On April 8th, MSN Messenger will shut down for good. Who would have thought it, after years of debunking chain message hoaxes falsely announcing its closure. But finally, Microsoft has decided to sideline what was once one of its flagship services, as part of the facelift for its products through the new Skype and Outlook.com.
Maybe many of you don’t remember, but at its time Messenger was the trendy service, just like applications such as Facebook, WhatsApp, or Line are today. Everyone was on Messenger and used it daily. Even though for many it has fallen into the trunk of forgotten things, we shouldn’t be fooled. MSN had (and has) a series of features that made it an interesting and useful instant messaging client.
MSN allowed the use and creation of emoticons, a feature often forgotten by developers and much appreciated by users (as shown by the use WhatsApp has gotten out of it or, more recently, Line with its stickers). It also allowed personalization of the font, both in typography and color, and the background and theme of the application, the Nick, etc… Beyond these aesthetic improvements, MSN allowed sending files, viewing images together, sharing video and audio, tasks that were novel at the time and that, even today, many users solve in a more complicated or worse way. Finally, you could have the program installed on several computers, access it from a web interface, and there were multiple applications for mobile devices, all of them features that many more modern programs lack.
However, terrible management by Microsoft of its service, a complete inability to defend its product through marketing, accompanied by the latest updates that only brought intrusive advertising and reduced performance, and, why not say it, simply because it went out of fashion, MSN quickly became a thing of the past.
Progressively, users replaced MSN with a variety of alternatives. For example, some users started using social network chats as a form of messaging. Others actively use mobile messaging apps, for example WhatsApp, as their sole means of communication (I personally find it quite uncomfortable when you could use a computer). The curious thing is that, objectively, many of the alternatives that have replaced MSN are inferior in features and functionalities, leading to a kind of technological regression. Something that, sadly, is happening frequently in computing.
This difficulty in finding a program with similar features has meant that a small community of users continue to use daily a service considered by many to be obsolete or outdated. For all these users, whom the MSN shutdown leaves without a valid alternative for instant messaging communication, as well as for those of you who are using a less appropriate or convenient application, we present the best alternatives to MSN Messenger.
Alternatives
QQ International
QQ International is the Chinese clone of MSN. In fact, it is the program MSN would have been if it had evolved and if the latest updates hadn’t ruined it. If you are a regular MSN user, you will feel comfortable with QQ because the user interface is practically identical. It has all the functionalities of MSN (emoticons, winks, etc.), plus a few novelties of its own.
Its main disadvantages are that some configuration options are in Chinese and that, for now, it does not have a mobile application.
Skype
Microsoft’s new bet as an instant messaging application. Skype is an application focused, mainly, on video and voice transmission. As advantages, Microsoft is going to automatically port all MSN accounts to Skype, so we won’t have to register again. It also has applications for most mobile phones.
However, as a text messaging application, Skype’s functionalities are somewhat lacking, barely scraping a passing grade. Microsoft may improve certain functionalities in the future.
Gtalk
Gtalk is Google’s instant messaging service. A simple and easy-to-use application, which you can access via a web interface, from Gmail, via the PC program, or from the application on Android mobiles.
However, despite its potential, Google has never known or wanted to promote this application. Its interface and functionalities are excessively limited. It is quite possible that Google will decide to boost this service soon with the recently announced Babel, a supposed new Google messaging application that would unify and update its previous services.
Line
The popular instant messaging application for mobile, which stands as a substitute for WhatsApp, also has a PC application available. This way, messages can be sent and viewed, both on the PC and on the mobile application.
Despite having limited functionalities, it can be an interesting option to consider for those who make intensive use of instant messaging on mobile devices.
Facebook Messenger
The messaging application integrated into Facebook is often overlooked by users, but the truth is that it has interesting features. It works correctly, is multiplatform, can be accessed via PC or mobile, allows image exchange, group creation, and being a Facebook function, it has a wide reach and a large number of users.
As disadvantages, it has more limited functions than MSN, QQ, or Skype. Also, some people prefer to keep services separate and not put “all their eggs in one basket.”
Conclusion
If you are looking for an experience as similar as possible to MSN, we recommend you try QQ International. The interface and operation are practically identical, and you will feel like you have found the ideal substitute for MSN Messenger.
If, on the other hand, you are looking for a change, you can try Skype or any of the other programs we have discussed, considering the advantages and disadvantages of each, choosing the one that best suits your needs.
Was the information useful? What do you think of Microsoft’s strategy? Would you recommend another program? Do you think instant messaging has a future? If you want to leave a comment, you are welcome.
