The popularity of instant messengers in different countries. Messengers. Is a more striking analogue of Skype

Many of us can no longer imagine life without a telephone and the Internet, and for most people these are the most important tools in their work. In this article, we will analyze the most popular instant messengers in the world and their differences from each other. Indeed, in our time in instant messengers you can not only send text messages, but also make calls, talk via video communication, create your own channels, groups and secret chats.

Viber

One of the most popular and competing messengers is Viber... In 2015, the number of registered users was 600 million. Viber can really be considered a worthy substitute for the legendary Skype, because the program has a conference mode for video calls. Many other famous messengers cannot boast of this "trick". In addition to the user-friendly interface, Viber has a couple more features: the file transfer function and the ability to create public accounts for companies and brands, with the connection of bots and a CRM system. Good news for metropolitan users is that in October 2017, the Wi-Fi network operator in the Moscow metro allowed Viber users to communicate in the messenger without authorization.

Is the top messaging program used in 109 countries around the world. To date, there are over a billion registered subscribers in this network. In 2016, for privacy reasons, the developers of WhatsApp made end-to-end encryption that applies to all sent content: simple and group chats, photos, attachments, voice memos and calls. An important advantage of this program is the reservation of chats on "Google Drive" or "iCloud". But there is also a significant disadvantage - the web version for a PC is possible only when interacting with the phone and provided that the phone is connected to the Internet.

- the most sensational and scandalous project of Pavel Durov. This service initially gained popularity among business users due to its privacy and the ability to create secret chats. Then other interesting functions appeared: forming groups of up to 5000 people, creating bots and public channels, which is very popular among various authors and music lovers. In Telegram, you can now reply in a chat to a specific person using the "@" symbol, delete and make changes in messages already sent, exchange gifs, memes and stickers. So, while there are rumors about the closure of this service in Russia, it is gaining momentum more and more among young people and businessmen.

Facebook Messenger - this service is leading in 49 countries, including Australia, the USA and Canada. It is used by approximately 700 million people. In this messenger, you can immediately see which of your friends are online. Just like in other networks, here you can make calls, send photos, videos, stickers and create group chats. Now, to authorize Messenger, it is enough to indicate only the mobile number; there is no need to have a Facebook page for this. The Facebook M digital assistant located inside the Facebook Messenger program is currently in testing. The service is powered by artificial intelligence like Siri and Google Now.

WeChat Is a fairly well-known Chinese invention. The number of users currently varies around 600 million. This messenger provides for sending text and audio messages, exchanging photos and video files. Among the unusual features are auto-translation from foreign languages, a built-in photo editor, and Facebook integration. Well, that's not all. WeChat is a whole browser with a built-in app store. Users through this service can order food at home, make an appointment with a dentist, transfer money, pay for housing services and many other things.

Is another notable service that has collected 100 million accounts. This application allows you to attach a photo you have just taken to a message, although this function is already available on almost all messengers. But there is an important difference: the sender sets the time during which the picture will be visible on the recipient's screen. After this time, the file will be deleted from the device, but will remain on the central server. Then this image can be viewed no more than once a day. In 2016, the company released glasses equipped with two cameras and LED indicators for recording short videos with further uploading to the network. The cost of this invention is $ 130.

Each of the messengers is unique, they all have different characteristics and tasks, all of them have their pros and cons. So, it's up to you to decide which messenger is the best.

6. Line

This chat, very popular in Japan, is used by 211 million people. Initially, it was intended for mobile phones with Android and iOS operating systems, then a version for BlackBerry, Nokia Asha and Windows Phone appeared. Line is available for Windows and Mac OS computers. The "highlight" of the application is the built-in social network, where you can blog and post comments.

5. Viber

The best creation of Israeli developers is used by 249 million users. The PC application synchronizes the contact list, messages and call log with the host's mobile device and allows free calls to any devices of other Viber users, regardless of the country of location.

Chinese mobile encrypted instant messaging service with 600 million users. From April to July 2015, the number of WeChat users grew by 37%, according to the program's developer, telecommunications company Tencent. The system supports voice and text messages, makes it possible to share photo and video files and exchange contacts via Bluetooth.

