10 Best In App Chat APIs of 2024 [Top In-app Messaging SDKs]

I reviewed and ranked of best In-app chat APIs & SDks based on clients reviews, cost, real time chat features, integration, mobile devices compatibility, support, team, technical specifications, customizable, whitelabel and current online Instant messaging market research report of 2021.
Top In-app Messaging solution provider
Chaapplications have been on a steady rise considering face-to-face meetings are all but impossible, and offices around the world have their shutters down. They’re a quick and uncomplicated way to communicate with peers, colleagues and service providers in real-time. The more intuitive and engaging they are, the more likely chat applications are to increase user retention and create a sense of brand loyalty.

It’s no wonder, then, that several companies are rightfully choosing to add in-app chat for websites and existing applications. These make apps more personable and connected with the user, and give them a lot more control over what they can do on the app.

Building an in-app messaging software is easier said than done; however, plenty of expert companies provide in-app messaging business solutions that are easier to integrate and quite customisable.

But before that, here is the lowdown on in-app chats, their costs and benefits, and the support they lend to major industries.

Table of Content:

What is an In-App Chat?
The Growth of In-App Messaging
The Benefits and Limitations of In-App Chats
The Challenges of In-App Chats

10 Best In-App Chat APIs to Build a Secure Messaging App

The Final Word

What is an In-App Chat?

An in-app chat is a chat feature that exists within an app otherwise used for delivering a product or a service. They can be used for one-to-one conversations in real-time, or to facilitate group chats between three to thousands of people. Whether you choose to use in-app messaging for websites or for a mobile app, there’s no doubt that it’s a highly interactive user-friendly feature with a variety of brand and business perks.

With in-app chats, a user doesn’t need to leave the app they’re on to use another messaging platform. This creates a more seamless user experience, especially given that users that are forced to leave the app due to disjointed UX may not be entirely eager to come back on it.

In-app chat features can be used between users, between vendors, and to facilitate conversations between user and vendor. This increases transparency and allows for real-time conversations and faster problem-solving.

The Growth of In-App Messaging

Several surveys and studies show that in-app messaging is gaining speed even as apps become more intuitive, user-friendly and personalised. Companies who use an in-app messaging service tend to see a 30 per cent (or higher) increase in app launches; at the same time, their user retention rates also increased four-fold (source).

An especially telling statistic is this one from Airship. They found that in-app messaging response rates are a whopping 8 times higher than that of push notifications which, for a long time, was considered the most personalised way of communicating with app users.

Major Industries That Benefit from in-App Messaging Solutions
“Technology is best when it brings people together.”

–– Matt Mullenweg, Entrepreneur and Developer of WordPress

Some industries benefit more than others from in-app communication software, especially if their major USP is being people-oriented.

Social & Entertainment Sectores : An in-app messaging platform within an entertainment app or website is vital to increasing user engagement and retention. These chat apps emulate the feeling of watching a show or a movie with friends without being together physically. By adding an in-app chat feature, companies reduce the chances of viewers leaving their app to discuss storylines or have related conversations on another app.
Online Gaming Sectors : In-app chats in games allow for players to interact one-to-one or as a group. These enhance the experience of the game itself, allowing each player to be an active participant. It creates a sense of community and will enable users to connect with people all over the world over similar interests. Most popular games such as Animal Crossing and Kart Rider have already taken advantage of in-app chats, even taking it a step further by offering voice calls.
Online Shopping & Ecommere Stores : Chat features in online shopping websites and apps make for better and quicker customer service. They can be leveraged to help shoppers find what they’re looking for; they can also be used to upsell or cross-sell products that a certain demographic might be interested in. Real-time chat apps make customer service much easier for both users and providers and increase brand loyalty and trust.
Payment and Ticketing websites : In-app chats can be used to create customer service or issue tickets in a flash. These are much easier to keep track of than hordes of emails and messages. In-app chats can also be leveraged for taking payments, alerting customers to price drops and sending exclusive discount coupons and codes to keep purchase numbers high.

The Benefits and Limitations of In-App Chats

in-app messaging solutions

The Perks of Using in-app Chats Are:

Personalised: In-app chats are more personal as they are real-time and encourage communication.
Drives engagement: In-app chats keep users on the app without the need for them to switch to another messaging platform; this, in turn, drives higher engagement rates.
Contextual conversations: Messaging within the app allows for lesser time spent in context-setting and more time getting to the heart of the problem.
Creates communities: in-app chats create bigger communities within the app and increase downloads, memberships or traffic in general.

