Best SMS Replacement Apps for Android

So maybe the standard messaging app that came on your phone isn't the best. You may think it's a bit clunky or doesn't pack a lot of punch when it comes to features. Luckily, we can replace those with other messaging apps. Most of them will bring some different design elements to the table, as well as additional functionality to fulfill our texting (and multimedia messaging) needs.

These apps will handle regular messaging without requiring you and your friends to use the same platform. This is not meant to provide a detailed look at any particular apps, but offer an overview of several popular ones. The ones we've listed here have received pretty good reviews on the Play Store.

Chomp SMS is a relic in the world of Android. It’s been around since the days of Eclair and FroYo and it was known as one of the two best SMS replacement apps. It’s still wildly popular today and for good reason. There is amazing theme support that lets you make your SMS app look how you want it to look. Included also is over 800 emoticons, widgets, quick reply pop ups, and even SMS blocking if you’re tired of Get texts from a number. If you need something with a lot of theming options, this is among the best options out there for you. Beware, though, it is a little bit bloated.

This application is just amazing, especially since it upgrade to the new Lollipop Material Design, fluid, intuitive and beautiful to look at! It is the perfect and ideal alternative to messages and MMS application that came on your mobile. The app comes with a lot of great extra features. It is packed with over 800 emoji’s, themes, modes in the dark, floating style Lollipop notifications, deleting messages with a simple slide, camera support, multi-gallery selection, support MMS GROUP, fast response via popup, audio messages and SMS blocker / blacklist etc.

Evolve combines many of Handcent's features such as a pattern lock for messages with a much nicer interface. It also supports gestures for swiping between conversations, batch deletion, and more; though SMS reminders are missing. With Evolve SMS, you can also send messages using your PC via PushBullet; themes and some other features such as setting privacy for individual messages are locked behind in-app purchases.

If some of the few mentioned above aren’t quite what you’re looking for, Hello SMS is a great option worth checking out. It can be confusing at first, but an easy way to describe it is calling it the Gmail of text apps. It has tabs and columns for your conversations, making things rather neat once you figure it out. Hello has tons of animations, a few theme options (light and dark) as well as being extremely fast and fluid. The little circle tabs to the left side are the conversations, which are only a users initials, which can be confusing for some. One tap opens each convo, so it’s a nice touch one you get used to it.

Hello SMS isn’t nearly as customizable as the others, but the simplistic and clean user interface makes up for all for all of that. It’s fast, fluid, easy to understand, and of course, is absolutely free. It might be a little too simply for some, and if so, the others above are perfect for you.

While Google Hangouts is already the default SMS app for Nexus devices and other Play Store edition devices, it certainly isn’t for most Android phones on the market. Google Hangouts for Android combines texting with the Google Hangouts Internet messaging service and video chatting. Furthermore, Google Hangouts syncs with your Google Account so you can change from your desktop to your mobile device without any problems, provided your device has data. However, Hangouts can be a little cumbersome sifting through both SMS messages and Hangouts messages.