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Element (formerly Riot)
All
16
Experiences
Pros
15
Specs
Top
Pro
Bridges to other networks
You're not confined within Element's or even Matrix garden, and you don't have to make users of other networks switch to Matrix.
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Top
Pro
Markdown support
Code snippets in chats can be highlighted with Markdown.
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Top
Pro
Simple interface
Element has a very simple interface, adding the ability for more inexperienced users to use it.
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Top
Pro
VOIP and Videoconferencing
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Top
Pro
Supports encryption
Element allows for fully encrypted text, voice, and video chatting.
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Top
Pro
Widgets support
Want to watch that flick at YouTube and discuss it at the same time? Have Grafana graphs stacked above your DevOps team chat? Collaboratively edit Google Docs and chat over without switching applications? This is possible with Element.
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Top
Pro
Decentralized
An open network for secure, decentralized communication.
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Top
Pro
Self-hosting and federated network
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Top
Pro
Libre/open source
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Top
Pro
Search
Search messages in your current room, or all the rooms you're in. Not subject to a message history limit like Slack.
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Top
Pro
Cross platform
Web browser Linux OS X Windows Android iOS
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Top
Pro
Large existing community
With public rooms for many people, and you can create your own and let people from the community join.
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Top
Pro
Etherpad real-time document collaboration
An easy to activate integration that allows multiple authors to edit a document simultaneously.
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Top
Pro
File Sharing
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Top
Pro
Supports text, voice, video
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Specs
Platforms:
MacOS, Windows, Linux, Android, Browser, iOS
License:
Apache License 2.0
Publisher:
New Vector Ltd
End-to-end encryption:
Yes (optional)
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Experiences
Free
792
103
Telegram
All
37
Experiences
Pros
28
Cons
8
Specs
Top
Pro
Free and convenient large file sharing
Copy/paste videos, gifs, images, geolocation, documents, and even executable files. Drag over files for practically any time up to 2GB in size. Images can be compressed, too.
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Top
Con
Not fully open source
Telegram has an open API and protocol free for everyone, but the backend software is not open source. Therefore 100% privacy can not be evaluated.
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Top
Pro
Free of cost
The application is available free of cost.
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Top
Con
Can only be used with a phone number
It is not possible to activate and use Telegram by mail etc. You need a phone number.
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Top
Pro
Privacy focused
In addition to the end-to-end encryption [only in secret chats] that provides privacy to communications, the app also includes self destructing timers for chats, and the ability to permanently delete messages, yours and theirs, from your and their devices.
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Top
Con
Only "Secret Chat" messages are encrypted end to end
The only way to get end-to-end encryption (client-client) using Telegram is to use the Secret Chat function, anything through the service is server-client encrypted. Also secret chat is only implemented in the mobile apps, meaning there is no way to encrypt messages end-to-end when using the desktop client or the web browser client.
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Top
Pro
Media messaging
Videos, gifs, images, geolocation, and documents.
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Top
Con
"Secret Chat" feature is not available for desktop client
Secret chats with end to end encryption are only available on mobile apps.
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Top
Pro
Channels for one way broadcasting
Broadcasting channels suitable for announcing things.
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Top
Con
No source code sintax highlighting
Telegram does not have source code syntax highlighting, making it difficult to share code snippets.
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Top
Pro
Beautiful UI
Very customizable with a lot of clean looking options.
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Top
Con
Does not work for visually impaired
Doesn't work for visually impaired.
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Top
Pro
Possible to send photos and videos without compression
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Top
Con
Does not support spherical 360° photos
Spherical 360° photos becoming more popular these days, but Telegram does not support such format.
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Top
Pro
Supergroups of up to 200,000 people
In Supergroups, anyone along with admins can delete their messages from all sides. A message can be pinned to the top. All of the user's messages can be deleted by an administrator, and they can be banned and reported as well. Supergroups can have a public link (outside of Asia, due to high spam volumes), which is also a username.
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Top
Con
Does not support text messaging
You can NOT make it your default text messaging App.
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Top
Pro
Two-step verification
You can set up an additional password to your account, which can be reset by your email. You don't have to use an email if you do not want to. If you lose access to your email or forget your password, you will be able to reset it via text message if your account is over seven days old and will receive it within a week (in case you recover anything before then).
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Top
Pro
Secure
Telegram uses an open source MTProto encryption protocol that provides complete end-to-end encryption for secret chats. To show off their confidence in the protocol the company behind Telegram has organized $200,000 and $300,000 challenges to break the encryption. So far there have been no winners.
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Top
Pro
Saved messages
You can write messages to yourself. You can write some notes, add links, and see everything across all your devices.
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Top
Pro
Cloud chat keys are kept in different jurisdiction
Even though encryption used for cloud-based storage (e.g. Gmail, Facebook, iCloud) may not be as secure as end-to-end encryption or zero-knowledge storage, Telegram does the most that it can by holding keys to chats in different jurisdictions, requiring intergovernmental cooperation to obtain the keys. This is aside from whatever other security measures have been taken, of course.
