Top 8 Free Messaging Apps Android

So, I started this list with the intention of figuring out the best messaging apps out there at present, but added the free subtitle for one reason only: to get rid of WhatsApp! While I’d recommend WhatsApp to just about everybody out there these days as a cross platform messaging app with remarkable dexterity, I’m more often asked about alternatives than I am asked about messaging apps in general. So, while WhatsApp is free for the first year, it does actually const 99 cents per year after this first period. Some users are against this, so I decided to look at the free alternatives out there. It might be that you have been using WhatsApp on and off for the past year, but aren’t serious enough about messaging to bother paying even the small fee. We downloaded and took these other messaging apps for a spin to work out which is the best. The results you can find below: a nice mixture of the bigger messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger and some that you may not have heard of before now!

8. Telegram (Free)

And yes, one that you may not have heard of before now is Telegram: a nice free messaging app for Android users, and one that has a marked emphasis on the security of your information. As we run around in a world that has seen the events involving Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning in recent years, as well as the constant pressure applied upon Facebook to stop using our private data, it’s nice to find an app that is concerned with this aspect of things. Telegram features a fast and convenient messaging service, but also one that is encrypted to ensure that whatever you are talking about does not fall into the wrong hands. There is a client server encryption mode for standard chats, and then a higher Secure Chat mode that provides end to end encryption so that only you and your intended recipient can read what you are saying to one another. – Download from Google Play

7. Hangouts (Free)

Despite the fact that it is based on the idea of group conversations, web conferences and video calls, no messaging apps list would be quite complete without at least a passing mention of Google’s great Hangouts app. While it might not have taken off like many predicted, this is still a great communication app and is excellent for those who already use Google products like Google Plus or Drive and would rather integrate their messaging experience into this than seek out a new app. – Download from Google Play

6. LINE (Free)

LINE is another one that allows you to do everything at once, in terms of messaging and voice and video calls as well. It currently boasts a userbase of over 300 million people, which isn’t at all bad, and also means that there is a great chance that many of your friends are using the app as well. You can send free text and voice messages, movies, and there is even a nice Facebook-style timeline thing that makes it much easier than before to keep track of stuff. – Download from Google Play

5. Viber (Free)

Viber is a lot like Skype in that the emphasis seems to be on voice and video calls, but the messaging options are also great. If you are looking for an app that doesn’t just do messaging but allows you to make voice calls to landlines and stuff like that, but is still free, then you can’t do much better than Viber. I guess the main difference between this one and Skype is that Viber actually works in tandem with your actual phone number, rather than a mere username, so no separate account is necessary and it quickly integrates your phone book with the app upon sign up to work out which of your friends are using Viber! – Download from Google Play

4. Kik (Free)

Kik Messenger currently boasts over 80 million users, and is active proof that you can barge your way into a crowded marked such as the messaging app one with a little bit of innovation and some bold moves. Like WhatsApp, this is a fully cross platform messaging service: you can send photos, have group chats, search for just about everything from YouTube links to images and sketches. There are downloadable emoticons whichi is one of the things that most users tend to go for these days, and you can even create your own memes. Another plus point is that Kik does not ask you for or share your cellphone number, instead allowing you to set up an account and begin chatting under a username that you can then give out to friends. – Download from Google Play

3. Facebook Messenger (Free)

There’s not much to say about Facebook’s messaging app, other than the fact that it keeps getting improved and is obviously (after the recent acquisition) going to start looking more and more like WhatsApp as the months go by. The decision to create a standalone messaging app was a great one, since many Facebook users are only concerned with the chat features and would rather not have to load up profiles and other stuff each time they want to chat. The interface is streamlined for this reason, which is why the Messenger app from Facebook can’t be ignored! – Download from Google Play

2. Snapchat (Free)

If you’re into mobile messaging, you’ve probably heard of Snapchat: it started off small and is now a huge institution in the world of messaging, and mainly because it brought something new to the table. That of course being the ability to quickly converse via photos rather than just words, by snapping and quickly sending a photo with words attached. The problem with filling a messaging thread with photos is that it becomes slow when all the data is on the screen, but Snapchat quickly answers this by making snaps disappear from the receiver’s phone in 10 seconds. This means that you can chat using images and photos, but the process remains quick and easy. – Download from Google Play

1. Skype (Free)

Skype of course first gained notoriety as a desktop application, and it is probably in this area that the program still best excels. To this day, when visiting Internet cafes in my neighborhood there seems to be one program only that people have open: Skype, for it is the best way to video chat with friends in other countries and offers excellent rates when it comes to calling landlines and cellphone numbers directly from your desktop. The sale of Skype to Microsoft brought a lot of exposure and hype, which is something that the app has certainly lived up to – especially when it comes to mobile communications. Skype is a lot more than just a voice and video calling service, with IM options that easily rival the likes of WhatsApp and other dedicated messaging apps. As with a few of the apps listed above, you sign into Skype using your username and password only and then give this out to friends who wish to contact you, which is great for those who would rather keep their cellphone number private! – Download from Google Play