Communication has always been an important aspect of life. Instant-messaging systems have been extremely popular since their first debut. Skype and Yahoo! Messenger are two of the leaders in this industry, providing numerous features for their users.
Since August 2003, when Skype first released its beta version of the program, Skype has gained over 137 million members. The Yahoo! Messenger service is available to anyone holding a Yahoo! ID, providing services such as My Yahoo!, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! Answers, Yahoo! 360°, and much more. There are around 22 million users of only the Messenger service. Both services are constantly used by its members and are highly popular.
I have used many instant-messaging systems. Skype and Yahoo! Messenger are my absolute favorites. Both offer numerous engaging and innovative features.
Chat Engine Comparison
Skype allows the user to chat using its simplistic chat engine. It is extremely easy to navigate through and is lightning fast. Skype Chat also allows you to chat with more than one person in the same chat window. For instance, if you and your colleagues were separated and wanted to communicate together, everyone could sign into Skype and participate in the group chat. The group chat creator can additionally send invites to certain members to include them in the chat.
Yahoo! Messenger’s chat engine is more bulky and slower. However, the Yahoo! Chat engine contains many more features. IMVironments, chatting backgrounds, are exceptionally fun to experiment with. Additionally, “Audibles,” animated emoticons that talk, make your chatting experience tremendously entertaining. When you are chatting, you can play games with your friend and share photos. However, Yahoo! Messenger does not support group chat.
Telephone Service Comparison
Both Skype and Yahoo! Messenger provide telephone service, known as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). Skype allows you to call other Skype members for free. Video calling is enabled. Skype also lets you call telephone numbers for a small fee, using a service called SkypeOut. Additionally, Skype provides SkypeIn, a system that gives you a phone number that others can call. You can pick up the call on your computer and talk. If you are not there, the caller can leave a message in your voice mail. Conference calling is provided for free. Skype’s telephone service is amazing, reliable, and very easy to use.
Yahoo! Messenger also provides free PC-to-PC telephone service. PC-to-Phone and Phone-to-PC service requires a fee. Voicemail is free, however, unlike Skype. Video calling is also included. A drawback, though, is the sound and video calling quality. Sometimes, you cannot hear the call and you have to call again. When using the video, the quality is extremely bad and it is tough to see the person. Group calling is not included.
Speed, Ease Of Use, and Quality Comparison
Skype is compact and is extremely fast. It is very easy to use and hardly ever crashes. Its many features do not slow down the program at all. The call quality is excellent and is usually scratch-free. Problems hardly ever occur.
Yahoo! Messenger is loaded with features, but the program is very slow. It is fairly easy to use and is very innovative. The custom graphical user interface will cause many problems and can often make the program not respond.
Final Comparison
With my experiences between both programs using a cable network, I prefer Skype to Yahoo! Messenger. Skype is a much faster program and does not take up as much memory as Yahoo! Messenger. If you prefer quality, stick with Skype. Skype will provide better call quality without taking up lots of space. If you enjoy innovation, use Yahoo! Messenger. Yahoo! Messenger is more high-tech and provides countless features, but is slower and more bulky.
Both Skype and Yahoo! Messenger are wonderful IM systems with numerous members. Whichever one you choose, they will certainly provide you with an excellent communication system to meet your needs.
Reference:
- “Instant messaging.” Wikipedia. URL: (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant_messaging)