The three leaders of the most popular instant messengers in 2015 are headed by a service integrated into the social network Facebook. This application, based on the open protocol MQTT, is used by 700 million users. By comparison, Skype, an Internet telephony service operated by Microsoft Corp., boasts only 300 million users. In 2011, a mobile version was released for BlackBerry, iOS and Android platforms, and in 2012 a version of the messenger for PC appeared. In 2015, users of the service no longer require mandatory registration with Facebook. In order to enter the application, you need to provide a phone number.

Facebook Inc. paid $ 18 billion for the cross-platform WhatsApp application, which currently has more than 800 million people. This is the best messenger in Russia. It has standard messaging functionality as well as the ability to create groups and share video, photo, and audio files. The text can be typed manually or dictated. The program binds to a phone number, not a user ID or nickname, and generates a contact list by scanning the owner's phone book for numbers registered in the system.

The most popular messenger in the worlddeveloped by the Chinese Tencent. Every month, 843 million people exchange secure messages with its help. It has a few cool features such as a built-in software store, real-time translation, capturing a small portion of a chat screen, or recording small video clips and sharing them with the other person.

So far, not a single really popular messenger has been blocked in Russia, so now all Russians have a very rich selection of communication tools for every taste and color. Today, based on the data from the Mediascope activity meter, the top 10 most popular instant messengers in Russia, which are used by all residents of the country, were named. This information sheds light on which messenger is more popular than the other and how much in terms of numbers.

The purpose of the study was not at all to determine the most popular instant messengers in Russia, but to find out the general user base of the Veon service, which was launched by the Beeline operator in July 2017, making it available to all subscribers. Experts wanted to find out how many Russians are actively using it more than three months after its launch. All the data collected by Mediascope is relevant as of October - there is no more recent information yet, and will not be available until the beginning of 2018.

Researchers have found that the total base of active users of the Veon messenger, which has received and opportunities, as of October 2017, is 748 thousand people. All of them are residents of Russia in the age group from 12 to 64 years old. Such statistics allowed this communication tool from the Beeline operator, which he advertised very actively everywhere, starting from federal TV channels and YouTube video hosting, to gain very impressive positions in a short time.

Top 10 most popular messengers in Russia:

WhatsApp - 22 million users;
Viber - 18.9 million users;
Telegram - 7.3 million users;
Skype - 6 million users;
Facebook Messenger - 1.8 million users;
Hangouts from Google - 815.7 thousand users;
Veon - 748 thousand users;
ICQ - 693.7 thousand users;
Google Talk - 508.5 thousand users;
Mail.Ru Agent - 505.6 thousand users.

As you can easily see, the most popular messenger in Russia is WhatsApp, but Viber is stepping on its heels, which is actively used on a regular basis by almost twenty million Russians. Telegram closes the top three most popular means of communication, and Skype is in fourth place. Although he is in the top 5, his audience is shrinking every month, so soon he can fly out of it if he has worthy competitors.

The number of active users of the messenger Facebook Messenger, which is designed to communicate within the world's largest social network, looks ridiculous - less than 2 million people. Google's Hangouts chat service has an even more modest audience - only 816 thousand people. On the seventh line is the "Beeline" Veon, the number of users of which is growing quite actively every month. It is followed by ICQ, Google Talk and Mail.Ru Agent, which are usually used by people of the old school. They are in no hurry to change them to something more modern.

conducted by the mobile operator VimpelCom. According to statistics, at the end of 2016, each Beeline user used more than one messenger on average. This is due to the fact that instant messengers are very convenient: they allow you to quickly and free exchange voice and text messages, emoticons, pictures, GIF-animations and videos.

The high popularity of messengers has made them an attractive marketing channel. Many companies actively use instant messengers to attract and retain customers. For example, they offer website visitors to chat in the messenger instead of online chat. This is convenient for customers, because they do not need to stay on a specific browser tab and wait for a response from the operator.

