Read articles by Rowaa Salama on community chat, engagement, product tips, moderation and streaming. Explore actionable strategies and product expertise on Watchers Blog.

Rowaa Salama

Watchers integrated the community chat into the BetBoom platform in Brazil. Community significantly increased user engagement and connection with the platform, as well as the number of transactions due to the win-sharing widget.

Embedded community chats to engage users in-app and grow revenue and retention. Watchers solution allows to host live streaming in-app and provide the most engaging space for audiences

BetBoom Case: Community chat with embedded live streaming 

<p>Betboom is a casino and sports betting platform. Watchers chats are integrated into the casino part with a general community chat that allows users to gather together, discuss their experience, share information about their wins through a special widget, and watch live streaming directly on the platform.</p><p>The website and app are available in Portuguese.</p><p><strong>Maya Nosak, CPO:</strong></p><blockquote><p>“We are genuinely excited to have this opportunity to collaborate and elevate our product together. We truly believe that the distinctive features of your solution, such as live chat, message reactions, event sharing, copy-widget and more, offer our clients a unique chance to feel part of a real community, express their emotions, and enrich their overall experience on our platform.&nbsp;</p><p>We look forward to developing a long-term partnership that delivers a seamless, community-driven experience for our users.”</p></blockquote><h2>What we have provided</h2><ul><li>A customised community chat available on the platform. Users see the chat before the authorisation, after logging in they can communicate via text, threads, stickers, and emojis.</li><li>Implemented advanced moderation tools designed to foster a positive environment for user interactions. The AI moderation system effectively supports conversations in Portuguese, boasting a precision score of 94-96%. This ensures a safe and secure space for all participants, allowing them to engage freely and confidently in discussions.</li><li>Event-sharing widgets that allow users to share information about their winnings in two clicks. Other users can join the same game by clicking a widget. The widget has been helping the platform increase the retention level because of leading users into a game.</li></ul><p>All functionality available on both desktop and mobile.</p><figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1500/793;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/dcae60c2-0ca4-4812-85dc-8c300a7276ce.jpeg" alt="Integrated community chat for players in Portuguese" width="1500" height="793"></figure><h2>User journey</h2><ul><li>Users of the platform see the chat before the authorisation: they can open it for a readonly mode. There are three entry points to a chat. When you users try to join the conversation, they are sent to the authorisation page. When authorised, they need to create a nickname, choose an avatar, and they can participate in the communication.</li><li>They can report other users' messages, reply to them in threads, and react to messages. Messages marked with time of sending, and reading mark. Users also can send animated stickers in a chat to support liveliness and emotional level, send anonymous animated emojis</li><li>If users have won, they can share the info about the amount of money they won and the title of the game where they won, through the special widget. Other users can click it and open the initial game to try their luck.</li><li>When the live streaming is going on, users can see the video right inside the chat and comment on it.</li></ul><p>A community chat helps users stay engaged and connected with the platform before and after the games, and a event sharing widget allows the platform to cross-promote the games in a user-driver manner with no additional resources involved.</p><h2>Get in touch</h2><p>Please <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://calendly.com/watchers-platform/social-tools-for-your">get in touch with us </a>if you'd like to integrate community chats with your website or app. We'll be happy to help you find the best solution.</p>

How have community chats to sports event increased engagement and retention on VirtualSoft platforms in Latin America.

Case Watchers and VirtualSoft: Community chats to engage users during sports events

<p>Watchers integrated event community chats to Ecuabet and DoradoBet, located in Latin America, and enhanced user engagement and activity on the platform significantly, as well as the number of transactions due to the copy-widget.</p><p>VirtualSoft is a leading technology and services provider in Latin America, specialising in the gambling industry with a presence in 14 countries and more than 5 brands. Watchers chats are integrated into two of them: Doradobet and Ecuabet. The platforms are available in English and Spanish.</p><p>They are dedicated to developing platforms for sports betting and online casino games.</p><h2>What we have provided for VirtualSoft</h2><ul><li>Customised community chats for all sports events available on the platforms. Users see the chats after the authorisation and can communicate via text, threads, stickers, and emojis. Community chats are open simultaneously for as many events as available on the platform.</li><li>Delivered tools for moderation, which provide a healthy space for users' conversations. AI moderation works for both Spanish and English with a 96% precision score, and provides a secure space for all users.<br>Copy-widget allows users to share their bets in a chat in two clicks and repeat the bets after each other. The widget has been helping the platform increase the number of transactions significantly.</li><li>Engagement and marketing widgets to grow engagement and create cross-promo campaigns: polls and pop-ups.</li></ul><p>All functionality available on both desktop and mobile.&nbsp;</p><figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1500/642;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/b52e3497-31ae-445a-b5e9-ec1fe7d0018e.jpeg" width="1500" height="642"></figure><h2>User journey</h2><ul><li>Users of the platform, when authorised, open any event on the client’s platform and see the chat button. They create a nickname for the chat and choose an avatar, then start sending messages and participate in conversations.</li><li>After placing a bet on the main platform, users click the share in-chat button and send information about the choice via a specific widget; the widget doesn't display any financial details. Other users can click the copy button, and the choice will be at once added to their coupon. This allows users not just discuss their predictions in a chat but exchange decisions they made and share their strategies easily.</li><li>Users can switch between different events and communicate in as many chats as they wish.</li><li>They can report other users' messages, reply to them in threads, and react to messages. Messages marked with time of sending, and reading mark. Users also can send animated emojis and stickers in a chat to support liveliness and emotional level.</li></ul><p>Chats help keep users engaged during the games and matches and build connections between the platform and audience.</p><h2>Get in touch</h2><p>Please <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://calendly.com/watchers-platform/social-tools-for-your?month=2025-08">get in touch with us</a> if you'd like to integrate community chats with your website or app. We'll be happy to help you find the best solution.</p>

We upgraded the FC app with community chats and other engaging tools for fans, increasing retention, fan loyalty, and direct sales of memberships, tickets, and merchandise.

