How many of you still remember using text messages with a 160-character limit, paying SMS charges, living with doubt of deliverability, and the problem is keeping track of chat? I bet, for some this might be nostalgic but for millennials using messaging apps like WeChat, WhatsApp this might be a joke.
But with WeChat messaging app being banned, what will they do now?
Simple, we will look for an alternate chat app. We understand this, hence to make the task easy here, we will enlist the trusted and best alternatives to the WeChat messaging app.
Best Messaging Apps and WeChat Alternatives
With a monthly user base of more than 1 billion, WeChat is China’s most popular messaging app. Released in 2011 the app became the world’s largest standalone mobile app in 2018. Users use it as a messaging, social media, and even a lifestyle platform. Still, people look for WeChat’s alternatives, and there is nothing wrong with that.
So, without any delay, let’s know the best and top WeChat alternatives that are not Chinese.
| App Name | Unique Feature | Android | iOS | Mac | Windows |
| Allows disabling Last Seen and setting Status sharing privacy | Download | Download | Download | Download | |
| Telegram | Can upload multiple profile pictures | Download | Download | Download | Download |
| iMessage | Memoji sticker effect, bubble effect, full-screen animation, camera effects and more | NA | Download | Download | NA |
| Messenger | Secret conversations | Download | Download | Download | Download |
| Signal | Privacy-focused and secure messaging app | Download | Download | Download | Download |
| Jitsi | Amazing video conferencing tool | Download | Download | NA | NA |
| Line | Hidden chat feature | Download | Download | Download | Download |
| Skype | Allows making international calls | Download | Download | NA | Download |
| Viber | Hide sensitive chats | Download | Download | Download | Download |
List of The Best WeChat Alternatives That Are Not Chinese
1. WhatsApp – Best Messaging and Video Call App
| Country of Origin: The USA |
| Developer’s Name: WhatsApp Inc. (Facebook, Inc.) |
| Initial Release Date: January 2009 |
| File Size: Varies from device to device |
| Rating: 4.3 |
| Current Version: 2.20.51 (iOS) 2.20.157 |
| Download Link:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.whatsapp http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/whatsapp-messenger/id310633997?mt=8 |
| Price: Free |
| Last Update Date: May 7, 2020 (iOS) May 13, 2020 |
| Active Users: 2 Billion |
The first app that we hand-picked is an app that doesn’t need any introduction. Owned by Facebook, WhatsApp is a well-known messaging and chat app. With over 2 billion active users, this chat app dominates the global market. So, if you are looking for an alternative to WeChat that no only has similar features but is also secure, WhatsApp is the answer. Using it you can make a video call, group calls to up to 8 people, send GIFs and do a lot more. One of my favorite features of this app is allowing users to set videos or images for 24 hours as a status.
- Simple and easy to use interface
- Used by more than 1.5 billion users globally
- Can use WhatsApp from the desktop via Firefox, Chrome, and Opera browsers
- End-to-end encryption to offer security to the user
- Support GIF and Emojis
- WhatsApp automatically finds contacts and adds them to the WhatsApp contact list.
- State-of-art signal protocol is used
- 16 MB size limit on file sharing
- To send messages via WhatsApp Web, you need to have an active internet connection on the phone
- No cloud syncing and active phone number is must
2. Telegram – Secure Messaging App
| Country of Origin: Russian then shifted to Germany |
| Developer’s Name: Telegram FZ LLC |
| Initial Release Date: 14th August 2013 |
| File Size: 32.8 MB |
| Rating: 4.4 |
| Current Version: 6.2.0 |
| Download Link:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.telegram.messenger&hl=en_IN https://apps.apple.com/us/app/telegram-messenger/id686449807 |
| Price: Free |
| Last Update Date: 29th June 2020 |
| Active Users: 400 Million |
Although not as popular as WeChat and WhatsApp, this chat messaging app is the most secure. With 400 monthly active users, Telegram stands strong in comparison with iMessage. To offer additional securely this trusted security messaging app brings together 256-bit symmetric AES encryption and 2048-bit RSA encryption. Aside from offering data security using this WeChat alternative, you can create a group chat with up to 200,000 members.
