7 Messaging Platforms to Explore in 2020

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With the growth of technology and the adaptation of people to it, several messaging platforms have emerged and facilitated communication between friends and families at no cost. Businesses have also been changed by technology and found more network connections. 

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Here in this article, we will talk about the pros and cons of messaging platforms. Then, we will introduce 7 messaging platforms and see the options they provide us with as users.

What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Messaging Platforms?

There were times when one huge deficiency of immigration was the matter of communication with the loved ones. However, there is no such thing anymore in the present time and people can easily contact each other from continent to continent.

Moreover, many businesses have faced a new advantage of growing themselves by resorting to the skills of the experts remotely. Furthermore, sharing the articles, blog posts, images, music, videos, etc. through these platforms has also contributed a lot to the lead generation of many businesses.

All in all, it can be said that these platforms have aimed at elevating our lives in the modern era. However, there is always the danger of misuse of information or inevitable addiction to these platforms that everyone should strictly avoid. 

Read How Technology Changes the Way Businesses Communicate with Their Customers

Picture 1. Most popular social platforms

How Have The Messaging Platforms  Been Successful?

Regarding the tight competition among these platforms, they are all working well enough to be present in this list. Each has its own approach and power of social engagement towards meeting the expectations of users. Everyone has their own preferences for choosing any of the platforms. Therefore, there is no good or bad on the list. 

Any of these conversational apps have already analyzed their users through their demographics, experiences, interests, characteristics, etc. Consequently, this information gives the analysts of the apps some clues about why the users have chosen them for their communications. Not to mention that all this can make them improve themselves day by day. 

Like any business, messaging platforms have to keep their users satisfied. So, they should constantly think of releasing new updates that make communication as pleasant as possible.

How to Connect to All Messaging Platforms to Grow Your Business?

Are you a business owner who is looking to boost the CRM of your business? In the event that you are such a person, it might happen to you as a business owner to find it necessary to connect to all messaging platforms to grow your business. Some available integration tools help you leverage your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) quickly and easily. In fact, you can integrate up to 16 messaging platforms using this tool which is a huge contribution to your managing tasks. 

Read 5 Tips for Effective Communication While Working Remotely

Picture 2. Messaging platforms can be used to grow your business and improve communication

Top 7 Messaging Platforms to Explore in 2020

We have gathered a list of the top 7 messaging apps worldwide based on various options and capabilities. 

1. WhatsApp

Being one of the most popular free messaging apps in the world, WhatsApp was released in 2009. There are more than 2 billion users which means you are more likely to find your contact on Whatsapp rather than other messaging platforms. It is owned by Facebook and works in almost every region accordingly.

Taking a look back in history, we can notice that Whatsapp has been much more popular in developing countries. For this reason, WhatsApp was a successful replacement for the expensive SMS services offered by mobile operators. 

Pros

• Free text messages and voice messages
• One-on-one or group voice calls and video calls up to 8 people at no costs
• Stickers and gifs
• Image sharing, document file sharing, link sharing, location sharing for free
• End-to-end encryption
• Delivery and message read status 
• Available for Android, iOS, and Windows

Cons

• No bots available
• Limited file size (16 MB)

Read WhatsApp for Business – Empower Your Brand

2. Telegram

Telegram was initially released in 2013 and is newer in comparison with WhatsApp. It is a cloud-based application and its greatest privilege to WhatsApp is the large files that can be transferred in private and group messages. Moreover, the so-called Telegram channels are the new means of sharing things such as music, movies, books, podcasts, etc. 

What is important about Telegram is that it values privacy to a great extent. On the other hand, Telegram has a limited number of users as it is not available in all regions. Consequently, there are about 200 million users that are facing growth little by little. 

Pros

• Cloud storage
• High privacy values
• Free text messages and voice messages
• Voice calls and video calls at no costs
• Stickers and gifs
• Channels with an unlimited number of members
• Free image sharing, document file sharing, link sharing, location sharing
• Media compression
• Public APIs and bot access
• End-to-end encryption for secret chats only
• Message read status
• Available for Android, iOS, and Windows

Cons

• No video calls available
• Small user base

3. Skype

Since 2003, Skype has been released as a Microsoft telecommunications application. Skype has actually replaced Windows Live Messenger by Microsoft when the company purchased it.

Apart from the usual text messages and image sharing, Skype has also video and audio bots which stand out compared to many counterpart messaging platforms. It is available in almost every region and on many devices such as PCs, mobile devices, tablets, Xbox One, and smartwatches.

