What is the best free texting app for iPhone, iPad and Android? Google Voice, iMessage, Talkatone or Hangouts

In order to send and receive text messages and pictures without using up your call credit or your texting plan, an app that allows you to enjoy messages over the internet is the most practical solution. There are apps that allow you to send text messages to phone numbers, but some only let you communicate with users who have the same app installed on their devices. There are apps that allow you to make and receive calls for free. We will discuss the most popular options to enjoy free texts on your iOS or Android device, to help you to decide which is the best for you.

Although it is not easy to choose a clear winner since the majority of apps offer the same functionality, the right option for your needs depend on your device and your personal needs. For instance, iMessage works really good and if most of your contacts are Apple users, then it is an ideal communication solution. However, if you need to stay in touch with people across different platforms, options like Facebook Messenger are much better. If what you want is to be able to send and receive text messages to any phone number, Talkatone, FreedomPop and Google Voice are the most convenient alternatives available.

Apps that allow you to send text messages to phone numbers

Google Voice, Talkatone and Google Hangouts give you the possibility of sending messages to a phone number, and you can even make call over the internet. If you use Google Voice in combination with Google Hangouts, you can enjoy a great communication experience without having to use your standard text or call plan. It works well in Androi, as well as iOS platforms. You get a free number that can be used to call, text and check your voicemail. Talkatone and FreedomPop are also simple and free solutions. The first offers unlimited free texts every month and the later gives you up to 500, which should be more than enough for most people. Talkatone works on iOS, Android and Kindle Fire, while FreedomPop supports Android and iOS.

Options for app to app messaging

The alternative is to go for an app that lets you send messages to people who are using the same app. As long as they have the app installed on their devices, you will be able to send text messages and share videos, photos and more with your contacts. Some of the most popular options are Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Skype. Google Hangouts for iOS and Android works in the same way as Facebook Messenger, although it syncs with your Google contacts instead of your Facebook ones.

Hangouts is the default SMS texting app on Android devices and its iOS version supports free calls. It can be accessed from your Gmail or Google + account and you can also find an extension for it. Google offers a convenient solution to chat with Google contacts, no matter what device you are using. If you are an Apple user, you can rely on iMessage to send and receive messages over WiFi or data connection. The messages won’t count towards your texting plan and the app is very easy to use.

With iMessage enabled, your texts are automatically sent as an iMessage (you will see a blue background), as long as the other user has an Apple device and has enabled iMessage. While it is a convenient solution, the main issue is that it can only be used on Apple devices. If you want to consider other options that give you more flexibility in terms of the platform that you can use, consider alternatives like Viber, WeChat, SnapChat and of course, WhatsApp, which is completely free.

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Many smartphone users are opting for communication solutions that rely on an internet connection, instead of using their standard texting/calling plan. Mobile carriers in the United States have noticed this trend and they are now offering unlimited calls and texts in their plans. Still, free texting apps offer many benefits that make them worth considering. They support a wide selection of features that you can’t get with traditional SMS and MMS messages. They support multiple platforms, which adds versatility to your communication experience.