6 Best Messaging Apps Available For Linux In 2017
6 Best Messaging Apps Available For Linux In 2017
As the desktop Linux usage is growing, messaging on Linux is no more restricted to those IRC talks. There are a number of ‘mainstream' messaging apps for Linux available these days. When I say mainstream, I mean the popular instant messaging applications that are available on a multitude of platforms, specially on mobile devices. A desktop companion to its mobile counterpart always comes handy when you are in no mood to type on the little mobile screens. Let's see what are the best messaging applications for Linux.
Best messaging apps for Linux (individual usage)
Please note that this list is not about those third party instant messaging clients that integrate with the popular services such as Facebook, Yahoo etc. You guessed it right. I am not talking about universal talk clients like Pidgin, Empathy etc. I have also deliberately excluded browser based messaging apps such as Typer. I am talking about actual messaging services that provide a native Linux client. Let's see what are the messaging services available for Linux.
1. Skype
I know embarking the list with a Microsoft product is not a good idea. But you'll have to accept that Skype is the most popular messaging service, especially on the desktop. With Skype getting popular even for college and job interviews, you might end up in a situation where you'll have to use Skype.
Skype had a Linux client even before Microsoft bought it. While the Linux client for Skype doesn't look as glossy as the Windows version, it works pretty fine and integrates well in most Linux desktop environment.
Note: Microsoft is working on a fresh Skype Linux client that looks and works better than the present one.
Two. Telegram
Telegram is a WhatsApp inspired, (partially) Open Source and privacy focused messaging application that is available for all desktop and mobile operating systems and thus can be termed as a true cross platform application. Because of its looks, Telegram is often dubbed the Linux alternative to WhatsApp. Telegram gained popularity as it was flaunted as a messaging app to avoid snooping by Russian government. Telegram looks and works flawlessly on desktop Linux. What makes it my dearest is the fact that it is the only messaging app available for Ubuntu Phone.
Three. Viber
Viber is more of an alternative to Skype. It provides text, audio and movie talking options. With a native Linux client, Viber has been sneaking into Skype user base. No surprises that your talk history is synchronized inbetween the desktop and the mobile app (as in Telegram and Skype). It is also integrated well in most desktop environments, especially in Ubuntu Unity. Installation packages are available for Ubuntu and Fedora Linux distributions but only for sixty four bit systems.
Four. Wire
Wire has generated fairly a hum because of its modern, clean interface and concentrate on privacy. With end to end encryption for text, audio and movie, Wire pitches itself as the ultimate private messaging app.
Wire has recently launched a Linux desktop client which is still under development. It's basically a web app packaged in Electron farmework. You can download it from the link below:
Best messaging apps for Linux (team/business usage)
Five. Wickr
Available for individuals as well as business, Wickr is the most popular secure texting app. With military grade encryption, Wickr has self destruct feature which makes the communication virtually untraceable. Good news is that Wickr launched desktop client for Linux last year and hence you can go portable, switching inbetween mobile and desktop.
6. Slack
Lately, Slack has become the substitute of Linux's famed IRC (Internet Relay Talk). It's more suitable for startups and puny and large scale business.
Contesting with Hipchat to get corporate clients, Slack has gained tremendous popularity among start-ups. Apart from reducing internal emails for discussing within the team, Slack also provides a enormous support for third party applications.
This way, you can view Dropbox files, see Trello cards etc. Even GitHub can be integrated into Slack so that you get notified for fresh commits.
You can lightly install Slack in Linux thanks to binaries provided by it. Using Slack in a web browser is not a bad practice as well.
Wrapping up
What's your beloved messaging app in Linux? For me, as I mentioned before, it is Telegram. How about you? Did I miss something out here? Do share your dearest instant messaging application.
About Abhishek Prakash
I am a professional software developer, and founder of It’s FOSS. I am an avid Linux paramour and Open Source enthusiast. I use Ubuntu and believe in sharing skill. Apart from Linux, I love classic detective mysteries. I’m also a ample fan of Agatha Christie’s work.
