Screenshots: 10 cross-platform messaging apps you shouldn't overlook

Skype

Skype is very much the incumbent messaging platform -- it has clients for Windows, OS X, and Linux (though, this client is somewhat neglected since the Microsoft acquisition), as well as Windows Phone, Android, iOS, BlackBerry, Xbox One, PlayStation Vita, and PlayStation Portable. A web client is also available in beta, but audio and video chat isn’t yet available in the web client on all platforms. The service is supported by in-app advertisements.

Skype is known to be susceptible to multiple security issues, including exposing the IP address of all users, which has remained unpatched since 2010. The Guardian reports that that Microsoft acted to break the security of Skype to allow for decryption and interception by US government agencies. It received a score of 1 out of 7 from the EFF’s Secure Messaging Scorecard.

Image: James Sanders

BBM (BlackBerry Messenger)

BBM was opened up to non-BlackBerry users in late 2013, and is now available on Android, iOS, and Windows Phone. Unfortunately, there isn't a desktop version of BBM.

Although BBM received only a 1 out of 7 on the EFF's Secure Messaging Scorecard, the Enterprise version BBM Protected received a 5 out of 7. (Check out other enterprise-targeted messaging platforms for mobile users.)

Image: BlackBerry, Ltd.

LINE

LINE was initially developed as a means to stay in communication after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, which damaged a great deal of the standard wireline infrastructure in Japan. LINE is presently the most popular messaging platform in Japan, and features support for Android, iOS, BlackBerry, Windows Phone, Firefox OS, and Nokia Asha. There are desktop versions for Windows and OS X, and an app for the Chrome App store, which works on Linux as well.

By default, LINE doesn’t have advertisements in the app, though premium sticker sets are available for about $1 each, or, free sticker sets can be obtained by adding corporate accounts to your contact lists and agreeing to receive about one message per month.

Image: James Sanders

Ring

Ring is the next generation of the SFLphone project produced by the open source software firm Savoir-faire Linux. Through 10 years of development as SFLphone, it has refined the features typically anticipated in a VoIP client — compatibility with SIP and IAX, multiparty calls, call-recording capabilities, and support for various codecs. Ring clients are available for Windows, OS X, and Linux -- with separate native interfaces for GNOME or KDE desktops to match user preference.

Ring uses OpenDHT (a distributed hash table) to connect users instead of a centralized SIP server system such as Asterisk. OpenDHT is an implementation of the same decentralized, peer-to-peer system used in BitTorrent's distributed tracker, allowing Ring to bypass the server-client methodology by passing along user information to each user.

Image: Savoir-faire Linux

Viber

Viber has 600 million registered users around the world, and offers support for Android, iOS, BlackBerry, Windows Phone, and Nokia Asha devices, as well as desktop clients for Windows, OS X, and Linux. Viber was acquired by the Japanese e-commerce company Rakuten in 2014.

Image: Viber Media

KakaoTalk

KakaoTalk is the messaging platform offered by the South Korean company Daum Kakao. It has enjoyed a great deal of popularity in its home country, and is looking to expand into other countries with the recent appointment of its new CEO, Rim Ji Hoon, the youngest person to achieve that title in South Korea. KakaoTalk is available for Android, iOS, BlackBerry, Windows Phone, and Nokia Asha, as well as having desktop clients for Windows and OS X.

KakaoTalk has been the source of considerable privacy concerns, as the South Korean government has routinely subpoenaed the company in order to gain information about users.

Image: Daum Kakao Corp.

Jitsi

Jitsi, formerly SIP Communicator, is a free and open-source messaging program available for Windows, OS X, and Linux, with an Android port currently in the Alpha stage. Jitsi supports VoIP and videoconferencing, with open encryption protocols. Of note, it was one of the first chat clients to have IPv6 support.

The combination of Jitsi and Ostel (an open-source encrypted calling service) received a score of 6 out of 7 from EFF’s Secure Messaging Scorecard, losing one point because of the lack of a recent independent code audit.

Image: Jitsi

AIM

AIM has been around since 1997 -- despite that, it’s more of a classic than a relic. There are official clients for Windows and OS X, as well as Android, iOS, BlackBerry, and practically everything else. The protocols were reverse engineered years ago, and AOL has seemingly given up on preventing third-party clients from connecting. As a result, third-party clients such as the libpurple-based Adium and Pidgin, as well as the messaging client in webOS, the Sony Mylo, and decade-old Symbian phones all support AIM.

Image: AOL, LLC.

Trillian

Trillian is the original multiplatform messaging client, supporting Facebook Chat, Google Talk, AIM, ICQ, Yahoo!, and XMPP. It’s ad-supported by default, though a pro license is $20 per year, or $60 for a lifetime license. There are clients for Windows, OS X, Linux, and mobile clients for Android, iOS and BlackBerry, as well as a web-based client.

Image: Cerulean Studios