Life without a smartphone is unimaginable and will come to a halt. The primary use of a Smartphone in most use cases is for prompt communication purposes. In the fast digital world, instant and real-time chats play a vital role in effective communication.
Introduction on Communication tool for Effective Collaborations
The purpose of having a real-time chat as a communication tool or OTT communications in organizations is to enable effective, convenient private and group communication at the workplace or home.
Enterprise Communication includes several layers of professional interactions such as – functions among the teams, with vendors, and customers. In such a scenario, the requirement is more and different. To meet the functional requirement, most organizations either build or subscribe to a corporate communication chat app which is available when you urgently need it.
To proceed further with instant messaging, Chat SDK solutions, and RTC – Let us first also understand Cloud computing, Cloud technology, and relatively Cloud communications.
Cloud is essentially a new data consumption model that offers infrastructure and applications as a service. The principle of the cloud is to make the area of your infrastructure or applications irrelevant. Cloud computing means that it no longer matters where your required data is stored through a networked device. It must be available to you on-demand.
A chat app offers many benefits to businesses –
- Instant Communication
The Chat Apps never cause a disturbance that affects the workflow. While you are still using another app, you can reply quickly to the received chat message in real-time.
- Purposeful Conversation-Preference to what is more important
Many times, the business or company has multiple teams who work on the same tasks but perform different functionalities, in such a case, the Project Manager posts updates in the chat groups. Real-time enables to streamline the collaboration between the management and the employees to increase productivity.
- Collaborate to Overcome Challenges
Overcoming the Business Challenges was possible with the help of all-in-one Chat Solutions. Employees who are not able to come to the office and prefer a remote working style, Enterprise Chat Apps with live chats, collaboration tools, file and screen sharing, group video calling enabled effective remote & virtual working environment for fruitful communication.
- Confidentiality that Values More
When you build your own Enterprise Chat App, you must ensure that you have full access and control over the organization’s communication network and its related performance. A real-time private mobile messaging platform for enterprises will facilitate you to build a multi-layered access and role-based control messaging app. Further, with end-to-end encryption, you can ensure that the communications exchanged will be adapted only by the team members and not any third-party vendors.
Overview:
The best solution to look for is going for customizing a chat app that suits your requirement. Many technology and software companies have developed the best Chat SDK, API, and tools. However, not every provider offers customization features to its customers. Some provide variations and price them according to the real-time chat SDK.
Below is the list of top 10 Messaging Platforms that provide the best Chat API & Messaging SDK Solutions that are based on several criteria and detailed analysis:
- MirrorFly – 100% Customizable Enterprise Chat SDK Solution
The fully equipped real-time Chat App Solution comes with WebRTC embedding enabling HD video interactions and a VOIP Calling with a dynamic voice experience. The high scalable messaging infrastructure can connect 10M+Users and Facilitate 1B+conversations adhering to HIPAA, & GDPR Compliances.
Features
- 100% Customizable
- Secure File Sharing
- Screen Sharing
- VOIP Calling
- Group Video Calling
- Push to Talk
- Real-time Notification
- Multichannel
- Live Broadcasting & Streaming
Pros
- On Cloud & On-hosting Premises is facilitated.
- Enriched UI/UX Designs multiplies user engagement.
- White label Solution ensures you retain your brand identity.
- 250+ Technical Teams to Support the users.
Cons
- No Subscriptions available
Platform: Android, iOS and Web
- Twilio
The Programmable Messaging app comes with advanced software that empowers the delivery of messages across multichannel and adheres to compliances.
Features
- Voice & Video Calls
- Cross-Platform messaging.
- Two-factor Authentication
- Multimedia Support
- Proactive Notifications
- Mass Alerts
Pros
- Facilitates high-volume conversation and low latency.
- Scalable based on messages and users.
- Has a free trial subscription for the first thousand messages or 50 customers.
- Allows Integration of communications at critical touchpoints for user engagement.