FC App: Community chats to engage the club’s fans

<h2>What we have provided</h2><ul><li>Integrated customised community chats within the football club’s app, allowing fans to cheer, discuss the season, players, and news directly in the app — without the need for messengers or additional social media.</li><li>Audio live streaming tools to host live conversations and discussions about matches, results, and tournaments.</li><li>Added engagement widgets such as polls and quizzes to encourage more active interaction with users.</li><li>Enabled marketing offers to promote ticket sales and merchandise.</li><li>Introduced badges for users with club memberships.</li><li>Added branded stickers and the ability to share pictures.</li><li>Comprehensive moderation system, including block lists, in-chat tools for users (block/report), AI moderation, and manual options in the back office.</li><li>Regular semantic analysis of fans' messages to help the clients find the opportunity to grow, improve the app, and work precisely with direct user insights.&nbsp;</li></ul><h2>User journey</h2><ul><li>Hosts can start live streams and communicate with their audience via chat. All necessary tools, including moderation features and the ability to launch polls, are available directly in the chat, so streamers don’t need external platforms or links.</li><li>Fans can access the Fan Chat section in the menu and tab bar, where they find:<br>a lobby chat for discussing club news and ongoing matches,<br>themed chats on specific topics,<br>dedicated chats for particular fixtures.</li><li>When a live stream is scheduled, fans can add it to their calendars. The chat and stream open at the set time, with a countdown visible beforehand.</li><li>Users can engage with one another and with the host: asking questions, sharing emotions, replying to messages, starting threads, sending stickers, and posting animated emojis. Reactions and replies are supported.</li></ul><h3>Chats help keep users engaged during the whole season, help to grow revenue, and gather fans from the spread social media accounts to the leading club's communication channel.</h3><figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1205/833;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/ad39119b-82ff-430d-b03f-bfeaf0ed2db4.png" width="1205" height="833" alt="community chat for football fans on the FC app"></figure><h2><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(14,16,26);"><span style="margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"><strong style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(14, 16, 26);margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;">Get in touch</strong></span></span></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Inter;font-size:0.9375vw;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.35417vw;margin:0px 0px 1.30208vw;orphans:2;outline:0px;padding:0px;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><span style="background-color:white;color:black;font-family:inherit;font-size:14px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;border:1pt none windowtext;box-sizing:border-box;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:16.1px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0cm;vertical-align:baseline;" lang="EN-GB" dir="ltr">Please </span></span><a style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(87, 89, 255);font-family:Inter;font-size:0.9375vw;font-style:inherit;font-weight:400;line-height:1.35417vw;margin:0px;outline:0px;overflow-wrap:break-word;padding:0px;text-decoration:none;transition:color 0.4s;vertical-align:baseline;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://calendly.com/watchers-platform/social-tools-for-your?month=2025-08"><span style="background-color:white;color:rgb(77,77,230);font-family:inherit;font-size:14px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;border:1pt none windowtext;box-sizing:border-box;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:16.1px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0cm;vertical-align:baseline;" lang="EN-GB" dir="ltr">get in touch with us</span></span></a><span style="background-color:white;color:black;font-family:inherit;font-size:14px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;border:1pt none windowtext;box-sizing:border-box;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:16.1px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0cm;vertical-align:baseline;" lang="EN-GB" dir="ltr"> if you'd like to integrate community chats with your website or app. We'll be happy to help you find the best solution.</span></span></p>

Community chats are integrated with the Icelandic live-streaming platform and help direct and engaging communication between hosts and their audiences.

Livey: Chats for pay-per-view live streaming

<p style="margin-bottom:1pt;margin-top:0pt;"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watch.livey.events/"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(14,16,26);"><span style="margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"><strong>Livey</strong></span></span></a><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(14,16,26);"><span style="margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"> is a pay-per-view live streaming platform for content creators. Creators can host live streaming events through Livey and monetise their content. The audience watches content also on the Livey platform: so you can find there both the back office for creators and a catalogue of videos for viewers.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom:1pt;margin-top:0pt;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-bottom:1pt;margin-top:0pt;"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(14,16,26);"><span style="margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:1pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true">The platform is based in Iceland, available in Icelandic and English.</span></span></p><figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1500/1115;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/7cf2986f-6b6b-45ce-9902-dae435abf9b0.jpeg" width="1500" height="1115"></figure><h2><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(14,16,26);"><span style="margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"><strong style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(14, 16, 26);margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;">What we have provided for Livey</strong></span></span></h2><ul><li><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(14,16,26);"><span style="margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true">Placed customised community chats to allow hosts and streamers to communicate with their viewers. The functionality is available on the web. Users can communicate via text, animated emoji, threads, and stickers. Chats are available only for participants of events: hosts have the admin rights (can moderate messages, pin important ones, publish polls), guests communicate as regular users.</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(14,16,26);"><span style="margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true">Delivered tools for moderation, which provide a healthy space for users' conversations.</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(14,16,26);"><span style="margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true">The tool for automatic translation is provided, allowing users who don’t speak the main language of the discussion to translate all messages in chats to their desired language.&nbsp;</span></span></li></ul><h2><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(14,16,26);"><span style="margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"><strong style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(14, 16, 26);margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;">User journey on Livey</strong></span></span></h2><ul><li><p style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(14, 16, 26);margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(14,16,26);"><span style="margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true">Hosts start the stream and can communicate in a chat with their guests. All needed instruments are available right in a chat, including moderation tools for manual management and the opportunity to publish polls. So streamers don’t need to use any external platforms or links.</span></span></p></li><li><p style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(14, 16, 26);margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(14,16,26);"><span style="margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true">Users click the chat button and can engage with each other and with the host, ask streamers questions and share their emotions about the stream. They can reply to each other’s messages, start threads, and send stickers.</span></span></p></li></ul><p style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(14, 16, 26);margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(14,16,26);"><mark class="marker-yellow"><span style="margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true">Chats help keep users engaged during broadcasting and build connections between hosts and viewers.</span></mark></span></p><h2><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(14,16,26);"><span style="margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"><strong style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(14, 16, 26);margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;">Get in touch</strong></span></span></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Inter;font-size:0.9375vw;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.35417vw;margin:0px 0px 1.30208vw;orphans:2;outline:0px;padding:0px;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><span style="background-color:white;color:black;font-family:inherit;font-size:14px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;border:1pt none windowtext;box-sizing:border-box;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:16.1px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0cm;vertical-align:baseline;" lang="EN-GB" dir="ltr">Please </span></span><a style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(87, 89, 255);font-family:Inter;font-size:0.9375vw;font-style:inherit;font-weight:400;line-height:1.35417vw;margin:0px;outline:0px;overflow-wrap:break-word;padding:0px;text-decoration:none;transition:color 0.4s;vertical-align:baseline;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://calendly.com/watchers-platform/social-tools-for-your?month=2025-08"><span style="background-color:white;color:rgb(77,77,230);font-family:inherit;font-size:14px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;border:1pt none windowtext;box-sizing:border-box;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:16.1px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0cm;vertical-align:baseline;" lang="EN-GB" dir="ltr">get in touch with us</span></span></a><span style="background-color:white;color:black;font-family:inherit;font-size:14px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;border:1pt none windowtext;box-sizing:border-box;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:16.1px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0cm;vertical-align:baseline;" lang="EN-GB" dir="ltr"> if you'd like to integrate community chats with your website or app. We'll be happy to help you find the best solution.</span></span></p>

