WhatsApp is a freeware, cross-platform, centralized instant messaging, and voice-over-IP service owned by Meta Platforms, with over 2 billion active users worldwide. In this article, we discuss the top WhatsApp Competitors and Alternatives.
Founded in 2009 and later acquired by Facebook, WhatsApp offers a convenient and secure platform for users to send text and voice messages, make voice and video calls, and share media files. What sets WhatsApp apart is its simplicity and ease of use, making it accessible worldwide to many users.
With its end-to-end encryption, WhatsApp ensures that messages and calls remain private and secure, giving users peace of mind when sharing sensitive information. The app also offers features such as group chat, status updates, and a wide range of expressive emojis and stickers to enhance user interactions. Additionally, WhatsApp’s popularity has been further bolstered by its cross-platform compatibility, allowing users to connect seamlessly with friends and family, regardless of their device.
- Product Type: Instant messaging and voice-over-IP service.
- Industry: Technology.
- Founded Date: November 2009.
- Founders: Brian Acton and Jan Koum.
- Headquarters: Menlo Park, California, United States.
- Area Served: Worldwide.
- Current CEO: Will Cathcart.
Table of Contents
The top WhatsApp competitors are
1. Telegram
- Product Type: Messaging app
- Industry: Technology
- Founded Date: 2013
- Founders: Pavel Durov, Nikolai Durov
- Headquarters: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Area Served: Worldwide
- Current CEO: Pavel Durov
Telegram is an instant messaging application that strongly emphasizes security and speed. Founded by Russian entrepreneur Pavel Durov, this app prides itself on its end-to-end encryption and cloud-based message storage, allowing you to access conversations from any device. Apart from basic texting, users can exchange encrypted voice notes, images, and videos and perform person-to-person voice and video calls. Telegram offers unique features like channels and bots for automatic content generation and distribution.
2. Signal
- Product Type: Messaging app
- Industry: Technology
- Founded Date: 2014
- Founders: Moxie Marlinspike, Brian Acton
- Headquarters: San Francisco, California, United States
- Area Served: Worldwide
- Current CEO: Jun Harada
Signal is a free, open-source instant messaging application that preserves user privacy. Developed by the nonprofit Signal Foundation, its primary attraction is its claim that it cannot view your conversations or share them with third parties. It offers encrypted one-to-one and group messages and voice and video calls. Signal is viral among individuals prioritizing privacy and security in their digital communications.
3. Facebook Messenger
- Product Type: Messaging app
- Industry: Technology
- Founded Date: 2011
- Founders: Mark Zuckerberg, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, Chris Hughes
- Headquarters: Menlo Park, California, United States
- Area Served: Worldwide
- Current CEO: Mark Zuckerberg
Facebook Messenger is a multi-faceted messaging application operated by the global social networking giant Facebook. It allows users to send text messages, GIFs, stickers, voice notes, and audio or video calls to Facebook friends and enables payments through Facebook Pay. Its integration with the Facebook platform gives it a distinct advantage in terms of user base and Facebook page accessibility.
4. Viber
- Product Type: Messaging app
- Industry: Technology
- Founded Date: 2010
- Founders: Talmon Marco, Igor Magazinnik
- Headquarters: Haifa, Israel
- Area Served: Worldwide
- Current CEO: Djamel Agaoua
Viber is an all-in-one messaging and voice-over-IP (VoIP) app initially known for its free voice-calling functionality. Developed by Rakuten, a Japanese multinational company, Viber provides text, voice, and video messaging and an exciting plethora of stickers and GIFs. It also allows for public chat rooms and can create group chats and conversations, making it a strong player in the messaging space.
5. WeChat
- Product Type: Messaging app
- Industry: Technology
- Founded Date: 2011
- Founders: Zhang Xiaolong
- Headquarters: Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
- Area Served: Worldwide
- Current CEO: Allen Zhang
WeChat is a multi-purpose messaging service, social media, and mobile payment app developed by Tencent, a Chinese company. Primarily popular in China, WeChat integrates messaging, social networking, and even e-commerce, pushing the boundaries of what an instant messaging platform can entail. The app also provides access to games, shopping, and city services depending on the region.
