Communication API: Top 10 In-app Chat, Voice & Video SDK
Here’s everything you need to know about Communication API and how to use it to build highly engaging chat platforms!
Do you think it is easy to build a communication app like Whatsapp or Facebook Messenger?
Yes, if you have Communication APIs.
You need not write codes line by line
Spend huge money on hiring developers or purchasing resources
And most importantly, you save a lot of time.
Impressive right?
Well, this article will take you through everything about Communication APIs. If you are about to build a Whatsapp-like app for your platform, we’d recommend you to stick until the end of this article. You’ll find a lot of info you need to know about your app development.
Table of Contents
What are Communication APIs?
A communication API is a set of protocols that allow developers to easily implement video, voice, & messaging capabilities into any app or web.
Whereas, an API is just an interface allowing two software applications to communicate with one another.
How Do Communication APIs Work?
APIs generally have their own set of working protocols with each differing from the other. There are different types of APIs like REST API, WebSocket APIs, SOAP, and more. And each API has its working mechanism. Usually, communication APIs establish a framework between a business’s platform with other apps.
Businesses can easily build secure communication with APIs rather than writing codes for every part of the app. The latter will consume a lot of time and resources, forcing you to spend huge costs for unexpected requirements. On the other hand, developers can simply opt for a custom communication API and get things done within just 30 minutes or less.
- Complete Source Code
- Lifetime Data Ownership
- Deploy on Own Server
Types of In-app Communication APIs
We know that with a communication API, web and mobile app developers can quickly integrate pre-built communication features like messaging, voice calling, and video calling into any software app.
But, is it possible to add only video, voice, and chat capabilities? Well no, even SMS and email features can be implemented using a communication API provider.
However, below we will see the top three types of real-time communication APIs:
- Video API
- Voice API
- In-app Messaging API/Chat API
1. Video API
Whether you need to build a customizable video chat solution or need to add a specific video calling feature, video APIs come in demand.
Because they give you the flexibility to easily create richer engaging experiences in your chat apps. Want to see how easily you can build a video chat app using MirrorFly video SDK? Talk to us.
2. Voice API
Like the previous type, voice API is used to embed audio calling capability into chat apps. This type of communication API is slowly earning its pace because of exquisite speech-enabled features like group audio calling, voice-to-text translation, one-to-one audio calling, push notifications, and more.
In addition to all the above said, some of the communication API providers like MirrorFly offer complete customizations on voice calling features, and migration with zero downtime. Learn here why you should migrate to MirrorFly from your existing communication API platform.
Need to add voice IVR to your chat apps? You can simply use a programmable communication API in this case.
3. In-app Messaging API/Chat API
Messaging APIs best called MirrorFly’s in-app communication API make it possible to seamlessly add interaction capabilities like one-to-one chat, group chats, push notifications, and presence indicators into any instant messaging app in a breeze.
Did you know that a rest-based communication API can work collectively with a video API to implement communication between apps?
What are the Benefits of Using a Communication API?
Here are some of the benefits of using a communication platform API:
- Enhanced levels of security: When it comes to security and data privacy, communication APIs are built with robust encryption protocols to handle any type of intrusion and data theft.
- Boosts user interactions: The different types of APIs offer a frictionless medium for communication thereby enhancing user interaction within the app.
- Quick integration: Nowadays, in-app messaging API providers like MirrorFly ensure the implementation of call and chat features into any software app within 10 minutes. Such fast API integration has become.
- Unique features: Besides the fact that MirrorFly’s self-hosted solution helps developers to build a completely customizable or white-labeled solution letting them add features they need. Several secure communication APIs make sure to offer features like push notifications, alerts, moderations, reminders, presence indicators, and more.
- Complete scalability: It has become an evident attribute of certain providers to make their APIs scalable so that they can easily accommodate a growing user base.
To conclude, communication APIs are pillars of strong in-app interactions and retention. As a result, some businesses these days mandate the implementation of messaging features into Android, iOS, and web apps to draw users’ attention.
Editor’s pick: Did you know that IoT communication APIs work extremely well even during unstable network conditions? And, it is because of this attribute, that it is possible to foster API-to-API communication between devices.
10 Best Communication APIs & SDK Providers in 2024
There are a lot of providers available in the market, but these Communication API Leaders are better in performance and rankings.
