Viber WhatsApp and others. Safety and ease of use. Paid and free

And many others. We will not touch messengers that are popular only in certain countries and regions (Chinese WeChat, Polish Gadu-Gadu or Vietnamese Zalo and many others). Let's look at the good and bad of global messengers.

Let’s say right away: it will not be possible to clearly determine which is better – Skype, Viber or WhatsApp. Each service has its pros and cons. They all offer demon toll calls and messages within the network, and some also provide paid calls to regular phones.

The world's first service that provided high-quality voice and then video communication for free. Now this product of Estonian developers belongs to Microsoft and is part of Windows, and the business version is included in Microsoft package Office. Basic package offers voice and video calling, messaging, file sharing, and OneDrive integration.

IN Lately there have been scandals in Skype's reputation. Either Microsoft disables Skype for smart TV (and people bought cameras specifically for it!), then there are security problems, then unstable connection. Nevertheless, the stereotype remains that “serious people communicate on Skype.” And your parents are already used to it, right?

Pros of Skype:

• Traditionally this is the business standard for remote communication
• Clients for all operating systems, and Windows is pre-installed
• There are calls to regular numbers
• Unlike WhatsApp/Viber, Skype is not tied to a phone number

Minuses:

Minuses:

• No calls to phone numbers, even for money
• Little media content

Viber

Historically, this messenger is popular in the post-Soviet space and the Middle East. It is not surprising: after all, its development was carried out in Israel and Belarus. In many ways, it repeats WhatsApp (linked to a phone), but, for example, video calls in Viber appeared earlier.

Pros:

• Linking to a number and simple registration
• Lots of media content
• There are calls to external numbers
• Cute stickers

Minuses:

• Somewhat overloaded with media options

Telegram

It combines, one might say, the best of all worlds. Unlike Viber/Whatsapp, Telegram does not display your number, although the account is linked to your phone. There are also calls and messages here, as well as groups, public channels, games and even your own publishing system. And soon the creator of the project, Pavel Durov, even promises to launch his own cryptocurrency.

He played a bad joke on the project strong point– security. Telegram is loved, for example, by terrorists and drug traffickers. But you won't punch bookmarks through it, right?

When it comes to instant messengers, three of the most popular ones immediately come to mind: popular applications- , Whatsapp and Skype. Each of these options has its own advantages and features.

Similarities and differences

First, let's talk about the similarities. All these programs can be installed on a smartphone. At the same time, it is possible to install them on both IOS and . The similarities go on:

• Ability to create group chats.
• Possibility of exchange voice messages, files and emoticons.
• Quickly search for contacts.
• Ease of use.
• An opportunity that users will see.
• A huge number of settings.

As for the differences, you need to carefully read all the advantages and features of each program to see the difference. And also so that you, a potential user, understand which application will be better for you!

Viber

The main advantage of the program is beautiful emoticons and the ability to install on both a smartphone and a PC. Emoticons can be updated periodically. Some of them are even free. Viber is quickly installed on the OS and synchronized with contacts from your phone book. There is no need to look for anyone.

The disadvantage is the fact that to communicate with a friend you need one important condition– your friend should also use this application. Otherwise, you won’t be able to contact via Viber. Let's say right away that both Whatsapp and Skype have the same drawback. .

Skype

The program is quite different from Whatsapp and Viber. Firstly, the application has where larger size. Secondly, to register you need to come up with unique name. Thirdly, it is necessary good internet for communication. All this can be safely attributed to shortcomings. Advantages:

• Possibility to communicate via video call.
• There is no connection to any specific device.
• The program can be installed anywhere: from a smartphone to a smart TV.
• Ability to make calls to landlines.

Whatsapp

This program is somewhat reminiscent of Viber. Until recently, it could not be installed on a PC. The developers have eliminated this drawback. Advantages of the application:

• Low battery consumption.
• Simple interface.
• Synchronization with contacts from the address book.
• Support for group chats.

Messengers have replaced SMS, phone conversations, and for some people even live communication. According to recent studies, 60-70 million people use messengers in Russia.

We explored far and wide the most popular messengers- “Viber” and “Whatsapp” - and found in them useful features, which almost no one uses. Our material is about them.