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Top
Pro
Multiplatform native client apps
There are native desktop, mobile and web client apps, that are optimized for speed and are light on memory usage.
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Top
Pro
Open source client apps
Client apps are open source, making whole service more trustworthy.
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Pro
Unlimited storage
Unlimited number of files can be stored forever on the cloud. You can upload files up to 1.5 GB each.
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Top
Pro
Voice and video messages
You can post voice and video messages if you are too lazy to write text messages.
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Top
Pro
Group Voice Chat
This Discord-like feature adds to the interactivity of the application.
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Top
Pro
Pinned Messages
You can pin messages to the top of groups or supergroups so members will see them when opening the group.
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Top
Pro
Self-destruct messages
Messages in individual chats can be set to self destruct on a timer. They will disappear after the timer expires. Messages in all new chats can be set to self-destruct with a global auto-delete timer in Settings > Privacy and Security > Auto-Delete Messages.
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Top
Pro
Edit or delete messages after sending them
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Top
Pro
Banned in China
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Top
Pro
Save time with inline bots and link previews
Unfortunately, on the desktop videos don't play, but images are viewable without visiting popular websites like imgur and Instagram. You can play YouTube videos and others within the app, so you don't need to embed code or anything. With inline bots, such as @gif, @pic/bing, @vid/YouTube, etc, you can look things up without leaving the client or chat that you're in. Simply type the name and some keywords and wait for the results to load.
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Top
Pro
@mentions
You can ping people to get their attention by @mentioning them.
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Top
Pro
Desktop app handles HiDPI
The desktop app has a built in setting to scale the UI of the app up to 200% which allows for those with 4k monitors/screens to use the app without scaling issues.
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Top
Pro
High quality calls
Uses the latest GPL audio codecs, such as Opus, an adaptative high-quality codec that supersedes AAC at any bitrate.
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Top
Pro
Customer support is within the app
Although it's volunteer based, but still pretty top-notch if available, which it tends to be.
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Top
Pro
Large groups can have channels called 'Topics'
Topics are now available in groups of 100+ members and have a sleek two-column layout and new buttons to quickly navigate. A default topic called General is now in every topic group, holding the group’s service messages and previous message history.
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Top
Pro
Popular in the USA
On SimilarWeb you can see that Telegram is on the top 15 among all communication apps.
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Specs
Platforms:
Web, Android, iOS, Windows, Linux, macOS, BSD, Windows phone, UWP
Publisher:
Various companies affiliated with Telegram
File Size:
2048 MB
End-to-end encryption:
Secret chats
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Experiences
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1185
282
Signal
All
16
Experiences
Pros
10
Cons
5
Specs
Top
Pro
Provides security and privacy
Signal uses an advanced end to end encryption protocol that provides privacy for every message every time.
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Top
Con
Needs access to your phone number and contacts to work
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Top
Pro
Free and open source
Signal is free and open source software, enabling anyone to verify its security by auditing the code. It's the only private messenger that uses open source, peer-reviewed cryptographic protocols to keep your messages safe.
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Top
Con
Single device
Signal can only be registered to one mobile device at a time. But you can link Signal to Signal Desktop.
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Top
Pro
Supports encrypted group chats
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Top
Con
Servers hosted in the US
A security risk due to National Security letters, which require giving up data to the US state, and making it illegal to disclose that.
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Top
Pro
Has a desktop app
Signal Desktop can be used on multiple devices and has most features of the Android version, although it still requires you to register with your phone.
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Top
Con
Unreliable notifications
Sometimes messages won't be received if the Signal app has been closed for a long time or hasn't been opened after booting the device.
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Top
Pro
Supports sharing of various different media types
Signal supports: emoji, pictures, videos, audio, contacts, any location and GIF.
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Top
Con
Poor support
Their E-mail adress for support are not working. They have a Community support on here. Sometimes if you need a support, you need to create an account on their forum and need to share a topic and wait for long time.
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Top
Pro
Note to Self feature
Allows you to "send: messages to yourself and sync to desktop so you can use Signal as a kind of encrypted Pushbullet alternative
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Top
Pro
You can easily view all media exchanged
You can easily view all media shared in the chat without scrolling back to when it was shared.
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Top
Pro
Annonymous Sender (Encrypted)
The sender credentials can be encrypted with the rest of the message, leaving only the recipient address readable by the Signal server. Even if Signal wanted they couldn't see who is talking with who by this mean.
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Top
Pro
Works everywhere in every country
Unlike most messenger apps, Signal works reliably in all countries by securely circumventing internet censorship.
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Top
Pro
Recommended by Edward Snowden
Edward Snowden uses this messenger and recommends it to everyone who is concerned about his privacy.
