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Facebook Messenger (for Web)

 & Jordan Minor Principal Writer, Software

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Facebook Messenger is a fine website for talking with your friends, but it makes more sense as a mobile app than a dedicated desktop service. - Facebook Messenger App
3.0 Average

The Bottom Line

Facebook Messenger is a fine website for talking with your friends, but it makes more sense as a mobile app than a dedicated web-based service.

Pros & Cons

    • Clear video calls.
    • Clean, effective interface.
    • Delightful Stickers and Pusheen.
    • Lacks third-party messaging apps and other mobile features.
    • Video chat requires logging into Facebook itself.

When Facebook decided to spin off its messaging service as a wholly separate mobile app last year, the move was met with skepticism and even paranoia. Why take an already great app and chop it into two less-useful halves? Fortunately, the split allowed Messenger to mature as an independent service while leveraging Facebook's all-powerful social ecosystem. But the social networking juggernaut has even greater ambitions for the platform and is now bringing it to desktops and laptops with Facebook Messenger for Web (free). This new web-based service provides instant text and video messaging with Facebook friends without all of that other Facebook clutter. However, while Messenger remains a great way to chat with friends, this Web version, unlike its mobile cousin, never really justifies its existence as a separate product.

Final Thoughts

Facebook Messenger is a fine website for talking with your friends, but it makes more sense as a mobile app than a dedicated desktop service. - Facebook Messenger App

Facebook Messenger (for Web)

3.0 Average

Facebook Messenger is a fine website for talking with your friends, but it makes more sense as a mobile app than a dedicated web-based service.

About Our Expert

Jordan Minor

Jordan Minor

Principal Writer, Software

My PCMag career began in 2013 as an intern. Now, I'm a senior writer, using the skills I acquired at Northwestern University to write about dating apps, meal kits, programming software, website builders, video streaming services, and video games. I was previously a senior editor at Geek.com and have written for The A.V. Club, Kotaku, and Paste Magazine. I'm the author of the gaming history book Video Game of the Year: A Year-by-Year Guide to the Best, Boldest, and Most Bizarre Games from Every Year Since 1977, and the reason everything you know about Street Sharks is a lie.

The Technology I Use

I use the newest Android and iOS smartphones for testing, but I currently use an iPhone 14 as my personal phone. I just hate that we gave up headphone jacks.

I've always favored gaming laptops over desktops. On that note, I have a 16-inch HP Envy with an Intel Core i9-13900H CPU and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU. No matter what machine I’m working on, an alarming amount of my personal and professional life revolves around cloud-synced Google Drive files.

For food subscriptions, my household sticks with CookUnity and HelloFresh for meals. Video streaming is a bit more complicated. While there are too many services to list, we're subscribed to most of the major ones. These days, I find myself drawn to HBO Max's movies and shows, as well as Peacock's reality trash.

I've been a lifelong Nintendo fan, and I sincerely believe the Nintendo Switch will go down as one of the best gaming consoles of all time. It has an unbelievable library of new and old games from Nintendo and third-party companies. The handheld/console hybrid approach makes playing games so much more flexible, a legacy that continues with the Nintendo Switch 2 and Valve’s Steam Deck.

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