Lifehacks that work on both WhatsApp and Viber

Hide from other users when you were in the messenger and looked at their messages

Don't you like it when your activity in applications is visible to others? Do you want to ignore other people's messages without a subsequent showdown? Turn on stealth mode.

"Whatsapp" Go to Settings > Account> Confidentiality. Choose who should see your time last visit, photo and status. Here you can turn off read receipts. But keep in mind that you will also stop seeing when they read your messages.

"Viber" In Viber, go to Settings > Privacy. Here you can disable the “Online” status and message read notifications (you will also lose this feature).

Chat via messengers on your computer

If you very actively use instant messengers, then a smartphone often becomes not enough. You will find their desktop versions useful. Still, typing with ten fingers is much faster than with two.

"Whatsapp" The web version of WhatsApp is implemented simply and elegantly: go to the website web.whatsapp.com > open the application on your smartphone > on an iPhone go to settings, on an Android device in the menu > further to WhatsApp Web> scan the QR code.

"Viber" With Viber it’s more complicated: you need to install its program on your computer. But through Viber Desktop, as well as from the application, you can make audio and video calls.

Don’t fill your device’s memory with photos and videos from instant messengers

It is unknown what motivated the creators of instant messengers, but by default, media files from chats are saved in the general photo stream of the smartphone. This strange setting is especially loved by spammers who send out business card pictures. Luckily, it's easy to turn it off.

On WhatsApp open Settings > Chats and deactivate the “Save” item. entrance. files".

In Viber find Settings > Multimedia > turn off “Save to gallery”.

Send chats to your email

On WhatsApp chats are sent separately. Go to the right conversation, tap the contact or group name (on iOS) or the menu (on Android) and tap “Send by Email.” Specify whether you want to forward files from the chat.

In Viber all chats are sent at once, but only the text part. You can find this feature in Settings > Calls and messages > Send message log.

Life hacks only for WhatsApp

Turn off notifications from annoying interlocutors and groups

Tap the contact name or group name and click “Do not disturb.” Choose a period to ignore.

Add important contact to home screen

This can only be done on Android devices. Go to the desired chat, press the menu button and select “Add shortcut”.

See when the interlocutor received and read the message

A slightly paranoid function allows you to see when the message arrived to the interlocutor and when he deigned to read it. On iOS this information appears if you move the right cloud to the left. On Android, you need to hold your finger on the message, and then press the letter “i” at the top.

Write to yourself

It's always a pleasure to correspond with interesting person. In addition, autochat can be used to save photos, links, messages, audio notes, that is, as a notebook.

Add messages to favorites

If you need a message in the future, add it to your favorites. Touch and hold the desired cloud, then tap the star. On iOS, favorite messages can be found in two places: everything is stored in general settings; from a specific contact - in his profile. On Android, tagged messages are stored in one place: Chats > Menu > Favorite messages.

Set individual notifications to important contacts

To highlight messages from important interlocutors in the general notification stream, set a specific sound for them. Inside the chat, tap on the contact’s name and go to “Notifications”. Choose your favorite message sound.

Our editorial team continues to review the Internet for operating Android systems. In previous articles we talked about the textual component of such top programs like Skype, Viber and WhatsApp, alternative solutions Messenger Facebook, ICQ and Line, as well as lesser-known but no less interesting imo, Tango and WeChat, universal Xabber, Mail.Ru Agent and IM+, popular Hangouts, Telegram and 4talk Messenger. It's time to check out their voice and video capabilities.

We will go in the same order, starting with the top and alternative programs. And since the main functions and application settings were discussed in previous reviews, we will not repeat ourselves, but will move directly to testing. At the same time, we will assess the load on the system and network, understand the tariffs, as well as the most important thing - the quality of voice and video calls.

The test equipment used was a DEXP Ursus 8EV2 3G tablet (Android 4.4.2, MT8382 processor, 4 x 1300 MHz, 1 GB RAM).

Skype

If a person asks to call him via the Internet, then an association with Skype naturally arises in his head. Yes, indeed, the program has become a cult tool for communication, first of all via video, and then through voice call, and to a lesser extent through text messages.

Sometimes an ignorant person calls all video calls through any application “Skype,” but this is already in the realm of jokes, so let’s move on to the debriefing.

