One of the most popular apps used on today’s date is WhatsApp. The cross-messaging platform has over a billion users, and the numbers have just looked up.
WhatsApp somehow has become an integral part of our lives in such a way that without WhatsApp, life has started seeming difficult.
Year Founded: 2009
Headquarters: Menlo Park, California, United States
Launched in 2009, WhatsApp was an immediate success. The downloads were rising exponentially as more and more people started using the app.
It rose so high that now, almost every person with a smartphone has WhatsApp. Downloading WhatsApp now is sort of a ritual and not a choice.
WhatsApp has many features like text messaging, group messaging, video calling, and audio calling options. One can send all media types with WhatsApp, like audio, videos, and documents. It comes in with an integrated camera option to capture images and record videos to send them in real time.
However, after its merger with Facebook, WhatsApp’s privacy has recently been questioned quite often, leading some users to shift to other platforms.
Pros– audio and video-calling features, live location sharing
Cons– no virtual assistant, takes up a lot of storage
Best Whatsapp Alternatives You can Use for Privacy and Safety:
Alternatives are needed with various issues cropping up lately and crippling WhatsApp’s image! We are here to help. Here are some of the best WhatsApp alternatives one could have asked for!
Signal
Year Founded: 2018
Headquarters: Mountain View, California, United States
Relatively new to the competition, Signal is a rock-solid W alternative. Founded by Signal Foundation (responsible for providing WhatsApp and Facebook with encryption), Signal is one of the most secure and simplest alternatives to WhatsApp.
It is so particular about its security concerns that every file sent or received, every conversation, and every backup is encrypted and secured in Signal.
The best part is that Signal provides all these features without compromising on their features.
One can do video and audio calls, send files and perform every other important activity that WhatsApp can, making it one of WhatsApp’s biggest competitors.
Pros– fully open-sourced, supports audio chat.
Cons– requires a lot of personal information before starting, not widely known.
Telegram
Year Founded: 2013
Headquarters: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Arguably, WhatsApp’s biggest nemesis to date, Telegram, is an open-source cross-messaging platform.
Telegram packs in all the essential features that WhatsApp has. However, certain factors give Telegram an easy, competitive edge over WhatsApp.
With Telegram, one can create groups with up to 10000 people onboard and send files up to 1.5 GB in size.
Moreover, there is a feature of self-destructing texts and end-to-end encryption. With minute security compromises as compared to the features, Telegram is one of the best WhatsApp alternatives.
Pros– one of the most secure apps of its kind, personal servers
Cons– does not support voice chats, has unnecessary ads
Discord
Year Founded: 2015
Headquarters: San Francisco, California, United States
A platform initially designed for gamers to connect with their fans and streams, Discord has now become one of the best WhatsApp alternatives.
One can use Discord’s personal messages center to chat and send audio, media, and even documents, for say.
Users can even make calls via audio or video medium and share screens to enjoy the content. With integrations from Spotify, Twitch, Steam, Reddit, and many more, Discord has covered the user in all aspects, making it a great WhatsApp alternative.
Pros– fun and interactive servers, the convenience of creating personal servers
Cons– chat rooms are extremely crowded sometimes.
Viber
Year Founded: 2010
Headquarters: Luxembourg, Europe
Another great but underrated alternative to WhatsApp is Viber. With its feature set, Viber deserves to have a huge user base.
Offering every feature that WhatsApp has to offer, except for the part of payments, Viber goes one step ahead to pack in a multi-device support feature, which WhatsApp lacks.
Viber also offers a premium feature Viber Out, that allows users to make international calls at nominal rates, even to non-Viber users. Packing in a great package, Viber is a seriously good alternative to WhatsApp.
Pros– easy method of use, minimalist interface
Cons– lacks a lot of useful features and needs regular updates.
Threema
Year Founded: 2012
Headquarters: Pfaffikon, Zurich, Switzerland
Swiss-based platform Threema is another great alternative to WhatsApp. With security being Threema’s main objective, it offers encryption for almost every process that a user executes.
It also offers encryption for backups and does not collect any metadata. With Threema, one can access unique features like fingerprint or password-protected conversations. If security is a major concern, then for those users, Threema is the best alternative to WhatsApp.
Pros– secure encryption protocols, easy to use
Cons– interface can be optimized in a better way
Skype
Year Founded: 2003
Headquarters: Luxembourg
Founded in 2003 by Microsoft, Skype is a great alternative to WhatsApp. At one point in time, Skype was used only for video calling purposes.
However, after all the updates, Skype can now work as a full-fledged cross-messaging tool as well. Group calls and chats are Skype’s biggest USP.
That also leads to Skype being a very popular tool when it concerns businesses.
Pros– one of the best for professional use, smooth video calling features
Cons– camera malfunctions sometimes, needs optimizations
Wire
Year Founded: 2012
Headquarters: Berlin, Germany
Founded and headquartered in Switzerland, Wire came into existence when some Skype employees quit Skype to start their own platform. The wire is reputed to be one of the safest social platforms.
It can perform almost every action that WhatsApp does. Moreover, Skype also has features like end-to-end encryption and multiple account support, which WhatsApp lacks.
Pros– reliable privacy protocols, easy to use
Cons– lacks some basic features; updates are required.
Spike
Year Founded: 2013
Headquarters: Herzliya, Tel Aviv, Israel
Until now, we have discussed alternatives with the same professional approach as WhatsApp. However, Spike is different. With Spike, professionalism is retained but in a more interactive and fun way.
Spike looks more like a chat than an email service. Spike’s biggest advantage is that it looks way more attractive than any other WhatsApp on this list and its free package almost completes the work. All these make Spike a pretty good alternative to WhatsApp.
Pros– very convenient for business purposes, clean interface
Cons– has some optimization issues
Google Messages
Year Founded: 2014
Headquarters: Mountain View, California, United States
A very good alternative to WhatsApp, Google Messages’ biggest priority is the users and their privacy. A very simple-to-use interface, Google Messages, is the easiest to use.
It offers end-to-end encryption and also features like exchanging messages with one another, sharing files, and audio notes. However, what it lacks are the calling features.
Pros– safety protocols are reliable, perfect for professional use
Cons– could be made more user-friendly
Bridgefy
Year Founded: 2014
Headquarters: California, United States
Bridgefy is a very interesting application to use. Bridgefy eliminates the biggest factor that WhatsApp is barred from; Internet Connectivity. Bridgefy allows one to text based on Bluetooth and wi-fi connectivity up to a certain range.
One can send messages to a friend and broadcast them to the entire group. It can even share media files over the broadcast and mesh network. It is one of the best WhatsApp alternatives in the offline mode though, which makes it stand out.
Pros– easy file sharing, has almost all the basic features
Cons– interface can be made more user-friendly
FAQs
What is the best alternative to WhatsApp?
Based on their feature sets, Telegram, Viber, and Signal are the closest when it comes to battling WhatsApp out.
What are some free alternatives to WhatsApp?
Telegram Messenger is clearly the best free-to-use alternative to WhatsApp.
Which app is the most attractive alternative to Whatsapp?
Spike and Viber Messenger are the most attractive alternatives to WhatsApp of all the above-mentioned applications.
Do we need an account to use Whatsapp?
No. One needs a phone number to use WhatsApp. However, adding a google account is needed for WhatsApp.
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