Freedom is an all-in-one community crypto platform where users can connect, play, communicate, build communities, and get tokens by completing various fun missions and tasks, as well as create their own communities and missions. 

Discover how the gaming app in Thailand enhances user engagement and retention through a Watchers community chat solution.

Freedom World app: community chats for the entertaining app, powered by Bitazza 

<p style="line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;" dir="ltr"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(14,16,26);font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:11pt;"><span style="font-style:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-emoji:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-position:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">The app is available in Thai and English.</span></span></p><h3><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(14,16,26);font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:11pt;"><span style="font-style:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-emoji:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-position:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">What we have provided for Freedom</span></span></h3><ul><li><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;" dir="ltr" role="presentation"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(14,16,26);font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:11pt;"><span style="font-style:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-emoji:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-position:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Placed customised community chats: a chat lobby and several chats for different games. The functionality is available on both mobile apps (Android and iOS). Users can communicate via text, animated emoji, threads, and stickers. They see chats only if they are authorised.</span></span></p></li><li><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;" dir="ltr" role="presentation"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(14,16,26);font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:11pt;"><span style="font-style:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-emoji:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-position:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Delivered a four-layer moderation, including AI, blocking lists in Thai, the tools for moderation by real people, and user moderation, the scope of which provides a healthy space for users' conversations.&nbsp;</span></span></p></li><li><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;" dir="ltr" role="presentation"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(14,16,26);font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:11pt;"><span style="font-style:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-emoji:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-position:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">The tool for automatic translation is provided, allowing users who don’t speak Thai to translate all messages in chats to their desired language.&nbsp;</span></span></p></li><li><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;" dir="ltr" role="presentation"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(14,16,26);font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:11pt;"><span style="font-style:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-emoji:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-position:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Provided tools for achievements and badge assignments (including API for seamless assignment).</span></span></p></li><li><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;" dir="ltr" role="presentation"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(14,16,26);font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:11pt;"><span style="font-style:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-emoji:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-position:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">The client uses brand avatars and stickers in chats.</span></span></p></li></ul><h3><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(14,16,26);font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:11pt;"><span style="font-style:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-emoji:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-position:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">User journey on Freedom</span></span></h3><ul><li><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;" dir="ltr" role="presentation"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(14,16,26);font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:11pt;"><span style="font-style:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-emoji:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-position:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Authorised users click the chat button on the home page to join a chat or a similar button on the game pages. After clicking it, they open a chat.</span></span></p></li><li><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;" dir="ltr" role="presentation"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(14,16,26);font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:11pt;"><span style="font-style:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-emoji:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-position:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Users have the same avatars and nicknames that they use on the main platform profile.&nbsp;</span></span></p></li><li><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;" dir="ltr" role="presentation"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(14,16,26);font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:11pt;"><span style="font-style:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-emoji:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-position:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">They can communicate, reply and react to each other’s messages, start threads, and send pictures.</span></span></p></li><li><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;" dir="ltr"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(14,16,26);font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:11pt;"><span style="font-style:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-emoji:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-position:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Chats help keep users engaged in games and missions and build communities within the Freedom app.&nbsp;</span></span></p></li></ul><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;" dir="ltr"><br>&nbsp;</p>

Learn how one of the leading online gaming platforms boosted user engagement and retention with a Watchers community chat solution featuring interactive widgets, AI-powered moderation, and seamless integration.

Community chat for gaming platform — Jackpot City Integration

<p style="background-color:#ffffff;line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:12pt;padding:0pt 0pt 12pt;" dir="ltr"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;"><span style="font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">In December 2024, we successfully implemented our chat solution for Jackpot City, a global online casino platform offering a diverse range of games. The client opted for a general public chat that is directly linked to the gaming experience, allowing users to access and participate in the chat while playing any game available on the platform.</span></span></p><p style="background-color:#ffffff;line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;padding:0pt 0pt 12pt;" dir="ltr"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;"><span style="font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">The integration included a diverse set of interactive widgets such as polls, quizzes, and marketing offers, which Jackpot City uses to promote various activities and events on the platform. To boost engagement and retention, the client leverages our tools to award badges for specific user behaviours and trigger pop-ups to encourage participation in game streaks and other challenges. Our engagement tools are flexible and powerful, enabling Jackpot City to build an impressive, on-platform system that keeps users involved and coming back.</span></span></p><blockquote><p style="background-color:#ffffff;line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;padding:0pt 0pt 12pt;" dir="ltr"><span style="color:rgb(33,33,33);font-family:-apple-system, system-ui, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, &quot;Apple Color Emoji&quot;, &quot;Segoe UI Emoji&quot;, &quot;Segoe UI Symbol&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;caret-color:rgb(33, 33, 33);display:inline !important;float:none;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:auto;text-align:start;text-decoration:none;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:pre-line;widows:auto;word-spacing:0px;">“The integration of community chat aligns with our broader strategic goals of enhancing user experience and fostering engagement. It represents a thoughtful step toward creating a more interactive and connected environment for our customers. Our experience with Watchers has met our expectations. It has also allowed us to make changes that align with our brand dynamically and to understand better and respond to consumer-facing issues. The Watchers team has been excellent at responding to issues and delivering solutions for our team in record time.”&nbsp;</span></i></span></p><p style="background-color:#ffffff;line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;padding:0pt 0pt 12pt;" dir="ltr"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.f6s.com/software/watchers-social-solution?deal=50%25-discount-on-watchers#reviews"><strong>Alex Johnson, Jackpot City</strong></a></p></blockquote><p style="background-color:#ffffff;line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;padding:0pt 0pt 12pt;" dir="ltr"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;"><span style="font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">The Watchers solution was integrated via WebView, ensuring a fast and seamless implementation process.</span></span></p><p style="background-color:#ffffff;line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;padding:0pt 0pt 12pt;" dir="ltr"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;"><span style="font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Our AI-powered moderation system also plays a crucial role, providing real-time protection by hiding or flagging negative or spam messages within milliseconds, creating a safe and welcoming communication space that preserves the positive experience for all users.</span></span></p><p style="background-color:#ffffff;line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;padding:0pt 0pt 12pt;" dir="ltr"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;"><span style="font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">The chat was fully customised to match the Jackpot City brand identity, including colours, fonts, avatars, and branded stickers.</span></span></p><p style="background-color:#ffffff;line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;padding:0pt 0pt 12pt;" dir="ltr"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;"><span style="font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Additionally, Jackpot City actively tracks all chat interactions to gather valuable insights into user behaviour, helping them fine-tune their engagement strategies and make data-driven decisions.</span></span></p><p style="background-color:#ffffff;line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:0pt;margin-top:0pt;padding:0pt 0pt 12pt;" dir="ltr"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;"><span style="font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Together, these features create a rich, interactive, and secure environment that significantly enhances the user experience, transforming it into a social and interactive one. We are going to develop a partnership with the Jackpot City brand to help them further grow user engagement and retention.</span></span></p><figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1500/799;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/53b6c18c-f526-4598-9817-7f2f7399d3e9.jpeg" width="1500" height="799" alt="online community chats for gaming"><figcaption>Community chat can be opened from any game page</figcaption></figure>

