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Facebook Messenger vs Viber
March 09, 2025 | Author: Adam Levine
14★
Facebook Messenger is an instant messaging service and software application which provides text and voice communication. Available now for Android and iPhone.
11★
Viber is a mobile app that provides free international calls and text messages to other Viber users using 3G or Wi-Fi. Uses your existing contact list - check out which of your phone contacts and friends is already on Viber so that you can call and text them for free.
Facebook Messenger and Viber, in their infinite wisdom, have both decided that people need more ways to send each other messages they’ll forget about in two minutes. They let you send texts, make voice and video calls and clutter conversations with stickers, GIFs and whatever else the internet deems amusing. Both have encryption for those who like to pretend their messages are secret, though the reality is that if someone really wants to know what you said, they’ll probably just ask. They work on phones, computers and possibly the fridge if it’s smart enough and businesses have happily invaded both platforms with chatbots that pretend to be helpful.
Facebook Messenger, born in 2011 in the grand halls of Meta (formerly Facebook, formerly just a dodgy idea in a dorm room), insists that you have a Facebook account or at least let it peek at your phone number. It thrives in the social media jungle, seamlessly linking to Facebook and Instagram so you can slide into DMs with the grace of a startled giraffe. It offers Messenger Rooms, where up to 50 people can talk over each other at once and is primarily designed for people who still believe in maintaining a curated online presence rather than just sending cryptic emoji-laden texts at 2 AM.
Viber, emerging in 2010 from the brains of developers in Israel before being adopted by Japan’s Rakuten, operates under the quaint notion that some people might not want their messaging app tethered to a social media empire. It stubbornly sticks to phone numbers for registration and takes privacy so seriously that it lets users make messages disappear—presumably before they say something embarrassing. It's a favorite among international callers, thanks to Viber Out, which allows users to make calls to real, actual phone numbers for cheap. And for those who like talking to lots of people, Viber Communities exist as vast, slightly chaotic hubs where thousands can argue, share memes and ponder the great mysteries of life, such as why they joined in the first place.
See also: Top 10 Business Messaging platforms
Facebook Messenger, born in 2011 in the grand halls of Meta (formerly Facebook, formerly just a dodgy idea in a dorm room), insists that you have a Facebook account or at least let it peek at your phone number. It thrives in the social media jungle, seamlessly linking to Facebook and Instagram so you can slide into DMs with the grace of a startled giraffe. It offers Messenger Rooms, where up to 50 people can talk over each other at once and is primarily designed for people who still believe in maintaining a curated online presence rather than just sending cryptic emoji-laden texts at 2 AM.
Viber, emerging in 2010 from the brains of developers in Israel before being adopted by Japan’s Rakuten, operates under the quaint notion that some people might not want their messaging app tethered to a social media empire. It stubbornly sticks to phone numbers for registration and takes privacy so seriously that it lets users make messages disappear—presumably before they say something embarrassing. It's a favorite among international callers, thanks to Viber Out, which allows users to make calls to real, actual phone numbers for cheap. And for those who like talking to lots of people, Viber Communities exist as vast, slightly chaotic hubs where thousands can argue, share memes and ponder the great mysteries of life, such as why they joined in the first place.
See also: Top 10 Business Messaging platforms