Cons
- Pricing varying based on clients and the number of messages
Platform: Android, iOS and Web
- PubNub – Reliable Chat app for better User Engagement
PubNub is a popular API chat provider dedicated to providing quick chat services even during traffic spikes. PubNub’s Chat API always confirms customer retention and user engagement with advanced moderation tools/platforms.
Features
- Private, group Chat.
- Multichannel messaging
- Chatbot Device
- Ready-made UI/UX designs
- Real-time Notifications
- Community Chats
- Live event Messaging
Pros
- Powers real-time use cases alongside the chats
- Scalable and reliable
- Facilitates around 2 trillion messages updating in a month.
- Offers over 75 SDKs to choose from.
Cons
- The standard plan does not include access to PubNub functions, HIPAA, and GDPR compliance.
Platform: Android, iOS and Web.
- Cometchat-App with cross-platform compatibility
Cometchat is a top chat SDK & API provider that offers in-app messaging solutions to either small or large-scale enterprises. The cross-platform messaging is WebRTC-enabled HD video and voice calling across multiple platforms. Cometchat also features the “Sandbox” package mainly for small enterprises and individuals.
Features
- One-on-One text chat
- Group chat
- Voice calling
- Voice conference
- Video calling
- Video conference
Pros
- Has a chat plugin with no codes.
- Offers White-label UI.
- Features auto-scales according to your need.
- Reliable for the Edu-tech, Live Stream, marketplace, on-demand services.
Cons
- Slightly priced higher.
Platform: Android, iOS and Web
- Send bird-Leading Chat API & Messaging SDK Provider
The Chat API & SDK provider is one of the most trusted and messaging platform service providers. Send bird comes with AES 256 End-to-End Encryption data protected in chats that are mentioned, enables global language translation, and supports.
Features
- User muting
- Image filtering
- Smart throttling
- Spam flood protection
- Chat moderation
- Managing moderator roles & permissions
- Profanity filters
- Announcements
Pros
- Offers various types of private group channels which are fit to your use cases, like 1-on-1 messaging, WhatsApp style closed group chat.
- Infrastructure is on AWS, enabling scalability.
- A free trial on all Pro Features is readily available.
Cons
- The plan does not provide access to necessary chat features like announcements and delivery receipts.
Platform: Android, iOS.
- Apphitect IM-Instant Messaging with offline Messages facility
It comes with many features including personal chats, social interactions, and offline messaging. A 100% customizable API that implements cutting-edge technologies like Erlang, Apache Cassandra, and AWS.
Features
- Push notifications & Offline messages
- Presence Indicator & social integrations
- Geolocation tracking
- Video & Voice Calling
- Screen sharing
- Multimedia sharing
Pros
- Offers Unlimited Storage and Own cloud hosting.
- Has a zero downtime possibility.
- Reliable and Scalable.
- Easy Integration and comes with 24×7 support.
Cons
- Requires ten business days to install Chat API into any Website.
Platform: Android, iOS and Web
- Applozic – Chat API Solutions for Every Company or Business Need
Applozic is a cross-platform Chat SDK known for its infrastructure that allows a seamless chat experience. A powerful Chat API integrates on platforms and primarily aims to take customer service to another level.
Features
- Multiparty Chat
- Push Notifications
- Real-time Components
- Location tracking and Media Sharing
- Internationalization
- Chat History
Pros
- Suitable for Customer Support, Healthcare, Marketplace, E-commerce, and Finance Industries.
- Has Advanced Encryption and prevents eavesdropping.
- Provides Multi-level Authentication.
- Facilitates Multi-Tenant Hosting services for light usage with controlled connections and relative MAU Levels.
Cons
- It does not have a VoIP feature or WebRTC that is in-built.
Platform: Android, iOS and Web
- Agora – A CPaaS (Communication-Platform-as-a-Service) Provider
Agora empowers the collective period of human connection per month. The scalable Chat SDK offers real-time voice and video calls along with a Live Interactive Streaming feature. It comes with a great network that monitors and also routes the path for sub-second latency across 250+data centers.
