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Today’s digital era is a ferry full of voice chats and video calls. Take the marketplace or healthcare or workspace domains, everything is going virtual. And, as a result, multitudes of group messaging apps are crowded in front of the common people as post-pandemic-darling.
Thanks to the technological advancements that made it easy to build video chat apps with top-notch features, military-grade security, and multi-platform compatibility.
Therefore, in the blog post below, let us snap at the video chat apps that promise to keep user data safe, sound, and snoop-free.
Table of Contents
The 8 Best Apps Renowned For Secure Live Video Calling!
With the video chat app market never trying to attain the saturation point, the number of players too are nowhere seen to subside.
We have compared the safest video apps for Android and iOS. Here are some of the top 8 best secure video chat apps are Google Meet, Zoom, Signal, Viber, Line, Microsoft Teams, etc… choose your video calling app today based on its security, pricing, and more.
1. Google Meet
Experience Secure Live Video & Audio Calling Across Apps!
Benchmarked for establishing secure live video calls and audio connections across all web, Android, and iOS devices, Google Meet is highly preferred for both in-house and remote meetings. Besides the authenticity and data privacy that they speak loud of, their additional positives include one-on-one video chats, group video calls, group chats, and more that support up to 100 connections per hour.
Plus, Google Meet’s extra features come with a price tag, and their voice and video communication protocols are encrypted with E2E standards.
Pricing: They are both free to use and come with $7.99 per month.
2. Zoom
The Leading Video Conferencing Provider In The Market!
Growing in demand especially post the pandemic, Zoom is known to be a ubiquitous platform and an all-rounder video chat and conferencing app for offering the best in-app security features. From encrypting data with AES-256 encryption techniques to securing connections through TLS 1.2 to pinning privacy policies from malicious attacks, they come as the most sought-after choice for secure video calls.
An added benefit of Zoom is that it can be used for business settings and works well on all web and mobile apps.
Pricing: Their plans range from free to $199.9 per year.
3. Signal
The Most Secure Video Chat App With Advanced Features!
Primely known to the users as a text-based communication app, they also cater their services to offering one-to-one voice calls, video chats, and group video calls. Their responsive and attractive user interface allows up to 8 concurrent connections on all Android, iOS, and Web browsers., and their platform is one of the most friendly and reliable portals ever.
Additionally, they come into the category as the best and safest video calling app with integration to advanced security protocols like E2EE, X3DH, Double Ratchet Algorithm, and Prekeys.
Pricing: Signal is completely free to use.
4. Viber
Makes In-App Messaging & Calling Easy, Secure, & Reliable!
Viber is one of the best apps known for secure video calling features that use VoIP technology to transmit voice chats and video calls over the internet. Initially, it came into the market as an instant messaging service that was further reformed to offer group messaging features, voice calls, and video calling capabilities. Viber also supports group calling up to 30 participants in a single connection.
Plus, their other exquisites include multi-platform compatibility, free-to-use, friendly user interface, and video conferencing solutions.
Pricing: Viber is a free messaging and video calling app.
5. Line
A Secure Communication App That Is Completely Free!
Line does not charge an extra penny from users while engaging in one-on-one video calls or voice chats, text messages, sharing photos and files, or during group calls. It is their easy availability, reliable interface, and compatibility across Android, iOS, Windows, and Linux browsers that made it widely acceptable in the user community. Supporting up to 200 participants in a single group call, they are highly secure and acclaimed to be the safest chat app in town.
Their security layers include AES-256 encryption, SRT protocol encryption with the same 256-bit, TLS 1.2 pinning, and other standards to safeguard transmitted data.
Pricing: A completely free communication app.
6. Microsoft Teams
Bring Your Virtual Workplace To Reality With Teams!
Who doesn’t know Teams? Everyone does, but how many of you know it to be the most secure video chat app in the market? Well, not many but it is true! From allowing users to send 1:1 messages to group chats to creating group calls to making audio chats, Microsoft Teams does wonders in latency and security. They are known to support over 20 concurrent connections at a time and with utmost scalability.
