Snapchat Alternatives 2022: Messaging apps are better than texting and emailing because they have built-in social networking features, free video calling over WiFi, and more. You can talk to friends, family, and coworkers outside of regular work hours through voice, text, or video calls, and you can also share documents. No matter what time zone you’re in, a messaging app helps you easily stay in touch for work or play throughout the day. In addition, some of these apps will encrypt your messages and any data you share so that you can work in a safe, private, and secure environment.
You can use more and more messaging apps like Snapchat, which makes it easy to send photos, short videos, drawings, filters, and effects on images. But Snapchat has a confusing interface and doesn’t make it easy to save images. You can’t look at or save other people’s old content, and you can’t use a photo of yourself as your profile picture. You can only use an avatar or bitmoji, which disappears after a certain time. Snapchat has a lot of media, so it can take up space and slow down your device over time. You can’t tell if someone you’re chatting with is online because their “last seen” status isn’t available.
If you’re searching for the best Snapchat alternatives to eliminate these annoying options, we’ve put together a list of some great apps you can start. Many apps have strong encryption built into the software, so no one else can read your messages. They also have features that you wouldn’t find on Snapchat. So here are the 12+ best Snapchat alternatives you can use to connect with, interact with, and message family, friends, and coworkers.
12+ Best Snapchat Alternatives 2022 To Try
Snapchat Alternatives 2022 to try.
1. Telegram
Telegram is a safe, easy-to-use mobile messaging app that works on mobile devices like Snapchat. It’s growing quickly because users are moving over from Facebook’s WhatsApp platform, which has features that no other app has. You can send messages, make voice and video calls, send files, and make group chats with thousands of people or bots to do simple tasks. This is one of the best Snapchat alternatives.
The platform is great for teamwork or when you want to host a large online community. Snapchat, on the other hand, seems more personal and meant for a small group of close people. Telegram has secret chats where you can share content that disappears on its own, like Snapchat. It’s also a very secure instant messaging app with one-on-one customer service. You can send messages to an unlimited number of people who have signed up.
2. Wickr Me
Wickr Me is similar to Snapchat but not as popular. But it gives people what many of them want: more privacy. The app has excellent security features that show how much it cares about the privacy and information of its data. For example, you do not need an email address or phone number to use it, and they don’t store your contacts or other information on their servers. This Snapchat alternative can be used on mobile devices and has several features, such as voice memos, encrypted messages, and the ability to share images and videos.
You still get an extraordinary photo and video filters, graffiti, and stickers, but they aren’t as cool as those on Snapchat. A self-destructing feature deletes messages, videos, and images, just like Snapchat. However, you can be completely anonymous, and no one can control, track, or stop your communication. Unlike Snapchat, which doesn’t help you find your contacts, Wickr Me lets you find friends by their names or by importing your contacts into the app. In addition, it has a ” shredder ” function that removes images, messages, and videos.
3. WhatsApp
WhatsApp is a messaging app that has been around since 2009 and is used by more than 2 billion people in more than 180 countries worldwide. The WhatsApp started as a platform for people to chat with family and friends. As time passed, businesses joined in, and now people can talk to their favorite brands through the app. The platform was built so businesses could get proper profiles, share updates about their purchases, and help customers, especially through WhatsApp.
WhatsApp is much more than Snapchat, a social media app for sharing photos and videos. You can talk to friends or businesses, share photos, videos, files, and documents, buy things, and do much more. WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app right now, and Facebook owns it, so you can connect it to your personal or brand’s Facebook profile and/or Instagram account. This is one of the best Snapchat alternatives.
4. WeChat
WeChat is a popular messaging app that is the most used in China. It is an all-in-one platform for calling and messaging, transferring money, shopping online, making offline payments, making reservations, booking taxis, and more. Unlike Snapchat, the platform is a great social media app that helps you grow your business in Asia, especially China. You can reach your audience through ads, influencer campaigns, or in-app eCommerce. Compared to Snapchat, which is mostly used for social media networking and other information-sharing services, it has many more features and is much more useful.
WeChat functions on any mobile device and has more than a billion users. Unlike Snapchat, which makes it hard to find your contacts, it’s easy to connect with others on WeChat. One great thing about WeChat is that you can call both cell phones and landlines from it. This makes it a good alternative if others don’t use the app. For businesses, this also means that people can call you from WeChat if they have concerns or questions. This is one of the best Snapchat alternatives.
