Messenger – Text and Video Chat for Free

Functionality — 5/5

Facebook’s ubiquity is what makes this app very functional and convenient to use. You won’t have to invite your friends here since they most likely use it already. You can find here anyone you want and even if somehow someone is not here, the integrated SMS service allows you to send them messages from the same screen. It’s hard to find a messenger that would be more convenient.

Design — 5/5

Messenger has tons of features but those don’t crowd every page of your screen. The reason behind it is a large budget that Facebook invests in the usability of its app. It took more than 3 years and multiple tests by designers, human-behaviour researchers and feedback from users to make the design as clean and useful as it can be. It’s very noticeable when you try to compare it with sister apps and see how messy those can be.

Usability — 5/5

The most widely used way of messaging is through texting. However, here you can also send recordings, videos and hundreds of different emojis. In case you accepted payment option you can even send money through it to other users as well as dozens of cute little images called Stickers. You can find something that suits you perfectly and will make your conversations little more interactive. While making a thorough Messenger review It’s important to mention that it can be integrated with third-party apps like Uber or Giphy which makes it more convenient to use them.

In case you’re not much of a fan of texting you can interact with friends using video chats and VoIP calls. It’s even possible to organize group calls, but without video. It also has different chatbots that you can interact with to get the most relevant information. Finally, if you worry about the privacy, you can enable secret conversations that are encrypted end-to-end so that no one even law enforcement nor Facebook will be able to see them. 

Cross-platform use — 5/5

Facebook Messenger can be downloaded on almost any platform you can think of including Web and even Windows Phone in case someone is using it. Of course, the most popular versions are for Android and iOS. These are getting all the updates first. No matter how old is your device, most likely you can download messenger to it. It’s probably a gold standard in terms of how cross-platform usage should look like.

In-app purchases

Facebook messenger is completely free on any device. It does show you relevant ads though even in your conversations. Regarding in-app purchases, everything is not as clear as it may seem. Facebook doesn’t sell you anything here but you can make in-app purchases through services that are integrated into messenger by other companies. Like ordering food from Burger King or hailing an Uber without the need in a dedicated app.

The Bottom Line

Facebook Messenger is probably one of the most advanced and convenient ways to communicate over SMS, text, voice, video or encrypted messages. It has tons of extra features, emojis, stickers and integration with third-party apps that make the whole experience very intuitive and pleasant. However, the best thing about it is that most likely everyone you know already has downloaded Messenger and you can reach them in a few seconds.