WhatsApp Leads a Tight Day-Old Field as Three Apps Tie for Second

Chefs, step away from your phones. Actually, don't, because that's what this round is about. A new opinion market on Morfi asks which social media app best keeps people connected through chat, groups and sharing with friends. WhatsApp is at the head of the pass with 26% consensus. Behind it, the second spot is crowded: Instagram, TikTok and Facebook Messenger are all level at 19%, with Instagram listed second, and Telegram is just a point behind.

Here's the full menu. WhatsApp has 13 holders and Instagram has 8, with 3 other sides also competing. So far 15 traders have put $18,914 behind their opinions. When the chart starts (Oct 29), WhatsApp stood at 23% and Instagram at 19%. Since then the leader has moved between 22% and 27%, and the lead between the top two has changed hands 2 times. This dish has been out of the oven for less than a day, so treat that lead as a first taste and not a final verdict.

There's a good reason the green bubble is on top. According to Wikipedia's WhatsApp entry, the Meta-owned app had 3 billion monthly active users as of May 2025, which makes it the most popular messenger app. By 2016 it had become the main way people communicated online in regions including the Americas, the Indian subcontinent and large parts of Europe and Africa. The same entry has a less flattering note. In January 2021 a privacy policy allowing data sharing with Facebook led many users to delete the app and move to Signal and Telegram, and WhatsApp postponed the update to May 15, 2021. Telegram is in this contest, and its backers are in no hurry. As Nate put it, he's "letting it breathe, checking back in a few days."

Now my opinion as a judge, so take it with a pinch of salt. Instagram sharing second place in a chat-app contest is like a cake tying for silver in the soup round. It looks great, but is it the right dish? According to Wikipedia, Instagram is a photo and short-form video sharing service that also lets users send direct messages. Its strength is showing off, not keeping in touch. My own guess is that a lot of friendships these days run on sending each other reels. Facebook Messenger, for the record, is level with Instagram at 19%. Coco Velvet's earlier Instagram-versus-Facebook showdown asked a different question in a different market, but Meta's apps are once again fighting each other for the plate.

The underdogs aren't conceding. Sarah K is backing Facebook Messenger and calls it "easy money tbh, market hasnt woken up yet." Things that could change the order: messenger fans getting organised, Telegram's patient backers adding more money, or Instagram losing ground as traders remember this round is about chat. Until then, WhatsApp is in front, three apps are tied right behind it, and Telegram is a point back. If you think you know which app really keeps your group chat going, join the market on Morfi and back your opinion.