Chat with friends online. The best programs for communicating on the Internet

Messenger (from English Messenger translates as “messenger”, “messenger”) is a program for instant messaging. Modern chat rooms have much greater functionality with the ability to make calls, exchange multimedia, video conferencing and other useful options.

Some utilities provide their services for free, while others charge additional features a separate fee applies. Some messengers allow you to exchange hundreds of colorful emoticons, add more than 200 participants to groups, while others, limiting themselves to modest functionality, guarantee encryption of all transmitted information. Our selection will help you get acquainted with the capabilities of the best free instant messengers and choose the one that best suits your requirements.

It is the most popular messenger with which users from different parts of the world can call mobile and landline numbers, send messages and files, and also communicate via video calling for free. Using the software, you can make calls from a browser, use a variety of emoticons for vivid communication, share your screen, arrange video conferences with several contacts, and synchronize with all devices.

An equally popular messenger with a user base of 800 million. You can use it to send free messages, call to any country, exchange multimedia data and establish contact with landlines and mobile numbers. Communication quality, user-friendly interface, video communication in HD format, compatibility with almost all popular platforms have brought Viber to a leading position. IN latest versions the developers have added entertainment additions: public accounts, games, a store of emoticons and stickers. You can send not only photos to another contact, but also videos, instant camera shots, GIF files, links to content from popular resources and Wikipedia articles. Various settings allow you to change the background, notification settings and your actions, show hidden chats and blocked contacts. Work in the utility begins with registering an account using a mobile number, after which you can start communicating on your PC.

Messenger on a cross-platform system with a guarantee of maximum data encryption. Works on portable and desktop computers, and also mobile systems, synchronizing with each other. User can customize automatic removal messages after a certain period and saving multimedia in the cloud. You can send objects up to 1.5 GB, create personal integrated modules, use emoticons when chatting, change backgrounds and choose connection types.

A popular utility for voice communication, correspondence in group and individual chats, exchange of multimedia content and calls. The messenger works even on outdated ones mobile devices, allows you to combine up to 256 contacts into one group, publish and change your status, create mailing lists and highlight messages as favorites. All communication in the program is carefully encrypted, and the user can change the chat wall wallpaper, archive messages and apply custom notification sounds.

Being an improved version of Kvip 2010, the messenger we are considering allows you to combine contacts of various social networks and services into a single database for quick communication. Job external modules allows you to conduct video and audio communication with users of different protocols and social networks in different countries. To protect against spam, you can configure message filtering, and the ability to listen to the radio and view content on popular services from the Quip 2012 window will not leave the demanding user indifferent.

A high-quality messenger for text and voice communication, calls, online games and sharing multimedia files. Integrates with social networks, notifies about new messages, and sends SMS to Mail.ru mobile phones. The program works with ICQ's instant manager and notifies about its news and protects against spam mailings. In the application, the user can play games with a friend, call home and mobile phones, and also instantly send a message.

Is free analogue Skype with the same wide functionality. Allows you to video chat, chat, share files and short messages, record a conversation, make calls to PCs, landlines and mobiles. Up to 12 users can be added to the chat, and a video message can be recorded for 60 seconds. Configured import of contacts, correspondence history and work on various platforms.

It is a walkie-talkie application that guarantees protection against wiretapping and perfect quality sound. Has a large audience reach and communication in open channel communication or your radio channel. Channels have their own themes and regional affiliations. It is possible to send the user an off-line voice message, view history, configure options through a web browser and work with voice mail.

A utility for quick correspondence, listening to the radio, communicating on VK and working with by Gmail. With the help of connected plugins, you can significantly expand the functionality of Miranda, namely: change appearance interface, adding translation from various languages, viewing statistics, setting up secure communication and enabling notifications. Passwords and database protection are carried out using cryptographic algorithms.