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Specs
Platforms:
Android, iOS, Linux, Windows, Mac OS X
Publisher:
Open Whisper Systems
End-to-end encryption:
Yes
Media:
images / audio / video / files / contacts / GIFs / location
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Experiences
Free
687
181
Jitsi
All
12
Experiences
Pros
7
Cons
4
Specs
Top
Con
Crashes on MacOS Monterey
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Top
Pro
Open-source
Project available on github for anyone to contribute to or use.
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Top
Con
Abandoned Android development
They switched focus to Jitsi Meet client for Android.
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Top
Pro
Cross platform
Mac, Windows & Linux availability.
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Top
Con
Uses Java
Not a native app, takes awhile to load.
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Top
Pro
Video calls
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Top
Con
Gui not as slick or streamlined as competitors
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Top
Pro
OMEMO encryption without plugin
Secure Jabber Texting, better than legacy sms texting.
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Top
Pro
Supports SIP accounts
well implemented SIP SIMPLE (texting), SIP presence, XCAP.
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Top
Pro
Supports XEP-0016 and privacy Lists
Jabber Texting apps without Privacy Lists are WOEFULLY deficient.
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Top
Pro
Encryption out of the box
Encryption for chat, desktop sharing, and web confrencing available.
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Specs
Platforms:
Android, iOS, Linux, MacOS, Windows,
Technology:
Java
Videoconferencing:
Yes
Media:
Yes
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Experiences
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86
13
ooVoo Video Chat
All
4
Experiences
Pros
4
Top
Pro
Web video chat
Browser-based video call allows the creator of the web chat to invite non-ooVoo users into the call via email, instant messaging, or social network.
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Top
Pro
File sharing
Send files (up to 50MB) to any ooVoo contact quickly and securely.
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Top
Pro
Video messaging
Video messages up to 100 minute long (50 minutes for a fee) can be recorded and sent to another user, to email, or shared on YouTube.
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Top
Pro
Video chat and text chat between a total of 12 people at a time
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5
0
Discord
All
32
Experiences
Pros
22
Cons
9
Specs
Top
Pro
User friendly
Discord follows the same type of interface design popularised by Slack, which is extremely clean and attractive, and doesn't clutter the interface with unnecessary chrome and cruft.
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Top
Con
Proprietary software
Discord is closed-source, meaning their code isn't available for inspection or reproduction
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Top
Pro
Free for unlimited users
Unlimited amount of users.
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Top
Con
Based on Electron = eats a lot of ram
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Top
Pro
Can be used in browser
Users can invite others to join a Discord channel via a web link, which means no installation is required to use the software - which is one of the big typical barriers to entry for social software.
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Top
Con
Some functions cut out and available only with "Nitro" subscription
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Top
Pro
Good 1-click invite system
Discord allows inviting people to a specific channel with a link. Links can be set to expire. Low effort/passive invite mechanics.
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Top
Con
Developer's previous company was sued for privacy violations, among other things
See: http://classactionlawsuitsinthenews.com/class-action-lawsuit-complaints/openfeint-green-international-privacy-class-action-lawsuit-complaint/ https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement/cases-proceedings/closing-letters/openfeint-inc Discord's privacy policy also states that while they might not sell your data, a company they get sold to will quite possibly attain said data and thus may be in "more" shady hands.
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Top
Pro
Easy setup
You can quickly send invites to people and they can join in using the web client without having to create an account or install the app.
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Top
Con
No self-hosting avaliable
Discord is wholly hosted by Discord (the company), you cannot run private instances, and all servers are hosted on their infrastructure. For most people, this won't really impact their usage.
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Top
Pro
Has low-latency VoIP support
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Top
Con
Not a generic "team chat" tool
All the UI and the features are aimed specifically at communicating with your gaming team/clan.
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Top
Pro
Supports video and text communication
Behaves and looks like Slack for regular text channels, but with the ability to create voice channels as well
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Top
Con
Very unstable on Linux
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Top
Pro
Numerous controls for setting member roles.
Deny access, Deny write message, Allow read messages etc.
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Top
Con
Anti-privacy license terms
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Top
Pro
Ability to create bots
Discord provides an API for creating custom bots.
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Top
Con
Can change "Now Playing" status to something inappropriate
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Top
Pro
Open source bots and management tools
Discord has a wide variety of bots for things from airhorn noises to automated server management, to leveling systems for chat. The bot API is open and there are dedicated sites for finding bots.
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Top
Pro
Game integration
Discord shows which game each user is currently playing, which among other things helps users to form PUGs with minimal hassle.
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Top
Pro
Dark theme out of the box
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Top
Pro
Familiar for Slack users
For those that are used to the way Slack (a similar chat client) works, Discord will be familiar in its use, which lowers the learning curve quite a bit for those that have switched or tried Slack before.
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Top
Pro
Low effort invite mechanics
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Pro
Android app has push notifications
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Top
Pro
Syntax highlighting and Markdown support
The support is limited but still exists. It's a killer feature for dev teams.
