for sending short video messages to contacts.
Viber
Viber is a very popular messaging, audio and video calling application with more than 200 million users. It is available for all mobile platforms, such as Android, iOS and Windows Phone as well as BlackBerry devices. It can also be installed on your desktop, Windows 8 or Mac OS X. Viber allows free calls to contacts already having the app. You can access group chatting, audio and video calls as well as share files and access location sharing features. Your phone number is your ID, so you don’t have to create any account or add contacts to the app, which is not the case with Skype. You can also make Viber Out calls to those who do not have the app, and in this case it will be charged to your usual call allowance on your phone.
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