A simple and functional utility that has a built-in messenger function and elements of social networks. It has about 400 million users and applies to most well-known desktop and mobile operating systems. The application allows you to determine the geolocation of contacts, send content, voice and video messages. Thanks to the interface like social networks, in the LINE menu you can view news feed favorite idols or contacts, simultaneously correspond with several users, use stickers during correspondence and send files of various formats.

A lightweight and compact messenger that integrates with different social networks and other communication programs. In addition to the standard functions of sending multimedia and messages, with ICQ you can call landline/mobile numbers, block the interlocutor, change skins, support a microblog, open message history and simultaneously communicate in other social networks.

The messenger is relevant for creating voice conferences and communicating between gamers while playing the game. This client creates a server in which a conference call is established between users and further communication is carried out. Discord provides all messenger options for free, in addition, it protects against DDoS attacks and supports an in-game overlay. The utility administers voice channels communications, creates personal and public chats, and also works in Push-to-Talk.

Multichannel walkie-talkie for voice communication with the creation of a personal channel with servers. The user specifies a button or code in the settings voice message, which in the future will be the start of work in the messenger. TeamSpeak provides high quality communications, suppresses noise and interference, joins up to 1000 users to a conversation and allows you to communicate in several communication channels simultaneously. In the settings you can set passwords for your channels, filter access and record conversations. There is a version for 64-bit OS.

The most popular instant messenger in the world from former Yahoo! employees, with over 450 million users, and main enemy mobile operators, because of which all reasonable owners of phones and smartphones will soon completely forget about SMS. Since 2009, it has successfully helped its users send text messages, as well as videos, pictures and audio. At the same time, WhatsApp developers, unlike their competitors, focused specifically on messages, abandoning support for audio and video calls, which gave them the opportunity to bring their functionality to almost perfection. However, after the recent purchase of WhatsApp by Zuckerberg, it became known that voice calls may appear in the application.

iPhone owners can talk about iMessage as much as they want, which allows you to send messages and any files no less painlessly on your budget, but everyone has plenty of friends who use Android and other platforms.

Free basic features

Synchronization
With phone book

Stickers

PROS

CONS

The application can be used for free only for the first year, after which you will have to pay $0.99. Although those who bought the app a long time ago at the price of $0.99 have now received a lifetime subscription.

iPad is not supported.

You cannot make calls over the Internet via WhatsApp - all calls are made exclusively through your mobile operator.

Facebook Messenger

Facebook recently bought WhatsApp for $19 billion, but Zuckerberg continues to slowly develop his messenger. Having gotten rid of an annoying competitor, which in just a few years had easily captured the Eastern and South American audience, he gained time to further improve his application. But, in our opinion, Facebook Messenger is already quite good, and its only drawback is that it is aimed exclusively at Facebook users. Until Zuckerberg resolves this issue, the road to big world messenger application is closed.

FREE CORE FEATURES

NO ADDITIONAL PAYMENTS

SYNCHRONIZATION
WITH PHONE BOOK

GREAT PROBABILITY OF FINDING YOUR FRIENDS

OPPORTUNITY TO SEND DIFFERENT TYPES OF FILES

STICKERS

PROS

Synced well with Facebook - when you receive a message, you'll be taken to Messenger, but can also be taken back to your Facebook feed. But if all this were combined in one application, it would be much more convenient.

The stickers here are extremely varied. Actually, just exchanging these funny emojis can be done endlessly.

Minimalist functionality - it's just a messenger, nothing extra.

CONS

The main disadvantage of the messenger is that it is only available Facebook users. This is actually a plus, but it automatically removes it from the list of universal messengers available to absolutely everyone.

Line

A Japanese messenger with a standard set of functions for sending messages and files, which is also a gaming platform and a mini-social network. In addition to, in fact, the basic functionality of a regular messenger, Line allows users to share their statuses and comment on others’ - in general, do the same thing as in other social networks. A long time ago, the main difference of this application were funny stickers with funny cartoons, which became one of the founders of the emoji fashion, but now this will not surprise anyone.

