We need each other now more than ever. There’s something special about humans. Our world can leave us feeling lonely and disconnected.

But we’re wired to find and build community.

And tech helps us with this. The power of group chat apps means we can create small group chats and larger online communities with people all over the world.

In this article, we'll round up the best chat apps, group chat apps, and community chat apps for every kind of free and paid conversation!

Try G2's top-rated community management software free for 14 days!

Here's a quick guide to the 17 best chat apps. Click each option to get a more in-depth description!

There are a lot of crossovers between these types of chat apps. Many do more than one thing. Here’s what each one does.

• Chat apps: A chat app for sending messages (text, video, etc.) from user to user. Most messenger apps are also group chat apps.

• Community chat app: Host & organize complex conversations & discussions between groups of people. Some community chat apps are designed for creators to monetize with things like paid memberships, livestreams, and events.

• Video chat apps: Chat apps with a video-first focus.

• Premium chat apps: Chat apps that let established brands and creators serve users under their own brands.

Okay, these sound super similar. So what's the difference between a community chat app and a group chat app?

Here's a really simple way to think about it.

• Community chat apps are for big groups and especially people who don't know each other. Think online communities, workplaces, gamers, etc. Community chat apps host multiple conversations and types of convos at once.

• Group chat apps are for smaller groups that know each other. For a running conversation with your friends or family, think of a group chat app. Group chat apps usually host one conversation at a time and one type of conversation.

These dividing lines aren't always perfect. But they're a good starting point. They can help you figure out what you need.

And remember that chat apps are designed for a specific application, whether it's organizing a workplace, sharing video game play, or talking to friends.

We'll break down which is which as we go.

A community chat app organizes different kinds of conversation between a large group--even if they don't know each other.

Best all-in-one community chat app with monetization

When you want to host chats and get paid to do it, Mighty Networks is the place to build. Creators on Mighty can build a community side hustle, or a 6- or even 7- figure business by talking about the things they love.

It’s an awesome community chat app that helps you organize rich, complex conversations with lots of members.

Mighty’s all-in-one community platform is G2’s top-rated community software, and its Spaces can hold events, courses, live streaming and – you guessed it – an awesome chat app. You can chat 1:1 with fellow members OR chat in groups OR host discussion board conversations.

Community chat apps aren't just about hosting a chat. With the power of AI tools that are designed for engagement and conversation, Mighty can keep the conversation going.

For example, how about an AI conversation starter when you're stuck for ideas?

Or the "make-it-better" text editor to help you express your thoughts.

These are the features that make community chat work, and they're built into Mighty!

Last year, we discovered we could predict whether communities would succeed or fail with a 93% accuracy!

Here's the secret.

People need to make friends.

So we've built our community chat app with all sorts of tools to turn members into friends, making Mighty perfect for people who don't know each other.

For example, if you're stuck creating a member profile, our Mighty Co-Host™ engine can help. The profile generator asks you a few questions, and creates an awesome profile.

And the "show similarities" tool can show you what you have in common with other members.

This is people magic, software designed to help members meet each other. And it's a game changer for a community chat app.

Plus, Mighty Co-Host™ can transform a few words into a Big Purpose, community name, brand, landing and sales pages, and more. Try it!

• Sell memberships, events, private groups, and courses

• Chat 1:1, with groups, or host conversations in discussion forums

• AI chat features like “make it better” text editor and icebreaker questions.

• Native chat, video, and livestreaming

• Events with RSVP + one-click Zoom integration

• @ mentions & notifications

• Native Mighty Networks app for every device

Best free community app

Discord is a community chat app that was designed for gamers to connect in real-time. It’s best with text and voice, giving you the space to build your own “channel” that’s dedicated to a topic that interests you, as well as inviting members and organizing conversations.

Discord is centered around a forum feature, with customizable member roles. It’s good for communities of gamers, of course, as well as free communities that you don’t intend to monetize.

If you build a Discord community and decide you want to monetize it, you’ll probably have to move somewhere else.

