If you had to pick a function that’s excessively popular among smart phone users aside from phone conversations and taking pictures, odds are it would be texting. For good or ill, it seems that everyone’s texting everywhere, including a lot of places and circumstances where they really shouldn’t.

But regardless of the ramifications of all that texting, it is a popular form of communication, and one that has many apps dedicated to it. Here is a quartet of texting apps for your enjoyment. Just don’t do texting when you’re driving, okay?

Texting can wait until you’re someplace off the road.

Free Texting App

With Pinger, you get free text messaging and free voice communication for your Android (although yes, it works for iOS as well). You get a free real phone number, free unlimited incoming calls, and unlimited free texts can you can send to any phone, smart phones or land line phones, in the United States and Canada. As for outbound calls, you get ten free minutes to start off, and then you can earn extra minutes, or buy them outright. Pinger is supported by advertisement, so don’t be surprised if you occasionally get the old “And now a word from our sponsor” routine. But considering how the major carriers can hose you with texting plans, an app with a few ads seem like a decent tradeoff.

Whats App

Does anyone else have the urge to pronounce this name like a certain series of beer commercials that used a similar sounding catch phrase? Anyways, Whats App is free for the first year, then a measly 99 cents after that. It’s one of the biggest, most popular messaging apps out there. Very customizable, Whats App lets you send text, video, pictures, and voice messages. It even has group chat. Whats App works off of your mobile number, so you don’t have to deal with passwords, PINs, and such.

Kik

Kik is similar to WhatsApp, though it being completely free is the first noticeable difference. Kik lets you create memes, “photobomb” your friends, and download special emoticons. Of course, it has the usual nifty features you want from a text app, such as sending photos and doing group chats. It also has a URL bar, so you can be browsing the Internet while not having to leave the app. That’s especially convenient if you’re trying to look up something while engaged in a conversation about the topic you’re searching, say maybe the location of a restaurant you want to meet your friend at.

Facebook Messenger

Man, you just can’t escape Facebook can you? Oh well. May as well sit back and enjoy the assimilation. If you have a Facebook account, then this messenger connects easily and directly to your account, allowing you to instantly send messages to your Facebook contacts. Since everybody and their dead great-granduncle is on Facebook, odds are this will cover a lot of your friends and family. It also features Chat Heads, a small round profile photo of the person you’re chatting with. And of course, this app supports things like sending voice messages, photos, and searched images.

There’s a ton more text apps out there, but these four are among the best of them. Remember to use your texting app responsibly!