Learn how to build in-app communities that boost engagement, retention, and loyalty through chat, moderation, and user-driven features.

Build your own community app with our step-by-step guide. Learn what in-app communities are, key features, and tools to boost engagement and retention.

In-App Community: How to Build and Manage One Inside Your App

Viewers are no longer satisfied being a passive audience while consuming video content, and streaming platforms are responding to the challenge. Those platforms are replacing singular viewing experiences with social viewing communities. And they’re doing that by incorporating second-screen features, live stream chat, and watch party viewing, all of which encourage engagement, interaction, and connection alongside main screen content consumption.

Learn what watch party apps and live stream chat are, how social viewing turns streams into in-app communities, and when platforms should build, buy or embed watch party solutions.

Watch Party Apps & Live Stream Chat for Streaming Platforms

Learn how to measure and increase mobile app engagement using key metrics, proven strategies, and in-app communities to boost retention and revenue.

Mobile App Engagement: Metrics, Strategies & Playbook 2026

<p>Substantial mobile app install numbers may sound impressive, but they don’t equate to success in 2026. What equates to success is high mobile app engagement. By measuring engagement metrics, you get a clear idea of what’s working and what is not. In this guide, we’re going to tell you which metrics you need to pay attention to, why they’re important, and what you can do to start boosting your engagement rates today.</p><h2>What is Mobile App Engagement?</h2><p>Mobile app engagement is a measure of how often users interact with your app, how long they interact for, and the depth and value of the interactions that take place. Key app metrics that measure those behaviours include stickiness, retention, churn, daily active users (DAU), monthly active users (MAU), session frequency, session length, and session interval. These key app metrics are essential for evaluating your app’s performance so you can identify problems and create solutions based on data.</p><p>Engagement provides us with valuable insights into app viability for the long-term, while app downloads may just be telling you your marketing team has done a great job. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1010716/apple-app-store-google-play-app-downloads-forecast/#:~:text=Annual%20global%20mobile%20app%20downloads%202021%2D2026%2C%20by%20store&amp;text=In%202026%2C%20consumers%20are%20projected,number%20of%20downloads%20in%202021.">According to Statista</a>, users will download 181 billion apps in 2026; a small percentage of those will become apps that users interact with daily or even monthly. Your engagement metrics can give you key information that helps you iterate and rectify before your app ends up in the digital dustbin. &nbsp;</p><h3>Engagement vs Retention</h3><p>User retention metrics tell you whether or not your app is holding on to users over a specific period of time. Engagement numbers tell you how customers are interacting with your app. Each metric tells you a different story and allows you to hone in on which app issues need addressing. Retention is typically measured over a 1, 7, or 30-day period. Churn over a short period of time can indicate onboarding issues or a lack of a clear value proposition.</p><p>Engagement metrics like frequency, interval, and depth are measured over shorter periods and provide more detailed information about perceived value and quality of interactions. While there are overlaps in the data collected from those metrics, there is unique data to be gleaned from each.&nbsp;</p><h2>Core Mobile App Engagement Metrics</h2><p>To create an engagement strategy, you need user behaviour data to build from. That data comes from your app in the form of metrics you can measure. Next, we’re going to get into the key performance indicators (KPIs) for engagement data that will give you a clear picture of app performance. The data you get from these KPIs needs to be measured against industry benchmarks. What is considered a good rate in one industry can be considered abysmal in another. For example, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.qualtrics.com/articles/customer/30-statistics-about-customer-churn/#:~:text=Gaming%20apps%20have%20the%20biggest,drop%2Doff%20of%2027.7%25.">according to Qualtrics research</a>, the average 1-month churn for music apps is 16.2%, while the average 1-month churn for gaming apps is 27.7%.</p><p>Clearly, there is a significant difference in the reference point between the industries. And so, you need to understand your domain benchmarks to make data-driven decisions. Let’s get into the concrete metrics.</p><h3>Active Users and Stickiness (DAU, MAU, DAU/MAU)</h3><p>A core part of a healthy mobile app engagement strategy is increasing stickiness. Stickiness measures how frequently your users engage with your app. Not all users can be classified as active just because they’re logged in. An active user is someone who explores your features and answers your CTAs.</p><p>In order to measure stickiness, you take <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/glossary/active-user-metrics">DAU</a> and divide it by your <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/glossary/active-user-metrics">MAU</a>. The resulting number of DAU divided by MAU is your stickiness ratio</p><p>Example: 2,000 DAU / 10,000 MAU = 20% stickiness</p><p>The higher your stickiness ratio, the greater the perceived value of your app, and the more habit-forming it is, which can lead to good customer LTVs.</p><h3>Retention and Churn</h3><p>Customer retention rate tells you what percentage of people who were initially interested in your app’s value proposition continue to use it over a certain period of time. The churn rate tells you how many of the users who installed your app chose to stop using it over a specified period of time. It may seem like these two metrics tell the same story, but they are often used for different purposes.</p><p>While your marketing team may look at retention rates to evaluate the success of a campaign, your finance team may look at churn to forecast budgets. These metrics also provide you with the opportunity to choose whether you want to look at your successes or your failures when creating an engagement strategy.