Developers around the world are constantly innovating. They design and develop messaging apps that allow us to conveniently stay connected to each other in this fast-paced modern world. Most of these apps require you to subscribe or pay to download and install them. However, a good number are available completely free of charge.
We will highlight and briefly explain our selection of the top ten free mobile messaging apps of the year 2018. These apps usually allow users to make free voice and video calls, share instant messages, photos, and even text messages. We hope this helps you get started smoothly. A selection of the 10 best tested free mobile messaging applications.
#1: WhatsApp
This is perhaps the king of mobile messaging applications. It was jointly developed by Brian Acton and Jan Kuom. Facebook Inc. took over the app in February 2014. It currently has more than 1.5 billion total users spread across more than 180 countries. It is also visited by 450 million monthly users and 315 million daily users.
Basically, the app allows users to instant message each other, make video and voice calls, and send free text messages, among other features. It has a payment option which is limited to India only at the moment. This is the payment function of WhatsApp. All transactions are processed by the Unified Payments Interface.
#2: Facebook Messenger
Following closely behind WhatsApp is Facebook Messenger. As the name suggests, it was in fact developed and owned by Facebook Incorporated. It has 1.4 billion active users as of December 2017. It is currently installed on 87.5% of all Android devices in circulation. It has a payment option which is still in beta right now.
This messaging app allows two Facebook users to chat, exchange files and photos, make video calls, and even text each other. It does not require subscribers to share their phone contacts as each user logs in with their Facebook username.
#3: WeChat
WeChat differs from major messaging apps in that it originates from the most unlikely place: China. At the end of 2017, it had around 963 million monthly active users. It is basically a social chat tool that allows its users to freely chat with their friends. It also has a friend finder tool that allows you to track the location of your contacts through the GPRS functionality.
Support a variety of payment options. These include native in-app payments, QR code, quick and web-based payment in the app. Due to this, it brings with it the benefit of maximum comfort for its users.
#4: Telegram
This Russian-developed instant messaging app is cloud-based. This simply means that it stores all your conversations, files, and data in a cloud. Thereafter, it makes use of this data for its users, regardless of their precise locations in the world. It grants its users the ability to send instant messages, exchange photos, files, videos, audio, and stickers.
Right now, it has 180 million active users globally. The app has variants that are compatible with various operating systems and platforms. These include iOS, Android, MacOS, Windows Phone, Linux, and Windows NT.
You also have a payment option. This option basically acts as a middleman between the paying end user, the bot developer, and your preferred payment platform.
#5: Snapchat
In stark contrast to other mobile messaging apps, Snapchat is multimedia. This simply means that it handles and transfers files of various formats and types. It allows users to chat instantly, share files and photos, and conduct live video conferences, among others.
It had a whopping 187 million daily users at the end of 2017. It is also available in 22 languages and is mostly popular among North American and European teens.
In addition to messaging each other, the app also allows users to send money to each other. Money is transmitted using the Square Cash email payment platform.
#6: Line
Unlike most other mobile messaging apps that are restricted to mobile devices, Line supports various electronic devices. It can work well through cell phones, personal computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. It is free and has an active user base of approximately 217 million people. However, it is mainly restricted to Asia.
With this app, users can chat; make voice conferences and video calls, exchange photos and stickers, and even play games! It has a payment platform called LINE Pay. This provides a secure and reliable payment service.
#7: K.I.K.
Developed by the Canadian company KIK Interactive, this software is a free mobile instant messaging application. It is available for free through the iOS and Android operating systems. It’s also free, using your smartphone’s data plan or Wi-Fi connectivity to send and receive mobile web pages, instant messages, videos, photos, and sketches.
At the end of 2017, it had 300 million active users. It is especially popular among American teenagers. The app launched its own digital currency called Kin. With this currency, users will be able to earn and purchase items from within the app.
#8: IMO
IMO supports and works well together with other big names in instant messaging like Yahoo!, AIM, Google Talk, Facebook Chat and MSN Messenger. Basically, it allows you to instantly chat with all your contacts on the aforementioned social networking sites. This saves you a great deal of time and effort, as it relieves you of the need to log into those sites separately.
In addition to sending and receiving instant messages, the app also allows users to make and receive video calls and voice calls, for free! By the end of 2017, the app had been downloaded 500 million times, especially by younger teens.
#9: Viber
Founded in 2003, this social chat app has several similarities with most other mobile messaging apps. It is cross-platform because it can work well on various operating systems and platforms. Examples of these are iOS, Microsoft Windows, Android, Linux, and MacOS. It had a whopping 980 million registered users worldwide at the end of 2017.
Apart from just chatting, the app also allows its users to make phone calls with each other, absolutely free of charge! Other than that, it also allows users to exchange media such as images and video logs. It does not have its own payment platform.
#10: Kakaotalk
Closing out our list of the best mobile messaging apps is this free mobile instant messaging app for smartphones. With a fairly small user base of approximately 49.7 million10, this app is mostly limited to South Korea and much of Asia. However, it has a bright future as more and more people are expected to download it in the future.
The app is loaded with free text and free calling features. It also works well on various platforms like MacOS, Bada OS, Android OS, Windows Phone, BlackBerry, Windows and Nokia Asha.
It also comes with KakaoPay, which basically allows users to pay for certain products online using their KakaoTalk account. It also allows users to securely transfer money to their respective bank account from their Kakaotalk chat. They do this without necessarily using any of your authentication certificates or one-time password (OTP).
conclusion
Mobile apps for Android and iOS are here to stay. Furthermore, they also play a crucial role in improving the way we connect and share with the people around us. You just can’t afford to overlook them at all; not when you have a smartphone.
For this reason, you should do your best to download and install at least one of the free mobile messaging apps. The top 10 free mobile messaging apps we’ve identified and reviewed above will usually give you a much-needed starting point.