1. MirrorFly
100% Customizable In-app Communication API & SDK Provider!
MirrorFly is a leading CPaaS provider that offers 1000+ in-app chat, Voice, and Video call features for building communication apps.
The key highlight of MirrorFly is it is completely customizable, as it gives you full access to its source code. You can add, modify or remove any part of the solution, to build the exact communication app that your business needs.
Plus, unlike other solutions in the market, there are no limitations with personalizing the security features. Every app needs different security layers, and MirrorFly understands this. You can customize even the security and privacy features, as per your requirements, without any kind of restrictions.
Features:
- Customizable solutions
- Topic-based Chat
- Live Streaming
- Unlimited file sharing
- Ultra-low latency
- HIPAA, GDPR, and OWASP compatible
- 3 ms average response time
- Multi-Tenant Server
- 99.999% uptime SLA
2. Troop Messenger
Best Power-packed Complete API & SDK Provider!
Troop Messenger is the most widely used team collaboration and communication platform.
Enterprises, military, and the government trust the platform for its performance and innovation. Plus, Troop Messenger is acclaimed for boosting productivity and internal team collaboration. It is widely known for its messaging, voice, and video calling capabilities.
Features:
- SaaS, Self-hosted, White labeling, etc., service models
- End-to-End Encrypted Business Communication
- Advanced Chat Area Filters
- Zapier Integration
- Video Calling Experience
3. ApphiTect
The Best White Label Communication API & SDK Provider!
Apphitect is considered one of the best white-label communication API & SDK providers in the market. Its features are 100% customizable and offer them at a one-time license cost.
They are also known for 99.999% uptime SLA and low latency support. With these, you can deliver perfect modern messaging experiences.
Features:
- White-label chat solution
- On-cloud/On-premise hosting
- Unlimited audio/video calls
- Enriched chat, voice, and video features, etc.
4. Twilio
Best Video Communication API & SDK Provider!
Twilio is the best in-app video communication API platform. It allows multiple features for video calls and video conferencing. Twilio is the industry-leading and trusted platform that efficiently powers customer engagement innovations.
Features:
- Low latency
- AES-128 security standards
- Highly scalable
- 99.999% uptime SLA
- 10 ms average response time
5. Dolby
A Red Carpet Welcome For The Digital Communication Era!
Dolby.io communication APIs offer an award-winning platform for unified real-time communication. Their APIs are supported by decades of experience in the science of sight and sound.
Plus, you can integrate call recordings, voice calls, and video call features into any app.
Features:
- Multi-party voice and video calls
- Static noise and echo suppression
- Dialogue leveling and activity deduction
- Customizable streaming
- Recording layouts
6. Vonage
Powering Your Customer’s Experiences Across The Journey!
Vonage is an industry-leading customer experience digital communication API that powers up your customer experience and helps you connect your employees anytime and anywhere around the globe.
Features:
- Highly scalable
- Call recording
- Video conferencing
- In-app chat surveys
- Customer experiences
7. EnableX
Developers Choice For Development!
EnableX is similar to Apphitect, which offers you a secure communication SDK that allow you to integrate them into your own platform with low-code deployments at a one-time license cost. It helps developers choose their preferred programming language from the list of available languages.
Plus, it has a huge tech stack that makes it possible to build chat apps under any framework.
Features:
- 100% customizable
- White label solution
- Enriched chat and video calling features
- Developers choice
- Hassle-free integration
8. Sendbird
The Most Developer-friendly Communication API!
Sendbird is a communication API platform that you can use to add in-app messaging, voice and video call capabilities for your web and mobile apps.
Mostly, developers prefer this communication API for its ease of use and scalability. It can connect over millions of users at once and still provide a smooth communication experience without any delay.
You can drive huge engagement and interaction on your platform with Sendbird’s communication API that comes with features like media sharing, typing indicators, and push notifications.
Key Features:
- In-app messaging
- Group chats and private messaging
- Typing indicators
- Read receipts
- Push notifications
- Advanced moderation tools
- Real-time analytics and insights
9. CometChat
The Communication API For Powerful Messaging, Voice, and Video!
CometChat is a communication API platform designed to help developers add text, voice, and video chat to their apps seamlessly.
