These are tough times because of the Coronavirus. And it is even more difficult to stay connected with your friends and family because of the Corona Quarantine. And with no physical presence at the workplace, it is also difficult to communicate with colleagues and work smoothly. But video call apps can solve most of these problems even if they are no substitute for face to face communication.
From calling your boss and holding virtual meetings to connecting with your friends and family, video call apps are very important, especially in these challenging times. So this article provides you with the most popular video call apps these days. Each of these apps is famous for either a professional setting or more fun and personal setting but you can go through them and decide which one is perfect for you. All of these apps are free to use, but you might have to pay to access their more fancy features.
1. Zoom – Best overall video call app currently!
Zoom has emerged as the best video call app currently with everyone using it for all kinds of purposes. Whether it is professors hosting online classes, companies having video meetings, or just casual online get-togethers, Zoom is the app to use! And the best thing is that you can use Zoom on both desktop and mobile devices and there are even options on whether you want to view everyone on the zoom meeting or just the one who is speaking. In fact, Zoom has endless options while organizing webinars. Hosts can make sure they are the only ones with the video and audio, participants can also share their screens with each other, and there is a chatbox available along with the video call. And Zoom is free to use initially with a capacity of 100 users. However, for more than 3 users, there is a time limit of 40 minutes so most universities, organizations, etc. have bought the paid versions. Zoom is currently zooming ahead in popularity!
2. Apple Facetime – Best for Apple users
Are you bored out of your mind and want to connect with people? If you have an Apple product then your best bet is Apple Facetime. It is a built-in video chat app on all Apple devices including iPhones, iPads, and MacOS desktops. So for an Apple fanatic, Facetime is the app to use! Facetime is also quite flexible as you can make video calls from group texts or also convert into a video call from a voice call. However, if you are an Android user and want to use Facetime, that unfortunately not possible. Apple users only! Apple Facetime works with both MacOS and iOS and it can accommodate a maximum capacity of 32 users. So you can have that online party you wanted!
3. Google Duo – Best for Android users
If you are not an Apple user, never fear! There are a lot of options for you as well, with Google Duo the best among them. It is a Google app that you can use to communicate with friends that don’t have an iPhone as it can manage Apple to Android calls. Another advantage is that Duo callers can see a preview of who is calling them by observing their video when they are calling and then decide when to pick up the call or not. This is rather aptly called “Knock Knock”! Google Duo has a wide reach and it works well with both Windows and macOS on the desktop and Android and iOS on mobile. You can also call a maximum of 12 users which is not as much as Facetime, but still good enough!
4. Facebook Messenger – Best for Families
Everyone has Facebook and so Messenger is the best option for a video call among family members. Especially if they aren’t very tech-savvy, then no problem because Messenger is available with Facebook. However, if you want a standalone Messenger app without Facebook, that’s also possible because it is supported as a separate app on Windows and macOS on the desktop and Android and iOS on mobile. Messenger also allows 50 users into a video call, which is more than most other free services offer. So, if you have a large family and you want a virtual family party, go for Facebook Messenger!
5. Skype – Best for professional calls
Want to attend an online job interview, a business meeting with your colleges, or a virtual presentation, Skype is your best option. Skype provides voice call and video call options along with a text messaging service that can send text, video, audio, and images. Skype also provides the option for screen sharing and real-time translation in their chat feature. So there’s no problem if you are in English and you want to communicate with your colleague in Japan! Skype is available both for Windows and macOS on desktop and Android and iOS on mobile. It can accommodate 50 users in a video call so it’s a perfect option for those conference calls with your team.
6. WhatsApp – Best for International calls
WhatsApp is a famous text messaging app all over the world. In India alone, it has more than 400 million users and there’s rarely anyone who hasn’t heard of it or doesn’t already have the app on their phone. So if you want to have a casual video call across continents, then WhatsApp is your best option and most people already have it installed. Whatsapp also has a business app called WhatsApp Business that’s mostly aimed towards smaller business owners, but it’s not that popular. You can access WhatsApp on both Windows and macOS on desktop and Android and iOS on mobile. But it can only allow a maximum of 4 users on a video call which is very less as compared to other apps. So it’s best if you just use it casually with relatives or friends across the world.
7. Google Meet – Best for quick video calls
Google Meet is Google’s replacement for Hangouts and it’s becoming more and more popular with time. It is relatively new and so it is not as popular as its main competition, Zoom, but it is gaining followers. A big advantage of Google Meet is that it is already available with Gmail and so you can easily use it. Most of the people in this world use Gmail and Meet is just a natural extension of it. You can also access it as a standalone app with on both Windows and macOS on desktop and Android and iOS on mobile. However, you need to have a Google account to access Meet. A good thing is the Meet is offering their advanced services for free because of the COVID crisis, so 250 users can use Meet at once using G suite.
8. Houseparty – Best for Fun
Houseparty is a very popular video calling app that is also a lot of fun! You can connect with many friends on Houseparty that you haven’t contacted in a long time as it provides a notification when your friends are online and available for a video chat. You can join a “house” on Houseparty and then your friends and family and jump in and out of a video call when they want. This means you might even reconnect with friends you haven’t seen for so long that you don’t even remember them! And that’s not all. Houseparty is, after all, a party and so you can play many different games on it. These include Trivia, Heads up, Finish the song lyrics, and so on. You can access Houseparty on both Windows and macOS on desktop and Android and iOS on mobile. But it can only allow a maximum of 8 users on a video call so you can have a cozy party with your family and friends!