6. Line
- Product Type: Messaging app
- Industry: Technology
- Founded Date: 2011
- Founders: Takeshi Idezawa
- Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan
- Area Served: Worldwide
- Current CEO: Takeshi Idezawa
Line is a fast-growing messaging platform based in Japan. Apart from standard chat features, it includes various social features like a timeline, games, and even a personal avatar creator called “Line Play.” It also offers a ‘Keep’ feature that helps you store important messages, photos, and videos. With an in-app purchase option, Line has found ways to monetize the app further and cater to diverse user interests.
7. KakaoTalk
- Product Type: Messaging app
- Industry: Technology
- Founded Date: 2010
- Founders: Kim Beom-Soo
- Headquarters: Jeju, South Korea
- Area Served: South Korea
- Current CEO: Yeo Min-soo
KakaoTalk is a popular South Korean messaging application that offers free text and call features. Besides its standard communication features, it also provides various services in the South Korean market, such as e-commerce, taxi services, and broadcasting content. With its cute and engaging sticker packs, it holds a particular appeal among younger users.
8. iMessage
- Product Type: Messaging app
- Industry: Technology
- Founded Date: 2011
- Founders: Apple Inc.
- Headquarters: Cupertino, California, United States
- Area Served: Worldwide
- Current CEO: Tim Cook
iMessage is Apple’s messaging application that is exclusive to its devices. Integrated into the iPhone’s built-in SMS/MMS application, it has extended features such as group chats, multimedia messages (pictures, videos, and audio notes), and end-to-end encryption for secure communication. The seamless experience across other Apple devices provides a consistent and familiar environment for Apple users.
9. Instagram Direct
- Product Type: Messaging app
- Industry: Technology
- Founded Date: 2010
- Founders: Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger
- Headquarters: Menlo Park, California, United States
- Area Served: Worldwide
- Current CEO: Adam Mosseri
Instagram Direct is a feature within Instagram, a social media platform owned by Facebook, where users can send direct messages to each other. Both one-to-one video messages and group chats are available, and users can exchange text messages, images, videos, locations, and even conduct video chats. Instagram’s massive user base helps bolster the users of Instagram Direct.
10. Skype
- Product Type: Messaging app
- Industry: Technology
- Founded Date: 2003
- Founders: Niklas Zennström, Janus Friis
- Headquarters: Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
- Area Served: Worldwide
- Current CEO: Tony Bates
Skype is an application that provides video chat, voice call services, and instant messaging. Initially launched in 2003 and currently owned by Microsoft, Skype has been a reliable tool for personal and professional communication, allowing file sharing, screen sharing, and even group calls and video meetings that cater to businesses. It has also offered Skype Credit for users to call traditional telephone numbers at competitive rates.
11. Google Hangouts
- Product Type: Messaging app
- Industry: Technology
- Founded Date: 2013
- Founders: Google
- Headquarters: Mountain View, California, United States
- Area Served: Worldwide
- Current CEO: Sundar Pichai
Google Hangouts is a comprehensive communications platform developed by Google. It is a go-to tool for instant messaging, voice calls, and video conferencing, offering a seamless connection with other Google services like Gmail. Not just confined to mobile apps, Hangouts is also available on desktops and integrates with Google Chrome, making it universally accessible. Recently, it’s become popular among small businesses and teams due to its integration with Google Workspace.
12. Discord
- Product Type: Messaging app
- Industry: Technology
- Founded Date: 2015
- Founders: Jason Citron, Stanislav Vishnevskiy
- Headquarters: San Francisco, California, United States
- Area Served: Worldwide
- Current CEO: Jason Citron
Discord is a communications platform initially designed for gamers but is now used by various online communities across multiple platforms. It enables text, voice, and video communications in community servers where users can join channels based on their interests. In addition to direct messages, Discord also provides features like streaming, screen sharing, and even emoji reactions, providing a rich virtual hangout space.