Grammatical errors, technical errors or outdated information? If this article needs any kind of updates, thanks to let us know.
Add comment
12 comments
I am looking for this kind of article, eventually found it here, thanks for sharing the article on the best messenging apps.
I like wickr because I feel like Ethan Hunt in Mission Unlikely Franchise; You know the entire your message will self destruct thing, Hope it doesn’t include my PC or mobile Phones?
As far as this article. I would have picked Telegram to be #1 – and undoubtedly not Skype. Telegram is open source and they have created a utter featured up-to-date desktop client for Linux. Skype is closed source and seems to begrudgingly support Linux. The client is NOT on par with other platforms, lags in features, etc. The article even admits to this. it’s kind of ridiculous.
Actually, this list is not in top-down order. Skype at one doesn’t mean that it’s the best among them all.
I gave Wire an fair attempt. It has a fantastic, minimalistic UI with awesome features. I loved the idea behind Wire. But unluckily, it had too many glitches and bugs to be useful. The friends and family I had coaxed to use Wire liked the features as well, but were underwhelmed by usability. Notifications are not reliable on Android, the app would log me out without me knowing, there’s no compression when sharing which takes more time and data to send, etc.
I’d like to suggest Signal. It’s only available on the Desktop as a Chrome/Chromium web app, but it’s very usable. It lacks some of the features Wire or Whatsapp has, but what it does, it does well. I think it’s a very usable, open-source alternative to Wickr. It uses the Signal encryption protocol that WhatsApp and Facebook have since used for their own messaging apps. It has disappearing messages, encrypted audio calls, encrypted messaging, and a ordinary, easy-to-use interface. And the spectacle is solid.
The only negatives from what I’ve seen is that there is no native client for the desktop. only a web app. Also, there is no app for tablets.. which is a bummer for me. I’m sure encrypted movie calls will be implemented in the future.
Otherwise, this is the app that will leisurely begin to substitute Telegram for me. Plus, for security-conscious people, you can trust that this app will provide top notch encryption and security.
6 Best Messaging Apps Available For Linux In two thousand seventeen
6 Best Messaging Apps Available For Linux In 2017
As the desktop Linux usage is growing, messaging on Linux is no more restricted to those IRC talks. There are a number of ‘mainstream' messaging apps for Linux available these days. When I say mainstream, I mean the popular instant messaging applications that are available on a multitude of platforms, specially on mobile devices. A desktop companion to its mobile counterpart always comes handy when you are in no mood to type on the lil’ mobile screens. Let's see what are the best messaging applications for Linux.
Best messaging apps for Linux (private usage)
Please note that this list is not about those third party instant messaging clients that integrate with the popular services such as Facebook, Yahoo etc. You guessed it right. I am not talking about universal talk clients like Pidgin, Empathy etc. I have also deliberately excluded browser based messaging apps such as Typer. I am talking about actual messaging services that provide a native Linux client. Let's see what are the messaging services available for Linux.
1. Skype
I know commencing the list with a Microsoft product is not a good idea. But you'll have to accept that Skype is the most popular messaging service, especially on the desktop. With Skype getting popular even for college and job interviews, you might end up in a situation where you'll have to use Skype.
Skype had a Linux client even before Microsoft bought it. While the Linux client for Skype doesn't look as glossy as the Windows version, it works pretty fine and integrates well in most Linux desktop environment.
Note: Microsoft is working on a fresh Skype Linux client that looks and works better than the present one.
Two. Telegram
Telegram is a WhatsApp inspired, (partially) Open Source and privacy focused messaging application that is available for all desktop and mobile operating systems and thus can be termed as a true cross platform application. Because of its looks, Telegram is often dubbed the Linux alternative to WhatsApp. Telegram gained popularity as it was flaunted as a messaging app to avoid snooping by Russian government. Telegram looks and works flawlessly on desktop Linux. What makes it my beloved is the fact that it is the only messaging app available for Ubuntu Phone.
