Communication · head to head
LINE WORKS vs Viber
LINE WORKS
Communication
Business chat built on the LINE interface, aimed at Japanese firms whose staff and customers already use LINE
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Viber
Communication
Messaging app with its strongest user base in Eastern Europe and the Philippines, owned by Japans Rakuten
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: LINE WORKS the external LINE bridge, which is the main reason to choose it, only matters where LINE has consumer penetration, so buyers outside Japan, Taiwan and Thailand are paying for a feature they cannot use.; Viber viber has limited relevance outside its strong regions, so building a communication strategy around it in North America or most of Western Europe reaches almost nobody.
- They diverge on capability: LINE WORKS covers External LINE messaging, Viber covers End to end encryption.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which LINE WORKS and Viber actually diverge.
| Attribute | LINE WORKS | Viber |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per user per month | Free to download, paid business messaging and out calls to landlines and mobiles |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS | iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Web |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Communication).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in LINE WORKS
- External LINE messaging
- Chat and channels
- Voice and video calls
- Shared address book
- Calendar and bulletin board
- Drive
- Business email
- Admin controls
Only in Viber
- End to end encryption
- Communities
- Viber Business Messages
- Free calling
- Self-destructing messages
- Rakuten integration
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
LINE WORKS
- A Japanese retail or service chain whose customers expect to book and enquire over LINE rather than emailnot Viber
- A clinic, dealership or estate agency that needs customer conversations on LINE but under corporate retention and auditnot Viber
- A Japanese SME under 30 staff that wants managed business chat at no licence cost on the free tiernot Viber
- The Japanese subsidiary of a foreign group that needs a local tool for front-line staff alongside the group standardnot Viber
Viber
- A business communicating with customers in Eastern Europe or the Philippines where Viber, not WhatsApp, is the default appnot LINE WORKS
- An individual making cheap international calls to family in a Viber-strong market before switching entirely to data callingnot LINE WORKS
- A brand running a Community channel to reach an established Viber audience in a specific countrynot LINE WORKS
- Someone wanting end to end encrypted chat on by default without configuring anythingnot LINE WORKS
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
LINE WORKS
- The external LINE bridge, which is the main reason to choose it, only matters where LINE has consumer penetration, so buyers outside Japan, Taiwan and Thailand are paying for a feature they cannot use.
- The free tier caps total storage at 5GB across the whole organisation, not per user, so a team sharing photos or documents exhausts it within weeks and is pushed onto a paid plan.
- Business email is only on the Advanced plan at 800 yen per user, so an organisation wanting both chat and mail pays nearly double the Standard rate for every seat including staff who only chat.
- Developer documentation, support and the integration catalogue are strongest in Japanese, which makes it awkward to administer from a non-Japanese IT function.
- It has no serious developer or engineering workflow story, so organisations that also run Slack or Teams for technical teams end up maintaining two chat systems and two directories.
Viber
- Viber has limited relevance outside its strong regions, so building a communication strategy around it in North America or most of Western Europe reaches almost nobody.
- Ownership by Rakuten ties the app to a commerce and points ecosystem, and account data can be linked to Rakuten services in markets where that integration is active.
- Business Messages pricing is metered per message, so a company sending high volumes of promotional content can find costs rise quickly compared with a flat fee model.
- Viber has lost share even in some of its historically strong markets to Telegram and WhatsApp, so its regional dominance is not guaranteed to persist.
- The desktop client depends on the phone app remaining active and connected, which is a limitation for anyone wanting a fully independent desktop messenger.
Pricing, plan by plan
LINE WORKS
Free- FreeFree
- Up to 30 users
- 5GB total storage
- Chat, calls, calendar and address book
- Standard$450/month
- Unlimited users
- 1TB shared storage
- Annual contract price, 540 yen monthly
- Advanced$800/month
- Everything in Standard
- Business email
- 100TB shared storage
Viber
Free- ViberFree
- Free messaging and calling between Viber users
- Viber Out charges per minute for calls to non-Viber phone numbers
- Business Messages priced per message sent to businesses on a metered basis
Which should you pick?