Tariffs and services

Skype offers a free first month of calls to mobiles and landlines for trial. In this case, you automatically become a subscriber to the “Mir” tariff plan with a fee of 10.49 euros per month. Of course, you can unsubscribe from this option, but you must do this within 27 days, otherwise your bank card Your monthly payment will be automatically debited.

Not without pitfalls – unlimited calls in Russia are available only to landline phones, but you can call mobile phones only in Hong Kong (SAR), Guam, Canada, China, Puerto Rico, Singapore, USA and Thailand.

Costs and tariffs are shown above in the screenshots. Please note that the minimum call cost ( per minute billing) on landline phone(in Russia) is 1.7 cents, for mobile – 7.4 cents. Minimum package minutes to landlines (equal to 120 minutes) costs 1.29 euros, to mobile phones 60 euros/month for 60 minutes.

For example, you can call to the States cheaper, that is, 60 minutes for 89 cents per month (for all phone form factors), to China - exactly the same, but the package includes 120 minutes, but a call to Germany is even less - only 49 cents for two hours of conversation per month, but only for a hospital. In the case of mobile and home numbers, you will have to pay 2.69 euros for 60 minutes per month.

Not without gift cards, the cost of which ranges from 10-60 US dollars. By the way, if you have subscribed to one of the unlimited tariff plans and decided to set up a small call center or auto-call, then you won’t have to use the freebie for a long time - they will definitely ban you.

Calls

As for calls - both to mobile and landline phones - there are no complaints. Of course, we didn’t call in Zimbabwe, but the quality of communication in Russia is excellent.

True, it is best to talk through a headset, since when calling a hospital in the small town of Zarinsk, in the Altai Territory, the voice was muffled, as if they were talking to a bunker, but this can be attributed to the local telephone exchange.

Everyone knows the quality of video calls on Skype. Naturally, it all depends on the connection speed on both ends, as well as front cameras, but we think these aspects do not need to be explained to the reader.

By the way, the application has separate option– Skype Wi-Fi, which allows you to automatically join free points access or pay for paid Wi-Fi zones from your Skype wallet. Well, it’s very convenient.

Now about the load on the system. With a video connection, it is 109.6 MB with zero per processor, which is not so different from the base one of 0-0.7% / 78-90 MB.

Naturally, if you start a video conference, the indicator will creep up, but this is not so scary. For example, Line produced 0%/100-123 MB when working with messages, but we’ll talk about it later.

As for incoming and outgoing traffic, if you want to use Skype often, you should switch to unlimited Internet. In the unfortunate 18 seconds of video, 10 MB were consumed on the outgoing connection and 1.5 MB on the incoming one. But voice call consumes mere pennies, around one fifth of a video call, which is understandable.

conclusions

Still, Skype is more intended for a business environment than for ordinary users. By the way, and corporate solutions There is. In this case, it is most profitable to communicate via intercom, both voice and video.

Regarding calls to landlines and Cell phones in Russia, it is more profitable to call abroad than to your native land. In the latter case, he wins again landline connection, which is closer to the corporate environment than to the average user.

Otherwise, everything is fine: resource consumption has not increased much, the quality of communication, both internal and external, is excellent, but you will have to give up the per-megabyte tariff and switch to full unlimited - the application eats decently. In general, not the best perfect solution for mobile devices.

For individual user a specific messenger may be optimal for certain purposes, so the result of reasoning on the topic is that better Viber or Skype - varies greatly from person to person. Moreover, the smartphone and PC versions of the same application sometimes have significant differences. For this reason, some users prefer to install one messenger on their computer and use another on their phone.

There are a lot of subtleties in choosing a utility, so full review popular programs for communication and exchange various information must be multi-component. Several aspects of the study should be highlighted functional features messengers, among them it is necessary to consider the possibilities

• The maximum number of users present in group chat.
• Making group calls.
• Video communications.
• File sharing.
• Sound and wallpaper settings.

With such a large-scale analysis, the data obtained can be considered objective, and choosing the most suitable service for yourself will not be difficult. In addition to the listed functionality, you will also need to study information about popularity different versions programs for PCs and smartphones. Statistical data will allow you to summarize the results of the analysis.

