Personal chat software

Telegram features fast, encrypted chat messaging, with client-server encryption for standard chats. A Secure Chat mode provides end-to-end encryption so that only you and your intended recipient can read it.

You can even set messages to self-destruct. You can share videos, documents and participate in group chats of up to users. If you want to find out more, we've got a guide that explains what Is Telegram and how to use it. While Facebook's attitude toward user data has turned off some users, Facebook Messenger remains a popular choice among the best chat apps. And there's a good reason people stick with the service: Not only does Messenger draw on Facebook's extensive reach, allowing you to message all your friends on the social network, Facebook continues to add features.

Last year, for example, launched Facebook Messenger Rooms , a video chat feature that will support up to 50 people. Messenger users can now chat with people on Instagram without having to fire up that app. Even with the constant influx of features, Facebook Messenger works as it did before. Users sign in via Facebook and can send other users the usual chat messages, as well as voice messages and voice and video calls to other Messenger users, with extra features like GIF support and photo and location sharing.

And Facebook has continually updated Messenger's look, with an emphasis lately on making things more streamlined. WhatsApp may be part of the Facebook family, and it may be adding many Messenger features as Facebook looks to unify its messaging offerings. But WhatsApp retains a passionate user base who consider this the best chat app for their needs.

Some of those users have flocked to other apps, though, after WhatsApp changed its policy on personal data, forcing you to share more data with Facebook.

Users who've stuck with WhatsApp can send text, photos, voice and short video messages to their WhatsApp contacts. The app has continuously added new features to its toolkit, such as emoji, and fully encrypted messaging between WhatsApp users.

Like Messenger, WhatsApp include video chat features, with 50 people able to join a call. You can learn about most of the app's features from our guide on how to use WhatsApp , but be sure to keep the app updated to add new features and safeguard against attacks. Productivity and team-oriented messaging app Slack has been a hit for corporations and casual users alike with its mix of messaging, scheduling, management tools, and app integration.

Slack covers your IM basics with real-time messaging synced across devices and also supports file sharing, direct and group messaging tools. In addition, the app features a system of chat channels, allowing you to quickly set up subgroups for task or topic-oriented discussions.

Slack archives your communications, allowing you to search through old messages, channels and shared files, and includes integration with a variety of services such as cloud storage, Asana, Zendesk and more.

Premium plans provide more features, such as expanded file storage and better app integration. Check out our favorite Slack tips and tricks. If your company already takes advantage of Microsoft's Office , then you could do just as well with Microsoft Teams, the tech giant's own productivity-oriented messaging app. Teams offers a rich set of features, from your basic group messaging, chat channels and organization tools to video and voice calls and file sharing.

You get a fully searchable chat, customizable notifications, enterprise security and compliance features, and integration across the entire Office suite of tools and a variety of other services. Teams requires an Office account.

Microsoft keeps adding a number of features aimed at people who want to stay productive during the pandemic, including a dynamic view for presentations and the ability to have 1, people join in on a call.

Rival Zoom offers high call limits, too, but you need a large meeting add-on from that service. For a messaging and collaboration app that's less formal and business-like, check out Band, a group chat and coordination platform that's designed for more informal groups like friends, family, study groups or your neighborhood sports team. Users can create custom groups and invite their friends, broadcasting general announcements through a community board while also providing more focused private chats.

Group members can share files, create photo albums, participate in polls, and coordinate events with a shared calendar, giving you a robust toolkit for everyday messaging and group coordination tasks. Exactly as the name implies, GroupMe is a social messaging app with group conversations in mind. Whether you're on desktop, mobile, or prefer a web client, Zoom offers something for you. Screen sharing, encryption, and live annotations all come a standard with Zoom, regardless of whether you pay or not.

But while a simple one-on-one chat doesn't have any restrictions, having more than three people in a meeting restricts free users to a minute time limit. Zoom suffered from a number of high-profile security issues in the early days of the pandemic, but things have since changed for the better. Calls are protected by end-to-end encryption, there are new privacy-focussed notifications, and an updated privacy policy makes it clear who can save and share meetings recordings.

You can read more about the app's ongoing issues, and measures that have been taken to rectify them, on our Zoom security issues page. Skype has been in the video chat business for a very long time, and still offers a robust set of features for up to 50 people at a time. It also costs absolutely nothing to use, and is available on just about every device you might need to use. What's more Skype is well known for being able to connect to landlines and basic cell phones, and supports both international calling and texting.

You do have to pay for this, but it's especially useful for keeping in touch with friends and family several countries away. Skype offers a lot of common features too, including screen sharing, live transcription, and in some cases real-time translation of in-chat audio.

While Apple has had Facetime for years, Google's Android operating system lacked its own native equivalent. Instead people had to rely on third party apps that were downloaded from the Play Store, and hope their friends were willing to sign up as well. Thankfully Duo came along to address that problem, with a video chat app that is remarkably easy to use and accessible within Android's native phone app. What's more, Duo supports a lot of fun features, including the ability to record and send video messages that let you connect with friends and family — even if they're not available at that exact moment.

Duo is even available on iOS, so you can keep in touch with your iPhone-toting friends without having to buy an Apple device for Facetime access. And it even has the same 32 person limit as Facetime, so they don't have much of an excuse to stay away.

Gamers already know Discord as a great resource for connecting with their friends over text, but did you know Discord supports video chat, too? Additionally, because it allows for streaming in the app itself, it's a great way to play some games with friends, by streaming one user's screen content to the rest of the group. In fact, the Tom's Guide staff did exactly that multiple times during the COVID lockdowns, with one user sharing Quiplash from their PC's display to the rest of us playing along by phone.

