Smartphone Messaging Apps
Having a computer in your pocket is the norm nowadays with the proliferation of smartphones. That means that communicating over the Internet with specialized apps has become the norm as well. After all, why potentially subject yourself to international calling fees and poor cell reception when you can just call someone using WhatsApp or Telegram or Signal and not pay any money at all for substantially better audio quality?
Those three apps and more can be found on this page and provide free and easy-to-use interfaces to send text-based messages; attach photos, videos, and music; and make free voice (and oftentimes even video!) calls internationally.
An encrypted messaging app focused on privacy, supporting texts, calls, photos, videos, files, and group chats, with no ads or trackers.
- Instant Messenger
- Free • Open Source
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Android
- iPhone
- iPad
- Flathub
- Ubuntu
- Debian
+4Experience instant messaging with remarkable speed and robust security. Join massive group chats or channels. Enjoy free and advanced features.
- Instant Messenger
- Freemium • Proprietary
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- HUAWEI AppGallery
- iPad
- Apple Watch
- Android Auto
- Linux Mobile
- Android Wear
- PortableApps.com
- FreeBSD
- Apple Car Play
+17Free messaging without SMS fees, web sync, and multimedia sharing, supporting group and video chats, available on iPhone, Android, and desktop.
- Instant Messenger
- Free • Proprietary
- Mac
- Windows
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Wear
- Android Auto
- Apple Car Play
Wire is the most secure collaboration platform featuring messenger, voice, video, conference calls, file-sharing, and external collaboration –all protected by the most secure end-to-end-encryption.
- Instant Messenger
- Free Personal • Open Source
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- iPad
- Self-Hosted
- F-Droid
- Software as a Service (SaaS)
An open-source decentralized and encrypted messaging app even without internet connection via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Messages are stored securely on your device, not in the cloud. Connect directly with nearby contacts - no Internet access is required.
- Instant Messenger
- Free • Open Source
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Android
- Flathub
- F-Droid
Free and secure calls and messages to anyone, anywhere.
- Video Calling App
- Freemium • Proprietary
- Mac
- Windows
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- HUAWEI AppGallery
- iPad
- Android Wear
- Samsung Galaxy Store
- Linux
Offers group video calls, voice calls, and instant messaging with photo sharing, real-time notifications, and location mapping for seamless connectivity.
- Instant Messenger
- Free • Proprietary
- Windows
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- iPad
- Android Auto
- Android Wear
Berty is a secure peer-to-peer messaging app that works with or without internet access, cellular data or trust in the network. Berty is a privacy-first messaging application built on top of the Berty Protocol.
- Instant Messenger
- Free • Open Source
- Linux
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- iPad
WeChat is a complete mobile communication and private social networking app. Free, cross-platform, and full-featured, WeChat is the best way to keep in touch with everyone you care about.
- Instant Messenger
- Freemium • Proprietary
- Mac
- Windows
- Android
- iPhone
- Blackberry
- Android Tablet
- Windows Phone
- iPad
- Apple Watch
- Linux
- Flathub
Kik is way more than just messaging. It’s the easiest way to connect with your friends, stay in the loop, and explore – all through chat. No phone numbers, just pick a username.
- Instant Messenger
- Free • Proprietary
- Android
- iPhone
- Kindle Fire
A spin-off of the popular Jabber/XMPP client Conversations with automatic contact discovery.
- Instant Messenger
- Free • Open Source
- Android
Kaidan is a simple, user-friendly Jabber/XMPP client providing a modern user interface using Kirigami and QtQuick. The back-end of Kaidan is written in C++ using the QXmpp XMPP client library and Qt 5.
- Instant Messenger
- Free • Open Source
- Linux
- Android
- Ubuntu Touch
- Plasma Mobile
- Flathub
Feature rich WhatsApp web client based on Qt WebEngine for Linux Desktop
Whatsie Key features
Light and Dark Themes with automatic switching Customized Notifications & Native Notifications Keyboard Shortcuts BuiltIn download manager Mute Audio, Disable N.
- Instant Messenger
- Free • Open Source
- Linux
Plus Messenger is an messaging app that uses Telegram 's API. Plus Messenger has all of Telegram's features plus themes. Plus Messenger is free for android devices.
- Instant Messenger
- Free • Proprietary
- Android
- iPhone
Tango allows you to easily connect with friends & family or make new friends. Make video & voice calls, send text messages, play games, send music messages powered by Spotify and more all for free.
- Instant Messenger
- Freemium • Proprietary
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- iPad