- Allows large file sharing (up to 1.5 GB) and image compression
- Free of cost messaging app
- Banned in China
- Can easily send videos and photos without compression
- Unlimited number of files can be stored forever on the cloud
- Unable to use it as default messaging app
- Backend software is not open source
- Cannot activate and use Telegram via email
3. iMessage – Apple’s Secure Messaging App
| Country of Origin: The USA |
| Developer’s Name: Apple Inc. |
| Initial Release Date: October 12, 2011 |
| File Size: Comes Preinstalled in Apple Devices |
| Rating: 4.5 |
| Current Version: – |
| Download Link: Comes preinstalled |
| Price: Free |
| Last Update Date: – |
| Active Users:1.3 Billion |
Available for only Apple devices, this messaging app works well as an Apple’s trusted app, and it offers data security. iMessage is a seamless chat app that includes features like Memoji, Animoji, and effects. Using it, you can manage messages via gestures. This makes iMessage simple to use and a great alternative to WeChat for iOS users.
- Free and unlimited messages over data connection and Wi-Fi
- No need to install as it comes as a preinstalled app
- iMessage apps and games are available
- Minimalistic and clear UI
- Supports voice messages
- End-to-end encryption
- Available in iPhone, iPad, iPod, and Mac
- Can be used only on Apple devices
- Sometimes unreliable
- If an iMessage fails to deliver it is sent as regular SMS allowing it to send unencrypted
4. Messenger – Feature-rich Chat App
| Country of Origin: Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States |
| Developer’s Name: Facebook, Inc. |
| Initial Release Date: 9th August 2011 |
| File Size: 84 MB |
| Rating:4.2 |
| Current Version: 270.0.0.17.120 |
| Download Link: |
| Price: Free |
| Last Update Date: March 28, 2020 (iOS) June 24, 2020 (Android) |
| Active Users:1.3 Billion |
Looking for a feature-rich, WeChat alternative? Good news your search has come to an end. Messenger integrated with Facebook works as a social networking app and a chat app. Using this app, you can stay in touch with your friends easily. Also, the recent Messenger update allows users to host a video call with up to 50 people. This is more than WeChat’s 9-member limit, and it also allows making payment. All this makes Messenger a strong contender as a WeChat alternative.
- Sharing Facebook posts is easy
- Intuitive and clean UI
- Read receipt feature
- Friends suggestions are based on the contact list
- Can communicate with anyone who is a friend on Facebook
- Notifies when a new message is received
- Send GIFs, photos, etc.
- As Facebook owns it, there is no data privacy
- No end-to-end encryption
- Can sell users personal information
5. Signal – Open Source & Secure Messaging App
| Country of Origin: California |
| Developer’s Name: Signal Messenger LLC |
| Initial Release Date: July 29, 2014 |
| File Size:139.1 MB |
| Rating: 4.5 |
| Current Version: 4.65.2 |
| Download Link:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.thoughtcrime.securesms&hl=en_IN https://apps.apple.com/us/app/signal-private-messenger/id874139669 |
| Price: Free |
| Last Update Date: June 25, 2020 |
| Active Users: 15 Million |
If WeChat is blocked for you and you no longer trust Chinese apps, use Signal, an end-to-end encrypted chat app. The service is so secure that even the company behind the Signal cannot read them. Using Signal, you can send text messages, attach files and photos, create groups, and make video and voice calls. The app does not show any ads and is the safest WeChat alternative for you.
- Uses end to end encryption to offer privacy for every message
- Free and open source
- Encrypted group chat
- Allows sharing different media types
- Supports emoji, pictures, videos, audio, contacts, GIF, and location sharing
- Can mirror messages from the phone via Signal Desktop Chrome extension
- User can send messages to self and can sync to the desktop
- Need to give a phone number and contacts access permission
- Can be registered to one mobile device at a time
- Since the servers are hosted in the US, Signal might share data when asked by security agencies
6. Jitsi Meet – Well-Known Messaging App
| Country of Origin: France |
| Developer’s Name: Emil Ivov |
| Initial Release Date: 2003 |
| File Size: 28 MB |
| Rating: 3.3 |
| Current Version: 20.2.3 |
| Download Link:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.jitsi.meet |
| Price: Free |
| Last Update Date: 24 April 2020 |
| Active Users: 10 Million |
Popular as a video conferencing app this another WeChat alternative allows making video calls with a complete team. Not only this, but Jitsi Meet is also fully encrypted. Using it, you can share desktop, invite users, edit documents send or receive documents, and emoji. Further, it is a great alternative to Zoom.