The Limitations of Using In-app Chats Are:

An added investment: For smaller companies with tighter budgets, in-app chats appear as an additional expense that takes time to show positive results.
Need steady internet connections: In-app chats don’t function without an internet connection. This can shut down conversations if one person happens to move into an area with a weaker network.
Takes effort to make interactive: When it comes to user-vendor relationships, some companies choose to have a chat specialist manning the chat features; yet others prefer robots. Either way, making an in-app chat interactive is a lot of hard work and takes consistent tweaking and testing to keep it up to date.

The Challenges of In-App Chats

In-app messaging business solutions may be the key to increased user retention, but they have their fair share of challenges.

1. Ensuring Interactive Features

In-app chats are inherently word-oriented, but they do benefit from interactive features. These include emojis, voice and video calls, message reactions, file-sharing, status updates, personalised profiles and more.

2. Managing Tech Requirements

In-chat apps may seem simple, but they have a complex architecture that needs to function smoothly to ensure user engagement and retention. Such apps also need to be continuously updated to ensure a seamless experience; failure to do this may lead to crashing apps and servers and expensive downtime.

3. Creating Secure Chats

In the wake of several incidences of phishing and hackings, in-app chats must be made safe to use. This is especially critical for apps that deal with sensitive information, business plans and confidential intelligence. However, high-level security requires top-tier technology that can be expensive.

10 Best In-App Chat APIs & SDKs to Build a Secure Chat App

While the market is seeing new players enter into the fray, the top providers stand out for a whole host of benefits including user-friendliness, intuition and personalised experiences.

1. MirrorFly

MirrorFly offers one of the best in-app chat API and SDK solutions in the market. They offer modern chats for web and apps with enhanced functionalities. These include 1-1 chats, group chats, file- and screen-sharing, broadcast messages and multilingual translations. Their chat app is feature-enriched such that users have an engaging and interactive experience. Highlights out of these features are personalised profiles, encrypted chats, multi-channel communication and meeting booking setups. The pro of this provider is that their SDKs and APIs are fully customisable. However, they do require higher investments.

Highlights of MirrorFly In app Chat Solution

In app Chat
Voice Call
Push Notifications
Secure File Transfer
Multi Languages
End to End Encryption
Multi Channels
Advanced Search Filters
Hire dedicated development team

2. Apphitect

Apphitect offers a multi-faceted in-app chat messaging API for Android and iOS as well as for web apps. The solution is customisable and is easily integrated into existing apps. The list of features they provide includes presence indication, geo-locations, multimedia sharing and more. Offline messaging is ideal to expand the reach of the app even offline; the auto-sync feature displays every user’s activity in real-time, regardless of how many devices they use to sign unto the app. The drawback is that using Apphitect does require a specific skill or expertise level.

Highlights of Apphitect In app Messaging API & SDK

Chat API for In app Communication
Secure Document Sharing
Voice & Video Calls
Personalized Profiles
Book Meeting

3. CometChat

CometChat allows for a fully-intuitive chat experience within an existing app. Their SDKs are cross-platform, making it easier to optimise for a variety of devices without losing time. CometChat offers these features right out of the box– voice and video calling, online indicators, media attachments, message searches, typing indicators and the ability to edit or delete messages. Additional extensions make your chat features more intuitive; end-to-end encryption ensures all conversations are safe and private. However, users have experienced lags in customer support, especially in North America.

Highlights of Cometchat In app Chat Platform

In app chat for patients -doctors, buyers -sellers
1-1 & Group Conversations
Rich Media Attachments
Custom Messages
Typing Indicators

4. TalkJS

TalkJS provides a full-bodied scalable chat infrastructure that can be used for a variety of customers and industries. The real-time messaging software packs all the usual suspects including file transfer, emojis, location sharing and more. Additionally, messages sent when offline are converted into emails or SMS so that the app is always in reach even when disconnected from the internet. The chat pop-up brings the conversation onto any page of the app; a multi-language user interfa Responsive cross-browser UXce ensures all users communicate seamlessly.The benefit of TalkJS’ offering is that it is compatible with any architectural framework. That said, it involves a bit of a steep learning curve, especially in companies that aren’t familiar with JavaScript.

