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You don’t need an iPhone to get some FaceTime. These Android alternatives do everything that Apple’s video chat app can—and more.

If you’re not an iPhone owner, but still want to get in on the smartphone action, that’s totally okay! There are plenty of great Android phones. That said, Apple’s experience in mobile software gives the company the edge in a number of areas, and video chatting is one of them. FaceTime, iOS’s native video app, is a solid program that has been polished to a shine, and it’s quickly becoming a generic verb like Xerox. You don’t video chat someone, you FaceTime them. With an Android phone, though, you can’t. So what, in this ongoing social-distancing era, can Android users do? 

That’s what’s great about the open marketplace of ideas that is the Google Play store. If you need an Android alternative to FaceTime, you have not one, but several, to choose from. We took the leading candidates for a test drive to compare them with each other, taking into account price, reliability, restrictions, and features. 

Developers are constantly improving the experience, too, so you can expect the apps in this feature to see new services and better stability the longer they’re offered. While it’s easy to just stick with Hangouts, there’s certainly a lot to be gained from experimenting with other Android FaceTime alternatives, depending on what friends, family, and co-workers are using. We unreservedly recommend the six apps on this list. For more full-featured tools for businesses, you should check out our roundup of the best video conferencing software.

Google Hangouts (for Android)

Excellent (4.0)

The out-of-the-box alternative to FaceTime isn’t all that bad. Hangouts is Google’s service for both real-time text chat and video. One of the best things about it is that it’s massively cross-platform and linked to your Google ID. Not only does Hangouts work great on every Android phone, you can take it to your desktop—even your Mac desktop. Hangouts replaced Google Talk as the native chat app within Gmail (and Google+, but let’s not talk about that) a few years back, and the team has refined it a lot since then.

A cool about Hangouts is that it works beyond simple person-to-person connections. The platform supports multiple-person conversations for up to 10 people. Google also offers a mobile version for iOS. One advantage that Hangouts has over FaceTime is its data latency management. Apple recommends using FaceTime while connected to a wireless internet connection; Hangouts handles standard cellular data rates much better. In addition, voice calls to other Hangouts users are completely free.

If you own an Android phone, you should also have a Google account—it’s the key to all of the company’s many services, including Hangouts. Keeping your address book in order lets you merge all of your message streams into one easy-to-follow feed.

Houseparty (Android)

From video game powerhouse Epic Games, Houseparty lets you and a handful of friends set up online video chat rooms that are nearly just as fun as visiting folks in their real homes. Although each room is relatively small, you can swap between an endless number of rooms to keep the party going. Useful notifications let you know whenever someone is ready to chill. 

Several smart design decisions make Houseparty more entertaining than your standard video conferencing app. Minigames, such as card games and trivia, give virtual guests something to do. Silly backgrounds deliver laughs (and tasteful advertisements). Fortnite players can even use the app as a convenient way to chat with squad mates. If Houseparty is good enough for celebrity virtual concerts, it’s good enough for you.

Skype (for Android)

Good (3.5)

When you think about video chat services, Skype is the gray-haired grandfather that still manages to hang on. First released in 2003, the system shared a back end with music-sharing system Kazaa (remember music-sharing systems?). It grew steadily until 2011, when it was acquired by Microsoft to replace Windows Live Messenger. Obviously, that makes it the default messaging client for Windows phones, but the Android versions are quite solid.

Early versions of Skype for Android weren’t well-integrated with your mobile device’s address book, making adding contacts a chore. In 2014, the 5.0 update finally brought it into harmony with the Android ecosystem, letting it access your existing contents. This simple change rocketed Skype into the upper echelon of Android video chat services.

Skype’s video chat services work in a variety of bandwidth situations, and keeps a constant monitor of a call’s quality. You are able to score the call afterwards, and depending on what hardware you are using to make the video call, the video can be transmitted in HD.

Basic Skype accounts are free and give you unlimited, one-on-one video chat across any supported platform. Skype used to charge a subscription fee for multi-user video chats, but now group chats are included in the basic service. It still charges for calls to phone users outside the Skype service, either by the minute or a monthly subscription.

Transform your iPad into a filmmaking studio, workstation, comic book reader, or painter’s canvas with our expertly curated list of apps for work or play.