5. Viber
Viber is another alternative to Snapchat that has a full-featured messaging service and a lot of users who use it every month. The app combines media and text messaging with a free video or voice call service that users can use outside Viber. This is something that Snapchat users don’t have access to. You can talk to individuals, make group chats with many people, and share video or voice messages without making phone calls. This works much better when you don’t want to type or are talking too much to type. Viber has a QR code scanner built in, and you can send stickers and GIFs built into your chat to make conversations more fun.
All its communications are encrypted from end to end, but you can trade private keys with your contacts to make things even safer. Viber lets you make calls for free and has a minimalist design with a dark mode. You can also organize chats and calls in separate tabs. You can use Viber in more than 41 languages and send self-destructing messages, which are popular on Snapchat. Viber’s secret chats also disappear after some time. Finally, Viber lets you send money, which you can’t do with Snapchat. This is one of the best Snapchat alternatives.
6. Facebook Messenger
Facebook Messenger is worth chatting into if you want to do more than chat and share filtered photos or videos. The app is available on the web and Android and iOS mobile devices, and you can message messages to anyone in your network. Unlike Snapchat, which doesn’t let you connect with people in your contact list, you can find and chat with friends and acquaintances even if you don’t have their phone numbers. Facebook Messenger doesn’t even require a Facebook account. Just sign up with your phone number and talk to other users. If you’ve got a Facebook account, you can use Messenger to chat with your Facebook friends and other Messenger users.
Facebook Messenger has basic messaging tools, so you can send texts, respond with emojis, gifs, or stickers, send media files, or take pictures using the camera and filters. You can make quick polls to determine what people think or get ideas. Messenger lets you watch videos with others, play games, share music, and send money through PayPal, depending on where you are. This is something that Snapchat doesn’t have. You can turn on encryption on both ends of the chat, and Facebook will scan any images to see if they break its rules, such as if they show child abuse. This is not done for advertising purposes. It’s a well-made app that keeps your chats in order and is easy to use while talking to friends and family.
7. Tox
Tox is a messaging app similar to Snapchat and offers a chat service that a single company does not run. The Tox is not a single app but a messaging service that the people who use it run and keep up with. Tox is open source, while Snapchat isn’t, and it was made with the privacy of its users in mind. The messaging platform comes with several apps that aren’t official but are projects made by different users. Whether you’re an individual or part of a group, you can use Tox to reach one person or a group and share files, photos, videos, texts, and more.
All chats are encrypted on both ends, and Tox doesn’t have servers that can be shut down. Since no one can raid or mess with the servers, Tox uses a distributed system that makes server downtime impossible. Depending on your hardware, you can use different Tox clients, like Antidote for Tox, Antox, qTox, or uTox, for mobile and desktop devices. All Tox projects get free help from the community, but not all of its features work with all Tox clients. But the basics, like media messaging, text chat, and file sharing, are handled well.
8. Signal
Signal looks and feels like WhatsApp, but it is simpler and less interesting than the other messaging apps here. The Signal has a single screen for all your chats, and all you have to do to start sending messages to your contacts is click a simple “Compose” button. It’s not as customizable as other Snapchat alternatives, and it has a lot in common with WhatsApp, like the double ticks that show the status of a message. In addition, you can make free voice and video calls to other Signal users. These calls are encrypted, like the messages you send through the app.
On Signal, you can easily send photos, texts, documents, videos, and voice messages to groups or individual chats. You can add as many people as you want to a Signal group. End-to-end encryption keeps all your messages safe, and you can set an end date for a conversation, just like Snapchat’s “self-destruct” feature. When messages go out of date, you can’t get them back. In addition, there is a place to write a note to yourself, which you don’t get on Snapchat. Signal is free to use on desktop devices with Mac, Windows, and Linux, as well as on mobile phones and tablets.
9. Kik
Kik is a messaging app that young people mostly use, just like Snapchat. To use the app, you don’t need to link a phone number or go through a long sign-up process. All you need is a username, and you’re good to go. You can add family or friends by using your phone’s camera to scan their unique Kik QR code. Kik has a fun, easy-to-use interface where you can play games in chat rooms, talk to people, and meet new people. This is one of the best Snapchat alternatives.
