It’s tough choosing one, especially since there are so only minor differences between them, that make a HUGE difference. Whatsapp is the undisputed cross-platform mega-beast. It’s easy and automatic contact-fetching can be figured out by any dummy, making it good at the most vital feature of a mobile messenger: universality.
However, it is glitchy and counts mainly on the spiritual world to predict whether or not an IM was sent, delivered and read. Kik is lightning fast, with the BBM s d and r symbols that make it so handy, so does LiveProfile.
Anyway, based on my trials with these apps on my Android Galaxy S and Nokia e7, I’ve drawn up this simple table:
For now, it’s really a race between Whatsapp and Kik. However, I don’t like to choose, for if you settle for whatsapp, you settle for snail-powered chat, though one that all your friends can use. If you stick to kik, you’re gonna lose all your BB slave friends and Sybian Nokia users, but you do get lightning-fast chat capabilities with your iOS and Android buddies. So, download all 4 if you can, like I have on my Android, and keep your options open!
Or, wait till RIM ends it’s silly suspense-game and tells us when it is releasing the BBM for Android and iOS devices!
Read: Kik vs. Whatsapp and BBM Coming to Android and iOS
Update: Kik is back on BB! Read more here. Thanks Sh4do3
![993788_10152879042135361_676179668_n[1]](http://ginoraidy.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/993788_10152879042135361_676179668_n1.jpg?w=110&h=110&crop=1)
Concerning the price of Whatsapp:
I use whatsapp for free on my blackberry they never asked me to pay !
And most of the people I know are in the same situation…
That’s weird
Expressjr, whatsapp allows you to use it for free, for 12 months. After which, you need to pay 1$ (which is nothing, but still).
Unless you download an unlocked paid version, like I did on my Android =P
good one gino
It’s been more than a year I’m using it =P
Maybe I downloaded the unlocked version without knowing it =P
you need to buy whatsapp after a year using it? Can’t you simply change the date shortly before the one year mark? :p
its only 1 dollar rat!!!
U shld maybe at talkbox to that review
Talkbox? I’ll try that!
Thanks Jack!
Another important detail to consider is sending and receiving media. Live profile works great for me on BB but I always switch to Whatsapp to send photos or voice messages.
Great review!
Why doesn’t Whatsapp allow for Read notification? Seems strange..to they not have that so they won’t get sued by RIM like Kik did?
I’m trying out LiveProfile on a BB Curve 9300 and an Ipod Touch 3.
BB: I’ve noticed one glitch, when you get a notification of having received a message, if you click on it, it doesn’t do anything (whereas say you get a BBM or txt message notification, if you click on the notification it will take you to it)..you need to manually switch to the program to see the message.
Ipod Touch 3: -The vibrate function doesn’t work, because the Touch 3 doesn’t have a vibrate motor built into the device.
- Can’t change the sound notification for when you get a mssg. Very weak. Cause the default sound notification is very short, just a quick ping. Could easily miss it.
- Was very impressed that if you have the app closed, an on-screen notification will come across the screen with the message. Was afraid it would be like MSN Messenger (aka. Windows Live Messenger).
– with this feature there is a glaring weakness…when you are outside of the app and get the message via on-screen notification..it doesn’t tell the sender that it was read (even tho you can see the full message on-screen)..you have to actually go inside the app and see it for it to be considered ‘read’. That should be fixed.
-another issue with this on-screen notification is that I noticed it missed creating a few notifications for test messages I was sending it with my Curve. It was about 2 out of 11 messages. It needs to be 100% accurate on creating a notification..this is not hard whatsoever to do…
general: LiveProfile doesn’t have a group chat. Would be an easy add.
Also Gino: where’s your review of ‘PingChat!’? It’s a cross-platform mssging system. I’m gonna look into it..so far it looks like it should be included in the mix of the big players that you have reviewed here.
Also, why did you say it’s between WhatsApp and Kik? I think LiveProfile is better than than both. WhatsApp blows because it doesn’t have ‘read’ or ‘delivered’ notifications. And Kik blows cause it skips out on BB devices. WhatsApp does support Symbian, but not many people that I know of use Symbian anymore. Pretty much everybody that I know now has a BB, Android, or Iphone.
Blame BB for no Kik. RIM removed their app and tried to sue them.
For Whatsapp, once 12 months pass, all you have to do is download it again, thats what i do
What’s wrong with people like you that use a product, but can’t afford to spend $1 to the people that developed it?
So how many of these are going to survive after the arrival of Facebook Messenger?
Kik was just re-released for BB – http://crackberry.com/messaging-app-kik-makes-its-triumphant-return-blackberry
Never used anything but What’sApp at this point. Just keeping your article current.
Thanks!
Interesting that Kik is back. I wonder how it compares to PingChat!. That’s what I have been using. I say it’s the best imo out of any of the 4 you reviewed here (LiveProfile is 2nd best). WhatsAPP sucks i must reiterate..it doesn’t have sent or read notifications.
+ the elephant in the room, why did RIM allow KIK back on? I checked the crackberry that sh4do3 posted and it wasn’t discussed at all!
Whatsapp is really cool, because, I could chat with all pals on all types of OS or smartphones, regardless. As for d others, they might be good, but they should consider working on all types of phones so that we wont need to install different apps to chat with pals that have different mobile OSs.
I just want to know if there is a scam or hoax go around with whatsapp that you have to send to your friends and family to update there whatsapp otherwise you loose it completely.it show a green tick if you did it I jsut want ot make sure nobody can hoax into your phone.Please let me know on the e-mail I gave below please.
Regards,Tina.
That is pure nonsense being forwarded between people which was probably started by some moron. Don’t forward those messages and ask all your contacts not to either.
Thanks Ritesh for the info. I have just start on my new Blackberry Phone.