&nbsp;</p><h3>Frequency Length Interval</h3><p>How users incorporate an app into their day-to-day provides a deeper understanding of engagement. To measure this incorporation, we need to look at frequency, length, and the interval between visits. Frequency tells us how useful customers perceive the app to be, while the intervals in between provide us with a clearer picture of the perception of daily value.</p><p>How long each visit lasts tells you how in-depth the engagement is. The numbers you gather from these metrics must be measured against your industry benchmarks rather than judged in isolation. That’s because in certain categories like education, depth may be valued over frequency, while in other cases, like social media apps, the opposite may be true.</p><h3>Feature and Messaging Engagement</h3><p>Engagement with push notifications and in-app messaging can be good indicators of overall engagement. You can measure engagement with these features by looking at open rates and click-through rates. (CTR). You can also track what happens as a result of engagement with these features. For example, you can look at how an in-app messaging campaign increases the amount of time per visit or how push notifications increase frequency of use.</p><h3>How to Measure Engagement in Practice</h3><p>In order to measure engagement for your app at a practical level, you need to log significant user engagement events. This can include registration, frequency, session length, and stickiness. These actions should be tied to a user as well as to times and dates. This then allows you to follow individual user journeys over specified periods of time so you can identify patterns.</p><p>These patterns can help you identify when significant events like uninstalls take place across user journeys. You should remember that you always need to create a tracking plan—decide what exact metrics you want to follow. There are several of them, like classical GQM (Goal, Question, Metric) Model to improve software quality, MVT (Minimum Viable Tracking) that helps to correct mistakes in developing and marketing, and Pirate Marketing with a focus on retention, which we <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/post/user-retention">recently wrote about.</a></p><p>When you’ve pinpointed the way of tracking and specified periods in the journey, you can focus on what is triggering the behaviour. For example, if you pinpoint user churn on day one, you can look at your registration process, while high churn rates at the 30-day mark could signal something different, like frustration over push notifications, or lack of perceived long-term value.&nbsp;</p><h2>8 Mobile App Engagement Strategies for 2026</h2><p>So you’ve measured your engagement and the numbers aren’t looking good. What can you do? You’ll be happy to know that there are many ways to fix this.</p><h3>Simplify Onboarding and Registration</h3><p>One of the easiest ways you can increase retention is by making the onboarding process quick, easy, and unintrusive. Offer Single Sign-on (SSO) and limit the number of steps a user has to take to register. The fewer the number of questions and permissions fields, the lower the chances a user is going to get frustrated or feel intruded upon at the outset. All of that also means the lower the chances of an uninstall or drop off on day one, and improved user engagement rates.</p><h3>Shorten Time to First Value</h3><p>In order to shorten the time between app install and the first <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.dictionary.com/browse/aha-moment#:~:text=noun,and%20they%20didn't%20fit.">‘aha’ moment</a>, create a frictionless onboarding process that leads straight into the first value moment. You’ll need to identify what that first moment is, but it should be one that highlights your value proposition. The relevant ‘aha’ moment will depend on your app type, but can include creating a post, adding seven friends, or making a restaurant reservation.</p><h3>Use targeted Push and In-App messaging</h3><p>If you are looking at how to increase user engagement, push notifications and in-app messaging can be powerful tools. However, they often sit on a fine line between helpful and obnoxious, and it is your job to find that line. What helps in getting the balance right is setting up a system so that certain user behaviours trigger notifications and messaging.</p><p>When the feature is used in line with user behaviour, the messaging has a greater chance of being welcome rather than obtrusive. Push notifications and in-app messaging that provide genuine assistance create an overall better user experience, which can increase visit frequency and depth, leading to better engagement and heightened app allegiance.</p><h3>Build In-App Communities and Chats</h3><p>Community building is a key feature in some of the most successful apps on the market, and chat is a key feature of those communities. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/post/in-app-community-guide">By creating an in-app community</a>, you create additional value with a social aspect and give users more reasons to log in. &nbsp;In-app communities help increase engagement through increased frequency of sessions, length of sessions, and decreased intervals due to the added value of belonging to a community of like-minded individuals.</p><h3>Run Live Events and Watch Parties</h3><p>Anything that you can do to help your community thrive is going to help you increase engagement. Especially if those things create the feeling of exclusivity. So, running live events and watch parties within your app helps you grow your community as well as add value to your community by creating times and places where users can interact.</p><p>By creating in-app interactive events, you boost the amount of time per visit, as well as frequency. That frequency increases not only because of the events themselves but also because of the in-app relationships that can be built through those events.</p><h3>Reward Loyalty with Tiers and Exclusive Access</h3><p>Creating a gaming element within your app can reward your efforts with dividends. The gaming features can be as simple as providing badges for various levels of completion to receiving exclusive perks. Gaming naturally brings out the competitive nature in people and can make even the most mundane or difficult tasks more interesting.</p><p>One of the greatest examples of gamification is Duolingo, which rewards you with points and a space on a leaderboard for learning streaks. While the reward in itself is not tangible, the gamification of the learning process compels users to log in every day to hold onto their ‘streaks’. Even the learning process in itself is gamified with sounds and characters that make the experience less tedious and more fun.