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Top
Pro
DDoS mitigation
Discord prevents users from being DDoSed out of games.
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Top
Pro
Targeting of roles
Targeting roles allows for quickly requesting someone from a group e.g. artist, moderator, etc.
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Top
Pro
Ability to thread channels
Ability to create channel categories for channels to sit inside of.
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Pro
Friendly payment policy
Free account have no tangible restrictions. Premium account is just a way to say "thank you" to developers. And it work for all servers of discord (not as in slack). And it can be purchased by one who wants. In contrast to Slask, where all active members of the server should be "premium".
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Top
Pro
Language localization
Have localization for many language, including Russian.
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Top
Pro
Does not allow NSFW related things to be posted unless in a NSFW channel
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Specs
Platforms:
Web, Windows, Linux, Mac, iOS, Android
Search:
Yes
Videoconferencing:
Yes
Audio recording:
No
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Experiences
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1446
474
Bleep
All
4
Experiences
Pros
2
Cons
2
Top
Con
Privacy claims can't be validated
Since Bleep is not open source, there is no way to validate product's privacy claims.
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Top
Pro
Free and cross-platform
Bleep is available for free on Windows, OS X & Android.
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Top
Con
Alpha state
Bleep is in early stages of development meaning there can be issues and it may be unstable.
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Top
Pro
Privacy focused
Bleep uses end-to-end encryption to keep communications private and leaves no metadata on a central server so no-one even knows the communication took place.
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15
5
Threema
All
13
Experiences
Pros
9
Cons
3
Specs
Top
Pro
Registration without phone number
Registration is handled by random generated IDs. No phone number needed.
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Top
Con
Not free
Unlike many other options Threema is not free as it costs $1.99 for the app.
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Top
Pro
Encrypted communication
Provides complete end-to-end encryption.
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Top
Con
Single device only
You cannot use multiple devices to send messages. However, it does have message mirroring on a web client.
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Top
Pro
Company behind Threema is based in Switzerland
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Top
Con
No cloud sync
E2E encryption means no cloud syncing of messages.
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Top
Pro
Servers in Switzerland
Privacy laws protect the data Threema has.
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Top
Pro
Supports encrypted group chats
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Top
Pro
Provides a web client
You can control and message with friends via Threema Web, the official web client for Threema.
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Top
Pro
Ability to send pics and videos
Threema supports sending media messages such as video, pics and even voice messages.
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Top
Pro
Group chat polls
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Top
Pro
Allows verification of contacts identity via QR Code
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Specs
Platforms:
Android / iOS / WP
Publisher:
Threema GmbH
File Size:
15M
Required Android Version:
4.0 and up
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Experiences
$1.99
62
20
Hangouts
All
29
Experiences
Pros
12
Cons
16
Specs
Top
Con
Transitioning to corporate orientation
Google is turning Hangouts in to a Slack competitor. It's unclear what the future of Hangouts is, but Google has said the consumer Hangouts we now have 'isn't going anywhere.'
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Top
Pro
Save and sync your chats across multiple devices
Start chatting on your phone, then on your computer, then on your tablet seamlessly!
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Top
Con
Lack of end to end encryption
Communications are encrypted between client and Google servers but not from sending client to receiving client. This means that there is still a possibility for someone other than the receiver to read your message if they have access to internal Google servers. But it allows also lightweight chat history search, spam protection and other features.
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Top
Pro
No need to create a separate account if you use any other Google service
Hangouts uses Google account credentials. If you use any other Google service, then you already have an account set up.
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Top
Con
Is owned by Google
Google is a cooperation that earns money from collecting data and breaching privacy.
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Top
Pro
Group video support
If you have signed in your Google account, Hangouts allows making video calls with up to 10 people or one-on-one. There are business, education and government solutions that increase the participant count to for video calls to 15 as well as offers support for those accounts. Additionally, you can switch between using either the front-facing or rear-facing camera on your phone or tablet.
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Top
Con
Poor interface
The app tends to lag, the design can be confusing and considering that another app has to be installed that supplies another icon in the home screen in order to get a dialer for calls in Hangouts, overall it is very confusing and cluttered.
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Top
Pro
Free and cross-platform
Google offers all features of Hangouts completely free on iOS, Android and web with quick and reliable sync across all platforms. It's also tightly integrated in other Google services - it can be accessed from services such as Gmail, Google+, Chrome. While the standard Hangouts offering is completely free, there are business, education and government solutions that increase the participant count to for video calls to 15 and offers support that may cost money.
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Top
Con
No rich text editing
On Android you can receive messages with bold or italic text. However, you cannot bold or italicize text on Android, only on iOS devices or via the web interface.
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Top
Pro
Chrome browser extension
Use the extension on any computer you can run Chrome browser to text from your computer or tablet!
