Communication · alternatives
Alternatives to Messenger
20 communication tools sit alongside Messenger in this directory. Below is what separates each from Messenger on the figures we hold, price, model, tier count and rating, and a direct comparison for every one.
- Alternatives listed
- 20
- With a free tier
- 16
- Cheaper to start
- -
- Messenger starts at
- Free
Why people look past Messenger
Only what the record supports. Each point below is a figure on the Messenger entry measured against the tools listed beside it.
There is only one tier
Messenger publishes a single plan, Free at Free. There is no smaller tier to drop to if the fit is wrong or the budget moves.
What each alternative does differently
Ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry. Differences are drawn from price, pricing model, tier count and rating, the fields the category listing carries. For a feature-level difference, follow the head-to-head link on each card: those pages read both full records.
Meta's social network app, free to use and monetised entirely through targeted advertising
- Sold on a Free, funded entirely by targeted advertising model rather than Free, funded by Meta's advertising business.
Messaging app that dominates Japan, Taiwan and Thailand, now run by LY Corporation under joint SoftBank and Naver ownership
- Sold on a Free to download, paid stickers and business messaging tiers model rather than Free, funded by Meta's advertising business.
Chinese super-app combining messaging, payments, mini programs and identity, effectively required infrastructure in mainland China
- Sold on a Free to download, transaction fees on payments model rather than Free, funded by Meta's advertising business.
Messaging app with its strongest user base in Eastern Europe and the Philippines, owned by Japans Rakuten
- Sold on a Free to download, paid business messaging and out calls to landlines and mobiles model rather than Free, funded by Meta's advertising business.
The default messaging app in South Korea, bundled with payments, taxi hailing and other Kakao services
- Sold on a Free to download, paid emoticons, gifting and business messaging model rather than Free, funded by Meta's advertising business.
Meetings and webinars with a prepared agenda, interactive blocks and a recorded outcome
- Sold on a Per user per month model rather than Free, funded by Meta's advertising business.
- 4 tiers to Messenger's 1.
Every Messenger alternative at a glance
A dash means the catalogue entry carries no figure, not that the answer is nothing.
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Tiers | Head to head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Messenger (this page) | Free | Free, funded by Meta's advertising business | 1 | |
| FacebookIf you want the main social network rather than the standalone chat app | Free | Free, funded entirely by targeted advertising | 1 | vs Messenger |
| Line | Free | Free to download, paid stickers and business messaging tiers | 1 | vs Messenger |
| Free | Free to download, transaction fees on payments | 1 | vs Messenger | |
| Viber | Free | Free to download, paid business messaging and out calls to landlines and mobiles | 1 | vs Messenger |
| KakaoTalk | Free | Free to download, paid emoticons, gifting and business messaging | 1 | vs Messenger |
| Sessions | Free | Per user per month | 4 | vs Messenger |
| Naver Works | Free, then 3000/month | Per user per month | 4 | vs Messenger |
| Kakao Work | Free, then 2400/month | Per user per month | 4 | vs Messenger |
| Novu | Free, then $30/month | Freemium | 3 | vs Messenger |
| Courier | Free | Usage-based | 3 | vs Messenger |
| Textline | Free | Freemium | 3 | vs Messenger |
| Telegram | Free, then $4.99/month | Freemium | 2 | vs Messenger |
| Twist | Free, then $6/month | Freemium | 2 | vs Messenger |
| Vowel | Free, then $16.49/month | Subscription | 3 | vs Messenger |
| Microsoft Teams | Free, then $4/month | Subscription | 4 | vs Messenger |
| Disciple | £599/month | Per month, flat fee with no transaction charge | 3 | vs Messenger |
| Gupshup | $0.001/message | Per message sent | 1 | vs Messenger |
| Mattermost | On request | Quote | - | vs Messenger |
| Google Chat | On request | Subscription | - | vs Messenger |
| LINE WORKS | Free, then 450/month | Per user per month | 3 | vs Messenger |
Ratings are aggregated from third-party sources and imported with each catalogue entry; Softwr hosts no reviews of these products. How each figure is used is set out on the Messenger badges page.
Cheaper ways to solve the same problem
Free to start (16)
These publish a tier that costs nothing, so they can be evaluated before any money changes hands.
- Facebook , Free
- Line , Free
- WeChat , Free
- Viber , Free
- KakaoTalk , Free
- Sessions , Free
- Naver Works , Free, then 3000/month
- Kakao Work , Free, then 2400/month
What you would be giving up
Messenger is most often brought in for messaging friends and family who primarily use facebook rather than a phone number based app, coordinating a buy or sell exchange through facebook marketplace messaging, making free video or voice calls to contacts without needing their phone number, messaging a business through its facebook page for customer service. Anything replacing it has to cover the ones you actually depend on, and a cheaper tool that misses one of them is not cheaper.
Two things this page cannot settle. It compares on price, model, tier count and rating, because those are the fields the category listing carries, feature-level differences need both full records, which is what the head-to-head pages load. And the ratings are third-party aggregates imported with each entry rather than reviews written here, so a 0.2 difference between two tools is noise rather than a finding.
If Messenger is broadly right and the question is cost, the Messenger pricing breakdown covers every tier and what each one adds. If you want the whole field rather than a shortlist, the Communication category lists everything the directory holds, and best communication tools ranks them.
Messenger runs on ios, android, web. Platform coverage is not carried on the category listing for the alternatives, so it is one more thing to check on each head-to-head page rather than here.
Questions about Messenger alternatives
- What are the main alternatives to Messenger?
- 20 other communication tools are listed in this directory, led by Facebook, Line, WeChat, Viber. They are ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry, not by any Softwr ranking.
- What is the best free alternative to Messenger?
- 16 of the alternatives listed here can be used without paying: Facebook, Line, WeChat, Viber, KakaoTalk.
- Why do people look for an alternative to Messenger?
- On the figures on record, one thing stands out: there is only one tier. Each is set out with the numbers behind it above.
- What would I give up by switching from Messenger?
- Messenger is most often brought in for messaging friends and family who primarily use facebook rather than a phone number based app, coordinating a buy or sell exchange through facebook marketplace messaging, making free video or voice calls to contacts without needing their phone number, messaging a business through its facebook page for customer service. Anything you replace it with has to cover the ones you actually rely on, the side-by-side comparisons linked from each alternative below put the two feature records against each other.
- Is there an open-source alternative to Messenger?
- None of the communication tools listed here are recorded as open source. That is what the licence field on each entry says, and the field is not always filled in, so it is worth checking directly for any tool you are serious about.
- How were these Messenger alternatives chosen?
- They are the tools filed in the same category, Communication, ordered by the aggregated rating on each entry. There is no editorial shortlist, and nothing on this page is paid: no sponsored placement runs on alternatives pages and the order cannot be bought. Softwr has not used these products.
- Where can I compare Messenger against one of these directly?
- Every alternative below has a side-by-side page against Messenger covering price, platforms, features and what each one is used for. Those pages read the full record for both products rather than the summary shown here.
- Does this list cover every communication tool?
- No. It covers what this directory holds in the Communication category, 20 tools beside Messenger. The category page lists the rest of the catalogue as it grows.