Teams makes sure that all their transmitted data are protected with transport layer protocol E2E encryptions, two-factor authentication, and other security standards for enhancing data privacy.
Pricing: Their pricing ranges from free to $9.71 per month.
7. WhatsApp
The Revolutionizer In Offering Real-time Video, Voice, & Chats!
A very popular real-time messaging platform, WhatsApp is drawing the attention of many users from all across the globe because of its exceptional 1:1 single and group chats, HD-quality video calling facility, and best-in-class group conferencing feature. Their support team ensures that they do not hold any customer data thus making others eavesdrop or gain access to any type of info.
WhatsApp comes with a two-factor authentication method, E2E encryptions, and multitudes of other in-app security features like blocking double-checking encryption, and other mechanisms.
Pricing: It is completely free to use.
8. Facebook Messenger
A Greatly Compatible Video, Voice, & Chat App Bringing People Together!
Facebook Messenger, widely acceptable as FB is a free video, voice, and messaging app that comes in compatible with desktops, tablets, mobile devices, and almost all browsers. From these unique communication features to offering endless security mechanisms to allowing multiple concurrent connections in a single group call, they have got hold of the market for good.
Additionally, their end-to-end encryption standards, along with other protocols make snooping on customer data difficult and impossible.
Pricing: They are free to users.
How Important is Secure Video Communication to Users?
It is very much required that you opt for secure video calling because dialing your friend or relative through an unsecured video call may pose more risk than talking aloud in public. And thus the statement or need for a regulated video chat app can never go wrong because without it, three of the following can happen:
1. Third-Party Access: Imagine your video chat app without enough authentication mechanisms like 2FA, then your app allows easy access for hackers to look through all private messages and conversations without authorization.
2. Snooping Data: Malicious attackers can easily access and expose users’ data without their consent if video calling apps are unsecured. Further, making it vulnerable to identity theft, data breaches, and financial fraud.
3. Bullying & Stalking: Less secure video calling apps may give way to bullying and doxing, meaning, the data accessed in an unauthorized way can be of greater risk on posting it online and misusing it.
Therefore, seeing all the risks associated with an unsecured video calling app, your video calling app must have the below top safety features.
Security Features To Embed In Any Voice & Video Chat App
Understanding that security is the prime factor and of greater importance for any type of communication, let us quickly see the best and safest security features to consider while building a chat app.
- AES-256 Encryption: Encrypts and decrypts the transmission data with 256-bit keys to prevent unauthorized access on a video call. Here’s a short article on WebRTC encryption on video calls for your reference.
- Access Control: Gives access to who can join the in-app video calls and who can share files and screens during an ongoing call.
- Token Authentication: Users receive unique tokens as a means to authenticate themselves as authorized personnel to join voice calls or video chats.
- Blocking: Provides users with certain privileges like blocking contacts from their apps if they are known to moderate the integrity of video apps through inappropriate images, text, or voice.
- IP Whitelisting: Certain businesses give access to the tools and software they use to block or whitelist the IP addresses they consider are not trustworthy to authorize the chat application.
- End-to-End Encryption: This security encryption mechanism has become quite common to protect the transit data between server and application.
- Signal Protocol: It usually combines with Double Ratchet Algorithm, Triple Elliptic-curve, Difle-Hellman, and other protocol standards to prove encryption over any real-time communication.
Should there be Regulations for Secure Live Video Calling?
Yes, if you are a business that is in constant thought to develop an app or simply integrating video calling features, you must make sure to comply with certain regulations and protocols. These regulations depend and vary with the geographies users reside in.
1. HIPAA: Also known as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, is a mandated regulatory action by the government of the US to protect the personal health information of patients receiving virtual healthcare. Therefore, any telemedicine app must comply with HIPAA guidelines to legally use video calling features over a diagnosis.
2. GDPR: Yet another compliance act posed by the European Union that sets strict rules for collecting and storing user data. Any video chat app launched in Europe must be compliant with GDPR regulatory board for offering robust security.