- Secure messaging app
- Ease to use
- The customizable and feature-rich messaging solution
- The perfect app for remote everyday use
- Great Zoom alternative
- Open-source project
- Secure video conferencing solution
- Changing audio settings is complex
- Doesn’t work well with Firefox
- Audio delay in a while
7. Line – Popular Social Networking App
| Country of Origin: Japan |
| Developer’s Name: Line |
| Initial Release Date: 23 June 2011 |
| File Size: 67.9 MB |
| Rating:4.1 |
| Current Version: 10.2.1 |
| Download Link:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.naver.line.android&hl=en_IN |
| Price: Free |
| Last Update Date: February 20, 2020 |
| Active Users: 600 Million |
With 600 million users, Line is a popular social networking app. Equipped with all essential tools that help communicate this substitute to WeChat is impressive. You can make a group call with up to 200 people using it, and it has the biggest library of stickers. All this makes it a better alternative to WeChat, and the ability to make international calls to landlines and smartphones at lesser rates is fantastic.
- An integrated social network like Facebook’s timeline
- Photo filtering and editing tools
- Updates stamp collection
- Mostly used by celebrities and public figures
- In-app editing tools
- Makes following public figure easy
- Clean and net UI
- Easy to use
- The primary user base is from Japan followed by Thailand, Indonesian, and others
- Account locked to the phone number
- Can be used on only one device with the same number
8. Skype – Best Video Calling App
| Country of Origin: Denmark |
| Developer’s Name: eBay, Microsoft Corporation |
| Initial Release Date: 29 August 2003 |
| File Size: Varies from device to device |
| Rating:4.3 |
| Current Version: 8.61.0.96 |
| Download Link: |
| Price: Free |
| Last Update Date: 18 June 2020 |
| Active Users: 40 Million |
You can find several video calling apps on the market, but none can match Skype. Recently, Zoom became quite popular as a video conferencing app but couldn’t match Skype. Apart from making phone/video calls using Skype, you can chat and send instant messages to your friends. In addition to this, you can share images, schedule a call, send emojis, etc. while using Skype. This makes it one of the top WeChat alternatives.
- Share Screen
- Easy to connect
- Allows making international phone calls
- Cross-platform can be used on Windows, Mac, Android & Linux.
- Show complete desktop or selected part of the screen
- Hassle-free installation
- Free group video call
- Crashes often on Windows and Android
- Poor screen sharing quality
- Cannot be used as a professional team chat
9. Viber – Best Voice Calling App
| Country of Origin: Israel |
| Developer’s Name: Rakuten Inc. |
| Initial Release Date: December 2, 2010 |
| File Size: Varies from device to device |
| Rating: 4.3 |
| Current Version: 12.4.0.29 |
| Download Link:
https://app.adjust.com/4x0ajn?campaign=download&adgroup=en&creative=1 https://app.adjust.com/oh4wnf?campaign=download&adgroup=en&creative=1 |
| Price: Free |
| Last Update Date: 1 July 2020 |
| Active Users: 260 Million |
In terms of popularity and versatility, Viber is excellent. With over 1 billion users, Viber stands strong against WeChat. Operated by Rakuten, the Japanese company this messaging app supports multimedia like WeChat and allows users to chat with friends via GIF, video, sticker, and text. Further, you can make the group chat with up to 250 members and stay in the loop with likeminded people.
- Free to use the messaging app and best WeChat alternative
- Clean interface
- Supports voice calls
- Compared with Skype the sound quality is great
- Available for both Mac and Windows
- See contacts using Viber and connect with them
- Includes Android Wear Support
- Doesn’t sync well with phone and PC clients
- Not an open-source software
- No web login available
With this, we come to the end of your list of best WeChat alternatives. You can pick anyone based on your choice. Systweak does not promote any app. So, it’s your choice you can pick any from the list of trusted WeChat alternatives. Also, please let us know which one you used and why in the comments section.
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Camila Saunders
This list is really very helpful and out of all the alternatives, Whatsapp is the most popular and interesting option.Jim Balaya
none of these work in China because of the firewall. the main reason for using wechat is to communicate with people in China. I cant tell my friends there to get on whatsapp or telegram, those apps won’t connect without using VPN’s while are all hit or miss propositions. how about posting true wechat alternatives that chinese users can use to communicate with the rest of the world?