Nowadays many people want or need to be able to use video communications for work and pleasure.
Which video-chat platform you use when depends on the device you use, the number of people you want to chat with, how long you want to talk, and more.
Zoom
Zoom is the most popular video-chat platform today, used by about two-thirds of all people doing video chatting. Zoom started out targeting large businesses but gained popularity with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Today people use Zoom to connect with friends and family, hold small group meetings, do distance learning, celebrate milestones such as birthdays and anniversaries, conduct business meetings, and much more.
Apple FaceTime
If you have an iPhone or iPad, you’ve probably used FaceTime video-chat. Chatting with FaceTime is as easy as making a phone call. FaceTime also works on Mac computers, although it’s not available for Android phones or tablets or for Windows computers.
Facebook Messenger
Facebook Messenger is a messaging and video-chat app from the Facebook social network. It’s available to all Facebook members on all devices (Android and iOS phones and tablets, as well as Chromebook, Mac, and Windows computers). It is only available to people who are Facebook members.
Skype
Skype was one of the first video chat platforms. Like Zoom, it’s available across most major platforms—Android and iOS phones and tablets, as well as Mac and Windows computers.
WhatsApp is a mobile-based messaging and video chat platform that is extremely popular among the younger generation but is also gaining popularity among more mature users. The app is available for both Android and iOS devices.
Google Duo
Google Duo is a video-chat platform from Google, designed to compete with Apple FaceTime for both iPhone and Android smartphone use. You’ll find Google Duo preinstalled on many Android phones (including Google’s line of Pixel phones). There’s also a web version available, so you can use it on your Mac, Chromebook or Windows computer. (This may have a limited lifespan as Google are in the process of withdrawing support for it.)
Google Meet
Also from Google is Google Meet. Unlike Duo, Google Meet is designed for larger video meetings of up to 100 participants for up to 60 minutes.
Microsoft Teams
The final video chat platform in this list is Microsoft Teams. Teams is primarily a collaboration platform targeted at businesses as part of the Microsoft 365 offering.
This free version of Microsoft Teams includes one-on-one and group voice and video chats. It’s available on all platforms, including Android and iOS as well as via web browser on Windows, Mac, and Chromebook computers.
Each video-chat service comes with its own list of pros and cons, but with a little research you can ensure that you are selecting the right service for your requirements.
There are numerous other less well known and sometimes, more niche, video-chat applications and services and this was just a brief roundup.
Whichever video-chat service you end up choosing, just make sure that you've allowed the application access to your camera and microphone otherwise your video-chat may be rather blank and muted.