Pros

• Discussion forum, chat, & messaging

• @ mentions and notifications

• Screen sharing & video streaming

• YouTube & Twitch integrations

Cons

• No real monetization features

• Security concerns

• Limited customization options

Best workplace community chat app

If you’ve ever spent time in an office, you’ve probably met Slack. It’s the community chat app for organizing teams, and it works well for this. With channels, a messaging function, and notifications, creating a Slack community is really great for hosting conversations.

You can connect different channels to your Slack app, meaning different conversations from different places can all be in the same app. Slack is a perfect community chat app for the workplace or for people who know each other. But it’s limited for bringing together strangers and helping them become friends.

It’s complicated for hosting live events, requiring connecting integrations and hacking solutions together – it’s not intuitive or native. And if you’re looking for a paid community chat, where members register and pay a fee to join, there are alternatives to Slack that can give you plenty of monetization features.

Slack is best for what it’s built for – workplace chats.

Pros

• Forum-style discussions, group chats, and 1:1 messaging

• Huddles with video or audio conversations

• @ tagging, mentions

• Integrations with Dropbox, Google Drive, Salesforce, Outlook, and Adobe.

Cons

• No native monetization

• Limited event features (other than huddles)

• No customization options

One-to-many community chat app

Telegram is a community chat app that’s a bit like email meets SMS. It has good member chat features – users can send each other photos, videos, and files. You can also hold a voice or video call with Telegram.

Telegram can be considered a community chat app, but it’s mostly for creating large groups and broadcasting. Subscribers within a group can click links and polls, but it’s more of a broadcasting tool than a community-building tool.

If you want to monetize your Telegram, you can sell subscriptions and build a community chat app business.

Pros

• Group broadcasting

• Chat & messaging, videos & voice calls

• Organize discussions by channels

• Monetization & subscription features

Cons

• No community discussions

• Top-down broadcasting instead of community-building

Free with community chat functions

A Facebook group has some of the power of a community chat app. It’s a brand everyone knows with a solid app for every device. A Facebook group exists on Facebook, you create it for free and people can join (or request to join). It has features like tagging, a simple one-stream community discussion, and community chats.

The downsides? You can’t really monetize a Facebook group properly. Facebook has added in "gifts" as well as subscriptions for pages--but these aren't tools to create a thriving group-based business. Plus, you’re competing with the algorithm and all the other distractions of Facebook. And there’s no way to organize your discussions in Facebook Groups. There are plenty of better Facebook alternatives to choose from.

Pros

• Free group software, easy to invite people

• A simple discussion feature & chat

• Built-in events

Cons

• Weak monetization

• You have to fight the algorithm

• No features to organize discussions or a bigger community

Good community chat app for workplace meetings

Microsoft Teams is Microsoft’s answer to Slack–designed for the workplace. But it’s a better messenger app than a community chat app. You can organize different groups to chat with, but big groups can get confusing.

MS Teams is really solid for events though. For a workplace, scheduling and hosting team meetings is really simple–especially if you use Outlook for email.

All these features mean that Teams works great for the office. But how does it hold up as a community chat app?

Well, you can host group chats. Teams also has a free function for “Home” use, so even if you aren’t in the office you can chat with family and friends. That means that it’s slightly better than Slack for holding a community chat, because of its built-in event functionality.

BUT, like Slack, it’s hard to grow an online community of people who don’t know each other. And it’s hard to organize discussions. There’s no real way to catch up on recent activity without simply scrolling up and reading the whole thread.

Pros

• Good chat app functionality (for small conversations)

• Awesome event integration (calls, video, and groups)

• Easy integration with Outlook

• Great for co-working in an office

Cons

• Large discussions can get confusing (you have to scroll up and up to get caught up)

• No way to monetize

• No discussion board functions

Flock is a community chat app that feels a bit like Discord or Slack. It's strongest for the workplace. But it could also be good for larger, free communities. It can organize different conversations into channels and messaging forums. And it has a video calling function too.

Pros

• Forums built around different channels for different conversations

• Video and voice calling built-in

• Different types of content like polls and reminders

Cons

• It can't be customized.

