WhatsApp or LINE

Although the battle to be crowned most used messaging app seems to have calmed down, the top options continue to grow and develop to satisfy the communicative needs of its users. Something that leads them to continue increasing the number of users, and standing up in a somewhat different way. But how are things between WhatsApp and LINE? Which one is the best? What does one offer that the other does not? We break it down little by little below.

Design

Without a doubt, it is one of the most important points for an application to succeed among the public. However, both WhatsApp and LINE have their own concept and design lines very well differentiated. On the one hand, the hegemonic WhatsApp has always aimed for simplicity That is why its application is based on the contacts screen, the conversations screen and the themselves chats All this grazing for a minimum of personalization such as being able to choose a photograph for the background of the conversations , or one of the application's predefined backgrounds. Of course, from time to time, and according to the aesthetic lines demanded by the operating systems of the moment (clear cases with Android 4.X and iOS 7),WhatsApp has adopted matching menus, letters, and image formats.Something that has not come to stand out remarkably either. And it is that its creators continue to bet on what less is more, focusing on an effective service.

Very different is the case of LINE The Japanese know well how to please users who are more concerned about customization That is why Naver has constantly worked on the visual improvement of the application. From trivial but detailed concepts such as decorating the loading screen according to the season of the year, to the possibility of changing and adjusting the tabs of the application. A tool that is far from being simple and straightforward due to its functions and the necessary tabs and menus to order all of them. Something that can cause less expert users to get lost among its different aspects until they master its mechanics.However, they have placed the accent on personalization thanks, also, to the possibility of download themesthat completely change the colors and icons of the application. Thus, the user can make one of the characters on their stickers be the true protagonist of the application. Useful and surprising questions that are far from the limited WhatsApp in this regard.

Functioning

It is at this point that you can see the different addresses of WhatsApp and LINE And it is that, although LINE arrived as a possible alternative at first, it has ended up making its own place thanks to its operation and extra possibilities. In this way, WhatsApp continues in his idea of ​​what simple, focusing on simple instant messaging and very direct.Messages that can include photos, videos, and songs, as well as phonebook contacts. Of course, always avoiding exceeding 16 MB per file Something that limits the quality of the videos, above all. But it's useful to avoid consuming a lot of data from internet and battery charges of the terminals. Apart from this issue, there is the possibility of establishing status phrases and profile photos Issues that will remain in the background or third place once the expected ones arrivephone calls over the Internet to this application. In short, an operation that has changed little in its years of life, expanding from time to time some quality such as the Pulsar To Talk audio messages

LINE, however, came stomping to meet all those other needs that WhatsApp Did not meet.That is why instant messaging is only one part of everything your application offers. In addition, in this aspect, we must not forget the introduction of the cute Stickers But LINEalso has an aspect of social network thanks to its wall. An aspect that he began to hide in his tab more given its little use, but that offered the possibility of share moods and news about the user with his contacts. Even more important were the Internet calls which from the beginning LINE has offered to its users completely free. A way to bring together all communication in a single application, make it customizable and without as many limitations as WhatsApp Of course, in return you have to have an application which occupies considerably more memory of the terminal and which, unfortunately for many, performs a higher battery consumptionthat WhatsApp

Security

Without a doubt, this is another of the controversial points when analyzing such widespread messaging applications. A point where WhatsApp stands out again, but not for good reasons. Because of both its fame and its well-known structure, it has been the target of tests and attacks by hackers and experts of security that have found all kinds of vulnerabilities Issues that, of course, are not easy to reproduce and apply to steal information , since it is necessary to have the material, the knowledge and the adequate conditions; however, they have discovered that as an application it is not the most secure tool in the world. So much so that it has been possible to intercept messages, read their content or even enter the middle of a conversation and send messages with a false sender. Issues that could even legally affect users to be able to misrepresent messages and sendersAlthough they are extreme cases that do not usually occur.