</p><p>Gamification boosts session length and frequency, and overall LTV. While gamification is a powerful tool, it’s not a tool for all apps. When your app facilitates serious actions, such as in areas like finance or medicine, you should not be gamifying them. Gamification is also not a good strategy for apps that are used to get things done quickly, like authenticators or file-sharing services.</p><h3>Design Smart Empty States and Nudges</h3><p>Empty states are either an opportunity to connect with your audience or an opportunity to lose them. Empty states are usually the spaces where users would typically find content if they weren’t new to the app, or they are spaces where their actions have led to a dead end. These spaces give you a chance to show your personality while providing assistance or valuable information.</p><p>You can use these spaces to provide helpful messages that direct the reader on what to do next. The spaces can also be used to show potential value by displaying what those empty spaces could look like once the user has completed the necessary steps. For example, a dating site user may see an empty profile when users first join, which can seem overwhelming, but a smart use of the empty space can propel action. That smart use can be pseudo-personal messaging to help users complete the first step and obtain the first reward. &nbsp;This can help users move forward instead of turning off the app to return to it another day.</p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.setproduct.com/blog/empty-state-ui-design#:~:text=❶%20First%2Dtime%20use%20(FTU,to%20create%20or%20import%20something">Empty state fillers</a> should have clear CTAs and provide value with a sprinkle of personality. They should not be considered spaces to slap a logo on or add filler graphics because blank spaces are as much an opportunity to keep a user as they are to lose one.&nbsp;</p><h3>Drive Feature Discovery Over Time</h3><p>Onboarding is a critical phase when building a relationship with your customer, and you need to make sure it is as smooth as possible. That means you don’t want to pummel the user with so much information that they leave and never come back. So, when introducing features, do it smartly. A trigger-based introduction is ideal when you have many features to share.</p><p>Add micro-learning elements through in-app messaging and notifications to gradually introduce new features. Advanced features can be unlocked once users have the opportunity to explore the basic features at their own pace. Pop-up hints and tips for newly unlocked features should be easy to click off to avoid user frustration. And when launching a new feature campaign, it may be a good idea to segment the newly onboarded cohort to receive those notifications later.</p><h2>In-App Communities as an Engagement Engine</h2><p>When you strategise about how to increase user engagement, think about what makes some of the most successful apps on the planet successful. The most successful apps have communities where users come together and have conversations. An online community provides much of the same benefits as an IRL one does, creating connections, happiness, and a social fabric.</p><p>Providing your customers with a place to gather and discuss topics related to your app provides a multitude of benefits. Your in-app community can become a social hub as well as a place where FAQs get answered and ideas are discussed. When users find a community within an app, they can become more connected with the app through the interactions that occur with other users and moderators within the community.</p><p>All of that means churn numbers decline, and LTV increases. Communities are also a great place to connect with your customers as a brand. You can get immediate feedback on new features, as well as ideas for new ones. Beyond that, more and more customers want to have a connection with the brands they spend their money and time with. According to Sprout Social, 76% of consumers will buy from a brand they feel connected to over a competitor.</p><h2>Why Keeping Conversations Inside the App Matters</h2><p>If you don’t have a mechanism for keeping conversations within your app, your users will gather elsewhere. That means potentially pushing your customers to another app not only in the short-term, but also potentially losing them completely.</p><p>The time your users spend off your app decreases engagement, destroys the habit loop, and can undermine the perceived value of your app. You also lose data when users move off your app, as well as the ability to protect your users' privacy and play a role in conversation moderation.</p><h2>FAQs About Mobile App Engagement</h2><p>Find answers to frequently asked questions about mobile app engagement strategy here.</p><h3>How to increase mobile app engagement?</h3><p>You can increase engagement for your mobile app by creating in-app communities, ensuring onboarding is friction-free, and delivering on your value proposition quickly.</p><h3>What is mobile app engagement?</h3><p>It is a measure of how often your users are on your mobile app, how long they stay, and the depth of their visits. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/growth">The numbers from those metrics</a> tell you how engaged your users are.</p><h3>What affects user engagement in a mobile app?</h3><p>User engagement in a mobile app is affected by ease of use, perceived value, personalisation, and community appeal. &nbsp;</p><h2>Sources</h2><p>Sprout Social | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://sproutsocial.com/insights/data/social-media-connection/">BrandsGetReal: What consumers want from brands in a divided society</a><br>Statista | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1010716/apple-app-store-google-play-app-downloads-forecast/#:~:text=Annual%20global%20mobile%20app%20downloads%202021%2D2026%2C%20by%20store&amp;text=In%202026%2C%20consumers%20are%20projected,number%20of%20downloads%20in%202021.">Annual mobile app downloads worldwide by store 2026</a><br>Qualtrics | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.qualtrics.com/articles/customer/30-statistics-about-customer-churn/#:~:text=Gaming%20apps%20have%20the%20biggest,drop%2Doff%20of%2027.7%25.">30 Statistics About Customer Churn&nbsp;</a></p><p>Watchers Blog | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/post/user-retention">User Retention: A Practical Guide to Boost Loyalty and Revenue</a></p><p>Watchers Blog | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/post/in-app-community-guide">How to Build an In-App Community: Step-by-Step Guide</a></p>

