Best Apps for Communicating

Whether you need to stay in touch with friends and family or for work, there’s no shortage of apps for instant communication.

With all the options on the app store available for communication, which one should you consider adding to your use case?

To help us with this we reached out to business owners and asked them what they use everyday whether it’s for personal or professional use.

Below, we include the favorites as well as what people had to say about their experience with each app.

Personal and Professional Use

WhatsApp

WhatsApp Messenger

There are plenty of apps to use nowadays in communicating. Personally, I use *WhatsApp Messenger *to communicate. This app is perfect for both use professionally and privately.”

Pros: “Messages are encrypted. Thus, it is impossible to let other people see your message without allowing them. Personal information is protected at all times.

This app is perfect for group calls with friends or colleagues. Hence, you can use this app for professional purposes.”

Cons: “Connection errors are frequent in this app as they could result in dysfunction. It can be a hindrance to your phone meetings with friends and coworkers.

Since Whatsapp is used for professional purposes only, it is a disadvantage to send files here because larger than 16 MB cannot be transferred in this app.”

Lily Will – Ever Wallpaper

 

 

Personal Use

Telegram

Telegram Messenger

I use it because it is extremely secure and very user-friendly it only takes about 5 minutes to set it up for both mobile and PC. It allows me to easily create group chats for my friends and can hold up to 1,000 people on a video call.”

Pros: “The pros would be the fact that it is extremely fast, not stuffed with too many extra features I will never use, and extremely secure and encrypted.”

Cons: “The only real cons are the fact that it does have bots and ads that run but aside from those 2 things I think it is one of the best messaging apps to date and I love using it with my friends.”

Tim Connon – Paramount Quote

 

 

Professional Use

Slack

Slack sparks further outrage with tweak to new logo | Creative Bloq

Slack is one of the best team communication tools for me.”

Pros: “It helps maintain organized conversations by allowing you to create channels for different teams, projects, or topics. It is also easy to find information or files you need in Slack. And you can also integrate it with a lot of other applications.”

Cons: “Despite Slack’s many helpful features, just like any other thing, it has its cons too. One of these is that it is pricier than most communication tools. Also, Slack may get chaotic and overwhelming at times which can cause you to miss some messages. And it also requires employees a work email address in some cases.”

Sonya Schwartz – Her Norm

 

 

Professional Use

Gmail

Gmail icon

“It’s simple, but I’m a fan of the Gmail app. I do so much of my work communication through my Gmail account.”

Pros: With the app I am able to communicate professionally via email as well as more quickly/casually through chat. I can even videochat my colleagues easily when I need to through the app. Over the past few years I have come to realize that you don’t necessarily need the fanciest new communication platform/app to communicate well with your team.

Jeremy Yamaguchi – Lawn Love

 

 

Professional Use

Google Chat (Google Hangouts)

Google Hangouts | Google hangouts, Hangouts chat, Bad news

“Google Chat, or what was formerly known as Google Hangouts, is an easy way to communicate within remote teams without the need to install a lot of additional software.”

Pros: “If your teammates are already using Gmail, they can easily access Chat in their inbox. It is also integrated with all other Google apps, so cross-app interoperability is close to ideal. In the Chat app, you can message people individually or in “Spaces”, which are basically chat groups where you can collaborate with multiple people. One of the great things about Chat is that if you’re running more than one team or even more than one company, you can dedicate Spaces for each of them and communicate with everyone using just one app.”

Dawood Khan – Pixelied

 

 

Professional Use

Troop Messenger

Troop Messenger - Apps on Google Play

“My hybrid team primarily communicates via the app Troop Messenger, and I would highly recommend it for other hybrid/remote teams.”

Pros: “It has everything you need, yet its interface is simple and incredibly easy to use. With this app I am able to communicate 1-on-1 with my colleagues, as well as in various group chats of all sizes – including video/voice chat. We can even share our screens with each other when communicating.”

Chris Stevenson – Virtual Reality Rental

 

 

Personal Use

Signal

File:Signal-Logo.svg - Wikimedia Commons

“When I want to have serious conversations, I tend to use signal.”

Pros: “I really appreciate the privacy and security features it includes, as well as the fact that it’s not directly tied to a major social network. While I rarely have conversations on Signal that I truly want to be kept secret from everyone, it’s simply nice to know that those features are there, and it makes me feel more comfortable being open and honest in these circumstances.”

Carter Seuthe – My Credit Summit

 

 

Personal Use

Viber

Viber - Free social media icons

“Viber is one of my favorite communication apps on the market.”

Pros: “Since its launch in 2012, it’s offered group chats, video and voice calls, and the ability to call people who don’t use the app. There are even secret chats– messages that self-destruct after some time. It’s available in 41 languages and can be used for free, or can be purchased in order to avoid ads.”

Josh Snead – Rain Walk

 

 

Professional Use

Trello

Trello - Free logo icons

“From a business perspective, Trello is a great communication app. While it’s marketed as a project management app, Trello also allows you to message your coworkers easily.”

Pros: “When finishing important projects, staying in touch with the rest of your team is critical. Trello allows you to stay in contact, as well as offers an easy to follow way to track the progress of the project with its Kanban style boards. Trello combines communication and project management into one space.”

Nick Mueller – Hawaiian Islands

 

 

Professional Use

Microsoft Teams

File:Microsoft Office Teams (2018–present).svg - Wikimedia Commons

“It’s reliable, easy to use, and compatible with document sharing and project management.”

Pros: “It’s easy enough that people can access it from any device they choose, and you can customize the app for the best experience possible.”

