Chat apps have become an increasingly important communication platform. With almost 65% of the total U.S. population owning a smartphone, virtual communication is seemingly dominating the world of telecommunication.
Other than just allowing free calls and text chats, they are stacked with features that compete with social networking sites. Among these apps, Viber and Skype dominate in this competitive world of virtual telecommunication, but one may wonder if Viber, the newer app in this market will ever wear the golden crown with Skype ever shinning brighter each day.
Though Viber and Skype provide amazing voice internet protocol services and go head-to-head in terms of quality and services, Viber gets an edge over Skype because it is more of an instant messaging client compared to Skype. Viber is also integrated with Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services. Skype’s strengths majorly lie in VoIP even though it does act as an instant messaging client too.
Moreover, the release of Viber Out and Viber on PC show that Viber is slowly making an entry into a world that has long been dominated by Skype. Viber Out is a service that allows Viber users to call any phone number at low rates.
Additionally, Viber made its impact on users by entering the market as a mobile app, a field that has been gaining popularity after the entry of smartphones. Skype, on the other hand, entered the market as a desktop application, and many users still use it majorly on PCs. Grossing at $318 million in revenue during 2013, Viber seems to be fairing on just fine when compared to Skype’s $2 billion. With barely 4 years after its release, one could say that Viber is definitely on the high-rise.
Final verdict? No, Viber will not miraculously beat Skype in the upcoming year, but with its fast growth, it certainly won’t take a decade before these two apps enter into a game of thrones as equals.