Features
- Video Call
- Voice Call
- Live Interactive Video Streaming
- Live Interactive Audio Streaming
- Recording
- Real-time Messaging
Pros
- Has customizable UI and Pre-integrated third-party Extensions.
- Compatible on all popular platforms and offers a minimum level of mobile battery consumption.
- Provides 24×7 development and operational support.
- Has 400ms average global latency with 99.99% uptime.
Cons
- The Real-time Messaging feature exists in the BETA Phase.
Platform: Android, iOS and Web
- Mesibo- Lightweight and Modular Real-time Chat API Provider
Mesibo utilizes the best class message switching technology and code samples ensuring a low latency delivery with the best calling experience. It supports various languages. A developer-friendly platform that offers everything to build a real-time app.
Features
- One-on-one messaging
- High-Quality Video and Voice calls
- Push Notifications
- White-label solution
- Group Messaging
- Security Encryption
Pros
- Allows on cloud hosting only. Download and use it on own-premise.
- Provides Moderation and Filters based on your requirement.
- Adding own encryption and key exchange mechanism.
- The demo is available.
Cons
- Real-time storage and bandwidth are not available in the on-premise Deployment.
Platform: Android, iOS and Web
Cloud platforms enable businesses and developers to integrate text messaging and video calling into their apps –
Selecting a proprietary cross-platform instant messaging application for smartphones, make sure that the management is included. To select the cloud communications solution, it is important to fully understand your objectives first. Management is the main element resulting in a successful cloud communications deployment.
Proper Management makes the difference between:
- Maintaining strategic control or losing control
- Maintaining flexibility vs. losing flexibility
- An easy migration vs. a painful, disruptive, and expensive migration
- A staged and controlled evolution to the cloud vs. a rip and replace strategy.
- Accessing new features quickly and easily.
Benefits gained by considering these cloud communications platforms –
- Portal customization
OTT messaging platforms should support and help in complete customization of the environment, with different factors of controls to manage how every feature and setting is made possible, such as GUI management, user validation, field display controls. Views received should be configurable to meet business and end-customer needs.
- Role-based access control
The cloud communications platform should offer role-based access to give control over permissions and capabilities a customer has, which drives what they can see and do in the system. A real-time private mobile messaging platform for enterprises should be able to define all related elements, with a range of controls for feature management and portal views, including control over menu presentation, hierarchical based permissions, and access per entity and per field.
- Security of data
The cloud communications platform should be formed to support a variety of security mechanisms and ensure the platform adheres to required security policies.
- Redundancy
For cloud communications platforms, a geo-redundant model should be in place, along with full support for load balancing.
- Enterprise-wide dial plan management
Dial plans are another important factor to consider. The cloud communications platform should enable a business or company to adopt a standard industry dial plan, or fully customize their own, or have no dial plan management at all and implement a dial plan manually. The platform should be able to manage multiple country dial plans as a single workflow, with flexibility.
- Support for hybrid cloud
Be assured that the cloud communications platform allows you to easily manage a hybrid environment where communications applications are being accessed from both the private and public cloud.
Final thoughts
The analysis of the features, Pros, and Cons with compatibility makes it clear that all the top ten Chat API and cloud communication providers differ by technologies and features. From the listed messaging platforms service providers, you can choose those who meet your specific business requirement. Building and using Chat communication will increase your business productivity and efficiency.
Web3 as the future of communication platforms
Communication is a core need and a progress conduit for an individual human, society and mankind. Instant messaging, OTT communication, video calling tech have made it easy for us to connect instantly and maintain such connections. Social networking and messaging engines have unified these achievements bringing it all together. The effects of these technologies have been significantly amplified during web2.0 movement. Now web3 is taking things to yet another level by allowing users not only contribute content, but also participate in ownership, DAO governance and monetization. This allows to achieve better fairness, decentralization and boosts the creation and growth of new types of social economies and thriving ecosystems.
Excited and want to learn more? Check our “Social” category for more posts on this topic.
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