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Top
Con
No way to moderate groups
If a member of a group chat room becomes disruptive, or there's some other need, there's no way in Hangouts to remove somebody from an existing chatroom. Similarly, if somebody is no longer active, there's no way to remove that user from the chat room to make slot for new active members.
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Top
Pro
Excellent read receipts in group chat
It's possible to know what each and every participant of the group has read. Their icons are displayed below the last message.
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Top
Con
Buggy video calls
Whether video calls work on your device is pure lottery, and there's nothing you can do to fix it.
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Top
Pro
Can share animated GIFs
If you have gifs in your mobile phone, you can share them in the conversation and your partner will be able to see it animated in the chat.
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Top
Con
Poor indication of who's online
There is no way to find out if a person in your contact's list is online or not in the Android app.
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Top
Pro
Google Voice integration
Google Voice is a service that enables making and receiving free phone calls within US. Google Voice forwards incoming calls to all connected devices and allows placing calls from any of the connected devices, but they will show as coming from the Google Voice number. Hangouts completely integrates Google Voice, allowing you to place calls and receive texts and voicemail from all of your devices. The Hangouts app for Android also includes a needed dialer for making calls with the users Google Voice number.
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Top
Con
Poorly manages data
Doesn't cache images well either received or sent. Often users will see the sent images re-downloading, same for conversations.
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Top
Pro
Free calls to US and Canada from anywhere in the world
Hangouts app for Android can be extended with an optional dialer for making calls. Most calls to US and Canada are free and international calls have cheap rates. A Google Voice account will be needed in order have a number that allows these calls to be made.
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Top
Con
API support was removed
This change closed options for integrations and connections between similar apps.
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Top
Pro
Advanced status sharing
Hangouts can inform about the status of other users including what device they are currently using, whether they are in the middle of a call and when were they last seen. This allows making sure that you're not disturbing someone when initiating a conversation. It's possible to granularly turn off status sharing.
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Con
Not available on Windows Phones
There is no Hangouts app for the Windows Phone.
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Top
Pro
Video tools
Hangouts can add different effects and overlays to video calls that can be viewed on your device. Unfortunately, they can't be set from your phone.
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Top
Con
Doesn't support sending voice notes or video recordings
Currently there is no built in function that supports creating and sending voice notes or video recordings.
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Top
Pro
Seamless integration with OK Google for voice control and typing
Hangouts can be used completely hands free, even if the app is not open and the phone is locked: "OK Google, send a Hangouts message to Mary".
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Top
Con
No customer support
Free product, you're on your own.
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Top
Con
Won't send SMS/MMS anymore
They removed support for sms/mms. The same goes with integration to hangouts.
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Top
Con
No SMS/MMS backup
They don't have options to backup sms to cloud.
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Top
Con
SMS messages sent from the web app can't be sent outside North America
SMS messages sent from the web app can only be sent to number in America and Canada - sending to foreign numbers won't work, although you can still receive texts from anywhere.
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Specs
Platforms:
Web / iOS / Android / OSX / Chrome
Publisher:
Google Inc
File Size:
Varies with device
Required Android Version:
Varies with device
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Experiences
Free
185
87
WhatsApp
All
15
Experiences
Pros
6
Cons
8
Specs
Top
Pro
Straightforward interface
The interface is very simple, fast and easy to use. You can start using it as soon as the app has been downloaded - it does not require setting anything up or registering. You can communicate with anyone in your contacts list that also uses WhatsApp. Includes useful features like seeing when a contact is currently available or typing.
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Top
Con
Shares meta data with Facebook
WhatsApp shares your messaging meta data with Facebook if you do not opt-out in the settings. If you use the same phone number for WhatsApp and Facebook, the profiles can easily be linked. See https://www.whatsapp.com/faq/en/general/26000016
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Top
Pro
Widely used
WhatsApp reported 1.5 billion users in 2018. Your friends are most likely already using WhatsApp, so it's easy to get setup.
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Con
Tied to carrier phone number
WhatsApp cannot be used by people without a smart phone with an active cell plan. If your phone is lost or damaged, or if your phone number changes, you cannot get messages sent by friends without them updating your phone number. You cannot send message to them until you are able to get SMS messages at your phone number.
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Pro
Effortlessly builds your contacts by using your phone number as identification
WhatsApp will automatically find all of your contacts currently using Whatsapp and add them to your contacts. This makes it really easy to setup and given that it's the most popular messaging app it's likely that a lot of your contacts are already using it.
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Top
Con
Proprietary
Not open source.
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Pro
Message mirroring on web app
WhatsApp can be used from the desktop via Chrome, Firefox and Opera browsers. Accessing it requires using the Android app to scan the QR code that's presented on web.whatsapp.com.
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Con
Hard to migrate history cross platform
Migrating your chat history from Android to iOS or the other way around is not so simple. In some cases it requires a 3rd party app and in some the only way is to migrate specific chats one by one.
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Top
Pro
Signal protocol
Whatsapp uses the state-of-the-art Signal protocol that ensure strong end-to-end encryption.