• It doesn't have monetization features

Chanty could be used for different kinds of community chats. But it's really built for the workplace. It works like Slack, and it has useful team functions built-in. For example, it's built for group project management tracking, and it even has Kanban views and a Teambook hub for collaborations.

Pros

• Simple and clean interface for organizing workplace chats into channels

• Video and voice calling, plus good team project management tools

Cons

• No native monetization

• No livestreaming

Free messenger chat app

WhatsApp is Facebook’s conjoined twin – Facebook owns it – and it’s more popular outside of North America. In a similar way to Facebook Messenger, you can host a group chat in WhatsApp. But all the same limitations apply, making it good for a small, simple community chat and a nightmare for anything big and complex.

WhatsApp boasts an end-to-end encryption feature that protects messages (although tech companies can still read them). And it works off a phone number, making it fantastic for cross-border chats and calling. These features make it more robust than Messenger.

Pros:

• SMS-based chat app for group chats and 1:1

• Messaging, calling, text, & video chat

• It’s well-known (though less common in North America)

Cons:

• Terrible for complex chats or group chats

• No monetization features

Good video-chat app

Geneva is a group chat app that comes with chat rooms, forums, audio, and video rooms to bring together conversations that are interesting to you. It also has post rooms, which can be used for more long-form content like a traditional blog or discussion forum.

With DM functionality built-in, it comes with an events feature that lets you plan and host live events, including a calendar, RSVPs, and notifications when the event starts.

You have control over who comes into your chat group, with an application form you can opt for instead of open admission. You can grant different admin roles to your users and change user permissions.

All said, Geneva is a great free chat app. But it has no monetization features, so it wouldn’t work to create a membership with chatting in it.

Pros

• Chat rooms, forums, audio, and video rooms

• Long-form content options

• Events with RSVPs

Cons

• No monetization features

Calling and messaging chat app

Viber is a chat app that you can use for 1:1 or group chats, plus it has a good video chat function. It can also handle calls to landlines and mobile numbers around the world–but you have to buy calling minutes.

Viber also has end-to-end encryption and solid privacy features. And they’ve added in features like messages that disappear over time for extra security.

Viber calls itself a community chat app too, but the functionality is pretty limited here. Yes you can build huge chat channels and assign people as admins, but having 1,000 people in a group chat isn’t a community; it’s a nightmare.

Viber also doesn’t have monetization features that other community chat apps have–so it’s better to just compare it to messenger chat apps.

Pros

• Good chat and messaging app for small groups or 1:1

• Call landlines & mobile numbers

• End-to-end encryption

Cons

• Not good for large groups or communities

• No monetization

Best for gamers

Steam Chat is a really good chat app for gamers. For PC gamers, it integrates with the Steam gaming platform, bringing chat, invites, and live gameplay. It can also host individual conversations, share friend's results, and let you know when they're online for simultaneous play.

It has good messaging, talk, and video calling too. And you can organize chat into different channels, a bit like Discord.

Pros

• Organize your group chat into channels with some customization options

• Good features to add friends, see their gameplay, and invite more

• Built-in integrations for most Steam-based PC games

Cons

• It really works best for PC gamers. It's not the best group chat app on its own.

Video & photo-first chat app

Snapchat is a photo and video-sharing app, made famous for posts that disappear after a set time – often they can only be viewed once. It has emojis, filters, and texts, and is a combination of a chat app and sharing app (sharing as stories).

Pros

• Good 1:1 messaging with text, photos, videos, and calling

• Story feature means you can build a following too

• Content disappears over time

Cons

• Disappearing content isn’t a perfect science (be careful what you share)

• Not good for building larger communities

• No monetization

Google Chat app

The Google Chat app is a messenger-first app for chatting with friends or colleagues, and it’s a bit like Facebook Messenger meets Slack. You can create either discussion spaces OR a group chat. You then send an invite for chatting and can host a 1:1 or group chat.

There’s no forum organization and it’s limited for community-building, so the Google Chat app is best for people who already know each other.

The best part about the Google chat app is the price tag (free), and the fact that it integrates so well with other Google Products: Docs, Calendar, and Meet.

