TOP 10 Instant Messaging Android Apps to Stay in touch with Friends and Family

1. MSN Talk

It was hard to find a decent application which would replace Windows Live Messenger and run on my Android. One of my first tries was Meebo which had an awful design and lack of features.

Why is MSN Talk better? I wll start with the fact that it has a good looking design, but besides that, there are a lot of features: it supports unique emoticons, you can set up your own avatar and groups and send/receive nudges, and its easy to customize.

Price: Free
Tested on: Android 2.1, 2.2, 2.3

2. Skype – Nimbuzz

Recently Skype developed an official application for Android phones, but for some strange reason its not available in some countries such as Republic of Moldova and Montenegro. Instead, I am going to propose you try Nimbuzz which has a calm design and some basic features such as status updates and group chat. The only downside is that its calls are not really stable However, you can use Nimbuzz for Facebook, Google Talk, Yahoo Messenger and MySpace.

Price: Free
Tested on: Android 2.1, 2.2, 2.3

3. ICQ LIVE

At first I started to use the standard version of ICQ but the client was not stable and it crashed a lot. ICQ Live is as detailed as the official computer software; you can easily update your profile, mood messages, groups chat and of course block and add contacts. I am really satisfied with it! It’s the only decent ICQ app I have found.

Price: Free
Tested on: Android 2.1, 2.2, 2.3

4. Yahoo Messenger

“One small step for a man; one giant leap for mankind”, this quote fits a little the situation with Yahoo Messenger. We were obligated to use eBuddy in order to log on to our messenger accounts for a long time, and this is a really big step forward for Yahoo since their official Android application release. It has both a pleasing design and unique functions such as video calls, Facebook integration, group chat with Windows Live users, and more.

Price: Free
Tested on: Android 2.1, 2.2, 2.3

5. Twidroyd

I asked lot of people which client they use for Twitter and I never heard any other answer than "Twidroyd" of course I tried some other applications, but they had ugly design and lack of functions, plus some of them would crash. Twidroyd is pretty simple but it has a clean design so even my mother can Tweet without problems. Every time I use this client I think that the website should be the same.

Price: $3.99
Tested on: Android 2.1, 2.2, 2.3

6. MySpace Mobile

When I mention MySpace in public, some people keep asking me if it still exists. Yes, it exists, and it’s way better than it was before. Plus, in comparison with other bigger companies it has a really nice Android client. It contains all the features that the official website has and you can easily manage the content and your profile. It’s still in beta so there will be some function and design improvements but I can recommend it to you even now.

Price: Free
Tested on: Android 2.1, 2.2, 2.3

7. AIM – BeeJive

As you may have noticed from my reviews above, I like applications with good design. The computer version of AIM itself is a bit ugly and has some boring graphics which makes it looks like its from the ’90s. After a long search I was able to find BeeJive’s version of AIM which not only makes my eyes smile but also contains plenty of features, leeting you easily update your status, add new contacts, and check your email. This application costs $9.99, but its worth the price because it includes MSN, Facebook, and GTalk.

Price: $9.99
Tested on: Android 2.1, 2.2, 2.3

8. Google Talk – eBuddy

Google Talk loses more and more popularity every day so I wouldn’t recommend you buying an application just for the GTalk. There is no great need to as it doesn’t have many features anyway. I do suggest you use eBuddy, due to its simplicity and how it comes together with Yahoo Messenger, AIM, and other IM clients. If you’re not satisfied with eBuddy, try BeeJive which is listed above.

Price: Free
Tested on: Android 2.1, 2.2, 2.3

9. FriendCaster

If you check out the official Facebook application on the Android Market, you will notice that a lot of people are not satisfied with it because it causes a lot of problems such as constant lag or instant crashing when checking the Friends tab. Luckily there exists FriendCaster which has a decent design and works better than the original version, from a functionality point of view. It will cost you a few dollars but trust me, its worth it.

Price: $3.99
Tested on: Android 2.1, 2.2, 2.3