ICQ Alternatives
ICQ is described as 'is one of the oldest instant messengers. First developed by the Israeli company Mirabilis, sold to AOL, sold again and currenly owned by the Russian "mail.ru" group (known for one of the largest social networks)' and is a popular instant messenger in the social & communications category. There are more than 100 alternatives to ICQ for a variety of platforms, including Android, Mac, Windows, Linux and iPhone apps. The best ICQ alternative is Signal, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like ICQ are Telegram, Element, Skype and Pidgin.
ICQ 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 ICQ.- Free • Proprietary
- Instant Messenger
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- iPad
Signal
Is this is a good alternative?YesNo- Free • Open Source
- Instant Messenger
- Encrypted Chat App
- Group Chat App
206 Signal alternatives- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Android
- iPhone
- iPad
- Flathub
- Ubuntu
- Debian
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.
- - Signal is the most popular Windows, Android, Mac & iPhone alternative to ICQ.
- - Signal is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to ICQ.
Signal Features
Comments about Signal as a Alternative to ICQ
Signal is linked to your phone number, unlike ICQ where you obtain an independent number that identifies your account. If I didn't mind sharing personal information like that, I'd just use SMS instead.
0Telegram
Is this is a good alternative?YesNo- Freemium • Proprietary
- Instant Messenger
- Encrypted Chat App
- Group Chat App
265 Telegram alternatives- 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.
- - Telegram is the most popular Web-based & Android Tablet alternative to ICQ.
Telegram Features
Opinions about Telegram as a Alternative to ICQ
Element
Is this is a good alternative?YesNo- Freemium • Open Source
- Group Chat App
- Instant Messenger
- Encrypted Chat App
270 Element alternatives- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- iPad
- Self-Hosted
- Matrix.org
- Flathub
- F-Droid
- 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.
- - Element is the most popular Self-Hosted alternative to ICQ.
Element Features
Skype
Is this is a good alternative?YesNo- Freemium • Proprietary
- Group Chat App
- Video Calling App
- Instant Messenger
313 Skype alternatives- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
- Chrome OS
- Android Tablet
- BSD
- Windows Phone
- iPad
- Android Wear
- PortableApps.com
Skype is the most popular free voice-over IP and instant messaging service globally. It allows users to text, video and voice call over the internet. Users can also call landlines and mobiles at competitive rates using Skype credit, premium accounts and subscriptions.
Skype Features
Opinions about Skype as a Alternative to ICQ
Pidgin
Is this is a good alternative?YesNo- Free • Open Source
- Instant Messenger
- Video Calling App
- IRC Client
118 Pidgin alternatives- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- BSD
- PortableApps.com
- Xfce
Pidgin is an easy to use, multi-protocol chat client client used by millions. Connect to AIM, MSN, Yahoo, XMPP, and more chat networks all at once. It has built-in support for NSS, offering client-to-server message encryption for protocols that support it.
Pidgin Features
Opinions about Pidgin as a Alternative to ICQ
Tox
Is this is a good alternative?YesNo- Free • Open Source
- Instant Messenger
- Encrypted Chat App
- Group Chat App
186 Tox alternatives- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Android
- Android Tablet
- BSD
- F-Droid
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.
Tox Features
WhatsApp
Is this is a good alternative?YesNo- Free • Proprietary
- Instant Messenger
- Group Chat App
- Encrypted Chat App
248 WhatsApp alternatives- 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.
WhatsApp Features
Zulip
Is this is a good alternative?YesNo- Free Personal • Open Source
- Group Chat App
- Instant Messenger
- Encrypted Chat App
220 Zulip alternatives- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- BSD
- iPad
- Self-Hosted
Zulip is the only modern team chat app that is designed for both live and asynchronous conversations. Zulip topics create a separate space for each discussion, so different conversations will never get in each other's way.
Zulip Features
Viber
Is this is a good alternative?YesNo- Freemium • Proprietary
- Group Chat App
- Instant Messenger
- Video Calling App
171 Viber alternatives- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- HUAWEI AppGallery
- iPad
- 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.
Viber Features
Conversations
Is this is a good alternative?YesNo- Free • Open Source
- Instant Messenger
- Group Chat App
- Encrypted Chat App
143 Conversations alternatives- 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].
Conversations Features
Facebook Messenger
Is this is a good alternative?YesNo- Free • Proprietary
- Instant Messenger
- Group Chat App
- Video Calling App
194 Facebook Messenger alternatives- Windows
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- iPad
- Android Wear
Facebook Messenger is a faster way to message. Reach friends right on their phones, get and send messages fast, message everyone at once and more.
Facebook Messenger Features
Adium
Is this is a good alternative?YesNo69 Adium alternatives- Free • Open Source
- Instant Messenger
- Mac
Adium is a free and open source instant messaging application for Mac OS X, written using Mac OS Xs Cocoa API, released under the GNU GPL and developed by the Adium team. Based on the libpurple protocol library, Adium can connect you to any number of messaging accounts on any...
Adium Features
DiscontinuedThe last update is from March 2021.