The best part of using CometChat’s API is its responsive User Interface. You can build highly interactive apps with a solution that supports multiple frameworks.
It has all the tools for remote collaboration like screen sharing, file sharing and conferencing. This means, you can make you platform highly engaging for your audience.
Key Features:
- Text chat with private and group messaging
- Voice and video calling
- Multi-party conferencing
- File sharing
- Screen sharing
- Collaborative whiteboards
- Role-based access control
10. PubNub
Delivering Real-Time Communication at a Global Scale!
PubNub is a global data stream network that specializes in powering real-time communication and messaging for web, mobile, and IoT apps.
Several apps built with Pubnub exhibit low-latency communication. It is especially ideal for apps that require high concurrency and reliable message delivery across different geographical locations.
It also offers features like presence detection, data synchronization, and push notifications, making it a go-to choice for live collaboration, gaming, and real-time IoT applications.
Key Features
- Low-latency messaging
- Real-time data streaming
- Presence detection
- Pub/Sub messaging model
- Data synchronization
- AES encryption
Getting Started with Communication APIs
Users expect your app or website to have live text-based chat options to get answers in real-time.
So if you are confused between choosing chat, voice, or video APIs, here is a key that will help you. In order to start with a communication API, start with a chat. And more importantly, some of the communication API vendors provide chat for free with limited users.
If you are still confused, click here to speak with an expert about choosing the best free chat API for your business to get started with.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
A communication API web server is a backend server that uses APIs to process and manage the communication requests in an app. It is responsible for the exchange of data in real time for carrying out communication operations like in-app messaging, video calls and voice calls.
Here are a few different types of communication APIs listed below:
REST-based communication APIs use the REST architecture to enable interactions between software systems. REST is commonly used to create scalable, lightweight, and flexible APIs that allow apps to communicate over the internet efficiently.
A communication app is a platform that allows chatting with text, voice, and video among users in real-time. Communication apps are widely used to connect teams by facilitating chat, voice, and video call options to conduct team meetings, collaborations, and monitoring.
Communication apps play an important role in terms of both business and personal communication. For businesses, they facilitate seamless and instant communication, remote collaboration, enhanced productivity, real-time updates and notifications, cost savings, flexibility and mobility, integration with other tools, etc.
IoT communication API is a set of tools that allows two more software applications to interact with each other and with other systems when connected to the internet.
The best white-label communication APIs include,
- MirrorFly
- ApphiTect
- Rocket.chat
- Email APIs
- Troop Messenger
- Zangi
Further Reading
- What is In-app Video Calling – The Ultimate Guide
- What is Video Communication? Types, Features, Use Cases
- WebRTC Video Call API: The Definitive Guide
- Build a Flutter Video Calling App with MirrorFly APIs & SDKs
- Build An Android Voice and Video Calling App Using Java
Krishi Shivasangaran is a digital nomad and a veteran of Digital Marketing strategies. She is passionate about learning the newest trends in Live Video Call. And, when she's off-role, she loves to sketch and make people realize the true color of nature.
Thanks. I found a few good ideas in your article and choosing best communication platform apis for my business.
Thanks, Esther. Very grateful for your response. Best of luck!
Amazing Blog! Thank You.. the article is really helpful. It taught me the best apis and sdks for real-time communication. Thank You for sharing your insights.
Very grateful for your response Richard! Please keep coming back for more insights on in-app communication features.
The Best list. I am doing some research for the secure apis and sdks for secure communication. This list helped a lot to learn additional info. Thanks for the article.
Hi Nakshatra, this is indeed a great response to my article, and I’m glad you found the right secure digital communication API provider for your app. My best wishes to you!
Very useful information and it is well arranged, so was pretty easy for me to read it. You’ve helped me to choose the top secure apis and sdks for communication. Thanks for the article. Great work!
Very grateful for your response Nithish! Please keep coming back for more insights on in-app chat, voice, video communication features.
Hi, what aa super comprehensive list about best secure communication platform apis and sdks. Thank your for taking the time to write it…. you have helped me a lot… I had never heard of them before I read your article.
Thanks for the feedback, Nelson. My best wishes to you!
Krishi,it’s a great…help me out to know more about apis and sdks for secure communication. Best wishes from the Indonesia
I feel so grateful Susan that my reviews on secure communication api has helped you so much. Thank you!