The agency for financial and economic news Bloomberg has published the top 7, which includes the most popular messengers... The rating of the best is based on the size of the user audience.
Not all of these services generate high income, but they are viewed by owners as building blocks for an ecosystem that includes advertising, e-commerce, and other revenue streams.
We present you with a comparative overview of the most popular messaging programs.
7. Snapchat
This service, which has a ghost on its logo, is used by about 100 million users. With the application, you can send photos, videos and drawings to your contact list. But it is impossible to communicate simply by text, only "paired" with a visual image. Users set a time limit during which recipients can view their messages. The files are then "vaporized" from the sender's and recipient's device, but not removed from Snapchat's servers.
6. Line
This chat, very popular in Japan, is used by 211 million people. Initially, it was intended for mobile phones with Android and iOS operating systems, then a version for BlackBerry, Nokia Asha and Windows Phone appeared. Line is available for Windows and Mac OS computers. The "highlight" of the application is the built-in social network, where you can blog and post comments.
5. Viber
The best creation of Israeli developers is used by 249 million users. The PC application synchronizes the contact list, messages and call log with the host's mobile device and allows free calls to any devices of other Viber users, regardless of the country of location.
4. WeChat
Chinese mobile encrypted instant messaging service with 600 million users. From April to July 2015, the number of WeChat users grew by 37%, according to the program's developer, telecommunications company Tencent. The system supports voice and text messages, makes it possible to share photo and video files and exchange contacts via Bluetooth.
3. Facebook Messenger
The three leaders of the most popular instant messengers in 2015 are headed by a service integrated into the social network Facebook. This application, based on the open protocol MQTT, is used by 700 million users. By comparison, Skype, an Internet telephony service operated by Microsoft Corp., boasts only 300 million users. In 2011, a mobile version was released for BlackBerry, iOS and Android platforms, and in 2012 a version of the messenger for PC appeared. In 2015, users of the service no longer require mandatory registration with Facebook. In order to enter the application, you need to provide a phone number.
2. WhatsApp
Facebook Inc. paid $ 18 billion for the cross-platform WhatsApp application, which currently has more than 800 million people. This is the best messenger in Russia. It has standard messaging functionality as well as the ability to create groups and share video, photo, and audio files. The text can be typed manually or dictated. The program binds to a phone number, not a user ID or nickname, and generates a list of contacts by scanning the owner's phone book for numbers registered in the system.
1. QQ Messenger
The most popular messenger in the worlddeveloped by the Chinese Tencent. Every month, 843 million people exchange secure messages with its help. It has some cool features like a built-in software store, real-time translation, capturing a small portion of a chat screen, or recording small video clips and sharing them with the other person.