Pros

• Great chat and spaces functionality for messaging & small groups

• Integration with other Google products

• End-to-end encryption

Cons

• No monetization

• Not good for larger groups

Of course, Facebook Messenger needs to be on any list of community chat apps. It’s free, well-known, and by this time your grandma and her friends all have accounts.

And Facebook Messenger is a really solid piece of technology. With chat, notifications, and lots of fun features from games to funny faces, it works well. Lots of people have the app, and it’s common for group chats.

HOWEVER, there are a couple of concerns about using Facebook Messenger as a community chat app. First of all, it really doesn’t work for larger chats. Have you ever been added to a chat like “Kat’s Surprise 25th Birthday Party” and watched as the 30 attendees all added their questions, comments, and random thoughts? It’s a nightmare. Your phone dings every 30 seconds and you probably muted it if not left the conversation altogether.

Facebook Messenger is the perfect chat app for small groups. It’s a nightmare for organizing larger conversations. This means that, as a community chat app, Facebook Messenger works for really small communities with really simple conversations.

Anything bigger and you’re better picking something else.

Pros

• Easy to use, free, and widely known

• Great chat features, different content, emojis, etc.

• Chat 1:1 or in groups

Cons

• Not made for larger communities

Teamspeak is a group chat app that's built for gamers, and it's the official chat provider for the popular game Overwatch. Its claim to fame is a crystal clear voice channel with military grade encryption that's great for collaborative gaming. It also has servers for conversations with more people at once, but it really is better for small group and 1:1 chats.

Pros

• Crystal-clear voice chat with military-grade encryption

• Different channels for group chats

Cons

• No monetization or customization

Mighty Pro is the totally white-label version of Mighty Networks. While Mighty Networks lets you build your own brand and customize your community, Mighty Pro takes this a step further and helps you build a completely custom app under your own brand.

For established brands and companies, it’s the perfect white-label chat app. And if you’re not ready to go pro yet, you can start with Mighty Networks and move to pro when you’re ready – without switching platforms or trying to move your members.

Mighty Pro has built apps for creators like Drew Binsky, Sadie Robertson Huff, and Jim Kwik. If you’re ready for a custom, white-label chat app, let us show you what you can do with Pro.

Pros

• Chat app under your own brand

• G2’s top-rated community software

• Livestreaming, chat & messaging, discussion forums, live events, etc.

• Monetization and membership features

• Customization and branding

• AI chat features (“make-it-better” text editor, icebreaker questions)

• Work with the Mighty Pro team

Cons

• It’s a premium chat app so it’s more costly. If you’re just getting started, start with Mighty Networks

If you’re ready to start growing with a community chat app, come give Mighty a try! Our community engine brings together every type of content you could imagine: long-form, short-form, video, and text. Plus, organize conversations by Spaces and your members will always see what’s relevant to them. Add in live events and livestreaming, plus the ability to charge for access in any currency OR monetize with social-tokens, and you’ve got everything you need to create a community that thrives.

But don’t take our word for it. Come try it free for 14 days! No credit card required.

Okay, so obviously there are a lot of features you could look for. And everyone has their own non-negotiables.

Here are some of the key things to think through:

• Monetization options: HUGE factor if you want to earn. Don’t create a chat app that doesn’t let you collect money IF you want to create a paid community.

• Voice & video: Whether you want a text-based chat or you want to create videos and livestream will make a difference to the platform you choose.

• Security: Whether it’s keeping members safe, owning your data, or preventing trolls or bullies, understand your chat app’s security options and data policies. This could include moderation options too.

• Apps: Community chats happen on apps. It should go without saying that a community chat app should actually mean a mobile app–for all devices.

• Content delivery: Will your group chat be a running, one-thread conversation? Or do you want multi convos organized by themes with an activity feed?

• Content types: Are there other content types you want? Courses? Events? Video? Audio? Downloads? Make sure your community platform lets you do what you need to do.

• People limits: Some chat apps work great with 5-10 people and are a nightmare after that (e.g. WhatsApp). Some can grow to huge numbers, organizing content into threads and/or Spaces.

There are three main parts to moderation:

• Setting expectations: Can you create a code of conduct and share it with your community? This is a good first step.