Cons: “The video call feature is very efficient, but for those who are more used to Zoom, it can be a challenging transition.”

James Green – Cardboard Cutouts

 

 

Professional Use

Skype

File:Skype logo (2019–present).svg - Wikimedia Commons

“Several communication apps can adapt to your profile and cost nothing. One such app is Skype, which we use to communicate with our teams, customers, and other collaborators. Skype is excellent specifically for texting and video conferencing and also lets you receive calls from regular phones, so you can also talk to those colleagues who don’t have Skype. It also allows the participation of several people in the same call. We love its screen and file sharing function that makes our work easy and accessible to teams.”

Pros: “Almost all features of common messengers are present on Skype, such as video chats, including group chats, the use of emoticons, the division of contacts into categories, etc. Skype supports multiple platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, etc. Skype offers cheaper rates than conventional ones to call mobiles and landlines.”

Cons: “Migration from another program to Skype is difficult. Skype has integration limitations.”

Ronald Williams – Best People Finder

 

 

Personal Use

Discord

Discord's Branding Guidelines

“When it comes to communicating with others, I find that Discord is my favorite app.”

Pros: “One of the things I like most about Discord is that people can only cold message you if you share a discord channel in common. This helps to cut down on the amount of spam and unwanted messages that you receive. Another great thing about Discord is that it is. This is especially beneficial for small businesses who may not have the budget for a paid app. For example, many companies use Discord to provide customer support or to connect with remote employees. Overall, Discord is a versatile and user-friendly app that I highly recommend.”

Chris Grayson – Discord Tactics

 

 

Personal Use

Messenger

File:Facebook Messenger logo 2020.svg - Wikimedia Commons

“Messenger is a user-friendly application great for communicating.”

Pros: “It’s time-efficient because you can send and receive messages in real-time. Sharing is also easy. It can be used to share images, audio, videos, and even fun GIFs that can help express your message more. The app also made phone calls and video calls easier and for free.”

Cons: “On the other hand, some of its cons rely on its correlation with Facebook. Since most people use Facebook, they have no other option but also to use messenger to connect with people. Another con is its battery draining ability. Since it’s a messaging app, it always runs in the background, pulling energy from your phone’s battery. Lastly, the notification. Messages can pop up, which is convenient but sometimes, it could be a form of distraction.”

Patrick Long – Fusion Formations

 

 

Personal Use

WeChat

Wechat Logo PNG Vector (AI) Free Download

“I find WeChat to be the most useful app for communicating for a few reasons.”

Pros: “First, it is very user-friendly and easy to navigate. Second, it has a lot of features that are useful for communication, such as text messaging, video calling, and file sharing. Third, it is widely used in China, so I can communicate with my friends and family who are back home. Lastly, it is a free app, so I don’t have to worry about spending money on it.”

Brandon Wilkes – The Big Phone Store

 

 

Personal Use

TextNow

CONTACT - TextNow

“With inflation at a 40-year high, consumers are starting to feel squeezed by paying more for things like food and gas. While big carriers like AT&T and Verizon raising prices, TextNow is offering one way to save money on your bills: free cell phone service, forever, for less than a buck – with the same coverage as the big guys!”

Pros: “With the TextNow app and our Free Nationwide Talk & Text Plan, customers get unlimited calling and texting to the US and Canada for free on a nationwide 5G/LTE wireless network – with no monthly bill. All they have to do is purchase a TextNow SIM card for their GSM-compatible smartphone for just 99-cents. Data add-ons start at just $8.99/month.”

Nick de Pass – Text Now

 

 

Professional Use

Google Meet

File:Google Meet icon (2020).svg - Wikimedia Commons

“Google Meet’s main use case is for business video calls. The capacity to manage big groups, collaborative tools, and some built-in language translation is also included. You can broadcast, record calls, create breakout rooms to separate the entire group into smaller groups, and have numerous meeting hosts, depending on how much you spend.”

Pros: “The fact that it’s a Google App means that it integrates well with other Google products. It’s the perfect tool if you already use Google Workspace and need to host online meetings. Additionally, it interfaces with other well-known programs like Outlook.”

Cons: “Meet is only a part of a wider toolkit that includes video. Confusion about the various texting services could be deceptive. Because Google keeps combining its apps into one comprehensive communications platform, users of Android mobile devices who also use other Google apps may be especially vulnerable to app confusion. Communication from friends and family may overlap with communication from the workplace.”

Leonardo Gomez – Try Run Ball

 

 

Professional Use

ProofHub

ProofHub: All-in-One Project Planning Software | No Per User Fee

“We use ProofHub as an internal communication tool between departments—for example, if you’ve got different people who handle different parts of your marketing strategy, this could be a great way for them to make sure they’re staying on top of each other’s ideas and initiatives.

This makes ProofHub perfect for anyone who has to work together in real-time: marketers at a client site who need to collaborate on a campaign plan; project managers working on a new product launch; salespeople who are sharing information about a new client; or anyone else who needs to share information quickly but doesn’t want any of their teammates seeing what they’re working on until it’s ready for wider distribution.”

Pros: “Use chat to send direct messages and get quick replies, ask questions, and get answers instantly while working. Create groups to have quick conversations with more than one person, to share ideas, stay in sync, and work together. Use ProofHub emojis to say more with less, express comfortably whenever short of words or even give feedback that’s to the point. Share files, documents, images and more in chats, making the most of ProofHub’s team communication tool. Mention people in chats to specifically refer to someone or to share an individual’s information.”

Cons: “You can’t sign in using Google sign in, so you will be forced to use email and password.”

Vartika Kashyap – Proof Hub