Bolt Messaging Alternatives
Bolt was an instant messaging app for iPhone that let users see what people were typing as they typed it. An innovative concept to be sure, but one that was short lived: The app has been seemingly discontinued, with its App Store entry no longer available and all signs of its development seemingly scrapped from the Internet.
Though Bolt's innovative concept of being able to see what people are typing as they type it has not been replicated in today's crowded messaging landscape, there are many instant messaging service alternatives with the next best thing: typing indicators that show when someone you're chatting with is responding or leaving a message.
Bolt Messaging alternatives are mainly Instant Messengers but may also be Group Chat Apps or Encrypted Chat Apps. Filter by these if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Bolt Messaging.
- Free • Open Source
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- iPad
Signal is a messaging app with an unexpected focus on privacy, combined with all the features expected from a modern IM app. Signal has received a lot of praise from all around the world for its security and privacy-respecting technologies.
- Freemium • Proprietary
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- HUAWEI AppGallery
- Windows Phone
- iPad
- Apple Watch
- Linux Mobile
- Android Wear
- PortableApps.com
- FreeBSD
Telegram is a messaging app created by former VK creators with a focus on speed and security. It’s superfast, simple and free. It is like SMS, but more powerful.
- Freemium • Open Source
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- iPad
- Self-Hosted
- Matrix.org
- Cloudron
Element is a secure collaboration and messaging app based on the Matrix protocol. It’s decentralised to deliver digital sovereignty, and based on an open standard for easy connections and interoperability. It is end-to-end encrypted by default.
- Free • Open Source
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Android
- Android Tablet
- BSD
With the rise of widespread government monitoring programs, Tox is an easy to use application that allows you to connect with friends and loved ones without anyone else listening in.
- Free • Proprietary
- Mac
- Windows
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Wear
WhatsApp is an iPhone and Android messaging app which allows you to exchange messages without having to pay for SMS.
- Free Personal • Open Source
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- BSD
- iPad
- Self-Hosted
Zulip is a group chat app in which messages are threaded by topic, helping you have long-running, organized conversations.
- Freemium • Proprietary
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Android
- iPhone
- Windows S
- Android Tablet
- HUAWEI AppGallery
- Windows Phone
- iPad
- Blackberry 10
- Apple Watch
With Viber, everyone in the world can connect. Freely. More than 460 million Viber users text, make HD-quality phone and video calls, and send photo and video messages worldwide over WiFi or 3G - for free.
- Free • Open Source
- Android
- Android Tablet
- F-Droid
Conversations is a privacy focused, open source XMPP Texting [Jabber] client for Android 4.0+ smart phones with wife-approved easy encryption [OTR, OMEMO, or GPG].
- Free • Open Source
- Android
- Android Tablet
- Telegram
An alternative Telegram client based on TDLib, with higher speed, slicker animations and experimental features.
Open source Jabber (XMPP) client with multi-account support, clean and simple interface. Being both free (as in freedom!) and ad-free, Xabber is designed to be the best Jabber client for Android .
Discontinued
The project seems no longer developed since 2019. Last version, 2.6.6, released in October 2019, can be still downloaded from F-Droid, it's no longer available on Google Play Store
