Best chat software for windows

Clash of Clans. Subway Surfers. TubeMate 3. Google Play. Biden to send military medical teams to help hospitals. GameStop PS5 in-store restock. N95, KN95, KF94 masks. Microsoft is done with Xbox One. Windows Windows. Most Popular. New Releases. Desktop Enhancements. Networking Software. Trending from CNET. Skype Classic Free. Expand boundaries and reach out to limitless opportunities for instant worldwide communication.

Google Hangouts Free. It's no surprise that FaceTime should appear on this list of the best video chat apps. Apple's software wasn't the first in video chatting, but it was the one that started it all for mobile users, and led the industry toward making video chat easier and more accessible.

Today, FaceTime is preinstalled on all Apple hardware and supports a number of really fun and useful features, from cute Animojis, Memojis and stickers to allowing up to 32 people on a single call. And because FaceTime also has a voice call component — FaceTime Audio — you can easily route calls over data or Wi-Fi whenever you like, where your conversations will sound infinitely better than they do over your cellular provider's voice network.

The only downside to FaceTime is of course that you'll only get the full experience on Apple hardware, including iPhones and Macs. Android and Windows users can join in calls from a web browser, but they can't actually host them.

Still it's better than being completely locked out, as was the case before. The beauty of using Facebook Messenger for video chat is that you're probably already signed up to use it.

As long as you have a Facebook account and the Facebook Messenger mobile or web app, you can start video chatting with your Facebook friends right now. Even if you had a Facebook account at one time and have since deactivated it, you can still use Messenger.

Just tap the little video camera icon in the upper-right corner of the screen, and you can start a call with an individual or chat group. And just like Skype, up to 50 people can be present on a Facebook Messenger video call at the same time — a good sight greater than the maximum 32 video chatters supported by Apple's FaceTime and Google Duo.

Plus, even while you video chat, you can still use Facebook Messenger's myriad other functions, like sending chat messages, stickers and so on. WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging alternatives on smartphones today, both because you can join with only a phone number and because many of your friends and family are probably already using it.

Up until recently, WhatsApp's video calling feature wasn't the most robust out there. But that changed once the max participant limit was raised to 50, thanks to an integration with Facebook Messenger's new Rooms feature. WhatsApp video calls are also end-to-end encrypted, just like chat messages. In other words, you'll never have to worry about any of your conversations being intercepted by nefarious interlopers. Previously video calling was also only available on mobile devices, but recently that changed.

It is possible to make and receive video calls through WhatsApp's desktop client. Everything works exactly the same way, the only difference if you're using a desktop instead of a mobile device.

While primarily aimed at businesses and professionals, there's still a Microsoft Teams can offer. Especially if you ever plan on getting together in particularly large groups. The free tier lets you have up to people in a call, which should be more than enough for even the largest of family reunions. Unlike Microsoft-owned Skype, Teams also comes with some professional tools that you may still find useful talking with other.

Tools like screensharing, background blur, and noise-suppression software powered by Teams' own AI. It even connects to Office, and is included in an Office plan, in case that's ever relevant outside of the office. Best of all, it just works. Get Discord.

Data privacy has become a huge concern for many people, and since more people distrust social media than ever, relying on apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger both owned by Facebook is less than ideal. Signal is an open-source secured messaging app that has end-to-end encryption for every single conversation you have.

The only data it collects is your phone number, which is necessary for obvious reasons. But there are no email signups, no subscriptions, and no data tracking. Signal is also great for phone calls and even video conferences. Get Signal. Skype has become a pain point for many in the professional world, but luckily Microsoft has a far more competent option that will serve most teams very well.

Microsoft Teams has become a full-fledged team chat and productivity app. Like most chat clients, it lets users communicate one on one or in a variety of groups called Teams, if you can believe it. Teams also lets you share tasks, create wikis for different teams, and even make video and audio calls.

A quick overview has been provided below. One of my favorite features on Slack is the search system. When you have ongoing tasks within one project, it becomes very easy to lose important files or messages.

With the search feature, you can track down anything within seconds. Slack is also geared up to be customizable to a way that suits you thanks to support bots and third party apps. The Slack bots, in particular, take my interest.

For example, bots like Diggbot and GrowthBot can help you to find trending content or topics. Or what about Eventbot Calendar? With this, you can use text commands to easily set up meetings or reminders for dates. Discord, in many ways, shares similarities with Slack. You have the same multi track channel support, and there are dozens of bots and app integrations available. Discord does have some differences, though.