TOP 5 most popular instant messengers in 2017

According to the research we mentioned above, WhatsApp is the most popular messenger in Russia. 68.7% of customers of the operator "Beeline" used it for correspondence with friends, colleagues, acquaintances. The operator Megafon also confirmed its popularity - according to an internal study, the messenger is popular with 47.6% of subscribers who use messengers at least once a month. And inresearch , published on the website of the agency J’son & Partners Consulting, collected statistics around the world: at the end of 2016, the messenger had more than 1.2 billion registered users.

More than 61 million people have installed the application on Google Play. Over the past 2017, the developers have implemented many good updates. For example, we launched the ability to search for GIF animations directly from the messenger. Messenger users can make calls, exchange files, communicate in group chats for free, linked to a phone number.

In marketing, WhatsApp is used primarily for customer communication, consultation, or mailing.

Viber

Viber ranks second in popularity among instant messengers. Thus, it is used by 45.7% of the users of the VimpelCom operator. It is also in demand among Megafon users - 39.7% of customers use it. In the Google Play catalog, the number of its installations exceeds 10,000,000. The description of the messenger in the catalog indicates that the number of users worldwide exceeds 800 million.

In 2017, Viber developers also keep up with the developers of other applications and offer interesting updates. For example, now the messenger has tips for stickers, the ability to send mailings or respond to a specific message in a group chat. Messenger users can also make calls, including video calls, send text and voice messages, and communicate in group chats.

The main purpose of the Viber messenger in marketing is remote customer support and mailing.

Facebook Messenger

According to a study by J’son & Partners Consulting, the link to which we gave above, Facebook Messenger is the second most popular in the world after WhatsApp. In mid-2016, the number of its users exceeded 1 billion. The number of installations in the Google Play directory exceeded 73 million.

The messenger allows you to chat with friends on the Facebook social network without going into the browser. It also features the ability to share updates, receive notifications about likes and reposts.

Most often, the messenger is used to communicate with users on behalf of the company. Many advanced in the field digital companies create chat bots that answer typical simple questions. This helps to reduce the burden on operators.

Telegram showed the most active growth - in December 2016, the average daily number of users grew by 60.5%. In the Google Play catalog, the number of its installations has exceeded 2,000,000.

In the messenger, you can create group chats and channels, make calls, including video calls, send text and voice messages, communicate with stickers. Communication is free, convenient, fast.

Companies use Telegram to create their channels and remote user support. In this messenger, you can often find chat bots.

Skype

This messenger entered the TOP-5 of the most popular applications worldwide - in 2016, the number of its users exceeded 300 million. 38.3% of VimpelCom subscribers also have this messenger installed. Google Play has over 10 million installations.

The first option that Skype entered the market with is free video calls. In 2017, the developers added emoji, reactions to messages, the ability to share content without leaving the messenger, and many other options.

Many companies use Skype for remote video support for clients, conducting training remote meetings.

What messenger do you think is the future? Who will take the palm in popularity in 2018? Share your opinion in the comments.

The world is becoming more and more communicative and we can no longer imagine our life without these invisible assistants in our daily communication - messengers.

7th place - Snapchat

It is used by about 100 million users. You can use it to send photos, videos and pictures to your contact list. But you cannot communicate simply by text, only "paired" with a visual image. Users set a time limit during which recipients can view their messages. The files are then "vaporized" from the sender's and recipient's device, but not removed from Snapchat's servers.

Snapchat benefits

Fast work;

Front camera support.

Disadvantages of Snapchat

The color scheme and interface design are far from the concept of "adequacy";

Incomplete Russian-language interface

6th place - Line

This much-loved chat room in Japan is used by 211 million people. Initially, it was intended for mobile phones with Android and iOS operating systems, then a version for BlackBerry, Nokia Asha and Windows Phone appeared. Line is available for Windows and Mac OS computers. The "highlight" of the application is the built-in social network, where you can blog and post comments.

BenefitsLine

The application performs data transfer functions, and can also be used as an interesting social network;

The program works on almost all mobile platforms;

Convenient interface.

disadvantagesLine

English menu

5th place - Viber

Photo from the site pcpress.rs

This creation by Israeli developers is used by 249 million users. The PC application synchronizes the contact list, messages and call log with the host's mobile device and allows free calls to any device of other Viber users, regardless of the country of location.