13. Threema
- Product Type: Messaging app
- Industry: Technology
- Founded Date: 2012
- Founders: Manuel Kasper
- Headquarters: Pfäffikon, Switzerland
- Area Served: Worldwide
- Current CEO: Martin Blatter
Threema is a secure messaging service app developed by a Swiss company that greatly emphasizes privacy. The service encrypts all the data, including messages, voice calls, group chats, files, and even status messages. A distinguishing feature of Threema is that it can be used anonymously, with no need to provide a phone number or email address, which makes it popular among privacy-conscious individuals.
14. Wickr
- Product Type: Messaging app
- Industry: Technology
- Founded Date: 2012
- Founders: Nico Sell, Chris Howell, Robert Statica, Kara Coppa
- Headquarters: New York City, New York, United States
- Area Served: Worldwide
- Current CEO: Joel Wallenstrom
Wickr is a secured messaging platform known for its robust privacy features. Employing top-notch security measures, it offers secure messaging, voice calls, video conferences, and file sharing. What separates Wickr from others is its ‘self-destruct’ feature, where messages can be set to delete after a certain period, ensuring your communications remain private.
15. Wire
- Product Type: Secure messaging and collaboration platform
- Industry: Technology
- Founded Date: 2014
- Founders: Alan Duric, Janus Friis
- Headquarters: Berlin, Germany
- Area Served: Worldwide
- Current CEO: Morten Brøgger
Wire is a private, end-to-end encrypted and secure messaging app and platform developed by Wire Swiss. It offers messaging, voice and video calls, file sharing, and even screen sharing. This app is revered for its modern, clean interface and commitment to user privacy. Available for personal use as well as for businesses, Wire offers distinct solutions catering to the communication needs of different customer categories.
16. Kik
- Product Type: Instant messaging mobile app
- Industry: Technology
- Founded Date: 2009
- Founders: Ted Livingston
- Headquarters: Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
- Area Served: Worldwide
- Current CEO: Ted Livingston
Kik is an instant messaging app developed by Canadian company Kik Interactive. This app allows users to send and receive messages, photos, videos, sketches, and even mobile web pages. Notably, Kik is known for its anonymity, allowing users to register without providing a phone number, thus preserving their privacy.
17. BlackBerry Messenger (BBM)
- Product Type: Instant messaging mobile app
- Industry: Technology
- Founded Date: August 1, 2005
- Founders: BlackBerry Limited (formerly known as Research In Motion)
- Headquarters: Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
- Area Served: Worldwide
- Current CEO: John S. Chen
BlackBerry Messenger, also known as BBM, was an instant messaging application from BlackBerry. Popular in the mid-2000s, BBM was known for its convenience and speed, offering features like ‘D’ to indicate a message was delivered and ‘R’ to represent it was read. Despite officially shutting down in 2019, offshoots and emulated versions of the messenger are still available for download.
18. Matrix & Element
- Product Type: Open-source secure messaging and collaboration platform
- Industry: Technology
- Founded Date: 2014
- Founders: Amandine Le Pape, Matthew Hodgson
- Headquarters: London, United Kingdom
- Area Served: Worldwide
- Current CEO: Matthew Hodgson
Matrix is an open-source project that creates a global encrypted communications network, and Element is the messaging app built on that network. It promises secure, decentralized, and interoperable communication, which means you can communicate with other apps that use Matrix’s API. Apart from standard messaging features, Element supports VoIP and video calling, making it a comprehensive communication platform while prioritizing user privacy and control.
19. Jami
- Product Type: Open-source secure messaging and collaboration platform
- Industry: Technology
- Founded Date: 2006
- Founders: Savoir-faire Linux
- Headquarters: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Area Served: Worldwide
- Current CEO: Nicolas Jäger
Jami is an open-source messaging app developed by Savoir-faire Linux. It offers a range of communication options, including text messaging, voice and video calls, and file sharing. Its standout feature is decentralization, which means no one organization controls it, and all your data stays directly with you, which promotes high levels of privacy.
