Imagine yourself being stuck in traffic while your coworkers are waiting for your approval for the newest project. In moments like these, your work cannot wait for you to reach the office. Thankfully, we can now connect with our teams via team chat apps that have become our new modern offices. The rise of the “mobile” employees left us with no choice but to find a mobile-friendly solution to keep the teams on the same page. Get a team chat app on your phone and you’ll never have to worry about staying in touch. And there is no shortage of those apps. But although it’s great to have so many options, it’s hard to know which one is the right fit for you. That’s where we come in.
In this article, we rounded up the best options for people who need to stay on top of their professional and personal relationships. We gave them a try and made sure we are recommending the best of the best.
Our picks are apps we love with innovative features we believe you’ll enjoy.
Here is our list.
Chanty
Designed with simplicity in mind, Chanty is as simple as sea chanty songs. That’s one of the reasons it was created.
As a collaboration platform, it combines management, communication, and automation. It allows you to have public, private, and one-to-one conversations, audio calls and video conferences, share screens, set tasks, have threaded messaging, use Teambook to access all your content, you name it. In addition to Teambook, you can also integrate with Trello, Github, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.
Most of the features that Chanty offers for free are usually locked to pricey subscriptions. This is why it stands out from its competitors. You can have a free version with up to 10 participants, and the paid version is only 3$ per month. Your meetings will be glitch-free because of the excellent video quality and clear audio we offer. And you can have all this on your Android or any other mobile operating system you need. So feel free to communicate via Chanty on the go.
Slack
In the world of business, Slack is the one you are probably most familiar with. With a good reason too. According to CNBC, in 2017 Slack dropped about $104 million on marketing and it has doubled since then.
However, Slack owes its rise not just to marketing, but also its mix of texting, video calls, and management tools. In addition, you’ll also get file and screen sharing, as well as bots, to remind you of your tasks. You can have Slack not just on your laptop, but on your mobile too. The video calls are available on all devices and you can have a face-to-face talk with your coworkers even when you are waiting in line at the grocery store, or you are just too tired to get up from your sofa and get to your laptop on your desk.
The downside is that the maximum number of people that can join your video call is 15 participants and that is if you have the paid version; the free one will only allow you one-on-ones. In addition, if you have the free version you can only see and search the most recent 10,000 messages you’ve exchanged.
Slack has more than 1,500 integrations that can help you with workflow and work processes. However, this means that Slack relies a lot on other apps which led to questioning Slack’s capabilities of handling user data.
Brosix
Brosix is an instant messaging software for businesses with all the classic features: text chats, offline messaging, chat rooms, and audio and video calls. In addition, Brosix offers a set of features to maximize your work during video calls. Share your screen, take screenshots, transfer files unrestricted by size or volume on video calls, and execute whiteboard conferences. Its interface is user-friendly and its features provide dynamic collaboration. It is quite easy to set up, so you don’t have to waste your time on technicalities.
One of the best things about Brosix is its security. Everything happens on a fully encrypted Team Network that gives full control over the app. This makes it great as a team communication solution for those looking to have protected communication within their organization. So, no need to worry, you are safe with Brosix. Naturally, Brosix enables you to have these features from anywhere by being available as a mobile app too.
Skype
Oldie but goldie. Skype is a pioneer in the world of video calls and it wouldn’t be right if we don’t have it on our list. In fact, Skype is the one that introduced us to free video chats over the internet.
It is a free Android app with over 1 billion downloads on the Play Store. You can make video calls, have free text chats where you can send voice messages, photos, emojis, emoticons, etc. This has excellent cross-platform support, support for multiple chats, and support for most file types, including GIFs, documents, and such. In addition to all of the cool free features that Skype has to offer, there are some premium ones too. One of the features you’ll need to pay for is the traditional phone calls to regular phone numbers. The price varies depending on the location you’re calling. However, the free version allows you to have a conference call with up to 25 people at once, which is not bad at all. Skype doesn’t compromise on video call quality, so it consumes more data when you compare it to other apps. Also, if your internet is slow, then you should try some other app from this list.
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is the logical choice if you are already using Microsoft Office. It offers basic messaging features. Feel free to use all the media you’ve come to expect from chat apps: GIFs, emojis, and stickers. You can also organize conversations into channels like Slack. Video and audio calls are a big thing. You can hop onto spontaneous calls or schedule meetings with an agenda. It also has tight integration with the Microsoft Office suite for collaborating on documents, notes, or calendar appointments. On that note, however, I wouldn’t recommend Microsoft Teams unless you’re already using Microsoft Office. If you want a standalone chat app, then you’re better off with something like Chanty.
You can use the mobile app and access all your content, team contacts, apps, conversations, and meetings, anywhere and anytime. The Microsoft Teams mobile app is a great way to create a digital, on-the-go workplace where remote teams can collaborate, communicate, share, meet, and do much more right from their mobiles.
Discord
Discord is quite a unique one and different from the rest of the classic team chat apps. It was originally built for gamers but lately is marketed more broadly to online communities. Even though there aren’t many business features, Discord works for businesses for one key reason: excellent video and audio quality.
Feel free to download it on your Android and you’ll find out that Discord has text channels, similar to those in the other team chat apps. You can have as many as you want, but unfortunately, there are no threads to break down the conversations. The best thing with Discord is the voice channels. It’s designed for gaming, but you can also use it to talk to colleagues while working remotely. And, of course, you have the option of video calls if you want to see them face-to-face. Discord offers some of the best audio quality on the market, and this feature makes it worth a look If talking is how you get things done.
You can also connect Discord to your favourite apps via Zapier.
Flock
Let’s travel to India where Flock is based. This one is a handy texting app that helps you stay on top of your projects. It is designed with small businesses in mind as an effective team communication software, especially for those that work with social media. In fact, Flock prides itself in its work with social media accounts such as Twitter, making things easier for marketers. Flock is quite good with its basic features – connecting via 1-1 chat, group chats, video chats, and screen sharing. The video quality works wonders. Flock’s productivity features, such as reminders, shared to-dos, and polls, will keep your team on the same page while trying to get the job done. Flock also has the ability to leave audio messages on different channels.
Additionally, it is one of the best software for Android and it has won awards to prove it.
Similar to Brosix, Flock’s focus is on security. The traffic between its clients and servers is protected by high-end encryption.
Over To You
I hope this list has helped you find the right team chat app for your Android that will enable you to communicate, collaborate, and work more effectively even when you are not in front of your laptop. They are all great apps with terrific video chat quality, so all you gotta do is pick one and give it a go.
These platforms are not just for work, though. Feel free to connect with your friends and relatives over a virtual cup of coffee from anywhere. Using video calls will make you feel closer to the people you love in these challenging times.
So go ahead and tell us which one you like, or if you are already using some of these, share your experience. We would love to hear your thoughts.