The free-calling, free-texting app for iPhone and Android users has set impressive benchmarks that have service providers, Skype, Vonage, eBuddy and other VoIP services sitting up and paying attention.
In just over a year, the Viber apps have enrolled over 50 million users who currently tally over 150 million calls and even more additional text message every month.
For free.
While the Israeli company won’t publish how many of its users are active or use the app constantly, the per-month figures are increasing.
The per-user average of calls made equate to a pro-rated three calls per month, but since texting has become more popular, it might be extrapolated that calls are made initially, then the users on both ends use the free texting option almost exclusively.
While many providers charge either per message or a lump sum per month for texting services or for calls during the work day, that ‘free’ aspect is extremely attractive, and at a current tally of one billion –yes, that’s a B there – calling minutes per month, users would seem to agree that no cost is more affordable that some cost.
Skype, VoIP, eBuddy and others offer similar-concept telephone calls, using the Internet instead of a user’s service provider, but each of those services charge per minute used in calls. Viber beats all of those, plus the unnamed service providers, by allowing charges at no cost.
The Viber app differs from other calling apps in that it fully integrates itself with your contact list, making connecting with your contact buddies even easier.
Smartphone users may still get charged for the time used against their mobile plan use minutes, but when you can call for no additional charge or text to your heart’s content at any time of the day, you can see why other providers in the industry are beginning to notice what this company and its iPhone and Android apps have accomplished in so short a time.
Viber has expanded into 193 countries around the world and is currently registering around 200,000 new users every day.
Oh… We almost forgot. Those use figures up there? They don’t include the 20 million photo messages sent each day.