3. SSL/TLS Encryption: Though does not come under the set of regulations, this protocol is quite important to protect all video chats happening within the app. SSL or TLS protocol also fortifies that any conversation passed or received from the server or transmitted between the channels is private.
How to Ensure that My Video Chat App is Secure and Safe?
This is the sole question that lingers on everyone’s mind whether you are on a video chat discussing personal talks or a business meetup. Well, it is not wrong to look for the security factors before choosing to build the best video chat app, but also note other factors like cost, effort, manpower, and time.
However, with providers like MirrorFly who are into offering video calling API integration, mobile and web developers can very well wave off the above-said hassles and give secured, low latent, and HD-quality video calling experiences on multiple platforms and devices.
And, if you would like to build fully customizable secure video chat apps, check out our self-hosted solution.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. What Is Secure Video Calling?
Secured video calling stands for the level of security provided to the chat application using strong E2E encryption protocols like SSL and AES. It also means encrypting and decrypting user conversations with cipher keys to prevent any unauthorized access.
2. Why Is Security Important In Video Chat Apps?
Keeping the security parameter intact during a single or group video chat is very crucial as users exchange very sensitive information across the network that paves way for malicious attackers to snoop, leak, or steals user data. And trust me, nobody likes their information to be eavesdropped on.
Therefore, whenever you are building a video chat app from scratch or using a SaaS/self-hosted video chat SDK, make sure to meet all the necessary security regulations and compliance.
3. Can Video Calls be Encrypted?
Yes. It is possible to encrypt both 1-to-1 and group video calls as a means to protect the communication data from any third-party intrusions. Additionally, by using an E2E encryption mechanism, only the users in an ongoing video call will have access to the content, and not even the service provider.
4. How are Video Calls Encrypted?
Most of the video chat apps use end-to-end encryption standards to secure video calls. Using this type of encryption mechanism, all the calls are encrypted on the caller’s device and decrypted only on the receiver’s end with keys or codes. And these codes can be accessed only by the users engaged in a conversation.
5. Which is the Best Safest Video Calling App for Android?
The 8 Best Free Apps for Secure Video Calling are as follows,
1. Google Meet
2. Zoom
3. Signal
4. Viber
5. Line
6. Microsoft Teams
7. WhatsApp
8. Facebook Messenger
6. Is Google Meet safe for private video calls?
Yes. Google Meet is one of the safest video calling platforms that safeguards user privacy through strong encryption protocols and Google Cloud’s secure infrastructure.
7. Is WhatsApp video call safe and secure?
Yes. WhatsApp video calls are considered safer as it uses strong end-to-end encryption protocols to safeguard user data like images, files, audio and video chats, and privacy. Plus, WhatsApp also enables users to activate two-factor authentication (2FA) to prevent their accounts from identity theft.
8. Is Google Duo safer than WhatsApp for making video calls?
Both Google Duo and WhatsApp are secure platforms for making video calls, but their difference lies in the security features they offer to users. While Google Duo provides E2E encryption mechanisms to video calls, meaning that none will be able to see the messages including Google. WhatsApp on the other hand offers stringent encryption protocols and two-factor authentication to safeguard privacy of the users.
9. Is private video calling safe?
Yes! Though private video calls serve as the best means to keep in touch with friends and family, leaving a video chat unprotected can pave the way for hackers to eavesdrop on the conversation. Therefore, it is advised to use video chat apps that are secured with E2E encryption protocols like AES, and TLS/SSL.
10. How to make your video chat app secure?
Securing your video chat apps is not something to be greatly worried about, because there are several measures to take to ensure the app’s safety, and here are some tips:
1. Activate two-factor authentication on your account.
2. Verify that the video chat app you use supports E2E encryption
3. Never share the meeting links to anyone without their knowledge
4. Give access to screen sharing only when required.
5. Keep track of live captioning.
6. Finally, when the session is over, close the meeting ID.
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I have planned to build a end-to-end encrypted video call app for business communication and I am searching for a secure communication SDK with strong security protocols. Can MirrorFly offer such APIs for my requirements?
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