20. IMO
- Product Type: Instant messaging mobile app
- Industry: Technology
- Founded Date: 2007
- Founders: Georges Harik, Ralph Harik
- Headquarters: Palo Alto, California, United States
- Area Served: Worldwide
- Current CEO: Ralph Harik
IMO is a messaging and video calling application developed by PageBites. Available globally, it is commonly used in countries where specific messaging apps or services may be blocked. IMO provides robust features like group chat, video calls, audio messages, and photo and video sharing. A distinguishing feature of this platform is that it uses less data for calls, especially on slower networks, increasing its appeal in regions with limited internet infrastructure.
21. Zalo
- Product Type: Instant messaging mobile app
- Industry: Technology
- Founded Date: 2012
- Founders: VNG Corporation
- Headquarters: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Area Served: Vietnam
- Current CEO: Le Hong Minh
Zalo is a popular messaging app developed and commonly used in Vietnam by VNG Corporation. It provides a comprehensive messaging platform, including chat features, voice and video calling, and image sharing, and also integrates with social features like stories and status updates. Besides personal communication, it offers features geared towards businesses, such as official accounts and online shops.
22. Snapchat
- Product Type: Multimedia messaging mobile app
- Industry: Technology
- Founded Date: September 16, 2011
- Founders: Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, Reggie Brown
- Headquarters: Santa Monica, California, United States
- Area Served: Worldwide
- Current CEO: Evan Spiegel
Snapchat is a multimedia messaging platform developed by Snap, Inc., a US-based tech company. Snapchat is unique as it is centered around snaps – photos or videos that disappear after they’re viewed. Additional features like stories, filters, and augmented reality lenses add a fun, dynamic twist to messaging. Lately, Snapchat has expanded into offering short-form videos through a feature called “Spotlight.”
23. Slack
- Product Type: Business communication platform
- Industry: Technology
- Founded Date: August 2013
- Founders: Stewart Butterfield, Cal Henderson, Eric Costello, Serguei Mourachov
- Headquarters: San Francisco, California, United States
- Area Served: Worldwide
- Current CEO: Stewart Butterfield
Slack is a communication platform primarily used by businesses and teams. Developed by American software company Slack Technologies, Slack offers channels to organize team discussions, direct messaging for one-on-one conversations, and the ability to share files. Integrations with other software services like Google Drive, Trello, and Dropbox make it a powerful tool for collaboration.
24. Zoom
- Product Type: Video conferencing platform
- Industry: Technology
- Founded Date: April 2011
- Founders: Eric Yuan
- Headquarters: San Jose, California, United States
- Area Served: Worldwide
- Current CEO: Eric Yuan
Zoom is a video conferencing service developed by Zoom Video Communications, a US-based company. While primarily known for hosting video meetings, Zoom offers features like chat, virtual backgrounds, screen sharing, and webinar capabilities. Recently, it has gained significant popularity and become a household name due to pandemic-induced remote work and learning.
25. Microsoft Teams
- Product Type: Business communication platform
- Industry: Technology
- Founded Date: March 2017
- Founders: Microsoft Corporation
- Headquarters: Redmond, Washington, United States
- Area Served: Worldwide
- Current CEO: Satya Nadella
Microsoft Teams is a communication and collaboration platform developed by Microsoft. Teams offer a variety of tools under one roof, like chat, video meetings, file storage, and application integration. It’s deeply integrated with other Microsoft Office services, making it a popular choice among businesses that already utilize Microsoft’s suite of productivity tools.
26. Briar
- Product Type: Open-source secure messaging and collaboration platform
- Industry: Technology
- Founded Date: 2014
- Founders: Michael Rogers
- Headquarters: Berlin, Germany
- Area Served: Worldwide
- Current CEO: Michael Rogers
Briar is just a messaging app that focuses heavily on offering secure communication for its users. Briar’s capability to work with or without internet access makes it unique. It connects directly with other users through Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, keeping messages secure. This, coupled with end-to-end encryption, makes Briar primarily geared towards activists, journalists, and anyone needing safe, untraceable communication.
These were all the competitors of WhatsApp. If you know any other competitors, please do write in the comments below.
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