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Top
Con
Web interface uses message mirroring
To use your computer to send messages your phone must be on with a consistent data connection.
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Top
Pro
One-on-one texts can be encrypted
WhatsApp has implemented end to end encryption for messages sent on it's service. Even WhatsApp has no way to read a users messages.
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Top
Con
Single device
You cannot use the same WhatsApp account on multiple devices (e.g. a tablet, a PC and a cellphone). The account is tied to the device with the specific cellphone number. Chat history is deleted when you sign in to a new account, unless you have created a backup.
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Top
Con
No cloud sync
Messages are not stored on WhatsApp server for privacy and security reasons.
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Top
Con
Limitation on shareable file sizes
WhatsApp now allows users to share files of any type, but there is still a 16 MB size limit.
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Specs
Platforms:
Android, iOS, Web, Mac, Windows, Windows Phone
Publisher:
WhatsApp Inc.
File Size:
100 MB
Required Android Version:
2.3.3 or above
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Experiences
Free
228
192
Skype
All
21
Experiences
Pros
10
Cons
10
Specs
Top
Con
Plagued by bugs on all platforms
Crashes and other bugs are prevalent on Android, Windows and other platforms.
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Top
Pro
Easily connect with others due to how popular the service is
There's a good chance that whoever you're trying to reach has Skype already set up and familiar with it, avoiding the hassle of installing and getting to know new software.
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Top
Con
Subpar video quality with more than 5 users
Skype has significant problems with multiple users and video quality. Skype recommends that a max of 5 users group chat as video quality is severely affected. Even webcams tested with other chat services showed lower quality when used with Skype.
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Top
Pro
Screen sharing
You can show your whole desktop, a select part of the screen or a specific window over Skype.
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Top
Con
Not a feasible alternative as a professional team chat
Missing key feature such as centralized mgmt, centralized billing, data retention policies, ...
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Top
Pro
Cross-platform
There's software for Windows, Mac & Linux and apps are available on iPhone, Android, and Windows Phone.
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Top
Con
Poor quality when screensharing
It is not possible to manually set resolution or bitrate, and Skype often defaults to a resolution so low that text is unreadable. It is also not possible to transfer control over mouse and keyboard.
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Top
Pro
Group video for free
You can hold video calls with up to 10 people.
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Top
Con
Slow filesharing speed
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Top
Pro
Available on Linux
A stripped down, minimalist version of Skype is available for Linux.
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Top
Con
Owned by Microsoft
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Top
Pro
File sharing
Skype allows you to send any files (MP3s, images, text, etc.) by simply dragging and dropping then in the chat window making it simple to share things with colleagues.
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Top
Con
Obnoxiously large ads
Ads take up over 25% of the usable space.
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Top
Pro
Cheap fixed phone number
Starting at $5/mo you can get a Skype number.
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Top
Con
Poor Linux support
The version available for linux users is quite outdated, and does not support some of the newer functionality, such as the free group video calling and screen sharing.
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Top
Pro
Send SMS and make regular calls
With Skype Credit bought or a subscription, you can send SMS and make direct calls.
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Top
Con
Requires both ends to be online (if neither end is using a cloud-enabled device)
Messages are sent and received only when both ends are online, if neither end is using a cloud-enabled device. In this case, if you are online 9-17 and your recipient is online 18-3, messages will never be delivered.
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Top
Pro
Group chat with archive / records
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Con
MIcrosoft (Skype's owner) actively assists eavesdroppers
On the other hand, if you lose your copy of one of your conversations, you may be able to get a copy of it from your government with a little bit of luck and a public records request.
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Top
Pro
Powerful 1:1 chat and also group chat
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Specs
Platforms:
iOS, Android, WP, OSX, Windows, Linux, Web. Blackberry. Chrome OS. BSD, iPadOs
Publisher:
Skype
File Size:
Varies with device
Required Android Version:
6.0
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Experiences
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119
161
TextSecure
All
5
Experiences
Pros
3
Cons
2
Top
Pro
Strong encryption
Uses Curve25519, AES-256, and HMAC-SHA256. The security of these algorithms has been tested over many years of use in hundreds of different applications. Messages sent via TextSecure are end-to-end encrypted, which means that they can only be read by your intended recipients. We make it easy for you to verify that you are communicating with the right people and that no MITM attack has occurred. The keys that are used to encrypt your messages are stored on your device alone, and they are protected by an additional layer of encryption if you have a passphrase enabled.
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Top
Con
No data messaging
TextSecure can send SMS and MMS messages only. It can't send data messages.
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Top
Pro
Free and open source
TextSecure is free and open source, enabling anyone to verify its security by auditing the code. TextSecure is the only private messenger that uses open source peer-reviewed cryptographic protocols to keep your messages safe.
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Top
Con
Not available on tablets
TextSecure is currently not compatible with tablets. Support for tablets is promised in the future.