It gives brands a place to market to young users between the ages of 13 and 24. This differs from Snapchat, where most users are between the ages of 13 and 24. Kik is better all around than Snapchat. You get stickers and emojis that are bright and fun and chatbots that help you play games in group chats, get fashion advice and find out what happened that day. The app is built to help people connect, so it doesn’t focus on backing up files or messages. Since your information is stored on your device, it’s easy to lose it if you use Kik somewhere else.
10. Threema
It is an anonymous messaging app that helps the NaCI cryptography library to protect your messages. When you open Threema, you get a unique ID key that lets you send messages without your email address or phone number being linked. End-to-end encryption is available for video, voice, text, and photo messages, and you can share files up to 20MB in a file. In addition, you get group messaging and a polling feature that lets you see what your loved ones think. On the desktop version, you can keep chatting while at work, which you can’t do with Snapchat. In addition, you get personal QR codes that you can scan to verify the users who want to connect or chat with you.
11. GroupMe
GroupMe is a simple, instant messaging app that lets you chat in a group with people who don’t have smartphones and mostly use SMS services. You can easily send emojis, texts, gifs, and stickers with your text messages through GroupMe. They will be saved in an in-chat gallery in case you want to use them again later. Up to 50MB of files can be shared, which may not be enough if you want to send large files or a lot of your favorite photos. GroupMe is mostly about letting people talk to each other in groups or one-on-one, while Snapchat is a mix of the two. You can make a group chat with two or 500 people, add them by phone number or email address, share anything, or report problems with just one tap.
12. Skype
Microsoft owns Skype, but it has been around for years. Many users, especially those who use it for video calling, don’t know it has messaging features. You can use group chats on different devices and share files, pictures, and videos. The app doesn’t have as many stickers as GIFs and emojis, but it’s free to use, and you can also make calls and host video chats on it. Unlike Snapchat, which is mostly for social use, it’s a business app. It is simple and easy to connect with people, making it fun and useful.
13. LINE
LINE is a popular alternative to Snapchat, with just over twice as many users as Snapchat. You get the usual features of a messaging app, plus a timeline like on Facebook, where you can post updates that your friends can comment on. Also, you don’t get that on Snapchat because you can’t like, follow, or comment on posts. In addition, you can make free voice or video calls and use LINE’s famous characters on stickers when chatting with one person or up to 500 people.
Chats on LINE are encrypted, and the platform offers you to follow brands or artists. You can set albums and share them with other people or watch YouTube videos together while on a call. In addition, the communication app gives you access to different information and family services. You can also use LINE Pay to make payments or send money, which Snapchat doesn’t have. This is one of the best Snapchat alternatives.
14. Discord
Since it came out in 2015, Discord has helped gamers for whom it was originally made talk to each other and stay in touch while they play together. Today, the app has at least 350 million users, and 56 million use it monthly. Compared to Snapchat, this is a huge number. In addition, users love Discord for all chat needs, such as private group chats with up to 10 people at once. This is one of the best Snapchat alternatives.
Discord has voice chat, which gamers can use if they want to avoid chatting to focus on their game. This feature allows them to talk without using their hands, so they can stay in touch while playing. You can use Discord if you’re in a club or community to organize meetings and meet people online. Users can stay in touch through the digital communities of the different Discord groups, but the messages are not encrypted from end to end. The platform isn’t made for encrypted communications, so it doesn’t have that feature.
15. KakaoTalk
KakaoTalk is a popular messaging app that is a good alternative to Snapchat. The app is mostly used in South Korea but is also available in the US. It is known to be fast and reliable no matter your network. In addition, it’s a go-to app for many users, who like that it has eCommerce, which Snapchat doesn’t, and can share deals and coupons with friends and family. This is one of the best Snapchat alternatives.
You can buy things with it and get credit cards with your brand to use with it. Other extra features of KakaoTalk include scheduling appointments after making your own calendar and setting reminders for work meetings, lunches, and other gatherings. In addition, the app has group video chat, a popular feature that makes it easier for people to get together with their family members no matter where they are. You can use KakaoTalk on devices that run Android or iOS.
Conclusion: Snapchat Alternatives
Our mobile phones let us talk to our friends, family, and coworkers immediately and all the time. But, as we’ve seen with Snapchat, not all options are always the best. The 12+ alternatives we’ve listed above offer a wide range of ways to connect with others, from free voice, text, and video calls to file and photo sharing. Some of these services also offer encryption. All these options can help you finally use Snapchat and enjoy great messaging with your contacts. Choose the one that is easiest for you and works with your contacts. It should also protect your privacy and safety.