It also contains a privacy-conscious feature called “hidden chats,” which are private conversations that are deleted after a set period of time. Like Viber, though, Line is designed to mimic social network features, such as custom emoticons and interface themes, as well as games that you can play with other Line users. Like WhatsApp, Line has features that make communication simple, such as the ability to import your device’s contacts into Line, multiple chat groups, and messaging via text, phone calls, pictures, videos, and so on. ( A Kik alternative from Japan, Line is sort of a cross between WhatsApp and Viber. Viber doesn’t rely on advertising to make money, though you will be charged for using the mobile version of it to call standard telephones. Viber is modeled after how popular social networks like Facebook work, and so includes functions like themed chat rooms for discussing various topics, as well as the ability to earn or purchase custom emoticons to add to your messages. ( Viber is another popular all-in-one communication tool like Kik. To see more of what WhatsApp can do, visit our WhatsApp course! And, WhatsApp is completely free to use, plus it will never show you advertisements.

WhatsApp also has other neat features, such as the ability to create custom groups and back up your conversation history. You can also communicate with contacts in multiple ways, such as swapping text messages, recording audio or video messages, uploading (or taking) pictures and then sending them, or just having a good old-fashioned phone call.

The appeal of WhatsApp is in its simplicity: your contacts are automatically added from your device’s address book, and you can invite new contacts as you wish.

( WhatsApp isn’t quite as flashy as Kik, but it’s one of Kik’s most popular competitors nonetheless. You can read more about how this works at. Just a heads-up that some of the services we’re reviewing here have affiliate partnerships with us, so we may earn a commission if you visit one of them and buy something.

Kik messaging