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Top
Pro
Passed EFF's security review
To pass EFF's security review TextSecure had to encrypt data in transit, the encryption had to be end-to-end, the app needed to provide forward secrecy, app's source code has to be open to independent review, users have to be able to verify contact's identities even with the service provider compromised, app's cryptographic design has to be well documented and app's source code has to have been audited in the last 12 months.
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7
0
WeChat
All
13
Experiences
Pros
8
Cons
4
Specs
Top
Pro
Friends can be added by scanning a QR code
WeChat generates a QR code for each user that other can be scanned to add them as a friend.
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Top
Con
Notifications get muted after inactivity
New message notifications stop getting pushed if the application isn't opened for some extended period of time (seems to be around a week or so)
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Top
Pro
Can be used as a Walkie Talkie
WeChat has push-to-talk functionality that can be used both one-on-one and in groups.
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Top
Con
WeChat complies with China's requirements to hand over data
WeChat confirms it will hand over all private data when requested by the Chinese government
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Top
Pro
Large collection of animated stickers
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Top
Con
Conversations and chat groups aren't ported to new devices
Messages are stored on each device, so shifting to a new device means losing all the previous conversations, as well as an inability to post in previous chat groups until someone else posts there and you're alerted of a new message.
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Top
Pro
Easy to send voice messages
Users can record a voice message from within the app to then send it to a recipient, who can then play the message from within the app. It is all self contained.
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Top
Con
User base outside of China is comparatively small
While WeChat has over 400 million users the majority of them are in China. Adoption in other markets has been slow.
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Top
Pro
Enables meeting new people
WeChat has a feature that pairs random people for a conversation. It is activated by shaking the phone (requires location sharing to be enabled) and will present a list of people who are doing the same and how far away from you they are. Another feature for meeting new people is the Friend Radar that will display people in your vicinity that can then be added to your contacts list. Finally, there is the People Nearby feature which allows you to send and receive greetings from people in your vicinity.
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Top
Pro
Moments social network is seamlessly incorporated
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Top
Pro
Flexible creation of chat groups
You can create chat groups for up to 500 people.
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Top
Pro
Filters for photos
WeChat includes a collections of filters that can be applied to photos to change how they look.
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Specs
Platforms:
Android / iOS / OSX / WP / Windows / BB / Symbian / Web
Publisher:
WeChat Tencent
File Size:
40MB
Required Android Version:
Varies with device
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Experiences
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15
22
File Camouflage
All
8
Experiences
Pros
5
Cons
3
Top
Con
Encourages improper use of steganography
To hide a file in an image you need two things: One, that the attacker cannot find the source image i.e. it has to be an image made by the user (preferably a photograph of a visually complex scene) and never put on the internet (using the pac_tron image would render the use of steganography moot, as the attacker can merely subtract a suspect image from a copy of the source image) and two, that the file to be hidden is smaller than the cover image. With the best techniques today you can embed a file about 10% of the size of the cover image. The example in the doc hides a file 21,500% of the size of the cover image. If you use steganography improperly you get no security, esp. as governments believe senior terrorists use steganography and thus search for it very, very, carefully.
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Top
Pro
Hides file in JPEG image
File Camouflage allows you to encrypt your sensitive information and then after hide it in the JPEG image of your choice. With this program an innocent family photo or photo of your pet can be used to disguise your most sensitive encrypted information.
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Top
Con
Frequently prompts you to donate
File Camouflage is free although the developer does proclaim it "donationware." As a result the program frequently and annoyingly begs that you donate.
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Top
Pro
Effective second level of protection
File Camouflage is an effective second level of protection. After encrypting and password protecting your sensitive information with AES, File Camouflage makes sure only your intended recipient knows there is even a file to decrypt by hiding it in a JPEG.
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Top
Con
Requires both sender and recipient to use File Camouflage
In order for the recipient to receive the intended information they have to download and use File Camouflage.
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Top
Pro
Easy to use
Hiding your sensitive information with File Camouflage is extremely easy. The whole process is explained very well even for an inexperienced user.
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Top
Pro
Free
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Top
Pro
Ability to send an EXE file via email
Many email providers are not able to send EXE files but File Camouflage not only protects it but allows the file to be sent.
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Experiences
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6
0
ChatSecure + Orbot
All
3
Experiences
Pros
3
Top
Pro
Passed EFF's security review
To pass EFF's security review ChatSecure had to encrypt data in transit, the encryption had to be end-to-end, the app needed to provide forward secrecy, app's source code has to be open to independent review, users have to be able to verify contact's identities even with the service provider compromised, app's cryptographic design has to be well documented and app's source code has to have been audited in the last 12 months.
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Top
Pro
Free and open source
ChatSecure is free and open source, enabling anyone to verify its security by auditing the code.
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Top
Pro
Works with popular chat services across mobile and PC
ChatSecure works with Google Hangouts, Facebook messaging, Jabber and other popular messaging service, making for a convenient way to use secure chatting.
