![\"Telegram](\"http:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Telegram-logo.jpg\"){kind=logo}
<\/a>Telegram logo<\/p><\/div>\n
Telegram kicks off the list as it is almost a drop-in replacement for WhatsApp.<\/p>\n
Its biggest drawback is that it only runs on iPhone and Android officially, with a few unofficial desktop and Windows Phone clients in early development.<\/p>\n
However, it does have a freely available API that third-party developers can use to build apps for other platforms.<\/p>\n
Telegram has also made some bold security claims which have been criticised online, to which it has responded.<\/p>\n
The bottom-line is that Telegram uses a custom protocol, so if you\u2019re looking for a messenger with security that has undergone vigorous community vetting you should probably look elsewhere for the moment.<\/p>\n
2. Viber<\/h3>\n
Like WhatsApp, Viber now offers wide cross-platform support, especially for its text messaging component.<\/p>\n It has clients for the desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux), Windows 8 Viber also offers free voice calls over your data connection to other users of the service. Like its text chat feature, this doesn\u2019t need a separate username and password but works on just your cellphone number.<\/p>\n Line has clients for iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry, Nokia Asha devices (S40), Firefox OS, and desktops running Windows or Mac OS X.<\/p>\n Similar to Viber, it features text chats and voice calling, but adds support for video calling and the option to register your number against an e-mail address.<\/p>\n According to Line, e-mail registration lets you move your friends list, purchased items, and game results between devices. The PC clients also require e-mail registration.<\/p>\n While the Android applications of KakaoTalk and Line look almost identical, there are a number of differences between the services.<\/p>\n KakaoTalk only has clients for iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone, and Windows PC.<\/p>\n It doesn\u2019t support video calling, unlike Line and Viber which do.<\/p>\n WeChat, which has been advertising aggressively in South Africa, also supports a wide array of devices and features.<\/p>\n Like Line, it offers voice and video calling to go with its classic text chat features. However, WeChat also offers a \u201cpush-to-talk\u201d live voice chat with one or more contacts.<\/p>\n It has clients for iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, S40, Symbian (keyboard and touch devices), BlackBerry, and the web.<\/p>\n ChatOn is Samsung\u2019s mobile messaging client that comes installed on its smartphones by default.<\/p>\n It has clients for Android, iOS, Bada, BlackBerry 7 and under (not<\/em> BlackBerry 10), Windows Mobile, Windows Phone, and Windows 8.<\/p>\n Hike runs on iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry 7 and under (not<\/em> BlackBerry 10), Symbian, and S40.<\/p>\n Similar to WhatsApp, Hike doesn\u2019t feature any voice or video calling capabilities (though WhatsApp has said that voice calling is coming<\/a>), instead including an audio recording and sending feature.<\/p>\n Like WeChat, it also includes \u201cstickers\u201d \u2013\u00a0funny images that users can send one another.<\/p>\n Tango runs on iOS, Android, Windows Phone 7, and Windows PC. In addition to its messaging options it also offers free video and voice calling, and games.<\/p>\n While the other apps tested have their niggles, Tango is downright invasive.<\/p>\n By default Tango installs with its \u201cShare location\u201d and user interface overlay options checked. One of these options is \u201cSMS messaging\u201d, which means Tango tries to take over your SMS notifications.<\/p>\n When a new SMS or Tango message comes in, a bubble appears that hovers on top whatever you\u2019re doing. To dismiss it you have to go through a process that takes no less than 3 taps to complete.<\/p>\n In brief, it is listed here to make this list as complete as possible, but it is not at all recommended as a WhatsApp alternative or SMS replacement.<\/p>\n While messengers that require users to create a separate account didn’t make it into the above list, it would be remiss not to mention a few notable options such as:\u00a0South Africa\u2019s own Mxit and 2go; BlackBerry Messenger; Google Hangouts (ne\u00e9 Google Talk); Skype; Kik; MessageMe; SnapChat; and Voxer.<\/p>\n Jabber and the Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP) it is associated with also deserve a mention, not only as a free and open source software option, but also as a building block initially used by Google Talk and Mxit.<\/p>\n BBM for Windows Phone coming to Nokia Lumia<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n WhatsApp a hit in South Africa<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nMetro<\/del> \u201cModern UI Style\u201d, iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry, Bada, Symbian, and S40.<\/p>\n3. Line<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n4. KakaoTalk<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n5. WeChat<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n6. ChatOn<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n7. Hike<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n8. Tango<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nSpecial mentions<\/h3>\n
More on WhatsApp and instant messaging software<\/h3>\n