Many rival instant messaging apps like Kik exist for those who’re troubled by the controversies plaguing this platform.
Kik was launched in 2010 and prides itself on the fact that it lets you send and receive messages, photos, videos, and more without asking for your phone number.
This made it a hit among those who wanted to chat with strangers anonymously. However, its disregard for end-to-end encryption and the developers’ practice of logging the IP addresses of users has led to sizeable criticism.
For whatever reason you might be thinking of a switch, we’ve got the right list for you here. Let’s have a look at all the best Kik alternatives that you can take advantage of right now.
1 – Signal
When you think of Signal, the only thing that should pop into your mind is complete, unadulterated security.
It’s an app made by people who are not in the game for profits, so you can rest assured that their policy of providing utmost privacy standards won’t change in the future as well.
Not only is every message you send to your loved ones end-to-end encrypted, but the app also provides tons of other security features like frequent PIN prompts, disappearing messages, biometric authentication support, and more.
And its features include everything that you’d expect from such a messaging application.
That means group video call, voice calling, group chats, and more such features are all there.
Developer: Signal Foundation
Compatibility: Android 4.4 or later, iOS 11.1 or later
Availability: Android, iOS, Web (Free)
2 – Telegram
Among all these apps like Kik, we’re sure Telegram is the most feature-rich.
The question is not ‘what does it have?’ but rather ‘what doesn’t it have?’ This fast, powerful and secure cross-platform messaging application is one of the world’s top 10 most downloaded apps, with over 500 million active users.
It lets you create group chats of up to 200,000 members, share large documents or videos of up to 2GB, and even set up bots for performing specific tasks.
Plus, everything is stored in the cloud, including your chat history, so you need not worry about your device storage getting full as well. You can also talk to strangers using random video and text chat bots.
Telegram, which is majorly a WhatsApp competitor, is available on a wide range of platforms so you can use it on any device you want.
There was even a Windows Phone version available, which has now been discontinued.
Developer: Telegram FZ-LLC
Compatibility: Android 4.0 or later, iOS 9.0 or later
Availability: Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, GNU/Linux, Web
3 – Snapchat
Targeted more towards youngsters, Snapchat is among the best alternatives to Kik. It boasted of disappearing messages when no other app was offering them.
It was also the first to come up with ‘Stories’ that allowed users to post chronological content that would be visible only for 24 hours.
Yes, that thing that every other app from Instagram to Facebook is offering now was first introduced by Snapchat.
One more thing that makes it famous is its incorporation of crazy filters that let you spruce up your media, including photo and video uploads.
It’s the kind of messaging app that you’ll use for a lot more than messaging.
Developer: Snap Inc.
Compatibility: Android 4.4 or later, iOS 10.0 or later
Availability: Android, iOS (Free)
4 – WhatsApp
This one’s an obvious choice if you’re looking for apps similar to Kik Messenger. In some countries, it is almost impossible to not be on WhatsApp since it’s all everyone chats on.
The cross-platform nature of WhatsApp and its ability to work inside a desktop browser is a major boost for convenience.
WhatsApp also allows the sharing of documents, location, voice messages, photos, videos, and plenty of other things, making it a complete platform that you can use to chat with friends and family.
WhatsApp is a great app for voice and video calls. WhatsApp used to have a nifty Windows Phone version as well, but it died with the death of the platform.
Developer: WhatsApp LLC
Compatibility: Android 4.0 or later, iOS 10.0 or later
Availability: Android, iOS KaiOS, Windows, Mac, Web (Free)
5 – Viber
One more among all these awesome Kik alternatives is Viber. It’s quite an old messaging app but has survived all these years based solely on the crystal clear quality it offers on its voice and video calls.
Moreover, it also comes with a feature called Viber Out, which lets you call landlines, non-Viber users, or anyone who doesn’t have internet service. This service of course costs money, but it’s quite cheap.
Viber has been blessed with end-to-end encryption for individual as well as group messages, while there’s even a facility to send self-destructing messages to your friends.
And in case you’re fond of stickers, a complete Viber Sticker Market is available for you to take advantage of.
Developer: Rakuten Viber
Compatibility: Android 4.0 or later, iOS 11.0 or later
Availability: Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Linux (Free)
6 – Line
Line is an excellent Kik alternative for those seeking a simple messaging platform for communication with their friends.
It allows group chat of up to 200 people and even includes an option to put out polls to quickly get votes on an issue.
Another unique aspect of this messaging service is its social networking feature, which renders everything from a daily timeline to disappearing ‘Stories.’
Thanks to Line’s cross-platform nature, you can even access it via Windows or Mac, while there’s even a unique Chrome extension available if you’re inclined to use it that way.
Developer: LINE Corporation
Compatibility: Android 4.3 or later, iOS 12.0 or later
Availability: Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Chrome (Free)
7 – WeChat
This next entry to our list of Kik alternatives is an all-in-one platform that’s hard to ignore. WeChat is one of the best messaging apps available out there based solely on the wild number of features it has been laced with.
