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Facebook Messenger vs WhatsApp
March 12, 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.
27★
WhatsApp Messenger is a cross-platform mobile messaging app which allows you to exchange messages without having to pay for SMS. WhatsApp Messenger is available for iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Windows Phone and Nokia and yes, those phones can all message each other! Because WhatsApp Messenger uses the same internet data plan that you use for email and web browsing, there is no cost to message and stay in touch with your friends.
Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, in the grand scheme of things, are essentially the same sort of thing—both let humans send each other messages, pictures and an inexplicable number of gifs featuring dancing animals. They are owned by the same giant entity, Meta, which has developed an alarming talent for making people argue with their relatives online. Both let you chat one-on-one, in groups or through video calls, meaning you can successfully ignore people in a wide variety of formats. Encryption exists, though in a somewhat "trust us, it’s there" sort of way and they are both available on mobile and desktop, ensuring you can be distracted at all times.
Messenger, like a mildly pushy friend who insists on bringing you into social events you don’t remember agreeing to, is deeply entwined with Facebook. You need an account to use it properly and it thrives in a world of chatbots, business integrations and oddly specific targeted ads. It was spun out of Facebook in 2011, having once been just a humble chat feature and has since developed ideas about itself. Unlike WhatsApp, encryption is more of an opt-in situation, but it does offer Messenger Rooms, which allow up to 50 people to shout over each other in a video call, presumably while trying to decide where to get lunch.
WhatsApp, on the other hand, is more like a well-meaning but slightly paranoid traveler, demanding your phone number instead of a social media profile and insisting on encrypting everything by default, just in case. Born in 2009 and later adopted by Meta, it was originally meant for private and international messaging, making it ideal for sending passive-aggressive messages to friends in different time zones. It also supports WhatsApp Business, which allows small businesses to answer customer queries, send updates and wonder why half their customers only reply with a thumbs-up emoji.
See also: Top 10 Business Messaging platforms
Messenger, like a mildly pushy friend who insists on bringing you into social events you don’t remember agreeing to, is deeply entwined with Facebook. You need an account to use it properly and it thrives in a world of chatbots, business integrations and oddly specific targeted ads. It was spun out of Facebook in 2011, having once been just a humble chat feature and has since developed ideas about itself. Unlike WhatsApp, encryption is more of an opt-in situation, but it does offer Messenger Rooms, which allow up to 50 people to shout over each other in a video call, presumably while trying to decide where to get lunch.
WhatsApp, on the other hand, is more like a well-meaning but slightly paranoid traveler, demanding your phone number instead of a social media profile and insisting on encrypting everything by default, just in case. Born in 2009 and later adopted by Meta, it was originally meant for private and international messaging, making it ideal for sending passive-aggressive messages to friends in different time zones. It also supports WhatsApp Business, which allows small businesses to answer customer queries, send updates and wonder why half their customers only reply with a thumbs-up emoji.
See also: Top 10 Business Messaging platforms