Highlights of TalkJS In app Messaging Software

In-App Chat & Messaging Solution
Chat Pop-up
Responsive cross-browser UX
Multi-Languagesa
Multi Channles
Multi Groups
Desktop Notifications

5. Mesibo

Mesibo is a lightweight modular chat platform that enables real-time messaging and video and voice calls. The features they offer include rich messaging, location-sharing, presence and typing indicators and push notifications. If a company wishes to add more features, they can do so via the open source code available on GitHub. A standout feature is the message processing framework that allows companies to create and deploy chatbots. This makes the app just as useful even when all human users are offline. However, Mesibo doesn’t allow for third-party integrations and external plug-ins.

Highlights of Mesibo In app Messaging Software

Secure In-app Communication
Messaging, Calls & Conferencing
On-Premise Deployment
Send Arbitrary Binary/Signaling Data
Group Messaging

6. PubNub

PubNub’s in-app chat facilitates one-to-one, group and community chats without any hiccups. They offer ready-to-go UI components that keep chat apps looking clean. Direct chats facilitate one-to-one conversations while group chats improve the sense of community. Other standout features include message history, read receipts, emoji reactions, push notifications and typing indicators. They also allow for filters, which prevent certain words from being used on in-app chats. Their support team takes care of all the pain points; however, customised branding isn’t an option.

Highlights of Pubnub In App Communication Platform

Chat APIs for In App Communications
Push Notifications
Group Community Chat
Community chat streams
Real-time Location Tracking

7. Chat SDK

Chat SDK is a free and open-source framework for Android and iOS in-app chats. They have a handy demo app that allows businesses to learn the ropes quickly and efficiently. The extensive list of features on offer includes flexible login using email or social media, public chat rooms, user profiles, flexible search and multiple messaging types including location, image, audio and video. Being open-source, Chat SDK is also flexible and expandable. However, it is labour-intensive and needs expert skills to set up.

Highlights of Pubnub In App Messaging API

Firebase Chat SDK for In app Communication
Private and Public Chat Rooms
Highly Schalable
End to End Encryption
Push notifications for Web & Mobile Platforms
Audio Messages

8. ChatCamp

ChatCamp features direct and group channels for quick and easy in-app messaging. They also have open channels that come in handy during live conferences and webinars. The multi-platform chat framework has advanced features such as typing indicators, bot personalities and user roles. Rich text messaging allows for the sharing of voice notes, videos, images, emoji and files. They also have a bot messages feature that allows you to have an emergency setup for answering questions when staff is offline. However, it is quite complex to set up.

Highlights of ChatCamp In App Communication Platform

Integrate in-app messaging in your mobile apps & websites
Direct Channels
Customizable
Push Notifications
Chat Archiving
Voice Messages
Group Chat

9. QuickBlox

This chat solution is ideal for a variety of industries. It is HIPAA-compliant, hence suitable for healthcare. It is also secure and responsive, which makes it perfect for finance and e-commerce apps or websites. Their main features include the essentials such as file-sharing, screen-sharing, encrypted chats, 1-to-1 and group messaging and voice and video calls. QuickBlox is easily hosted on the cloud or on-premise; however, a handful of users have experienced delivery failures during surge periods.

Highlights of ChatCamp In app Messaging API

white-label communication solution
One‑to‑one and group calling
Push Notifications
Secure File Sharing
Data Storage

10. Contus Fly

Contus offers a completely customisable chat solution that also comes with access to the source code. It is lauded for being the most scalable option out there, as 2 million users can testify. The rich messaging solution allows private and group chats, file-sharing, message broadcasts, screen-sharing and cross-platform messaging across Web, iOS and Android. Chats are end-to-end encrypted and offer multiple authentication levels for absolute privacy and security. The only visible drawback is that Contus doesn’t offer a free trial.

Highlights of CONTUS Fly In app Communicaiton Platform

White-lable In-app chat platform
Audio & Video calling
Call Recording
Brodcasting Message
Secure Document Sharing

The Final Word

In the end, the solution provider that will work well for your app is one that will tick most, if not all, of your boxes. What works for one may not work for another.

But regardless of which one you choose, it is universal truth now that in-app video chats can do for your app what other interactive features never can.

#video #chat #messaging #voice #conferencing #sip