7 WhatsApp Alternatives You Can Opt For
WhatsApp is one of the most popular online chats in the world. It helps to share text messages, voice notes, make video calls, voice calls, etc. It can either be used on a phone or laptop, even if it is with a temporary phone number. Recently, WhatsApp had rolled out a new policy that concerned a lot of users on the extent of how much of their data WhatsApp will be able to share with third-party apps. Although WhatsApp has now delayed the new policy update owing to user concerns, there are still those skeptical about WhatsApp’s authenticity when it comes to one’s privacy. In case you’re one of those people, here are a few alternatives you can opt for if you don’t want to be using WhatsApp anymore.
Telegram
Telegram is a cross-platform, cloud-based instant messaging and communication service. The service also offers end-to-end encrypted video calling, file sharing, and several other functions. It was initially released for iOS on 14th August 2013 and October 2013 for android. The application servers of Telegram are spread around the world to decrease data load, while the operating center is currently located in Dubai. There is also an official web interface and several unofficial clients that allow the use of telegram’s protocol. All of Telegram’s official applications are open source.
Discord
Discord is an American VoIP, instant messaging, and digital distribution network built for creating communities. Users connect through voice calls, video calls, text messages, media, and files in private chats or as a part of communities called servers. Servers are a set of persistent chat rooms and voice chat channels. The app became an instant hit during the Covid-19 pandemic as it became the primary source of communication between not just friends but also corporates to run their companies.
The most successful game-app pairing for Discord happened when the game ‘Among Us’ started becoming a trend among millennials and Gen-Z alike, where friends would connect with Discord to chat with each other as they played the game on their phones.
Signal
Signal is one of the best WhatsApp alternatives. It is a secure and safe app as compared to other apps because of the process called end-to-end encryption. This functions by encoding a sender’s message in such a way that only the receiver’s device can unlock and read it.
Neither the phone company nor signal nor the government can read your messages. This is the reason it’s popular among journalists, government officials, and other people who deal with classified material.
Wechat is a Chinese app used for messaging, social media, mobile payment etc, developed by Tencent. It was released in 2011 and became the world’s largest standalone app in 2018, with more than a million monthly active users.
Line
Line is a freeware app on mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, computers, etc, used for instant communication. Exchange texts, images, videos, and audio with line users and conduct free VoIP conversations and video conferences. Line is an app that offers numerous features including LINE pay digital wallet, LINE today news stream, LINE TV/video on demand, etc.
Wire
Wire is one of the best alternatives to WhatsApp; it’s an authenticated software developed by Wire Swiss for communication and collaboration. It is available for iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux, and Firefox-like web browsers. Wire provides a connectivity package, all secured by stable end-to-end encryption, including messenger, voice calls, video calls, phone calls, file sharing, etc.
Slack
Slack is a business communication platform developed by American software company slack technologies. Slack offers many IRC-style features, including persistent chat rooms (channels), direct messaging, private groups, etc.
These were our suggestions of the best WhatsApp alternatives, some of these apps go beyond just communications and provide a lot more features to the user that helps them connect with friends or team members in a more efficient way. Whichever app you choose, though, depends on your needs.