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2021 is the year of voice-based chats and social networks: here are the best apps to express and communicate without images and without videos.
Like all news, Clubhouse has also shaken the social media market and created a new need in the digital audience. The application that depopulated in Italy at the beginning of 2021 is a social network of the voice, and probably a large part of the interest in it is due to its exclusivity.
In fact, those who own an Android smartphone cannot yet subscribe to the most popular social network at the beginning of the year. It will be able to do so very soon as Clubhouse for Android is on the way, but the fact that it has been available for a long time only to owners of an iPhone has ended up making it a ” myth “.
So the social media that already existed such as Spoon or Discord have had unknown popularity, while web giants like Twitter and Facebook have moved in the direction of the novelty of the moment. It, therefore, comes naturally to wonder which are the best voice chat apps currently available or, if you prefer, the best alternatives to Clubhouse.
Clubhouse
Let’s start with the hottest voice chat app. The clubhouse is a social network where you interact with your voice. It is divided into thematic rooms in which ideas and contents can be exchanged, and it is a platform that can only be used through the app, a bit like TikTok.
Membership of Clubhouse has some limitations: the Android app is still under development so it can only be accessed through Apple devices, and you can only register by invitation of a user already registered in Clubhouse. Among the aspects that have made and make the platform one of the most interesting is the attention to privacy:
the company ensures that all messages are encrypted, that they are deleted when a room is closed, and that violent content containing abuse, harassment, or bullying is not only not allowed, but also eliminated and sanctioned.
Twitter Spaces
Twitter Spaces is certainly the most recent news. It’s just Twitter’s response to Clubhouse, so it’s a service that finds its dimension in live chat. Via the text, the element at the base of the success that Twitter has earned over the years, only audio and voice spread in the ” rooms “, the cornerstones of Clubhouse.
Anyone is free to use Twitter Spaces as they see fit: you can enter a room and simply listen, or you can ask the host to actively intervene in the discussion.
Twitter Spaces and Clubhouse are very similar but with some differences, including the fact that the former does not limit the number of listeners but only the speakers who, including the host, cannot be more than 11. The service is already included in the free Twitter app for iPhone, iPad, Android, and in Twitter mobile
Spoon
Spoon is a voice chat social network born in Korea that could be considered a Twitch with voice instead of video. There is a difference between Spoon and the previous proposals: direct interaction is missing. The host or streamer, whatever you prefer, sets a title for your broadcast and becomes the only manager.
Direct interaction is possible through ” live calls “, ie conversations in which the owner of the broadcast can invite another host or one of the viewers to participate. The rewards system has also been borrowed from Twitch, with the public being able to support one or more hosts through donations. Spoon’s app can be downloaded for free on both Android and iOS.
Discord
Discord is an indirect competitor of Clubhouse and Twitter Spaces. In fact, it was born several years ago as a platform designed for gamers that, thanks to its extreme flexibility, can be used in a similar way to the voice chat apps that are popular in recent months.
In fact, Discord allows you to send text messages, multimedia messages, and then images or GIFs, and to make voice or video calls to any member whose username is known. The ” rooms ” of Clubhouse and company also exist on Discord only they are called ” servers “, and group multiple users based on common interests, from podcasts of various types to hunting and fishing. Any activity, content, or passion can become the theme of a server.
It is a multi-platform service: the apps are free and available for Android and iOS but also for Windows and Mac computers. Those who wish can also limit themselves to using the web app via a browser such as Google Chrome.