Keep players talking without leaving the game. Learn what in-game chat is, must-have text and voice features, moderation basics, and how you can implement it for better retention.

Learn what in-game chat is, which text and voice features players expect, and how to build it into your game with SDKs or WebView to keep communication in-house.

In-Game Chat: Key Features, Text vs Voice & How to Build It

<p>Ask any multiplayer team why they “fell off” a game and you’ll hear a fairly familiar theme: it became harder to play together, often because someone had to jump to Discord mid-session.</p><p>A group of friends just wanted to get on the game after work, but now they’re explaining to each other how to make an account on a third-party app and fiddle around with it mid-game. An in-game chat keeps communication attached to the match and party, inside your product.</p><p>This article should give you a feature checklist and a build/SDK/WebView decision guide. Let's get going.</p><h2>What Is In-Game Chat?</h2><p>In-game chat is the communication layer built inside the game client (and backed by servers) so players can actually talk while they’re in the lobby, matchmaking, spectating, or just actively playing.</p><p>Now, this can be in text or voice (even both!), but the defining trait here is context: the game knows who’s speaking and what session they’re in.</p><p>That’s different from “chatting about the game” in third-party chat apps like Discord, especially when the players will be bouncing between two chat apps for different friend groups. Those tools can be great for the community, but they’re usually pretty disconnected from in-session events unless you build deep integrations.</p><p>For example, in a friend group, two players might be on PC, and the other is on console. The PC players can log into Discord, but the guy on console can’t (directly from their console). They’d then have to use another device like a phone or laptop, but now they won’t be able to hear the game audio and their friends at the same time.</p><h2>In-Game Chat Types</h2><p>We can see a few patterns show up over and over in successful titles</p><p><strong>Team Chat: </strong>More of a match-scoped channel to help the players stay coordinated—it’s typically just a small overlay.</p><p><strong>Party Chat:</strong> A persistent channel for a pre-made group for them to chat in, whether about the game or more candidly.</p><p><strong>Clan/Guild Chat: </strong>These are long-lived channels where the players all have roles. A lot more holistic than just a lobby chat.</p><p><strong>Lobby/Matchmaking Chat: </strong>Temporary chat that they use while they’re in a queue.</p><p><strong>Private Messages:</strong> 1:1 messages that persist between sessions.</p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/post/Talking-Teaming-and-Thriving-How-In-Game-Chats-Affect-Players-Experience"><strong>Read about the best in-game chat examples</strong></a></p><h2>Why You Need to Keep Communication In-House</h2><p>The business case for you to focus on here isn’t “players like chat.” It’s that communication is literally a multiplier for time spent together, and multiplayer games are increasingly social at scale. For example:</p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.theesa.com/resources/essential-facts-about-the-us-video-game-industry/2024-data/">The Entertainment Software Association reports </a>190.6 million Americans play games; 61% play weekly, 74% play with others, and 88% have played online.</p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://newzoo.com/resources/trend-reports/newzoo-global-games-market-report-2025">Newzoo estimates</a> 3.6 billion players and $188.8 billion in 2025 game revenues worldwide.&nbsp;</p><figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1500/854;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/c7fc7f09-f02d-4176-8d69-3c0bf415a46a.jpeg" alt="in-game chat example in LoL" width="1500" height="854"></figure><h3>The Downside of Relying on External Chat</h3><p>Even though Discord is widely used (reporting puts its monthly active user count at around <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.businessofapps.com/data/discord-statistics/#:~:text=Discord%20had%20200%20million%20active%20monthly%20users%20in%202023%20and%20560%20million%20registered%20accounts">200 million</a>), it still presents a separate identity and settings surface. On new-gen consoles, it’s more convenient than it used to be, but it’s still a workflow (for example, how PS5 users start Discord voice chats from the control center).</p><p>But when players communicate off-platform:</p><ul><li>Your Retention Takes a Hit: Session flow breaks when people leave to manage comms, invites, or roles. It’s a hassle for players to fiddle with audio levels so they can hear the game and their friends at clear levels.</li><li>You Lose First-Party Data: You can’t tie conversation to in-game context for personalisation or offers without building a complicated bridge.</li></ul><p>If your co-op loop depends on coordination, and the fastest way to coordinate is outside your game, your core loop is renting critical UX from someone else. And that’s a key problem.</p><h2>In-Game Chat Features: Text, Voice, and Moderation</h2><p>Any good modern stack is doing three things at once: communication, social state, and safety. Here’s what matters most.</p><h3>Real-Time In-Game Text Chat &amp; Multimedia</h3><p>Text is the default for many players: it works in noisy environments, and it’s accessible (not everyone has a mic or feels comfortable speaking). At minimum, ship:</p><p>Channels (team/party/guild) and private messages<br>Reactions/GIFs and lightweight media<br>Sensible limits and safe rendering</p><p>Now, the hard part here is not UI—it’s latency and delivery. For in-game text chat, even small delays add up fast when players are coordinating in seconds. They don’t care how it works, just that it does work. Their messages need to arrive fast and reliably across shaky networks.</p><p>A tip here would be to treat text channels like “lightweight chat rooms” with explicit lifetimes (match-scoped vs persistent). You’d even do the same for social hubs by separating “global” chat rooms from high-signal team channels.</p><h3>Text vs Voice: When Each Works Best</h3><p>Ideally, you’re looking to match communication to player context, so it’s not about choosing between text and voice and doing away with the other.</p><p>Text chat is ideal when players can’t use a mic (shared spaces, noisy environments, etc.), and it’s a lot easier to moderate and archive. It’s also a lot better in terms of coordination - a quick “gg” or “defuse A” that stays around after a match.</p><p>Voice chat, on the other hand, shines more in fast-paced moments where typing is too slow (tactical shooters or battle royals, for example), and it’s better for social bonding because of the whole tone and timing that comes with the emotion involved.</p><p>So, the best approach is to offer both, then let the players control the experience with per-mode settings like push-to-talk or party-only voice.</p><h3>In-Game Voice Chat &amp; Video Chat Integration</h3><p>Voice is why co-op feels like hanging out instead of sending pings. For quality, delay targets matter. For example, ITU-T’s G.114 guidance is to keep the “mouth-to-ear” delay below about 150 ms, because that’s what makes interactivity essentially transparent for most applications.</p><p>In a game, that would translate to a rule like: if their voice lags behind what’s happening on screen, players will stop trusting it. So, if you’re adding in-game voice chat on mobile, plan for some aggressive jitter buffering and fast reconnects when networks switch.</p><figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1500/795;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/c145be65-d3ba-4c17-9e36-55beba1b56c4.jpeg" alt="in-game chat implementation - example of Minecraft" width="1500" height="795"></figure><p>Where does video chat belong? It’s not for every title, but video chat can work for:</p><p>Gaming watch parties / co-viewing inside a game hub<br>Creator-led lobbies and spectator experiences</p><h3>In-Game Chat Moderation</h3><p>You can’t bolt safety on later. Even the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.adl.org/resources/report/hate-no-game-hate-and-harassment-online-games-2023">Anti-Defamation League (ADL)</a> talks about how voice is a major venue for hate and harassment, and its surveys show that harassment is common. That’s especially because it’s seen as anonymous on the offender’s end. If you played games like Call of Duty: MW2 back in the day, you know that first-hand.