Chatting apps have become a great way to group chat across devices and stay connected. Enjoy our compiled list of the best chatting apps for groups.
There’s a lot to consider when getting into a group chatting system. Some of the first things you’ll want to consider when deciding which group messenger app to use are what kind of group you’re using it for. For instance, a family group chat or a friend group chat might need different things than a workgroup chat. Or if you’re creating a community group chat for a group of people that love to read science fiction, you’ll need very different things in a group chat app than someone who will only be inviting people they know directly to the chat.
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Best Apps for Community Group Chat
If you’re making a group chat for a community group, then you might need a system that allows you to do certain things. For example, you might need the ability to give different group members different roles, like admin permissions for some people, but not everyone. You also might need to set up rules for the group so everyone knows what’s expected of them and the group can remain civil.
If the community group you’re creating is for work then you might need more security in your group chat. You might also want certain extensions like the ability to tag people, assign tasks, or securely share files. A workgroup might also need to be able to set up virtual meetings, which could involve voice and video calls.
Discord
Discord is a great app for all kinds of community groups. It can tackle very large groups of people, and it can also allow group members to remain anonymous in a large setting of online strangers. This can be helpful when you want to gather lots of people together to frequently chat about a topic you all love. The anonymity can also help you gather more group members because more people might feel freer to join without their personal information being seen. Discord also has a night mode and a light mode depending on your preference.
Google Chat
Google messages have been around a long time but it’s recently gone through many updates and changes that make it a great app for any community chat group. Because it’s linked to Google, it has many google add-ons that can help your group stay organized. You can share and save google files on your google group chat and you can even share tasks with the group. So if you need to plan a community service event, you can get all the details down in one group chat for everyone to see.
Best Free Chat Apps for Groups
Not all groups are big enough or complicated enough to need a paid group chatting system. If this is the case for you, then you’re in luck. There are plenty of really great free chat apps for groups out there that don’t include any app purchases. Not all groups need countless extra features and add-ons, but rather, they just need a single place for everyone to meet up virtually and talk.
Facebook Messenger
Facebook Messenger might be one of the most popular group messaging systems. It’s also free! All the members just need to have Facebook Accounts and become friends with each other. There is even a kids version of Facebook Messenger now that allows parents to monitor the group chats their kids belong to. This is great because it can help kids stay connected with their friends while allowing parents the peace of mind of parental controls and monitoring. Facebook Messenger may not have all the add-ons that messengers like Slack have, but for a group with simple messaging needs, this platform does the trick. Facebook Messenger also lets you choose between night mode and light mode.
GroupMe
If you and your community members would rather stay away from Facebook then no worries, there are plenty of other simple and free group chat apps to use. GroupMe is a great messenger for groups that don’t have a ton of special requirements. You all just need to download the GroupMe app and the group creator can send invites to all the members. Simple as that!
Best Apps for Everyday Group Messaging
Not all messaging needs include groups. Sometimes you just need an everyday group messaging system to keep in contact with all your friends and family members.
SMS Apps
Your phone’s SMS apps are often a great place for casual group messaging. But many of them don’t have desktop apps or browser apps. This can make it difficult to transition seamlessly between devices as you do every day chatting all day long. But if you only really do your everyday chatting on your phone, then a simple SMS mobile app will do just fine.
If you do need something that you can use between devices, no matter who you’re talking to, then WhatsApp is a great solution for this. This app will let you message anyone else that has the WhatsApp app. You just need to be friends in order to talk to each other. WhatsApp is great because it will also let you talk to people internationally as well. WhatsApp is also one of the more highly customizable group mms apps out there with many different background material designs to choose from.
Best Group Apps for Workplace Chat
When you need a good group chat or group messaging system for work you want it to be the best. You want it to have all the professional communication features you could ever need in the best chatting app for work.
Slack
Slack is a great group chat app for workgroups and community groups. Not all of its features are free, especially the bigger your group, but for a professional setting Slack can really come in handy. Slack allows file sharing, screen sharing, video calls, and voice calls. You can also set up multiple channels for your different teams at work. If you have a community you’d like to organize into different chat channels, Slack could also be a good choice for you. On Slack, you can also schedule messages in case you need to write a message now, but have it sent in the morning.
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is Microsoft’s group messaging system for professional settings. It is mostly designed for workplace chat, but some community groups could also benefit from its features. A unique feature of Microsoft Teams is that you can connect your work calendar or group calendar to the chat app. So if your community group has a lot of events to plan, this app might be especially helpful with that.
Best Group Texting Apps
The texting app that comes with your phone can be great, but it doesn’t always work for all scenarios. If you’re an Apple user it can be hard messaging Android users because android messages don’t have the exact same features including Apple-specific instant messaging features. Your text messaging app might also not be as secure as you’d like it to be. It also might not come with a desktop version so you can transition conversations seamlessly between devices while still using the same app. These are all the reasons you still want to look for the best texting app regardless of what your phone comes with.
Signal
Signal is a top-rated texting app for its security features. So long as you are messaging between other Signal users, all your text messages will automatically be secure. Signal also has a great desktop app you can download, and it's free for everyone to use.
In Conclusion,
Useful group message apps can be essential to getting good work done, or organizing a successful community group. Don’t miss out on all the features you could ever want and research the best chatting app for you and your group today.
