This messaging app wins on every front, except this one

WhatsApp gets the most love globally with around three billion monthly users, while Viber is number 7 on this list with over 200 million monthly users. These are my two most-used messaging apps, but I’m not a fan of either of them.

I’ve always felt that there’s real beauty in simplicity, but apps like WhatsApp and Viber wholeheartedly disagree with me on this one. And they are not alone. Most of the messaging apps I’ve tried over the years are trying too hard, adding feature after feature, all in hopes of differentiating themselves from the competition. I get the logic, I just have a genuine distaste for it.

There is one messaging app that does it right, though. Unlike its rivals, Signal is focused on what truly matters, but it has a major problem — no one seems to be using it.

Call me crazy, but I think a messaging app should be mainly focused on, well, messaging. And calls, of course — both audio and video. I’ll add security to the mix, but that’s where things should end. Not for Viber, though.

There’s an Explore tab filled with the latest news and riddled with ads. A sticker market where I can download stickers to use in chats, some of which I have to pay for. Then there’s Viber Out for calling landlines, which I’ve never used, and Viber Pay that I couldn’t care less about and never really researched properly. I mean, all I want to do is send a message to my partner asking what time dinner will be ready, but when I open the app, there are five tabs in the navigation bar that are nothing more than a distraction, and the one I actually use (Chats) is filled with messages from random people about the latest crypto scheme.

WhatsApp is also guilty of this, although it is less cluttered. I really don’t care about following a football club or a famous musician, which is what the Updates tab is filled with. The crypto issue is, well, also an issue, just like on Viber, but WhatsApp takes things even further.

In a lot of cases, when I want to buy something online and have a change of heart at the very last step of the checkout process, I get a message from the company on WhatsApp asking if they can help me with anything. I don’t mind an email as much, but a WhatsApp message is a different story. I’m used to promo messages cluttering my email, while my messaging app should ideally be just for interacting with the people close to me, and Bob from Acme Corp isn’t one of them.

I like Signal. A lot. There are just three tabs when I open it: Chats, Calls, and Stories. Stories is the only extra feature here, and frankly, I don’t like it. The good news is that I was able to turn it off in the settings with a single tap, and the option was removed from the navigation bar completely.

The app is free, has no ads, and offers all the main messaging and calling features I’m used to on Viber and WhatsApp. I’m losing out on exactly zero by switching when it comes to features and am gaining a few things in the process. Since the app has a smaller user base, it’s not as heavily targeted with spam or messages from companies — that’s my personal experience, at least. On top of that, Signal lets you create a username and hide your phone number completely. Unlike WhatsApp, where your number is essentially your identity and anyone who has it can message you directly, Signal lets you share only a username. So even if a spammer somehow gets hold of your number, they still can’t reach you.

And then there’s the security. It is by far the most secure messaging app out of the three, offering end-to-end encryption and blocking trackers. Granted, WhatsApp and Viber also offer end-to-end encryption — meaning no one can read your actual messages, not even the companies that own the apps. But they still collect a significant amount of metadata. WhatsApp, for example, can track who you message, how often, at what times, your IP address, your device information, and how that all connects to your other Meta accounts like Facebook and Instagram. None of that is your message content, but it’s enough to build a surprisingly detailed picture of your life — your routines, your relationships, even your location. Signal, by design, collects almost none of this. If you’re really into privacy, it’s not even a close call. Worth noting: WhatsApp actually uses Signal’s own encryption protocol, which is about as strong an endorsement as you can get.

Also, the app is a non-profit, unlike something like WhatsApp that’s owned by Meta and is trying its hardest to find new ways to monetize its users.

But here’s the problem: while Signal is a great app, people aren’t using it that much. While its user base isn’t small per se (between 40 and 100 million monthly active users), it pales in comparison to those of WhatsApp, Messenger, and Viber — and, most importantly, none of my friends use it. Not a single one.

I did manage to convince a few to make an account, with my partner being the main one. It’s a start, I’m just not sure how long that will last. One thing is for sure, though: I’ll never get my whole friend group to switch over, so for now, I’m stuck with Viber and WhatsApp for the most part, with Signal being the third option. Better than nothing, I guess. It appears that the best messaging app isn’t the one I like the most, but the one all my friends use.

To be fair, this is very much a personal take. If you actually use Viber’s communities, enjoy the sticker market, or rely on Viber Pay, then Viber makes a lot of sense for you. Same goes for WhatsApp — if you’re a small business owner using it to talk to customers, or you love following channels from your favorite brands, the extra features aren’t bloat, they’re the point. Different strokes and all that.

What’s your take on this? Do you enjoy all those extra features on apps like Viber and WhatsApp, or do you prefer something less bloated and private like Signal? Let me know down below.