Top 6 Apps to Send and Receive Messages on Your Phone

Text messages are by far the most commonly used method for communication to date. Most people use cellular networks that support SMS and MMS. Though in the past couple of decades, the progression of the internet and instant messengers have turned the tide. People no longer need to be tied to their phone numbers that can only be used with a single device. 

#1. Whatsapp

Whatsapp was built on the premise that people could sign up with their cellphone numbers but use their internet service to communicate. I love using this app with my Charter internet because I don’t have to pay a hefty bill to my cellular network for making calls or sending messages.  

#2. Google Voice

Google Voice is a great texting app that is considered one of the most popular ones among free messaging apps. It allows you to save your number on the cloud and you can add several devices with this account. This way, you can send and receive messages and calls on several devices of your choosing instead of just a phone. The application uses Google Voice technology and doesn’t cost anything throughout the US and Canada. This application also has a Chrome extension if you want to use this app on your computer. It has a user-friendly yet Material Design with some decent voicemail options. The best thing is that you don’t need to create a Google account to use this application.

#3. Android Messages

This is another application created by Google that completely supports the SMS and MMS texting and integrates with your cellphone number. So far, this app only performs the basic functions of a messaging app that is sending and receiving text messages. However, people are working on it and it is supposed to support RCS messaging in the future. It is rumored to support desktop and web portals for sending and receiving messages and calls as well.

#4. Text Free

This is one of the most used applications to send and receive text messages on Android devices but it also works well with iOS. People can use it by signing up for an account with their sim card number. This app is popular because it is fun and easy to use for messages and calls alike. However, it is not completely free as you only get 60 free minutes per month. Users may watch in-app video ads to gain more free minutes or purchase a subscription of approx. $3/month to remove ads and about $5/month to reserve phone number as well. The app claims International support as well.

#5. TextMe Up

TextMe Up is a lot like Text free messaging app. You need to sign up with a phone number to send and receive messages using this application. The difference is that this app has fewer number of in-app advertisements per page, but the ads appear in more places. This application also supports phone calls using a credit system. Its subscription starts at approx. $5/week for completely ad-free access with free phone calls and about $8/month. This application only supports services in the US and Canada so far.

#6. TextNow

This is another preferred application used for making free calls and sending free messages on smartphones across the US and Canada. It has one of the simplest and user-friendly interfaces that made it popular among users. It is a bit different than the other apps because Spectrum Hawaii users can purchase a text and call plan on this app for approx. $10/month-no Wi-Fi needed. However, users can opt to pay about $40/month for an unlimited plan. If you want a cheaper option that is ad-free, try its $3 plan with free minutes and text messages over Wi-Fi.