In most family breakups, share care arrangements for children become the norm. This means your kids will live between two homes and spend time away from the other parent. It’s hard for them. And it’s hard for the parent who is not with them. The solution: Video calling apps.
Luckily there are plenty to choose from and most of them are completely free or have a free option that is enough for this purpose.
But which video chat app is best for you and your family?
In this article we provide a list video chat tools for both:
- One-on-one chats
- Group video chats
So keep reading and find out everything you need to know to keep your separated family communicating.
Best video calling apps for co-parented kids in 2021
FACETIME
Facetime is the number one video calling app for iOS users. It’s pre-installed in iPhones, it’s free, and works great most of the time if you have a strong connection. Facetime lets you online chat with up to 32 people from anywhere in the world over cellular data, but it works best for one-on-one calls or a small group. Probably the best thing about Facetime is the HD quality video calls (up to 720p on Macs). The image is crystal clear compared to similar apps, especially if you have a strong WiFi connection. And even if Facetime isn’t running, you still receive incoming calls without opening the app.
Available via: Apple
Cost: Free over Wifi
Pros: Easy to use, invite up to 32 people, lots of fun features, high definition video
Cons: Requires an Apple device, works best for one-to-one calls
You will love this app if: You’re an iOS user who wants an easy-to-use app to check in on kids, parents and grandparents.
BUNCH
Next on our list of video calling apps: Like Houseparty, Bunch combines video chatting with games and Snapchat-like filters to make virtual huddles a fun experience. The user interface pops with colour and there’s a lot of filters/animations that you can use to customise your screen. The games are fun and range from easy peasy to super difficult. There’s a drawing game similar to Pictionary, a billiards game and a trivia game. You can also play third party games like Fortnite, Roblox and Minecraft. Pro tip: Installing the games on your first go can eat up a lot of time. Skip this process if you only want straight video online chat.
Available via: Apple, Android
Cost: Free
Pros: Fun games and video chat for the younger crowd
Cons: Installing games can take a while
You will love this app if: You’re a gamer or you have kids who love games.
AIRTIME
Ever wanted to share a cool video with your friend while you’re on video chat? Airtime lets you do that and more. You can chat and watch movies, TV shows and YouTube, listen to music and share photos. Plus, you can create private rooms and party rooms for different people, as well as customising your screen with animated stickers. Airtime lets you chat with up to 10 people at the same time. It’s a fun way to connect with friends and family during isolation, but not ideal for younger kids without supervision. Overall, the app is easy to use and set up, and it’s completely free. Just remember that the app collects a ton of information about you based on what you share with others. All up, a good choice on our list of video calling apps.
Available via: Android, Apple
Cost: Free
Pros: Fun, easy to use and set up, great for teens and young adults
Cons: Not ideal for young kids, privacy policy could be improved
You will love this app if: You have teens and young adults who want a fun video chat tool.
BOOYAH
Booyah is a video chat app similar to Facetime but is designed specifically for WhatsApp, the popular instant messaging app for Android. The fact that WhatsApp doesn’t have a video conferencing feature and that you need to install another extension to enable that is a huge drag. But if you already have WhatsApp and you need video chat, definitely get Booyah. You can add contacts from WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and more. Simply send a link to invite up to 12 people for the video chat. No need for guests to sign up.
Available via: Android
Cost: Free
Pros: Invite contacts from other apps like Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat
Cons: Designed for WhatsApp on Android
You will love this app if: You’re a WhatsApp user.
WHICH APP IS BEST FOR VIDEO GROUP CALLING?
ZOOM
You’ve probably used Zoom for work. It’s one of the best video call apps for large teams and families–you can invite up to a hundred people for meetings and classes. It is the go-to video app for many professionals working from home. If you’re a co-parent with lots of kids, Zoom is perfect for connecting with multiple family members at the same time. Setting up Zoom is easy if you already know your how to use Skype and similar apps. Plus, you can customise your screen with fun backgrounds, effects and the popular grid layout.
Available via: Apple, Android, Website
Cost: Free version available, premium version starts from $149.90/year/license
Pros: Invite up to 500 people (paid version), screen sharing, record meetings
Cons: App can be hard to use and navigate in the beginning, free 40-minute call limit can be annoying
You will love this app if: You work from home or you’re already familiar with video conferencing tools.
SKYPE (one of the original video calling apps)
Skype’s massive user base and brand recognition are hard to beat when it comes to video call apps. Nifty features like a clean layout that’s easy to navigate, multimedia-sharing, video call recording, live captions, call translate and end-to-end encrypted messaging make it a great app for separated families to connect with each other. It’s also free and lets you invite up to 50 users for a meeting. Just a note for iOS users: currently you can’t run Skype in the background to receive incoming calls (might change in the future with an iOS update).
Available via: Apple, Android, Website
Cost: Free option, paid version starts at $6.99/month
Pros: Feature-packed, easy to use, good sound and image quality
Cons: Not the best video call app for iOS users
You will love this app if: You are new to video call apps or you already use Skype to connect with co-workers and family.
Best online chat tools (cont.)
GOTALK
Unlike other video call apps, GoTalk requires no log ins or software installations for guests. Simply make a link, connect using your computer or phone, and video chat with up to three other people for free. The link can be shared on social media, instant messaging apps or through text. We like that GoTalk allows you to make custom links in any language–perfect if you have family members living in other countries. GoTalk works best on Chrome in Windows, Mac and Android. For iOS users, you need to use the Safari browser instead of Chrome, which can cause lags in streaming.
Available via: Apple, Android, Website
Cost: Free version available, premium starts at $8.99
Pros: Can create paid rooms for meetings and seminars, on-screen titles and annotations, up to full HD video quality
Cons: You can only invite up to 3 people, requires strong broadband connection for smooth streaming, iOS users need to use Safari to avoid delayed streaming
You will love this app if: You are a professional or business owner who wants to monetize videos or online lessons.
GOOGLE HANGOUT
If you’re already using Gmail (and who isn’t), give Google Hangout a try. It’s accessible from your email and easy to use even if you’re new to video conferencing. Just go to the Google Hangout page and invite people directly from your contact list. It’s best to open a pop out window for chatting instead of having the conference from your inbox as people can see your email messages. The quality of calls is far from exceptional, and it’s very noticeable if you have poor to average broadband connectivity. You can also get dropped randomly from large group chats. When this happens you have to reconnect manually as it won’t add you back in. While not perfect, Google Hangout is extremely easy to use even for the tech averse, and you can start chatting with family, friends or colleagues in seconds.
Available via: Android, Apple, Website
Cost: Free
Pros: Easy to use and accessible for Gmail users
Cons: No grid layout, users report connectivity issues, you can get randomly dropped from large group chats
You will love this app if: You already have a Gmail account and want an accessible video call app.
WHEREBY
Last but not least on our list of video calling apps: Whereby is a professional collaboration tool that lets you set up meetings with team members easily. It’s geared towards professionals and businesses instead of families, with highly-rated audio calls, video conferencing and muting features. The app also supports polls, scheduling and annotations. One of Whereby’s best features is that guests don’t need to download or sign in. They can connect right away and start chatting. Whereby is an excellent communication tool if you mostly use a laptop or desktop.
Available via: Apple, Android, Website
Cost: Free option (limited functionality), paid version starts at $6.99/month
Pros: Easy to use, guests don’t need to download or install software, video conferencing is done via web browser
Cons: No app version, can join other groups/calls by mistake
You will love this app if: You are a co-parent who runs a small business or a professional connecting with clients and partners.
