Today we wanted to shake things up a bit and give our opinions on an alternate for Kik. As y’all might know, there are a lot of instant messaging apps out there so you do have plenty to chat with and connect with friends. We love Kik, but here are some of our favorite alternates to Kik.
Instant messaging and chat rooms have basically created a level playing field for deaf people. – Vint Cerf
What are we looking for in Kik alternatives?
Because we all love Kik here, we do look for specific things in other instant messaging apps. We look for:
- Group messaging
- Stickers, emoji, and gifs
- Games (to a degree)
- Free app
Overall we look for a great communicating experience with features that make the app worth it to use. So, let’s go over some of our favorite instant messaging apps.
Best Kik Alternatives:
Facebook Messenger
This app is actually tied right into your Facebook account that allows you to communicate with all your Facebook friends. Just as every app does, Messenger does have bits pros and cons. Lets quickly cover them:
Pros:
- Ties in and connects with your Facebook account
- Free
- Can find your friends by phone numbers in your contacts list
- Can use on any device, including computers
- Can do voice and video calls
- Don’t need to have a Facebook account to use
Cons:
- Can’t use the Facebook app to chat, you have to get Messenger separately
- Privacy concerns (see note below)
Messenger really is a great app, and it is definitely our favorite social media messaging app.
Note: I will say this; there is a rumor going around (not sure of the accuracy) that Messenger and the Facebook app have permission to use your microphone. They may have the ability to listen to your conversations and deliver ads to you that match up with those conversations. If you have ever been on Facebook and notice ads for something or someplace you were wanting to check out, but haven’t yet, it is possible Facebook was using your microphone to know that. Again, not sure of the validity, but it is important to keep that in mind.
GroupMe
GroupMe is a great app that you can use to do group messaging, particularly regarding school groups. When I was in college GroupMe is the app we would use whenever we had group projects and it really helped everyone connect and work together. Let’s look at some pros and cons of GroupMe:
Pros:
- Can get it on any device
- Can do a group conference call
- Easy to use
Cons:
- Not as well known as other messaging apps
- Can’t see if someone is typing or not
GroupMe is our favorite app for school usage. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles that Kik has, but it doesn’t necessarily need to if you only use it for school.
Telegram
Telegram is a great instant messaging app for those people who are mindful about security. Here are some pros and cons to Telegram:
Pros:
- Unlimited storage in the cloud for pictures, media, and messages
- Ad free and you will not have to spend a penny on this app
- Messages are encrypted
- Group chat of up to 200 people
- “secret” chats that cannot be accessed
Cons:
- No status for contacts (away, free, etc.)
- No voice chat or video chat feature
If the Facebook microphone thing freaks you out (like it probably does for most people), then you might want to check out Telegram. Everything is encrypted, so no hackers can access any of your media or messages. It is available on damn near all platforms, and all your messages are in the cloud so they can be accessed anywhere (unlike Kik). Again, Telegram is great for those of y’all who want their messages and media totally private.
WhatsApp is a great messaging app for not only people who would rather use their phone number as opposed to a username or email address (like Kik), but those who also have a texting plan that is not unlimited. Here are some pros and cons of WhatsApp:
Pros:
- Available on all platforms
- Can message anyone from around the world for free
- Can send audio messages, video messages, and even documents
- Group chat for up to 256 people
- Can email people right from the app
- Can be used on computers (unlike Kik)
Cons:
- If by some chance you have more than 256 people in a group then not everyone can be included
- It can be difficult to retrieve messages
- Messages cannot be recovered if you transfer phones or devices
- Does use data and cannot work offline
- There are no stickers you can use
As you can see, WhatsApp is great for those of y’all who want to chat with people from all over the globe who don’t want to keep track of a username. It does have quite a few nifty features not a whole lot of downsides.
Why Choose Kik Over Other Apps?
After we have given you a list of our favorite instant messaging apps, you might be wondering why we still prefer Kik.
Kik has really great features, including: group chat, video chat, Kik bots, stickers and emojis, multi-platform availability, certain amount of anonymity (you don’t have to use your phone number), and is great to send different types of media. Kik is a great and safe app, and once you get the hang of it you probably won’t feel the need to use any other messaging app. Kik is also free and does not use up all your data, so you don’t have to worry about any texting plan or data limits when you use it.
On the off-chance that you do, however, check out the apps we have listed above. They all their merit and they are all unique in their own way, such as being great for groups or for those who have security concerns. Ultimately, all these instant messaging apps are useful as long as the people you want to talk to have the same app. So it not only comes down to personal opinion, but to what your peers use as well.