WhatsApp is the most used messaging application globally does not mean that it is the best. Many people who use the platform agree that there are other alternatives far superior to the Facebook messaging service, both for functionality and the transparency they demonstrate when dealing with the sensitive data of their user community…
We know that it is difficult to convince those using WhatsApp for years to switch to another messaging service, especially when they have been there for years and all their contacts use the same platform. However, all the controversies in which Facebook has been involved in recent months, which even have led the two creators of WhatsApp to leave the company, as well as the structural changes that are close to being carried out and that will entail The merger between the messaging services of Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp – and therefore, will change how user data is shared between the three platforms – could be a good opportunity for the rest of the apps free messaging services that exist can demonstrate their advantages over WhatsApp.
And it is that although it may not seem like it, there is life beyond WhatsApp. Many other free messaging apps can be downloaded, and that, in many respects, is far superior to WhatsApp. These are the best you can use:
Messaging apps: the best alternatives to WhatsApp that you can use
Telegram
If there is an application that can compete with WhatsApp in terms of popularity – although not in terms of the user community – that is Telegram. It is one of our favorite messaging apps, and in its day, we even dedicated a guide to it with more than 30 tricks to get the most out of it.
It is probably one of the best alternatives to WhatsApp since its interface has many similarities with the Facebook service. Therefore it is easy to familiarize yourself with its different functions. Despite this, it incorporates dozens of features that do not exist in WhatsApp, such as custom themes, support for bots, supergroups, channels, and much more. In addition, its philosophy open source means that developers can create their alternatives to the original application and introduce new functions not included by default.
Regarding security, although Telegram has been at the center of controversy on several occasions due to the alleged lack of encryption, the truth is that the encryption method used by the platform is similar to that used in services such as Google Allo, Facebook Messenger, or Line. Therefore it is possible to chat secretly without taking any risk. On the other hand, it should be noted that it is a multiplatform service, with native applications available on Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows and access from the browser.
Signal
Self Brian Acton, one of the creators of WhatsApp, decided to leave Facebook and the financing platform behind Signal, an app private and Ultrasafe messaging used by people around the world who care about their privacy, and has even been recommended by Edward Snowden, one of the great cybersecurity gurus.
Like Telegram, Signal is open source, so any expert with the necessary knowledge can perform security audits on encryption protocols – which are also available – looking for gaps. Signal itself ensures that professional cryptographers frequently review its encryption algorithms to continue to improve the security of the platform.
Posts
In most countries, the native Android messaging application is still that only serves to receive advertising SMS. However, Google has repeatedly reiterated its big plans for this application. Its goal is to turn this platform into a kind of “iMessage for Android” based on the RCS protocol, known as the future of instant messaging.
A broadly SCR technology is a kind of WhatsApp without Internet, which will allow chat to people around the world no matter what phone operator is, as the vast majority have committed to adopting a universal system. We do not know when the global implementation of this technology will occur, but we do know that the Google messages app is one of the few that already has support.
Line
In the past, it was one of the great rivals of WhatsApp, and today, with more than 200 million active users around the world – a figure similar to that of Telegram – Line continues to be a fantastic alternative to the messaging service From Facebook.
It is true that the service is used mainly in China and other eastern countries and that its main attraction is free voice calls. However, Line is a free messaging app loaded with features that we won’t find anywhere else.
Facebook Messenger
It is not necessary to leave Facebook to find a messaging application much more complete than the queen of this sector, which will probably allow chatting with WhatsApp users in the future without having the app installed on the mobile. Messenger is not perfect, and, in some respects, it is worse than WhatsApp itself -as in the appearance of ads in chats-, but after its last update, it has an infinitely better design. There is no doubt that the number of features and functions is second none to by most of its rivals.
Another successful app in Asia but has not yet found its place in the rest of the world is WeChat. According to data from Statista, at the end of 2018, the app was used by more than 1 billion people around the world, which shows that it is not exactly a weak rival for WhatsApp.
WeChat has the typical functions that we can find in most services of this type, such as free calls and video calls, the possibility of sending our location in real-time, or the famous “Stories” – which in this case bear the name ” Time Capsule “for some reason–.
Viber
Viber just received the most significant update in its history, with a much cleaner and more polished design and unique features like the ability to make group calls with up to 5 people. After a little more than eight years of life, this multiplatform messaging application created by the Israeli Talmon Marco continues to be one of the most popular alternatives to WhatsApp, even though it has sometimes remained at the center of the hurricane due to controversies related to it. Treatment of user data.
Twinme
Perhaps you did not know this application, but without a doubt, Twinme deserves to be in this selection of the best free messaging apps for Android due to its unique format and philosophy. It is one of the few applications in this category that does not request or store users’ data, and it is not necessary to register to use it. It doesn’t even require a phone number, email, or any personal identifier, nor does it request access to the device’s contact list.
The creators of the app ensure that Twinme is safe by design. The messaging platform is end-to-end encrypted and voice and video calls. In addition, it is entirely free and does not include advertising of any kind.
Skype
Microsoft’s multiplatform communication tool could not be absent either. Despite being a complete communication tool rather than a messaging app, Skype has evolved over the years to become a worthy rival for WhatsApp and the rest of the free message services.
It allows you to chat or talk on the phone with our contacts from any device and send documents, multimedia files, GIFs, and much more. In addition, the Android application has been recently renewed to work better, even on less powerful mobiles.
Sharlene Meriel is an avid gamer with a knack for technology. He has been writing about the latest technologies for the past 5 years. His contribution in technology journalism has been noteworthy. He is also a day trader with interest in the Forex market.