The right app can transform the iPad, the tablet of tablets, into nearly anything you desire. Whether you opt for the traditional iPad, iPad mini, or iPad Air, there’s an app that lets you work or play with little or no compromise.

Looking to get things done while working from home? The iPad becomes a mobile office suite when you must step away from the desktop or laptop. Trying to figure out what to stream this weekend? The iPad morphs into portable television for checking out the newest shows and movies when the kids hog the flat screen. Looking to paint, draw, or illustrate? With the right apps and the Apple Pencil, there’s never been a more powerful, more affordable graphic design tool than the iPad. And the list goes on. With so many options at your fingertips, how do you find the apps worth downloading?

Look no further than this roundup. PCMag’s staff has tested dozens upon dozens of iPad apps and highlighted the best of the best. If you’re a glutton for punishment, you could dig through the depths of the App Store for user reviews, but that demands a lot of time. Instead, you should sit back and relax with this guide.

What You’ll Find in This Guide

Our guide features native iPad apps that deliver unique and compelling tablet-based experiences; these are not iPhone apps running on a larger screen. We’ve also included links to in-depth reviews where available. Rest assured that even those apps that haven’t been fully reviewed are included because they’ve impressed us after some serious hands-on time.

What You Won’t Find in This Guide

The Best iPad Apps doesn’t include preinstalled apps or games. The former aren’t included because default apps are easy to find—they already live on your iPad’s home screen. The latter aren’t included because we’ve given the best iPad games their own dedicated article.

Looking for apps for your other devices? We’ve got you covered there, too, with our roundups of the best Android apps and best Android games.

Adobe Illustrator

Excellent (4.0)

Illustrator on the iPad is Adobe’s only dedicated vector graphics app available for Apple’s tablet. When Adobe first launched Photoshop for the iPad, some felt it lacked too many features to be truly useful. With the new Illustrator on the iPad, Adobe didn’t want a repeat of the critiques that greeted Photoshop’s iPad release. After addressing more than 1,200 requests from beta testers, Adobe released Illustrator for iPad chock full of features that let you masterfully design on the go.

Adobe Lightroom

Good (3.5)

Adobe Lightroom is the go-to digital photo workflow and editing application for many of today’s professional photographers. That said, there are times when you might prefer to edit photos sitting on a sofa or a train seat rather than at a desk. The Lightroom iPad app lets you do just this, and work directly with raw camera files, perform local adjustments, and use lens-profile corrections. Lightroom has evolved into a powerhouse among mobile photo-editing apps.

Adobe Photoshop Mix

Excellent (4.0)

Adobe has numerous photo-related apps in the iTunes app store, but Photoshop Mix is especially interesting. It brings some of Photoshop’s most powerful tools into an easy-to-use iPad app. Photoshop Mix appeals to a broad cross-section of users, from those who simply want to create collages to hardcore Photoshoppers who want to add iPads into their workflows.

The Google Play store has millions of apps. Some are terrific, some are duds. Our guide, which covers 13 key categories and 103 top apps, features the ones that deserve a place on your Android phone or tablet.

Android tablets and phones are technological marvels that entertain, let you work from any location, and keep you connected with friends, family, and coworkers. With the right app, you can transform your humble cell or slate into a mobile movie theater, work station, art canvas, recipe manager, and so much more. Unfortunately, finding the best Android apps is a bit of a challenge.

There’s a titanic quantity of apps to download from the Google Play Store, but which ones are worth their salt? We’ve assembled this list to help you discover worthwhile apps, so read on: You may find something you didn’t even know you needed.

These 103 recommended apps are organized into 13 categories, including music, productivity, security, and utilities, so it’s easy to find ones that suit your mood. Need an entertaining streaming video service? There’s an app for that. In search of a dependable word processor that’ll keep you productive while on the go? There’s an app for that, too. Note that we don’t include any games in this roundup. For those, check out our separate list of the best Android games.

If this is your first time with an Android device, 103 apps might be overwhelming. If so, take a look at our list of 10 must-have Android apps to cover the basics. If your wallet is feeling a little light, know that many of the entries in both lists are free.

Each recommended app is excellent in its own way. Taken together, our collection is a snapshot of the Google Play Store’s best apps at the time of writing. So explore and enjoy.

We didn’t forget about iPhone and iPad users. For the iOS faithful, check out our roundups of the best iPhone apps and the best iPad apps.