Instant messaging clients

WhatsApp Messenger, commonly known simply as WhatsApp, is an American social media, instant messaging (IM), and Voice over IP (VoIP) service accessible via desktop and mobile app. Owned by Meta Platforms, the service allows users to send text messages, voice messages, and video messages, make voice and video calls, and share images, documents, user locations, and other content. The service requires a cellular mobile telephone number to register. WhatsApp was launched in May 2009. In January 2018, WhatsApp released a standalone business app called WhatsApp Business which can communicate with th

Telegram is a cloud-based, cross-platform social media and instant messaging (IM) service. It launched for iOS on 14 August 2013 and Android on 20 October 2013. It allows users to exchange messages, share media and files, and hold private and group voice or video calls as well as public livestreams. It is available for Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, and web browsers. Telegram offers end-to-end encryption in voice and video calls, and optionally in private chats if both participants use a mobile device.

Skype () was a proprietary telecommunications application operated by Skype Technologies, a division of Microsoft, best known for IP-based videotelephony, videoconferencing and voice calls. It also had instant messaging, file transfer, debit-based calls to landline and mobile telephones (over traditional telephone networks), and other features. It was available on various desktop, mobile, and video game console platforms.

Rakuten Viber, commonly known as Viber, is a cross-platform voice over IP (VoIP) and instant messaging (IM) software application owned by the Japanese technology company Rakuten Group. The service is available as freeware for Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows, macOS and Linux.

WeChat or Weixin in Chinese () is an instant messaging, social media, and mobile payment app developed by Tencent. First released in 2011, it became the world's largest standalone mobile app in 2018 with over 1 billion monthly active users. The Chinese version of WeChat, Weixin, has been described as China's "app for everything" and a super-app because of its wide range of functions. WeChat provides text messaging, hold-to-talk voice messaging, broadcast (one-to-many) messaging, video conferencing, video games, mobile payment, sharing of photographs and videos and location sharing.

instant messaging app developed by Meta Platforms

ICQ was a cross-platform instant messaging (IM) and VoIP client founded in June 1996 by Yair Goldfinger, Sefi Vigiser, Amnon Amir, Arik Vardi, and Arik's father, Yossi Vardi. The name ICQ derives from the English phrase "I Seek You". Originally developed by the Israeli company Mirabilis in 1996, the client was bought by AOL in 1998, and then by Mail.Ru Group (now VK) in 2010.

instant messaging and social networking service

instant messaging software service

instant messaging service

instant messaging application

KakaoTalk (), commonly referred to as KaTalk () in South Korea, is an instant messenger and online services platform operated by Kakao Corporation. It was launched in 2010 and the app is available on mobile and desktop platforms.

messaging application developed by Google LLC

Gadu-Gadu (Polish for "chit-chat"; commonly known as GG or gg) is a Polish instant messaging client using a proprietary protocol. At its peak, Gadu-Gadu was the most popular IM service in Poland, with over 15 million registered accounts and up to 300 million messages sent per day. In 2010, the service reported over 10 million monthly active users.

Meebo (often stylized as meebo) was an instant messaging and social networking service provider. It was founded in September 2005 by Sandy Jen, Seth Sternberg, and Elaine Wherry, and was based in Mountain View, California. Initially the company offered a web-based instant messenger service, extending its offer in more general online chat and even social networking directions. In June 2012, Google acquired Meebo to merge the company's staff with the Google+ developers team.

Instant messaging software

distributed protocol for telephony and instant messaging

mobile application for instant messaging

distributed open multimedia communications platform

Threema is a paid cross-platform encrypted instant messaging app developed by Threema GmbH in Switzerland and launched in 2012. Users can make voice and video calls, send photos, files, and voice notes, share locations, and join groups. The service offers end-to-end encryption. Unlike many other popular secure messaging apps, Threema does not require phone numbers or email addresses for registration, only a one-time purchase that can be paid via an app store or anonymously with Bitcoin or cash.

