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Catalog Personal messaging Google Talk
Discontinued Google Talk was discontinued in June 2017. The alternatives below are active products you can switch to. All discontinued →
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Alternatives to Google Talk

XMPP-based Google chat

None of its 12 checklist rows are verified yet.

XMPP-based Google chat. Google Talk has been discontinued; the active alternatives listed here are maintained products you can switch to.

Most compared with BeeperDelta ChatElement
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Who it's for

Gmail and Google Apps users who wanted a lightweight way to instant message and, later, voice/video call their contacts directly from their browser or desktop.

What you get

Google Talk was an XMPP-based instant messaging service offering one-on-one text chat, presence/status indicators, and file transfer, later adding voice and video calling. It integrated directly into Gmail's sidebar and offered a standalone Windows desktop client, and its open XMPP protocol let users connect with other Jabber/XMPP-based IM services.

How it works

Users signed in with their Google account inside Gmail, iGoogle, or the separate GTalk desktop client, added contacts by email address, and chatted or called from a persistent contacts list. Google began phasing it out in 2013 in favor of Hangouts, and shut the service down entirely in 2017.

Why people leave Google Talk

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Ranked alternatives

Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.

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01

Unified inbox for many chat networks on Matrix.

Proprietary iOSAndroidWindowsmacOS +1
02

Chat over email with Autocrypt encryption.

GPL-3.0 iOSAndroidWindowsmacOS +1
03

Matrix client for federated, self-hostable chat.

AGPL-3.0 WindowsmacOSLinuxiOS +2
04

Fully distributed P2P messenger from GNU.

GPL-3.0 iOSAndroidWindowsmacOS +1
05

Onion-routed messenger with no phone number.

GPL-3.0 WindowsmacOSLinuxiOS +1
06

The reference E2E encrypted messenger, nonprofit-run.

AGPL-3.0 iOSAndroidWindowsmacOS +1
07

Messenger without any user identifiers at all.

AGPL-3.0 iOSAndroidWindowsmacOS +1
08

Cloud messenger with huge groups; E2EE optional.

GPL-3.0 iOSAndroidWindowsmacOS +2
09

Paid Swiss messenger usable without a phone number.

AGPL-3.0 iOSAndroidWindowsmacOS +2
10

Consumer messenger popular in Eastern Europe.

Proprietary iOSAndroidWindowsmacOS +1
11

Meta's E2E encrypted messenger tied to phone numbers.

Proprietary iOSAndroidWindowsmacOS +1
12

E2E encrypted team messenger from Switzerland.

GPL-3.0 iOSAndroidWindowsmacOS +2

FAQ

Yes. Beeper, Delta Chat and Jami have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.

Delta Chat, Element and Jami — every license claim links its source.