Blackberry-Messenger-ChatBlackBerry Messenger (BBM) has been a quintessential texting app. It has been safe, reliable and relatively free from threat of BBM spyware. But there are a number of texting apps that are hitting the market space and getting many individuals to rethink their options and put aside their BBM apps for more specialized and cross platform apps. Of course you really can’t blame them as the rivals of BBM have really upped their game and offer one thing or another to entice users their way. If you are getting a little bored with your BBM and wish to try some of the rival apps, here are the top 6 ones you should definitely take a look at.

1. WhatsApp. Who has not heard of WhatsApp? The texting platform is huge and has people calling it the next Facebook already. WhatsApp has millions of users worldwide and is definitely taking the leading edge when it comes to cross platform apps. The recent high point that WhatsApp boasted of was its claim of handling over ten billion texts a day, something BBM can’t even begin to compete with. Recently WhatsApp has launched its version for BlackBerry 10 OS as well, breaking into the BlackBerry users market.

2. Viber. Yes, after news that WhatsApp and Skype were making their way to BlackBerry, Viber also made headlines by releasing a beta version for BlackBerry OS users that allows them to make free voice calls. Now for other platforms this may not be much but it definitely gives BBM some more competition.

3. Skype for BlackBerry. Sad as it may sound, Skype was not always an option for users of BlackBerry. Skype for BlackBerry has been announced very recently and users have flocked to it wholeheartedly. Skype is already the world’s largest and most popular IM platform and now it has made itself a prominent rival for BBM.

4. Imo. This is another free texting app that may actually have BBM wondering where the users are going. Users can make use of this service to chat with contacts both through the service as well as message them on social media platforms. These include Facebook, GTalk, and Skype. The service also allows photo, video and location sharing options. However, if you wish to make calls through the service than you would have to pay some additional charges.

5. Kik Chat. This app has received some attention in and out of various user circles and since the app is available for BlackBerry, BBM users get an option of using it instead. Like BBM, users can use Kik Chat to converse with other Kik users for free, whether they are on the same platform or not.  It’s a simple to use app and works in the same basic way as WhatsApp as it allows users to locate each other through their cell phone numbers.

6. Kakao Talk. Another free cross platform app that is rivaling BBM head to head is Kakao Talk. This app is being hailed globally and allows users to locate contacts by their cell phone numbers and lets them use some fun features too. These include funny voice filters, animated emoticon options and some walkie-talkie setting for those who like vintage communication.

About the Contributor: Natalia David is a writer for MobiStealth and loves to write about mobile platforms and their ventures into the app universe such as spying apps for BBM. She can be contacted @NataliaDavid4.