Xfire was a proprietary freeware instant messaging service for gamers that also served as a game server browser with various other features. It was available for Microsoft Windows. Xfire was originally developed by Ultimate Arena based in Menlo Park, California.

instant messaging client

Mattermost is an open-source, self-hostable online chat service with file sharing, search, and third-party application integrations. It is designed as an internal chat for organisations and companies, and mostly markets itself as an open-source alternative to Slack and Microsoft Teams.

free peer-to-peer instant messenger

instant messaging app by Turkcell

imo.im is a proprietary audio/video calling and instant messaging software service. It allows sending music, video, PDFs and other files, along with various free stickers. It supports encrypted group video and voice calls with up to 20 participants. According to its developer, the service possesses over 200 million users and over 50 million messages per day are sent through it.

eBuddy is a privately held Dutch software company that offers instant messaging services. As of 2011, eBuddy reported 100 million downloads. The company's flagship service is XMS, a proprietary cross-platform instant messaging service. After some changes of ownership, the company is now again owned by its original founders, Onno Bakker and Jan-Joost Rueb.

ChatON was a global mobile communication service provided by Samsung Electronics from September 2011 to March 2015.

instant messaging software application developed by Apple

Guilded was a VoIP, instant messaging, and digital distribution platform designed by Guilded Inc. and was bought by Roblox Corporation on August 16, 2021 for $90 million. Since then, Guilded had been integrated with Roblox. The company was based in San Francisco. Users communicated with voice calls, video calls, text messaging, media and files in private chats or as part of communities called "servers". Guilded was founded by Eli Brown, a former Facebook and Xbox employee. Guilded was available on Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, and iOS. == Features == Guilded was a main competitor of Discord

instant messaging app

The online service imeem was a social media website where users interacted with each other by streaming, uploading and sharing music and music videos. It operated from 2003 until 2009 when it was shut down after being acquired by MySpace.

GroupMe (also stylized as groupme) is a mobile group messaging app owned by Microsoft. It was launched in May 2010 by the private company GroupMe. In August 2011, GroupMe delivered over 100 million messages each month and by June 2012, that number jumped to 550 million. In 2013, GroupMe had over 12 million registered users.

is a LAN messenger service developed by Nintendo. It is preloaded on the Nintendo DS, Nintendo DS Lite and Nintendo DSi. Up to sixteen people can paint and/or text chat with each other using it, connected wirelessly through a LAN-only, system-to-system wireless connection. It allows for simple input of keyboard text and written text/drawings. PictoChat received an Excellence Prize for Entertainment at the 2004 Japan Media Arts Festival.

Linphone (contraction of Linux phone) is a free voice over IP softphone, SIP client and service. It may be used for audio and video direct calls and calls through any VoIP softswitch or IP-PBX. Linphone also provides the possibility to exchange instant messages. It has a simple multilanguage interface based on Qt for GUI and can also be run as a console-mode application on Linux.

Wikimedia list article

Bitchat is a peer-to-peer encrypted messaging app developed by Jack Dorsey, co‑founder of Twitter (now X) and Block, Inc. Announced in July 2025, Bitchat enables users to send messages via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mesh networks without requiring internet connections, cellular service, user accounts, or central servers. Bitchat also uses the internet-based Nostr protocol for global reach.

DingTalk () is an enterprise communication and collaboration platform developed by Alibaba Group. It was founded in 2014 and headquartered in Hangzhou. By 2018, it was one of the world's largest professional communication and management mobile apps in China with over 100 million users. International market intentions were announced in 2018.

Instant messaging and gaming software

forfone is a free VoIP application that enables users to make calls, send and share text messages, photos, and their current location. The App does not require additional registration or a user account but allows direct access to mobile and landline networks worldwide via Wi-Fi, LTE, 3G or UMTS.

mobile application

Arattai Messenger (or simply Arattai) is an encrypted messaging service for instant messaging, voice calls, and video calls, developed by Zoho Corporation. The name Arattai means "chat" or "conversation" in Tamil. The app was soft-launched in January 2021. The app saw a sharp surge in downloads in September 2025, partially fueled by endorsements from Indian government officials. However, the app dropped from the top rankings in October 2025.

encrypted instant messenger app (IM)