Viber

Viber is a calling and messaging app for exchanging text, media, and voice or video calls. Its free core app supports messages and calls between Viber users, including group calls. Messages can contain photos, videos, files, voice messages, and video messages. Group chats support up to 250 people, while Communities allow unlimited members, hide members’ phone numbers, and give admins moderation controls. Community and channel admins can connect bots to help manage or interact with those spaces. Chats sync across mobile, tablet, and desktop, and calls can be transferred between devices; activating Viber for Desktop requires an active Viber account on a mobile phone. Viber says one-to-one and group chats use end-to-end encryption by default, with keys stored on users’ devices. Privacy features include disappearing messages, hidden chats, editing or deleting messages for everyone, and online and delivery status controls. Viber Out adds calls to domestic and international numbers outside Viber at destination-specific rates. Viber Plus offers an ad-free experience, privacy and customization features, and live chat support; its price appears in the app menu.

Viber combines everyday messaging and calls with cross-device syncing, privacy controls, and larger Communities. Calls to numbers outside Viber and Viber Plus are separate offerings with prices shown or set outside the core free plan.

Viber suits people who want messaging and calls across mobile and desktop, as well as admins who need large Communities with moderation controls. A phone-based Viber account is required to activate the desktop app.

Viber is a messaging and calling app for people who want private chats alongside group conversations and large communities. It is a strong fit for connecting with other Viber users across phones and computers, but calls to ordinary phone numbers and Viber Plus features sit outside the free core app.

Overview

Viber brings texts, photos, videos, files, voice messages, and video messages together with voice and video calls, including group calls. Its breadth is useful for people who want one app for personal conversations and larger shared spaces. The main boundary is reach: the core free plan covers calls and messaging with Viber users, while reaching landlines or mobile numbers requires Viber Out.

Regular group chats support up to 250 people. Communities remove that ceiling, hide members' phone numbers, and give admins moderation controls. That makes Communities better suited to broad audiences than a standard chat, though they are not a substitute for a smaller, capped group when a defined membership is preferable.

Key features

Messaging, calls, and device sync

Chats sync across mobile, tablet, and desktop, and users can transfer calls between devices. That flexibility helps people who switch screens during the day. Desktop use has a dependency: activation requires an active Viber account on a mobile phone, so Viber is not a desktop-first option.

Privacy and security

Viber says one-to-one and group chats are end-to-end encrypted by default, with encryption keys kept on users' devices. Disappearing messages, hidden chats, message editing or deletion for everyone, and controls for online and delivery status add practical privacy choices. Encrypted backups are not supported, a meaningful trade-off for anyone who prioritizes protected chat history while preserving it across backups.

Communities and support

Communities combine unlimited membership with hidden phone numbers and admin moderation. Admins can connect automated bots to communities and channels to help manage or interact with them. Viber says support is available around the clock; Viber Plus adds live chat support for subscribers.

Pricing

Viber is freemium, with the core app free at no cost. It covers messaging and calls to Viber users, making it the right starting point for people whose contacts use the service. It does not cover calls to non-Viber phone numbers or the extra benefits of Viber Plus.

Viber Out handles calls to domestic and international landlines and mobile numbers, including people who do not use Viber. It is billed through prepaid credit or a subscription; rates vary by destination, and the rate index gives destination-specific starting rates. With no single price, the cost depends on where calls go and which billing option suits the caller.

Viber Plus is a monthly or annual subscription with custom pricing; its price is shown in the app's Viber Plus menu. It adds an ad-free experience, privacy and customization features, and live chat support. It suits people who value those extras, but the free core app is the better fit for those who only need messaging and calls with Viber users.

Platforms

Viber supports Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, and Windows. Multi-device syncing spans mobile, tablet, and desktop, but desktop activation requires a mobile Viber account. A phone number is required for an account.

Who it's for

Viber makes the most sense for people whose contacts already use it, who want more than one-to-one messaging, or who need a large moderated space that can grow beyond 250 participants. It is less compelling for someone seeking a desktop-only setup, a built-in way to call ordinary numbers for free, or encrypted backups.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Communities allow unlimited members while hiding phone numbers and giving admins moderation controls, supporting larger audiences than 250-person group chats.
• Pros: End-to-end encryption is on by default for one-to-one and group chats, with privacy tools including disappearing messages and hidden chats.
• Pros: Chats sync across mobile, tablet, and desktop, and calls can move between devices.
• Cons: Viber Out is needed to reach non-Viber phone numbers, with destination-dependent rates rather than a single calling price.
• Cons: Desktop activation requires an active mobile account, and encrypted backups are not supported.
• Cons: Viber Plus is a separate paid subscription for an ad-free experience, extra privacy and customization features, and live chat support.

Alternatives

For a wider comparison, browse Secure Messaging Apps.

• Wire is worth considering if open-source code available for verification matters to you; it also has a free plan and supports web in addition to Viber's listed platforms.
• Crypho may suit personal use where encrypted calls and video calls matter more than a large group: its free plan limits users to one group and files up to 3mb.
• Delta Chat is a free, open-source option for readers who want software presented on those terms.
• Jami is a free alternative led by the Jami project and supported by a global community of free software contributors.
• Monal is a free iOS and macOS XMPP chat client.
• Olvid offers a free plan with unlimited messages, unlimited attachments, secure group discussions, and ephemeral messages for people comparing free messaging options.
• Signal is another free messaging and calling option, with a mobile account required for desktop.
• SimpleX Chat is a free alternative for readers considering a project whose alternative clients must publish modifications under AGPLv3.

Verdict

Choose Viber if you want one free app for messaging and calls with Viber users, plus syncing and Communities that can grow without a member cap. Look elsewhere if you need encrypted backups, desktop activation without a mobile account, or calls to ordinary phone numbers included in the free plan.