to share your screen with othersand encryptcalls. You can even
record calls shouldyou wish to. There’s a noisesuppressionand echo
cancellingability, as well as basicfile sharing.
Tox
tox.chat
With the increasinggrowthof datasharingand more open
applicationsbeingmadeavailableonline,manyusersdon’t feel as
secure as they couldbe usingserviceslike Skype(especiallyafter
its purchaseby Microsoft)and so look for secure alternatives.This
is where an app like Tox comesin. Tox is a very secure chat tool
that offers voiceand videocalls to otherTox users,as well as the
usualassortmentof socialnetworkingfeatures like file sharing,
emojiand so on. There’s nothingfeature-wisethat standsout
here, but it’s all solidand workswell.
The majordifferenceis Tox’s use of encryptionto secure your
communications.Indeed,this is whatTox revolvesaround,and
althoughthe core features are fairlysimple,they’re wrappedup
in rock-solidprotection,ensuringno one will intrudeor spy on
yourconversations.
Slack
slack.com
This is a different applicationto the otherson this list, as it’s not
actuallya chat applicationas such.Instead,Slackis a hub of sorts
that gatherstogethera rangeof third partyapps into a suite of tools.
This openapproachmeansyou get a far more variedand feature-rich
experience,one that makesuse of someof the best toolsaround.
The programis able to makeuse of Google’s apps,such as
Hangoutsfor voiceand videochat,GoogleDrivefor sharing,as well
as otherservices,such as DropBox,DataDogand GoSquared. It can
also search your conversationsfor specificwords. It’s an interesting
approachto the market,and thanksto the modularuse of otherapps,
it’s one of the more flexiblearound.WeChat
web.wechat.com
Possiblythe mostsocialmedia-centricapp in this selection,WeChat
is a true chat app for the Facebookgeneration,and it incorporates
features that integrateit with the mostpopularsocialmediaoutlets.
Alongsidevoice,videoand text chat – whichincludesgroup chat- it can be used to share photosand videosdirectly to your social
networkingapps,includingFacebook.You can also use the ‘Shake’
functionto find peoplein closeproximityto chat with.An odd feature
is the ‘DriftBottle,’whichlet’s you send a messagethat driftsaround
in the etheruntil someonepicksit up, just like a messagein a bottle.
Vsee
vsee.com
Vsee is an app that’s more focusedon group communication,being
used primarilyin medicine,but it’s still very usefulfor standard home
use as it possessessomegreat features that help it competewith
other, more popularoptions.For one, it offers the usualunlimitedcalls,
both singleand group, as well as file sharingand instantmessaging.iJitsiiSlackiWeChatiTox