Thankfully, Discord has even gone so far as to raise its Go Live built-in streaming service from a maximum of 10 people to 50 people temporarily. It's no surprise that FaceTime should appear on this list of the best video chat apps.

Apple's software wasn't the first in video chatting, but it was the one that started it all for mobile users, and led the industry toward making video chat easier and more accessible. Today, FaceTime is preinstalled on all Apple hardware and supports a number of really fun and useful features, from cute Animojis, Memojis and stickers to allowing up to 32 people on a single call.

And because FaceTime also has a voice call component — FaceTime Audio — you can easily route calls over data or Wi-Fi whenever you like, where your conversations will sound infinitely better than they do over your cellular provider's voice network. The only downside to FaceTime is of course that you'll only get the full experience on Apple hardware, including iPhones and Macs.

Android and Windows users can join in calls from a web browser, but they can't actually host them. Still it's better than being completely locked out, as was the case before. The beauty of using Facebook Messenger for video chat is that you're probably already signed up to use it. As long as you have a Facebook account and the Facebook Messenger mobile or web app, you can start video chatting with your Facebook friends right now.

Even if you had a Facebook account at one time and have since deactivated it, you can still use Messenger. Just tap the little video camera icon in the upper-right corner of the screen, and you can start a call with an individual or chat group. And just like Skype, up to 50 people can be present on a Facebook Messenger video call at the same time — a good sight greater than the maximum 32 video chatters supported by Apple's FaceTime and Google Duo.

Plus, even while you video chat, you can still use Facebook Messenger's myriad other functions, like sending chat messages, stickers and so on. WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging alternatives on smartphones today, both because you can join with only a phone number and because many of your friends and family are probably already using it.

Up until recently, WhatsApp's video calling feature wasn't the most robust out there. But that changed once the max participant limit was raised to 50, thanks to an integration with Facebook Messenger's new Rooms feature.

Team chat applications are no longer limited to organizing team conversations and searching topics but have become a way of life too. As per a survey conducted by Statista , 53 percent of businesses worldwide had adopted collaboration tools by , and the number is consistently increasing ever since.

As businesses are looking for digital solutions, the use of work chat apps and collaboration tools is on the rise to improve collaboration.

No points for guessing, team chat software is designed to enable seamless communication between team members. Such tools let you have a conversation and share ideas messages, documents, videos even from remote places. Streamlined workflow A team communication tool help remote team members to work efficiently. With these tools, team members can have virtual daily meetings where they can share current tasks, plan sprints, and even ask for instant feedback. When employees are engaged, overall employee productivity also improves.

Increased accountability The purpose of internal communication is also to make people accountable for their tasks and job responsibilities. As team members have to update managers about the progress, thus quite effectively, they develop a sense of responsibility towards their work and share updates with office chat tools.

Enhanced project management Effective project management is only possible with effective coordination. When you communicate effectively, the chances of confusion and mistakes also lessen. It is one of the most optimum ways to make sure if things are on track or not. Thus, team chat software does make way for seamless project management.

Team collaboration apps are helpful in maintaining order and managing stages that help you stay organized. Saves time Work and deadlines both go hand-in-hand. The coordinated work saves not just time but also resources and efforts.

The more time you save, the lesser would be unwanted expenses. Strengthen team relationships When people work together on different tasks and projects, they tend to develop a healthy working relationship among other team members. Talking to fellow team members on chat or in person enables you to foster a healthy work environment which leads to innovation and development.

ProofHub is a team communication software that brings all your project communications together at one place. It is the perfect place for every conversation and brings sanity in the way your teams communicate within an office or with clients. Summary: ProofHub is an all-in-one team collaboration software with powerful features that eliminates the need to invest in too many tools for your business.

Chanty is an easy-to-use team chat app that lets your team communicate and collaborate more quickly and efficiently. Chanty brings all aspects of communication together: chat, audio and video calls and screen sharing. Besides communication, you can also do some light project management and turn messages into tasks.

Our favorite is the Teambook — where you can see all of your messages, contacts and tasks in one place. Summary: Chanty is a simple team chat tool to boost communication and productivity in teams of all business segments. Bring teams together with Troop Messenger! Collaborate and talk work on a single interface, and reach hierarchies of all levels with one-on-one conversations, voice-video calls, screen sharing, audio messaging, forkout, group conversations, etc. File sharing, a preview of files, filtering content, making favorites, are few among the beautifully designed features for leveraging great user experience.

Share ideas, work, and projects to streamline your teams towards a promising collaboration with Troop Messenger. Summary: Relying on different tools for office work leads to confusion! Instead, trust Troop Messenger for productive work outcomes. It is a hub of powerful team collaboration features that supports real-time work conversations.

Connecteam is an all-in-one employee management solution with effective communication tools for both businesses and teams. In a single app, you have access to group or private chat, employee directory, immediate updates, social posts and so much more. How much? Summary: Connecteam helps you streamline communication, limit unnecessary phone calls, and improve employee productivity.

Brosix is an instant messaging platform that provides you with a fully administrable private team network. Brosix uses P2P encryption on all communication channels, creating a secure communication environment.

Summary: Brosix is a great team communication solution for those looking to streamline and protect communication within an organization. Spike takes your email inbox and turns it into a powerful productivity tool. This eliminates the need to switch between apps.