TextFree (formerly called Pinger and sometimes stylized as textfree) is a mobile application and web service that allows users to send and receive text messages, as well as make and receive

VoIP Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), also called IP telephony, is a method and group of technologies for the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol (IP) networks, such as the Internet. The terms Internet t ...

phone calls, for free over the internet. The service costs nothing because it is supported by ads, but users have the option of paying for an ad-free version with enhanced features. TextFree was developed by American telecommunications provider Pinger, Inc. It was released in 2006. TextFree states on its website that it has more than 130 million users (as of September 2022). The mobile app runs on both

iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...

and Android devices,Textfree is now Pinger App Review
AppPicker and there is a desktop version available for download on

macOS macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and lapt ...

and

Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

. Users can also access TextFree's services online via a

web browser A web browser is application software for accessing websites. When a user requests a web page from a particular website, the browser retrieves its files from a web server and then displays the page on the user's screen. Browsers are used on ...

. Competitors include GOGII, Optini and

WhatsApp WhatsApp (also called WhatsApp Messenger) is an internationally available freeware, cross-platform, centralized instant messaging (IM) and voice-over-IP (VoIP) service owned by American company Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook). It allows us ...

Usage

Users can communicate with other who do not use the app via texting and calling. Users can call within US and Canada, while texting is free in 35 countries. New accounts receive a new phone number and 60 free minutes. Users may also communicate with any other user worldwide. Moreover, Textfree has a web based version of its application that allows users to send and receive text messages directly from computer. They provide a permanent number to their users, which they can use to send free texts for lifetime.

References

{{Instant messaging Android (operating system) software IOS software Instant messaging clients Cross-platform software Communication software