• Create a moderation plan: Be proactive. Create a plan for dealing with moderating issues and communicate it. You might choose members to be your mods (some platforms allow you to give moderators control). And think about the built-in moderation features of your software (e.g. auto-flagging, word blocking, member reporting, etc.)

• Follow through: Be consistent and put the plan into practice. Don’t create exceptions. Moderation is an important part of creating a safe space for members to chat.

It really depends on your goals. Apps like WhatsApp or Geneva are free and fun for small groups of friends. Apps like Discord or Flock are fun for groups of gamers chatting or talking through voice channels. These are all free options, and they work great for simple chats.

But none of these work well for turning your community into a paid membership. If you want to earn from your community chat, pick a platform with the capability to charge for membership and earn cash.

Sites like reddit and Quora have their place. A lot of people chat on them. These sites are free, open access, and there are thousands of people already talking about your thing.

Here are a few things to think about if you’re choosing between reddit or Quora and your own community chat app:

• Ownership: you own nothing on reddit or Quora. If you’re just having fun, that’s probably fine. If you want to turn this into a business, it might not be.

• Customization: These sites don’t do much by way of brand building. If you want to customize your chat, they won’t really work.

• Limitations: There are limits to what you can post on reddit or Quora. Even if you start the thread. Self promotion and external links are frowned upon.

Ultimately, these sites are great if they fit your goals for a community chat! Just understand what they are and aren’t.

If you’ve got a thriving chat on a platform you can’t monetize, how can you make the switch? Here’s a simple plan for migrating.

Get strategic: The first step is to think about your community. What’s working? Why are people engaging? Understand what people want and need before making the jump to a new platform. (We have some cool AI prompts here you can try for strategizing).

Choose your alternative: Choose a software that lets you host a community chat, but also grow into a paid membership. You could consider selling access to events, streams, courses, etc.

Set it up: Create your Spaces on the new platform (opt for an AI community platform to help you get started quickly), taking care to follow the principles of Community Design™. Brand that thing and get it ready for your members.

Invite people! You could opt for a soft launch to start, with a small group checking out the new space. You might host a launch event like a livestream. Start moving people into the new Space.

Close the old one: Eventually, you need to close the old community chat. If possible, set up a redirect to your new platform. Otherwise, post clear instructions to help people find the new spot.

Mighty Networks is an awesome spot for chatting. It’s got forum-style conversations, activity feeds, 1:1 and group chat/messaging, and built in events for livestreamed hangouts. Here are some tips to get even more out of Mighty as a chat app:

Create themed Spaces: Mighty lets you organize your community into different Spaces, so make the most of them! Set up a few different conversations so that people can naturally find the chat they want to be in. Since Space features can toggle on or off, you could create chat only Spaces. OR try things like activity feeds or virtual hang out rooms (with the events feature). OR you can toggle on a Hashtag list for your Space to organize content accordingly.

Optimize for real-time: Encourage members to use the Mighty Networks app and turn on push notifications so they’re instantly notified about new posts, content, or livestreams.

Use different features for better chatting: You can host chats in group conversations or threaded discussions. But you’ve got lots of content options too! Use things like polls or questions to get the chat cooking.

• For 1:1 or small group chats, WhatsApp or Snapchat work well.

• For workplace chats, Slack is a great option.

• For large chats in free communities, Discord is a good option (especially for gamers).

• For medium to large chats in paid communities, Mighty Networks is the best choice.

Most people choose a community chat app for one of four reasons:

• Better UX: Most social media platforms aren’t built for chatting; they’re built for large scale social networking. As such, the chat and DM functions on major social platforms aren’t always great (or are non-existent).

• Privacy & control: Social media platforms don’t always give you the privacy to host your own chats. And you don’t necessarily have control over the look and feel of your chat, or even of the chat members’ emails or contact info.

• Branding: For launching a chat under your own brand, social media platforms just won’t cut it.

• Payments: If you want to earn money from chatting, social media platforms are the WORST! A dedicated community chat app can help you build a business from chatting.

All of these are great reasons to opt for a community chat app!