There are so many chat applications available these days that it's difficult to know which to choose. While many of these apps are similar, most offer something that make them unique from the rest. If your friends and family don't already have an established method of communication, you should consider a few things before you decide on one. Determine the importance of security, time and participant limits, voice and video calls, group chat support, photo and file sharing, and price. Lots of apps are free but they may include ads unless you upgrade to the paid version. If security is important to you, consider one of the apps that feature self-destructing messages or encrypted communication. Never give away personal information to people you don't know.