The 7 Best Texting Apps

1

WhatsApp

Signal is one of the most unremarkable-looking texting apps. It features a single screen for all of your chats and a single compose button. There's little in the way of customization available. It's frequently recommended as a WhatsApp alternative: While chatting, you'll even notice WhatsApp-style double ticks to denote message status. Signal also includes free one-on-one voice and video calling to other Signal users. These chats are encrypted just like other messages sent via the app.

#Communication #Messaging #Instant Messaging 24 social mentions

2

Viber

End-to-end encryption is standard on all Viber communications. You can go a step further and exchange private keys with certain contacts to maintain security (and you'll be notified if their details change too). To do this, you'll need to tap Free Viber Call, talk to the person in question, and verify their identity; then both parties will tap the lock icon on the call screen. After that, you'll see each other's private keys and can choose to Trust this contact.

#Chat #Group Messaging #Internet Calls

3

Telegram

Telegram is one of the original secure messaging apps that puts security at the heart of the app. You can use it to send text messages, photos, videos, and files to other Telegram users, you can create group chats with a whopping 200,000 participants, and your conversations are stored in the cloud and accessible from any Telegram client.

#Communication #Messaging #Instant Messaging 128 social mentions

4

Signal

You can download a desktop app for Windows, Mac, and Linux to bring the full suite of Signal features to your computer too. And on Android, Signal can even replace your stock SMS app. This allows you to send Signal messages and regular SMS messages to non-Signal users from a single interface. (This doesn't work for iOS users on account of how messaging works in the Apple ecosystem.)

#Communication #Group Chat & Notifications #Messaging 180 social mentions

5

Wickr

You don't even need a phone number or email address to get started with Wickr Me, which means no identifying information is tied to your account. Instead, you must register a username and make a note of your password somewhere secure (if you lose the password, there's no recovery option). And as if Wickr Me wasn't already secure enough, the app includes Wickr Open Access, a built-in VPN you can enable if you want.

#Communication #Group Chat & Notifications #Messaging 5 social mentions

6

Facebook Messenger

Contrary to popular belief, you don't need a Facebook account to use Facebook Messenger. The company only requires you to sign up with a phone number to talk to anyone else using the service. If you do already have a Facebook account, you can jump straight in and message any of your Facebook friends (and other Facebook users) who've signed up for Messenger.

#Group Chat & Notifications #Messaging #Chat 52 social mentions

7

Tox

There are a variety of clients you can use, depending on your hardware. On iOS, there's an app called Antidote for Tox, which provides basic access to the service. On Android, an app called Antox does the same. For desktop platforms, you've got a choice of qTox and uTox. You can check out the official wiki to learn more about the different types of clients.

#Communication #Group Chat & Notifications #Instant Messaging 28 social mentions