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12
1
Delta Chat
All
18
Experiences
Pros
17
Cons
1
Top
Pro
No phone number required
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Top
Con
Email providers "recipents" per day limitation
Unless you control or run your own email server.
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Top
Pro
Open Source
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Top
Pro
No registration required
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Top
Pro
PGP-encrypted via Autocrypt Guideline
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Top
Pro
Uses well-established protocols
Everyone knows/uses Email.
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Top
Pro
Distributed architecture
There is no central Delta Chat server.
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Top
Pro
You can forward a message from one chat to another
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Top
Pro
You can share a document, a file, an image, an audio even with applications outside Delta Chat
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Top
Pro
Multi account
See More
Top
Pro
Disappearing messages
It has messages that disappear automatically.
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Top
Pro
Independent video chat
You can use Jitsi Meet or other providers.
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Top
Pro
You can reply privately
When you are in a group and want to comment privately on a person's sentence, press and hold on the sentence and click on reply privately. The user will be notified with the quoted and commented sentence. If he clicks on the quoted sentence it will take him to the group and to the position where he wrote this sentence.
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Top
Pro
You can create broadcast lists
It will be present in the next version.
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Top
Pro
Bots can be created
Without needing to have a space on a server, just a simple PC and an email for the bot.
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Top
Pro
You can send stickers and animated stickers
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Top
Pro
You can decide to set a limit for the size of messages that will be downloaded automatically
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Top
Pro
You can set a ringtone for each chat
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Experiences
FLOSS
26
3
Chatlink.com
All
9
Experiences
Pros
8
Cons
1
Top
Pro
Even the website owners have no access to the data
Because the encryption keys are generated in client browser and never sent to the server.
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Top
Con
Currently no file transfer is available
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Top
Pro
All communiction is also encrypted with AES-256
All this encryption takes place at client side, so that even the server administrators have no access to the data.
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Top
Pro
No need to install anything
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Top
Pro
All communication is protected with TLS (SSL)
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Top
Pro
No need to create an account
But creating an account can be useful, too: while having an account the key exchange can be done through public key cryptography.
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Top
Pro
You can delete messages any time
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Top
Pro
Chatlink.com does not track or follow you in any way
It does not save any cookies or have any external links (like Google Adwords for example) that could track you.
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Top
Pro
Chatlink.com is open source
The source code is available here. Being open source allows anyone to audit the code.
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Experiences
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2
0
Gajim
All
7
Experiences
Pros
2
Cons
4
Specs
Top
Pro
OMEMO encryption available as a plug-in
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Top
Con
Chat logs are in SQLite DB
Plaintext (or XML/markup) logs are not available.
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Top
Pro
Probably the only Windows client that supports server message history
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Top
Con
User interface looks dated
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Top
Con
OMEMO not natively supported
Requires plug-in.
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Top
Con
Chat logging enabled by default
Problematic for encrypted chats.
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Specs
Platforms:
Windows, Linux, Mac, BSD
Hide
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Experiences
Free
58
7
StealthChat
All
8
Experiences
Pros
2
Cons
5
Specs
Top
Con
Many people have difficulty registering the app
Multiple people have reported not being able to receive the activation code required to register the app.
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Top
Pro
Can send self-destructing messages
Messages can be set to self-destruct after a set time.
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Top
Con
Code is not verified
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Top
Pro
Offers 3 types of encryption
The app claims to be the only communication app that encrypts data in transit, on disk and on screen. Encryption in transit is used to make sure no-one can listen in on your conversations even if the traffic is going through their servers, encryption on disk is used to make sure that even if someone gets ahold of your phone and is capable of extracting your messages from it they won't be able to read them and screen encryption is essentially a lock screen that sets in after a set amount of time used to make prevent "shoulder surfing".
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Top
Con
Poor support
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Top
Con
Lacks group chat
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Top
Con
Closed source
No way to verify security practices.
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Specs
Platforms:
Android / iOS
Required Android Version:
4.0
End-to-end encryption:
Yes
Audio recording:
Yes
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Experiences
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20
3
Sendinc
All
5
Experiences
Pros
4
Cons
1
Top
Pro
Sends emails securely
Sendinc allows you to securely send emails and attachments up to 10mb with 256-bit SSL encryption. The messages are then destroyed 7 days later by default.
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Top
Con
Recipient needs a Sendinc account
Sendinc will invite your recipient to create a Sendinc account but if they do not create an account they cannot view the email.
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Top
Pro
No password to share with recipient needed
Your recipient only needs the link sent not another password to share. Messages are decrypted with an encryption key only available in the link sent to the recipient after they sign into Sendinc.
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Top
Pro
Android and iOS app available
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Top
Pro
No download needed
Sendinc operates without any downloadable programs. This is beneficial because it allows you to send secure emails from any computer without needing to download the program again and leaving a trail of what downloadable program you used.
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here
3
1
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