BenefitsViber

Incredibly good quality of communication (it is due to this that Skype is fading into the background);

The ability to work in the background, while not draining the battery;

Integration with the phone book, thanks to which you can see who else is using this service;

Receive call notifications even if the app is not running;
sending images, SMS, location information, as well as making free calls between users of this service;

Calls to mobile and landline phones are provided;

disadvantagesViber

Not found

4th place - WeChat

BenefitsWechat

The presence of a modern Russian interface in the program;

Provides unique opportunities for dating and sharing likes;

Allows you to make audio and video calls;

Suitable for any mobile operating system.

disadvantagesWechat

The inability to set a melody for messages;

You cannot specify a status.

3rd place - Facebook Messenger

Photo from techspective.net

This application, based on the open protocol MQTT, is used by 700 million users. By comparison, Skype, an Internet telephony service operated by Microsoft Corp., boasts only 300 million users. In 2011, a mobile version for BlackBerry, iOS and Android platforms was released, and in 2012 a version of the messenger for PC appeared. In 2015, users of the service no longer require mandatory registration with Facebook. In order to enter the application, you need to provide a phone number.

Benefits of Facebook Messenger

Synchronized well with Facebook: when you receive a message, you go to Messenger, but you can go back and forth to the Facebook feed. But if all this were combined in one application, it would be much more convenient;

The stickers here are extremely diverse. Actually, just one exchange of these funny emoji can be done endlessly;

Minimalist functionality: it's just a messenger, nothing more.

Disadvantages of Facebook Messenger

Not found.

2nd place - WhatsApp

Photo from the site medium.com/@journey

Facebook Inc. paid $ 18 billion for the cross-platform WhatsApp application, which currently has more than 800 million people. It has standard messaging functionality as well as the ability to create groups and share video, photo, and audio files. There is a possibility of fast transmission of audio messages. The program binds to a phone number, not a user ID or nickname, and generates a contact list by scanning the owner's phone book for numbers registered in the system.

Benefits of WhatsApp

Cross-platform and easy customization;

Integration with the address book contact list;

The ability to organize group chats and add media files.

Disadvantages of WhatsApp

Lack of support for other existing platforms such as Samsung Bada.

1st place - QQ Messenger

Photo from imqq.com

The most popular messenger in the world developed by the Chinese Tencent. Every month, 843 million people exchange secure messages with its help.

Benefits of QQ Messenger

Built-in software store;

Real-time translation;

Capture a small part of the chat screen or record small video clips and share them with the other person.

Disadvantages of QQ Messenger

If you have no friends in the Middle Kingdom, then you will have no one to communicate with.

Kazakhstanis have not even heard of some messengers from this list. The first place is occupied by Chinese, which is popular in few places, except for numerous China. But it should be noted that WhatsApp and Viber are just as popular in Kazakhstan as they are around the world. Let's add here Skype, which has also lost popularity in the world, and Facebook messenger.

Private opinions

Aleksey Bendz, director of corporate communications at Beeline Kazakhstan, believes that WhatsApp is the most popular in Kazakhstan, followed by Skype, Viber, M-Agent and Facebook Messenger.

"Mostly popular are instant messengers with support for calls and video chats, in which you can create communities and groups. Like most of Kazakhstanis, I chose WhatsApp. This messaging service has three advantages: the first is the ability to create groups; the second is call support, and the third is - web-version. For example, I can start chatting on a PC, and continue the conversation on a smartphone, "says Alexey.

Olzhas Bibanov, head of the public relations department of Tele2 Kazakhstan, is sure that the reason for the popularity of WhatsApp lies on the surface. In his opinion, initially this messenger was positioned as an application for messages and gave b about more functionality than sms, mms and traditional email. Naturally, such opportunities online were not charged in any way and did not cost anything in comparison with the roaming of cellular operators.

"Viber, on the other hand, positioned itself as a calling application, and the Facebook messenger was born much later than WhatsApp - this explains why they are not as popular as WhatsApp, which together is much more functional than both applications," Mr. Bibanov is sure.