Selecting a universal application: Skype Viber or Whatsapp

When comparing the recognized titans of our time, one cannot lose sight of the fact that two out of three messengers were released less than ten years ago. Over the course of its existence, each application has undergone significant changes. In a highly competitive environment, maintaining a leading position is possible only by systematically achieving excellence. functionality.

• By maximum number WhatsApp is superior to Viber among users present in a group chat: 100 people versus 15 - an obvious advantage of the first messenger. However, Skype leaves far behind Whatsapp in this aspect, allowing group communication for 300 users at once.
• When it comes to making group calls, Skype again occupies the leading position. Two other applications do not support the affected feature.
• Video calling is not available only on WhatsApp.
• File exchange is possible in any of the instant messengers under consideration, but you must take into account that working with documents in to a large extent It’s more convenient on Skype than on Viber or Whatsapp.
• Setting up sounds and wallpapers is available to users of Viber and WhatsApp and is not available to users who prefer the single-variant design of Skype.

The preliminary result of the comparison of instant messengers allows us to note without any doubt the superiority of Skype over other programs in four out of five functional aspects. However, there is no need to rush to conclusions. The leader of the initial rating appeared in 2003, and the developers had time to improve the service.

Popularity of programs for smartphones and PCs

As for bare statistics, by number active users Whatsapp leaves its competitors far behind, which is used daily by 70% custom audience 900 million people. Every day, 30 billion messages are sent to the service and 1 million new users are registered.

Viber is in second place with 608 million registered users. 336 million people or 12% of smartphone owners actively use the service. It is noteworthy that the servers with the personal data of Russians registered in the messenger are located on the territory of the Russian Federation.

Skype ranks third in popularity: there are 300 million active users, 5 million of whom use the program daily for 3 billion minutes.

By comparing the results of the analysis of functional features and statistical data on demand mobile versions and PC versions, it can be argued that well-thought-out functionality is not a 100% guarantee mass distribution. Competent promotion WhatsApp applications made it possible to reach almost a billion people over the 9 years of the service’s existence—simply a colossal audience.

Start using applications

Touching upon key differences between the described messengers, one cannot say nothing about the method of registration in the services. Skype does not require any required input mobile number phone. Registration here occurs in the traditional way - by e-mail. To authorize, you must enter your login and password.

Comparing Viber and WhatsApp in this regard is unjustified, since in both applications you need to enter your number. A huge plus this method registration - quick start programs and automatic transfer of contacts from the smartphone’s phone book to the service’s contact list. Remembering the tricky search Skype user by login, you involuntarily think about the possibility automatic transfer contacts from your smartphone.

At first glance, it is not easy to understand any of the compared messengers, however, this is not so. How to send text and audio messages, photos and video materials, it becomes clear within a couple of minutes after getting acquainted with the application. For this reason, one should not talk about the simplicity of one utility and the complexity of another. Some find it easier to work with Skype, some with Viber, and others with Whatsapp - this is natural.

Audio quality

Considering popular instant messengers as a service for voice communication, it is necessary to touch upon the qualitative aspect of providing communication. Of course, the connection speed, and therefore the sound quality, depend on the characteristics of the Internet connection. However, testing under the same conditions on Viber and Skype gave radically different results.

In the first case, the sound during communication was excellent quality, it seemed that the person with whom there is a conversation going on, is in the next room. The Viber developers managed to achieve such a stunning result by using their own audio compression algorithm. Even in conditions unstable internet connection the application continues to maintain excellent audibility of the interlocutor in a conversation.

The creators of Skype are not ready to boast of introducing any special technology that makes the service special. The program is often capricious: the sound appears and then disappears. If, in addition to the review of functionality, we also touch upon the quality of video communication, Skype will remain, if not far behind, then at least one step behind its “young” counterparts.

Instead of an afterword

Summing up the comparison of Viber and WhatsApp, it is worth emphasizing once again that the preferred choice of messenger for a smartphone and PC is purely individual for each user. Each service has both significant advantages and obvious disadvantages, so we can clearly state that we are ahead of the rest specific application, definitely not worth it. Having full knowledge of the features of program functionality, you can successfully use each information exchange channel to achieve specific goals.

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