These include a ‘Stories’ system, custom stickers, social media features, mini-games, high-quality voice calls, and video chat, and a lot more.
This messaging service is most famous in China, but it’s also infamous around the world for the fact that it shares user data with Chinese authorities upon request.
This is one of the reasons why it was banned in India in 2020.
Developer: Tencent Holdings Limited
Compatibility: Android 4.4 or later, iOS 9.0 or later
Availability: Android, iOS, Windows, Mac (Free)
8 – FortKnoxster
Another Kik alternative with a major focus on security and privacy is FortKnoxster. In fact, its development began as a response to Edward Snowden’s leaking of highly classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA) in 2013.
FortKnoxster’s main draw is the military-grade encryption it offers for your chats, which is not surprising since it was founded by cyber-security experts. With it, you can chat, send messages, make voice calls or video calls, store data, and more.
Apart from all the regular features you’d expect from a messaging application, it also comes with a nifty Screen Share feature that allows you to privately share what’s happening on your screen with others.
An invite-only mail system exists as well, letting you communicate securely without running the risk of privacy breaches or system hacks.
Developer: FortKnoxster
Compatibility: Android 4.4 or later, iOS 10.0 or later
Availability: Android, iOS (Free)
9 – Facebook Messenger
This one lets you chat with friends on Facebook instantly, while it can also act as an SMS application if you’re inclined to use it like one.
This particular Kik alternative enables 8-person video calls that can be funked up by taking advantage of quirky filters.
Everything from stickers to GIFs and emoji are supported, while you can even use it to chat with businesses in case you need support.
Thanks to its Rooms feature, you can host group chats of up to 50 people on Facebook Messenger.
Disappearing messages and healthy Instagram integration are some of the other salient features of this messaging application.
There is even a Facebook Messenger Lite version that’s suited for older and slower devices.
It has all of the app’s basic features and its light nature ensures that your less powerful phone doesn’t slow down while using it.
Developer: Facebook, Inc.
Compatibility: Android 4 or later, iOS 8 and later
Availability: Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Web (Free)
10 – Discord
Discord is an app similar to Kik but it’s meant for serving a different purpose.
It was created with the aim of letting users creating large, invite-only communities and communicate with each other using voice calls, video calls, text messaging, media, and files in private chats or as part of curated servers.
These ‘servers’ are actually consistent chat rooms and voice chat channels.
You can register on Discord using your email ID and create a username to get going.
This platform is great for those who wish to organize fan groups, book clubs, movie discussions, and other such virtual gatherings, as there are plenty of custom moderation tools and permission levels at your disposal.
Like Kik, it can be used for anonymous chats as well.
Developer: Discord Inc.
Compatibility: Android 5.0 or later, iOS 10 or later.
Availability: iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Linux, Web (Free)
11 – Tox
Tox is a desktop-only Kik alternative that offers end-to-end encryption and peer-to-peer instant messaging.
It was created with the aim of delivering secure yet easily accessible communication for everyone. Apart from individual and group chat support, Tox delivers limitless file-sharing, screen sharing, and free video calls.
All of Tox’s code is open source and it’s developed transparently by volunteers who spend their free time on it.
Tox is not available for the iPhone and even its Android version needs to be downloaded as an APK since it’s not available on the Google Play Store.
Developer: ToxChat,Inc.
Compatibility: Android 4.0 or later
Availability: Android, Windows, Mac, Linux, Web (Free)
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q. What is the best app to chat with strangers?
Kik is among the best apps to speak with strangers since it doesn’t ask for phone numbers and lets you chat using fake usernames.
This way, you are able to hide your identity, yet have a complete conversation with anyone who has your username.
You can even use it to create group chats, apart from sending and receiving photos and videos.
Q. Is Kik a cheaters app?
Although it can be seen as something that a cheating partner would prefer to hide their identity, it cannot be described as a cheaters app.
Apps similar to Kik can serve many different purposes due to their unique features.
Q. Why is Kik a dangerous app?
In the wrong hands perhaps, Kik can be seen as a dangerous app. Teenagers using the anonymity feature of chatting apps for dubious purposes is completely possible.
And since Kik doesn’t track the content of your messages, it makes it hard for law enforcement and parents to get almost any information about the person on the other end of the message.
Q. Is Kik safe 2023?
Kik and other chatting apps are completely safe if they are used smartly and in good faith. Although, there will always be dubious elements making the wrong use of the app’s anonymity feature.
Apps Like Kik: Conclusion
The list we’ve compiled below has everything from chatbots to encrypted apps for those who want an alternative to Kik.
No matter what your reasons are for considering switching away from Kik, there’s probably something on this list of alternatives that will meet your needs better than before.
Choose wisely and remember that it takes time to build up a network on any new site so don’t be discouraged if all of your friends aren’t there just yet.