Choose LINE WORKS if
- You need external line messaging.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS.
- You also want chat and channels.
Choose Viber if
- You need end to end encryption.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Web.
- You also want communities.
Questions people ask
- Is LINE WORKS or Viber better?
- Neither clearly leads. LINE WORKS starts at Free and Viber at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, LINE WORKS or Viber?
- LINE WORKS starts at Free and Viber at Free.
- Does LINE WORKS or Viber run on more platforms?
- LINE WORKS runs on Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS. Viber runs on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Web.
- Can I use LINE WORKS for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is LINE WORKS best used for?
- LINE WORKS is most often used for a japanese retail or service chain whose customers expect to book and enquire over line rather than email, a clinic, dealership or estate agency that needs customer conversations on line but under corporate retention and audit, a japanese sme under 30 staff that wants managed business chat at no licence cost on the free tier, the japanese subsidiary of a foreign group that needs a local tool for front-line staff alongside the group standard. Of those, a japanese retail or service chain whose customers expect to book and enquire over line rather than email and a clinic, dealership or estate agency that needs customer conversations on line but under corporate retention and audit are not what Viber is typically brought in for.
- What can LINE WORKS do that Viber cannot?
- LINE WORKS covers External LINE messaging, Chat and channels, Voice and video calls, Shared address book. Viber covers End to end encryption, Communities, Viber Business Messages, Free calling.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
LINE WORKS: Can LINE WORKS really message ordinary LINE users?
Yes. That is its core differentiator and the reason Japanese customer-facing businesses buy it.
Viber: Is Viber end to end encrypted?
Yes, by default for one-to-one and group chats, unlike Telegram where it is opt-in for secret chats only.
LINE WORKS: Is there a free plan?
Yes, up to 30 users with 5GB of total organisation storage.
Viber: Is Viber popular in the United States?
No, it has a comparatively small footprint there. Its real strength is in specific markets including parts of Eastern Europe and the Philippines.
LINE WORKS: Does the Standard plan include email?
No. Business email is Advanced only, at 800 yen per user per month on an annual contract.
Viber: Who owns Viber?
Rakuten Group, a Japanese e-commerce and internet services company, which bought Viber in 2014.
LINE WORKS: Is it worth buying outside Japan?
Generally no. Without the consumer LINE bridge it competes poorly against Slack, Teams or Lark on features and ecosystem.
Related pages
Other head to heads
- LINE WORKS vs Slack
- LINE WORKS vs Chatwork
- LINE WORKS vs Lark
- LINE WORKS vs Naver Works
- LINE WORKS vs Kakao Work
- LINE WORKS vs Line
- LINE WORKS vs Webex by Cisco
- LINE WORKS vs Microsoft Teams
- LINE WORKS vs Flock
- LINE WORKS vs Loom
- LINE WORKS vs WeChat
- LINE WORKS vs Gupshup
- LINE WORKS vs Disciple
- LINE WORKS vs Google Chat
- LINE WORKS vs Grasshopper
- LINE WORKS vs Mattermost
- LINE WORKS vs KakaoTalk
- LINE WORKS vs Messenger
- LINE WORKS vs Chanty
- LINE WORKS vs Sessions
- LINE WORKS vs Signal
- LINE WORKS vs Telegram
- LINE WORKS vs WhatsApp
- Viber vs Slack
- Viber vs Chatwork
- Viber vs Lark
- Viber vs Naver Works
- Viber vs Kakao Work
- Viber vs Line
- Viber vs Webex by Cisco
- Viber vs Microsoft Teams
- Viber vs Flock
- Viber vs Loom
- Viber vs WeChat
- Viber vs Gupshup
- Viber vs Disciple
- Viber vs Google Chat
- Viber vs Grasshopper
- Viber vs Mattermost
- Viber vs KakaoTalk
- Viber vs Messenger
- Viber vs Chanty
- Viber vs Sessions
- Viber vs Signal
- Viber vs Telegram
- Viber vs WhatsApp