Video calling has become a mainstay in recent times. The improvement of the internet thus increase in speeds has made video calling an easy and inexpensive thing to do. The popularity of Video calling has meant that there are a lot of apps that offer the service. Here is what I consider to be some of the best video calling apps in the play store.
1. WhatsApp
A very popular name for communication and available for all platforms. It’s popularity gained Facebook attention and they acquired WhatsApp in the year Feb 2014. It became a must-have app for every smartphone user and currently, it has 1.5 Billion active users. This number clearly shows the popularity of the messenger. It is more than a messenger and very less than a social media platform.
The video calling feature introduced in the year 2016. Making video calls on WhatsApp is very easy. Also, the video calling feature is cross-platform supportive, which is an asset for the WhatsApp. It requires an active internet connection, you can use WiFi or mobile data to make video calls on WhatsApp.
Features:
- Free Calls with cross-platform support
- Group chats support.
- You can send and receive various multimedia files.
2. BBM
A very popular messaging service from Blackberry. BBM faced many ups and downs when it relaeased. However, Blackberry introduced many features to compete with the competition. The recent addition was video calling support. It works well for all platforms and the video quality is satisfactory.
3. Hangout
Here’s an app that many of us already have on our phones. This app normally comes pre-installed in many android phones. It’s meant to allow users to communicate via messages or video calls. Video calls on this app can be made via Wi-Fi or mobile network. You can also have up to 10 participants in one conversation sharing photos, emojis, and the rest. I almost forgot the app is also cross-platform. You can video chat no matter the device (smartphone or tablet) you’re using at the moment.
Features
- Can send and receive SMS as well as Hangout messages
- You can use photos, emojis or stickers to speak for you
- Turn a conversation into a video call with up to 10 members
4. Kakao Talk
This app boasts of up to 150 million users worldwide, so you can see how big it is. I personally got to know about this app because of a friend in South Korea. It’s a great game with a ton of features such as group chats, voice filters, and android wear support. I almost forgot, it also works well as far as video calling is concerned.
Features
- It has a large user base
- It has android wear support
- A ton of cool features such as a Voice filter and more
5. Skype
This list wouldn’t be legit if Skype was omitted. With a user base of up to 700 million registered users, it’s no wonder that the app is famous. There are many features that make it stand out. Features such as the VoIP calls to outside numbers, extensive cross-platform support, and the amazing video call feature being just a few.
Features
- Probably the best video and voice call app in the market
- Group video calls with up to 25 people
- Extensive cross-platform support
6. WeChat
There is a desktop as well as the mobile version for this app. It has grown more popular in China in recent years and it doesn’t come as much of a surprise. WeChat does offer great video and voice calling and allows you to find new friends near your locale using the Friend Radar. It’s a great app overall.
Features
- Unique friend radar feature
- You can share your location in real-time
- You can send animated GIFs in chat
7. Messenger
I’m not talking about just any messenger app, it’s none other than Facebook Messenger. Like many of the apps on this list, it has grown in popularity in recent years. The app has been refined to become better and add more features as well. Due to the popularity of Facebook in itself, you don’t have to worry about friends. It also offers video calling and is a great messaging app overall.
Features
- Free calls to your friends
- You can use chat heads to keep the conversation going as you use other apps
- Location feature to let people know where you are
8. OoVoo
Oovoo is great for video calling. It is one of the best video calling app with no brainer. It has a community to connect people around the globe. Coming to the video calling feature, oovoo offers 1 to 1 and a group video call support up to 8 members at a time.
Features:
- Free Video Chat & Free Messaging.
- The app comes with cross-platform, cross-device support.
9. Tango
It is a fantastic feeling to watch the live video call of loving one’s in a long distance. Tango made this simple by it user-friendly video calling features. Aside from its decent video calling and speed, Tango also very special about its stickers, filters and other special features during a video call.
10. Viber
Viber is one of the oldest and most promising communication app available for both Android and iOS. This app is completely free and easy to use. It works with cross-platform support and you can sync conversations between your mobile device and laptop. It also has end-to-end encryption for your conversations privacy and security. Video calling feature is quite simple and the quality of the call is decent on both Wifi and cellular data connections.
11. Snapchat
Apart from filters and fun-filled user-generated content, Snapchat is popular for video calling feature. This feature allows you to make individual calls and group video calls. You can make a video call to a contact or from the person in a group.
12. Line
Line is very popular for its social media integrated utilities. The Line allows users to make posts and activities on the timeline. It works similarly like Facebook with its unique features. Line launched group video calling service in the year 2016. The feature allows making video calls to your friends, colleagues and loved ones with just a tap. It is a perfect video calling app for every video calling user.
13. ICQ
How can we forget ICQ when the topic is about video calling. It is one of the oldest communication app launched in the year 1996. The app has support for Android, iOS, PC, Web, Mac, and Linux platforms. This makes the ICQ one of the features rich video calling client. The cross-platform support has the advantage of easy usability. If the calling person owns an Android, the receiver also doesn’t need to be own Android to receive the call. The caller and receiver can use any of the above-mentioned platforms to make video calls.
14. IMO
15. JusTalk
JusTalk is an excellent app available for video calling. The app promises crystal clear audio and video quality and with many advanced options. You can mute, block or remove attendees during the call. JusTalk is a cross-platform supportive video calling app.
I’d like to recommend Google Duo as the best video call app. It’s a new app in the market from Google and is showing a lot of promise. Try it and let’s know what you think about it.