Three. Viber
Viber is more of an alternative to Skype. It provides text, audio and movie talking options. With a native Linux client, Viber has been sneaking into Skype user base. No surprises that your talk history is synchronized inbetween the desktop and the mobile app (as in Telegram and Skype). It is also integrated well in most desktop environments, especially in Ubuntu Unity. Installation packages are available for Ubuntu and Fedora Linux distributions but only for sixty four bit systems.
Four. Wire
Wire has generated fairly a whirr because of its modern, clean interface and concentrate on privacy. With end to end encryption for text, audio and movie, Wire pitches itself as the ultimate private messaging app.
Wire has recently launched a Linux desktop client which is still under development. It's basically a web app packaged in Electron farmework. You can download it from the link below:
Best messaging apps for Linux (team/business usage)
Five. Wickr
Available for individuals as well as business, Wickr is the most popular secure texting app. With military grade encryption, Wickr has self destruct feature which makes the communication virtually untraceable. Good news is that Wickr launched desktop client for Linux last year and hence you can go portable, switching inbetween mobile and desktop.
6. Slack
Lately, Slack has become the substitute of Linux's famed IRC (Internet Relay Talk). It's more suitable for startups and petite and large scale business.
Challenging with Hipchat to get corporate clients, Slack has gained tremendous popularity among start-ups. Apart from reducing internal emails for discussing within the team, Slack also provides a fat support for third party applications.
This way, you can view Dropbox files, see Trello cards etc. Even GitHub can be integrated into Slack so that you get notified for fresh commits.
You can lightly install Slack in Linux thanks to binaries provided by it. Using Slack in a web browser is not a bad practice as well.
Wrapping up
What's your dearest messaging app in Linux? For me, as I mentioned before, it is Telegram. How about you? Did I miss something out here? Do share your dearest instant messaging application.
About Abhishek Prakash
I am a professional software developer, and founder of It’s FOSS. I am an avid Linux paramour and Open Source enthusiast. I use Ubuntu and believe in sharing skill. Apart from Linux, I love classic detective mysteries. I’m also a massive fan of Agatha Christie’s work.
Grammatical errors, technical errors or outdated information? If this article needs any kind of updates, thanks to let us know.
Add comment
12 comments
I am looking for this kind of article, ultimately found it here, thanks for sharing the article on the best messenging apps.
I like wickr because I feel like Ethan Hunt in Mission Unlikely Franchise; You know the entire your message will self destruct thing, Hope it doesn’t include my PC or mobile Phones?
As far as this article. I would have picked Telegram to be #1 – and certainly not Skype. Telegram is open source and they have created a utter featured up-to-date desktop client for Linux. Skype is closed source and seems to begrudgingly support Linux. The client is NOT on par with other platforms, lags in features, etc. The article even admits to this. it’s kind of ridiculous.
Actually, this list is not in top-down order. Skype at one doesn’t mean that it’s the best among them all.
I gave Wire an fair attempt. It has a fantastic, minimalistic UI with awesome features. I loved the idea behind Wire. But unluckily, it had too many glitches and bugs to be useful. The friends and family I had wooed to use Wire liked the features as well, but were underwhelmed by usability. Notifications are not reliable on Android, the app would log me out without me knowing, there’s no compression when sharing which takes more time and data to send, etc.
I’d like to suggest Signal. It’s only available on the Desktop as a Chrome/Chromium web app, but it’s very usable. It lacks some of the features Wire or Whatsapp has, but what it does, it does well. I think it’s a very usable, open-source alternative to Wickr. It uses the Signal encryption protocol that WhatsApp and Facebook have since used for their own messaging apps. It has disappearing messages, encrypted audio calls, encrypted messaging, and a elementary, easy-to-use interface. And the spectacle is solid.
The only negatives from what I’ve seen is that there is no native client for the desktop. only a web app. Also, there is no app for tablets.. which is a bummer for me. I’m sure encrypted movie calls will be implemented in the future.
Otherwise, this is the app that will leisurely begin to substitute Telegram for me. Plus, for security-conscious people, you can trust that this app will provide top notch encryption and security.