A Quick Guide to the 5 Most Popular Messaging Apps

a quick guide to the 5 most popular messaging apps

FACEBOOK MESSENGER Owned by: Facebook

Users: 900 million

Countries with large user bases: US, Germany, UK

Notable features: • Messenger Links that consumers can click to start a chat with a business • Custom chat usernames displayed on business Pages • Messenger Codes that people can scan to open a chat thread with a business • Messenger for Business, which allows users to initiate live chats with companies • Automatic, saved responses for common questions • Bots that produce live automated messages, and a platform for developers to build their own bots

Ad-supported?: No

Notable brand campaign: Uber invites users to book their rides directly on the app.

Users: 1 billion

Countries with large user bases: South Africa, Malaysia, Argentina, Singapore

Notable features: • Share PDFs and images via iCloud, Google Drive, and Dropbox • Data-sharing with Facebook • Broadcast Lists for mass messaging

Ad-supported?: No

Notable brand campaign: Absolut created “Sven,” a virtual doorman who chose lucky winners to attend the brand’s exclusive product launch party in Argentina.

SNAPCHAT Users: 200 million

Countries with large user bases: Ireland, Belgium, Sweden, Canada, UK

Notable features: • Discover news-sharing platform • Built for vertical video capability • Fun filters, some sponsored and customized based on location • QR codes to scan and discover new people

Ad-supported?: Yes

Notable brand campaign: Taco Bell launches images and videos to promote its new products— such as the $1 menu—generating an 80% view rate among its target audience.

Users: 680 million

Countries with large user bases: China

Notable features: • Sponsored Moments for brands • Mobile wallet services • Shake, which allows people to randomly find other users • Animated stickers, some from cartoons and movies • Moments, which allows users to share multimedia and links with friends

Ad-supported?: Yes

Notable brand campaign: Hyatt chats with customers during the booking process and while they’re on-site at the hotel. The company received 50,000 messages in 2015.

LINE Owned by: Naver Corp.

Users: 215 million

Countries with large user bases: Japan, Thailand, Taiwan

Notable features: • LINE@ app, which allows brands to launch official pages and message customers • In-app purchases with LinePay • Stickers of celebrities and characters in pop culture • Timeline of shared multimedia content • QR codes to find new friends;bot software that will be open to developers

Ad-supported?: Yes

Notable brand campaign: Maybelline ran a limited-time sale on Line Mall—Line’s e-commerce app—selling 500 lipsticks in five minutes.