FREE CORE FEATURES

NO ADDITIONAL PAYMENTS

SYNCHRONIZATION
WITH PHONE BOOK

GREAT PROBABILITY OF FINDING YOUR FRIENDS

OPPORTUNITY TO SEND DIFFERENT TYPES OF FILES

STICKERS

PROS

The main difference of this application is its funny stickers, reminiscent of emoticons from Facebook and, in fact, significantly inferior to them.

A large list of games that you can play with your chat partner. But who actually plays them is not clear.

Line supports official celebrity accounts, although there are not very many of them so far - we were only able to find Katy Perry and Paul McCartney.

CONS

Even if you synchronize with your phone book, you will see a pathetic list of three friends in the application.

Most of the stickers and other additional pleasures are paid separately - 66 rubles apiece.

Viber

The second most popular instant messenger after WhatsApp, it differs only in the presence of audio calls, a smaller user base and a less sophisticated design. In the end, if you like to communicate through instant messengers and focus your choice primarily on your friends, then Viber should definitely appear on your phone: it is used by that part of your friends who have ignored WhatsApp.

FREE CORE FEATURES

NO ADDITIONAL PAYMENTS

SYNCHRONIZATION
WITH PHONE BOOK

GREAT PROBABILITY OF FINDING YOUR FRIENDS

OPPORTUNITY TO SEND DIFFERENT TYPES OF FILES

STICKERS

PROS

With Viber you can call even those users who do not have it installed. This service is called Viber Out and costs money - prices can be found in Viber itself. Considering the Internet fee, this will not cost you much less than regular calls.

CONS

Due to its Israeli origins, Viber is suspected by Egyptian and Lebanese authorities of supporting Zionist spies. Therefore, before traveling to Lebanon, it is better to install another messenger for insurance.

Telegram

The youngest, but at the same time one of the most promising representatives of the messenger family, created in 2013 by Pavel Durov’s company Digital Fortress. On the very first day of the launch, the entire Internet accused the creators of 100% plagiarism of WhatsApp (they even have similar dialogue backgrounds!) and many other errors, and at the same time once again reminded Durov of the similarities between VKontakte and Facebook. Meanwhile, this messenger has a number of undeniable advantages like high speed loading everything, good information security and other pleasant little things. According to Durov, Telegram, as we see it now, is just an intermediate product, which after proper testing can become completely different, and the visual similarity with its older brother is just a starting point. At the same time, the lack of a Russian interface, which all schoolchildren continue to complain about, clearly hints at grandiose plans to capture the world market.

FREE CORE FEATURES

NO ADDITIONAL PAYMENTS

SYNCHRONIZATION
WITH PHONE BOOK

GREAT PROBABILITY OF FINDING YOUR FRIENDS

OPPORTUNITY TO SEND DIFFERENT TYPES OF FILES

STICKERS

PROS

Instead of the usual stickers for competitors, there is a search for images throughout the Internet, that is, instead of a paid image with a dancing walrus from a limited set of the application, you can attach to a message a photo of absolutely any walrus from the Internet, or even a hippopotamus.

Integration with VKontakte is completely absent, and this is a plus, at least because even if VKontakte is closed or Durov himself finally leaves there, the messenger will remain afloat.

To the delight of Android fans, Durov perceives this platform as the main one for this application.

CONS

Unfortunately for iOS fans, Durov sees Android as the main platform for this application.

Snapchat

The messenger of the future with self-destructing information and simply an ideal communication application that erases all your messages a maximum of ten seconds after reading. The most interesting thing is that each text must be accompanied by a photo or video taken in real time. With these unusual and uncomfortable rules, Snapchat most closely resembles real interaction between people, and not the pre-prepared monologues that we are accustomed to when corresponding on social networks and other instant messengers. After all, everything you say in a normal conversation is not recorded on hard drive and after a while it disappears forever. To experience these unprecedented sensations, you just need to register, take a photo, put some simple text on top, set the destruction timer from one to ten seconds and send the resulting message to one of your friends.