Pros

• High-quality one-to-one and group video and voice calls 
• Free text messages and voice messages
• Voice calls and video calls at no costs
• Available on Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows Phone, and Web

Cons

• Weak text messages function
• Not all notifications appear
• Message syncing problems between devices
• Heavy app for mobile devices
• Inefficient for mobile battery power
• Ads pop-up on Windows 

Read Why Is Technology Important for Productivity?

4. Zoom

Zoom platform is mostly known for its high-quality video communications. It allows video conferences among hundreds of people at a time. And this is a blessing nowadays due to the pandemic phenomenon of Covid-19. Actually, it is owned and established by an American company in 2011.

Significantly, the cloud-based nature of the software makes it available for the users to log in from different devices and access their information. Apart from day-to-day communications, Zoom has been a standard platform for remote education during Covid-19, used by many well-known universities all around the world. Moreover, business conferences and leisure activities are also widely participated through the app. 

Pros

• Easily accessible through a link and password shared by the meeting holder
• High-quality one-to-one and group video and voice calls at no costs
• Online chats

Cons 

• Privacy issues
• Hacking bugs

5. Facebook Messenger

Turning out as a huge success in the US, Facebook Messenger has surpassed 1.3 billion monthly users. In fact, it was first established in 2011. Similarly, it has strong ties with Facebook that is considered one of the most used social media worldwide. Of course, Facebook Messenger has been used for different personal and business purposes.

As a matter of fact, Facebook is trying to change Facebook Messenger to something beyond a typical messaging platform. So, it is heavily investing in machine learning and is acquiring Wit.ai. In other words, Facebook Messenger is planning to replace the automated experience with the natural language and make it more human. 

So, once again, Facebook is flaunting its competencies among other rivals. Everyone who has an account either on Facebook or Instagram clearly knows how engaged the apps are. So is true about Facebook Messenger. If you ever wanted to grow your Instagram followers, you can only check Instagram follower apps.

Pros

• Structured messages like carousels
• Fast and free text messaging
• High-quality voice calls
• Easy file sharing

Cons

• No group bots
• Lack of full privacy due to an unpermitted audio recording
• Unfriendly to battery power 
• Inevitable to Facebook users
• More than 100 MB occupancy of storage on mobile devices

Read Using Facebook Messenger for Customer Service

Picture 3. Facebook Messenger

6. WeChat

WeChat users are mostly residing in China, and the app itself is developed by the Chinese Tencent. Since 2011, it has facilitated communication among the Chinese. It provides services such as free multi-purpose messaging, serving as a social media, and a mobile payment app. It should be mentioned, however, that it is not only the Chinese who use the app. There are about 1.17 billion active monthly users on WeChat. 

Generally speaking, WeChat is the messaging platform that started the bot explosion in the world. Therefore, it is not surprising to say that it has widely influenced bot services on other applications available. In addition, WeChat is introducing a new channel for eCommerce businesses. Hence, shopping and sales can be another option that this platform provides for its users. 

Pros

• Free voice and text messaging application
• Personal and group chats
• Sharing non-textual content such as buttons and images
• Mobile payments 
• Finding new friends from other regions through “People Nearby”
• Private QR code for adding new people to contact list by scanning
• eCommerce supportive
• Available on Android, iOS, macOS

Cons

• Lack of full privacy 

7. Kik

Since its establishment in 2009 by the Canadian Kik Interactive, Kik has been very popular among young North Americans, aged between 11-15 years. There are currently about 4 million users on the platform, mainly residing in North America, but also in other regions worldwide. It is mostly similar to WhatsApp among other multi-platform applications. Moreover, it is said to be that Kik is currently competing with Snapchat in some ways such as in some chat features.

Nevertheless, Kik is not just a messaging platform; it has a Bot Shop that has proved to be well-recognized among its users.  

Pros

• Free text messaging
• Bot features
• Sent status, delivered status, read status for messages
• Less space occupancy on the storage of mobile devices
• Available on iOS and Android

Cons

• Cyberbullying environment for young people
• Exposure to inappropriate content
• Sexting
• Lack of privacy

Conclusion

It is not a matter if you are using messaging platforms for personal use or business purposes. Knowing the advantages, disadvantages, options, and accessibilities that each platform provides for you can highly influence your daily interactions. Therefore, choosing the best platform totally depends on your own preferences. However, it is also possible that you choose several to grow your communication channels, especially as a business person. In this case, you can use the integration tools to keep all your messaging platforms connected.

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Parichehr Parsi, a born writer, and a freelance copywriter in the fields of travel, fashion, and Instagram marketing. She currently writes for SocialPros and online magazines in Italy and I loves reading, writing, and researching. Find her on LinkedIn!