In this area LINE has been, by far, much more discreet. However, neither has it been spared from a scandal in which the privacy or security of its users has been compromised. Thus, in Asia, a theft of accounts It caused third parties to access other people's conversations to obtain information or send messages. He also highlighted a vulnerability after learning the protection or encryption codes that allowed hackers to slip into the middle of communications. Issues that, like WhatsApp, were corrected with new updates However, perhaps due to having less famous than WhatsApp or because it is more recent, there have been much fewer cases in which vulnerabilities and problems have been discovered that have put end users in check .

LINE bonus points on WhatsApp

In LINE they have constantly worked to offer added value to their application. Issues that have been reflected in large collections of add-on applications such as those that allow customize the application , take photos with all kinds of emoticons and effects, create drawings”¦ plus all those games that work with the account of LINE and that also have interaction with the application, even if it is only for sharing and checking scores in front of users and friends Something that allows users to constantly discover new content. Something very similar to what happens with the sticker collections that are put up for sale and that, occasionally, are also given away to get new users.

In addition to these issues, LINE has created a new payment service This is LINE Calls. A function that allows you to make calls to any landline or mobile in the world at very low rates adjusted, competing directly with other applications such as Viber or the very Skype All this through the purchase of credit that is spent minute by minute and depending on the country of destination of the call. A terrain where WhatsApp doesn't even come into play.

It is also worth noting the privacy of LINE And, in this case, not only having the telephone number serves to add to new contacts. Thanks to the user accounts and the nicks or nicknames, it is possible to establish direct contact and add a person without having to provide phone numberIn addition, in the contacts tab it is possible to know how or why new contacts have appeared in it,without any doubt.

It doesn't catch the most regular users that LINE tnor does it suffer service drops almost every month And it is that the users of WhatsApp already know what it is to be left without sending or receiving messages on a day when the line is saturated or the servers go down

Besides it, LINE can also be a tool real cross-platformAnd it is not only available for smartphones, but it can also be accessed from the comfort of a computer Of course, WhatsApp has versions of its application on all mobile platforms, facilitating communication for users with more devicesold or from input rangeSomething that has helped its popularity in developing countries.

Last but certainly not least, we must say that LINE is totally free An application that does not even use a paid subscription to maintain itself, but has opted for the sale of stickers and other additional content . Something that users who don't want to spend 0, 89 cents a year to renew their WhatsApp

WhatsApp bonus points on LINE

If there is something in which WhatsApp wins by a landslide, it is in the number of users. And it is that it presents a base of more than 500 million active users per month Very far from the figure that LINE offers over its 400 million registered usersA statistic that doesn't offer the true number of people who consistently use your app beyond creating an account the first day and leaving the app idle on the device or uninstalling it soon after. Something that is much more than a simple rivalry to see who is more important, since having the application WhatsApp means being in contact with the highest percentage of regular contacts. Family, friends, co-workers, companies”¦ If you choose an application to be available, WhatsApp is always the first option. Especially in Spain, a territory where WhatsApp is very much alive. While the firm of Facebook (WhatsApp) has 25 million users in our country, LINE remains at 10 million

Another point that makes WhatsApp the most chosen option is its simplicity A line defended by its creators and that helps those relatives, friends and users less knowledgeable in new technologies to communicate daily comfortably Something that, despite the fewer functions and features compared to LINE, helps many in their day to day to send and receive messages easily and without complications.

Conclusions

It is clear, after this analysis, that LINE has many more options and possibilities than WhatsApp An application that, moreover, is completely free and customizable, and one that you never get bored of thanks to the additional games and tools that come with it. Of course, you have to spend a little time to know its characteristics and know how to add new people. But it allows you to call, send stickers and decorate every detail.

Something that, however, cannot compete against the first messaging application that came to smartphones. And it is that, for being the first, for being so simple and for being present on all mobile phones, WhatsApp has managed to be the most used tool Even if paid.

The good thing is that neither of the two tools is exclusive, being able to use as a secure contact channel WhatsApp, while having contacts who like stickers or free calls on LINE. The decision is up to the user. And you, which application do you use the most? Do you have both installed on your smartphone?