FREE CORE FEATURES

Many online team games require gamers to constantly maintain voice communication with allies. Doing this using built-in tools is not always convenient, and voice chat in games has enough limited opportunities. Therefore, most people use specialized programs for voice communication. In this article we will look at several of the most popular representatives of such software.

The first program on our list will be TeamSpeak. It has long won the love of gamers because of its ease of use, low Internet speed requirements and flexible settings for each user. To start communicating, just connect to the most convenient server and create a private room there, where you can invite friends.

This software has a wide variety of settings for playback and recording devices, several modes for turning on the microphone, for example, activation by voice or by pressing a certain key on the keyboard. All you have to do is go to the official website of the developer, download TeamSpeak for free, install and start using it. Even inexperienced user will be able to quickly master this program.

Mumble

If you need to create own server in a program with open source code, then Mumble will become one of best options. Its interface is minimalist, there is not a huge number of tools and functions, but all the essentials that may be needed during team communication are present.

When you need to gather players for your next match, simply launch Mumble, create a server and share the connection information with your allies. They can quickly connect and get started. gameplay. From interesting features In this program, I would also like to note the sound positioning setting, which will allow you to hear the members of your team regarding their position in the game.

VentriloPro

VentriloPro does not position itself as a program designed exclusively for gaming communication, but it has everything you need for this. Servers are created for free by users manually using built-in utilities, after which the creator assigns administration, creates rooms and monitors the actions of other users. VentriloPro has convenient settings, allowing you to use multiple game profiles on one computer, which also applies to saved hotkey profiles.

The built-in overlay is a useful tool for gamers. The program will automatically display a small translucent window on top of the game, where all useful information about communication. For example, you will be able to see who is speaking at the moment who disconnected or sent text message in the channel.

MyTeamVoice

Next we'll look at the MyTeamVoice program. Its functionality is focused specifically on conducting group conversations with an emphasis on online games. Before you start using this software, you will need to create an account on official page, after which access will be available to create or connect to other servers.

Each participant has his own rank, which is determined by the time spent on the server. The ranking system is needed in order to sort users by level of access to different rooms, which is completely customizable by the administration. The control panel deserves special attention. There are many available to the administration. useful functions, allowing you to optimally configure the server and the rooms in it.

TeamTalk

Present in TeamTalk large number free servers with many rooms. Here people gather mainly not for games, but simply to communicate, listen to music, watch videos and exchange files. However, nothing prevents you from creating a separate room with limited access, where you can invite your friends and start a match in some online team game.

There is an opportunity to create your own personal server. This is done using a built-in utility outside the program itself. Configuration and launch is carried out via command line, after which access to administering and editing the server opens. The administrator panel is implemented in the form of a single window, where all the necessary parameters are located, and it is very simple and convenient to use.

Discord

The developers of the Discord program position it as software intended exclusively for gaming communication. Therefore there is a large number of useful tools and gamer-related features. For example, if your friend is online, then you can see what he is currently playing. In addition, the creators themselves made several simple and convenient overlays, tailored for specific games.

Servers are created absolutely free by any user. He has the right to create an unlimited number of rooms, make the server open or provide access only via links. Discord has a bot system that will allow you, for example, to continuously broadcast music on one of the channels.

RaidCall

RaidCall was enough at one time popular program not only among gamers, but also among fans of collective voice communication on various topics. The principle of servers and rooms here is no different from all previous representatives discussed above. RaidCall allows you to share files and conduct personal conversations using video calling.

Although the program consumes a minimal amount of resources, users with slow internet Sometimes some difficulties may arise during communication. RaidCall is distributed free of charge and is available for download on the official website.

Today we looked at some of the most popular and convenient programs, allowing voice communication in games. They are all very similar to each other, especially the system of servers and channels, but each has its own characteristics and features that allow maximum comfort play team matches in your favorite online game.