</p><p>So, your most effective approach is a layered one, and a good chat moderation program documents what you enforce and why.</p><p><strong>Player Controls (Must-Have)</strong></p><ol><li>Mute, block, report</li><li>Per-channel settings (team vs party vs guild)</li><li>“Safe defaults” for new players and minors</li></ol><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/post/online-community-moderation"><strong>Read more about community moderation tools</strong></a></p><p><strong>Automation</strong> &nbsp;</p><ol><li>Profanity + spam filters for text</li><li>Rate limits and anomaly detection (flooding, copy-paste spam)</li><li>Voice analysis when appropriate (with clear disclosure and opt-outs)</li></ol><p>As we mentioned, Call of Duty used to (and still sometimes does) have a real problem with this, so Activision rolled out <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.callofduty.com/uk/en/blog/2023/08/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-warzone-anti-toxicity-progress-report">AI-supported voice moderation</a> in Call of Duty, publishing progress updates and explaining how players can disable voice in settings. &nbsp;</p><p><strong>Human Tools &nbsp;</strong></p><ol><li>Review queues, audit logs, and consistent enforcement rules</li><li>Appeals and escalation paths for your more edge cases</li></ol><p>Compliance matters too! <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/rules/childrens-online-privacy-protection-rule-coppa">The Federal Trade Commission (FTC)’s COPPA rule covers</a> online services directed to children under 13 (or with actual knowledge they collect personal info from a child under 13).</p><p>It’s also worth noting that platforms with massive youth audiences publish their safety approaches. Roblox, for example, shares transparency resources and safety system updates, including voice safety work. &nbsp;</p><h3>Presence, Status, and Social Layer</h3><p>Messaging alone doesn’t create community. The “social layer” is what turns a channel into a place players return to, so you’ll want to prioritise:</p><p>Presence (online/offline, in match/in lobby)<br>Friends list, invites, and parties<br>Roles and lightweight activity (LFG, joinable states)</p><h3>Performance and Reliability</h3><p>Players only care that the chat works. It makes your job a bit easier, since you know what your requirements are:</p><p>No lost messages (with retries and sensible ordering)<br>Minimal latency under normal load<br>Spike tolerance for launches and events<br>Consistent behaviour across platforms</p><h2>How to Implement In-Game Chat: Build vs SDK vs WebView</h2><figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1500/579;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/ad6331b7-bf41-424c-9529-46c25bad5629.jpeg" width="1500" height="579"></figure><p>1. The Traditional Route: Building from Scratch<br>Pros: Full control of UX, data, and customisation.</p><p>Cons: You own everything that makes chat hard, including things like scaling, security, and abuse response. If you’re going to go down this route, you’ll want to budget for ongoing operations and a dedicated safety roadmap, not just “version 1.2.</p><p>2. Using Chat SDKs</p><p>This is the common “ship fast” path: integrate a service so you can focus your engineering effort on game-specific UX (controller input, overlay behaviour, identity). &nbsp;However, it can be an illusion of the speed: SDK required constant releases synchronisation for all platforms.</p><p>3. WebView/API/iFrame</p><p>The quickest option: chat integration requires time for UX architecting. Still, social tools released do not depend on main product releases, and users on all devices get updates simultaneously.</p><p>The basic idea here is that you can embed a full chat UI inside the client and drive it with tokens from your backend. The risk is edge cases (keyboard, controller focus, safe areas, reconnect logic).</p><h3>Performance &amp; Overlay UX</h3><p>A chat UI should never feel like it’s fighting the game, so you ideally want:</p><ul><li>One-button toggle and quick reply or shortcuts for commands</li><li>Clear “reconnecting” states instead of silent failures that annoy your users</li><li>Audio controls that are reachable in two steps</li><li>Minimal HUD footprint</li><li>Cross-Platform Support</li><li>Cross-platform groups are pretty common nowadays: touch, keyboard, and controller. Fortunately, WebView-style UI can unify the presentation across mobile and web clients, so you’re actually maximising the number of people playing.</li></ul><h2>Beyond Messaging: Turning Chat into a Community</h2><p>Once you’ve got the bulk of the work out of the way and you’ve made the chat layer stable, you can now think about building up into community features: events, discussions, clip sharing, and creator-led spaces. Gaming communities are the most sticky, and tie your users to the games even after finishing. Communities allow you to attract new users due to word of mouth and retain users not just when they play, but when they communicate and observe their mates' gaming experience. Thus, at the end, social tools allow you to have your own Twitch inside your game, with all of this engagement.</p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/post/in-app-community-guide">Read our guide on how to build in-app and in-game community</a></p><h2>Key Takeaways on In-Game Chat</h2><p>Before we wrap up, take a look at some of the key points we talked about:</p><ol><li>Keeping communication inside your product reduces friction and supports retention.</li><li>Must-haves: reliable text, voice where it fits, and layered safety (player controls + automation + human review).</li><li>Presence is your bridge between messaging and community.</li><li>Choose architecture based on constraints: build, SDK/API, or embedded UI, and plan for long-term operations either way.</li></ol><h2>Build Your In-Game Community with Watchers</h2><p>Please get in touch with us if you'd like to integrate in-app community chats with the high-level moderation system into your website, app, or game. We'll be happy to help you find the best solution.</p><h2>FAQs About In-Game Chat</h2><h3>What does in-game chat mean?</h3><p>In-game chat is communication that’s been built into the game so players can message or talk without leaving the client.</p><h3>What is the in-game chat feature?</h3><p>The in-game chat feature refers to a set of tools - channels, private messaging, voice, presence, and safety controls - that support real-time game communication for all players.</p><h3>How to build in-game chat?</h3><p>Build in-game chat by defining your channel model (team/party/guild), integrating identity/auth, and then designing moderation workflows. Lastly, pick an implementation path (build, SDK/API, or embedded UI).</p><h3>What is the best voice quality for in-game chat?</h3><p>Prioritise low delay and stability for high in-game chat voice quality. You’re ideally keeping mouth-to-ear latency under ~150 ms for natural conversation.</p><h2>References</h2><ul><li>Essential Facts 2024 | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.theesa.com/resources/essential-facts-about-the-us-video-game-industry/2024-data/">ESA</a></li><li>Global Games Market Report 2025 | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://newzoo.com/resources/trend-reports/newzoo-global-games-market-report-2025">Newzoo</a></li><li>Business of Apps - Discord monthly users | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.businessofapps.com/data/discord-statistics/#:~:text=Discord%20had%20200%20million%20active%20monthly%20users%20in%202023%20and%20560%20million%20registered%20accounts">Business of Apps</a></li><li>ADL - research on harassment in online games. | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.adl.org/resources/report/hate-no-game-hate-and-harassment-online-games-2023">ADL</a></li><li>ITU-T - Recommendation G.114 (voice delay guidance) | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.itu.int/rec/dologin_pub.asp?lang=e&amp;id=T-REC-G.114-200305-I!!PDF-E&amp;type=items">ITU</a></li><li>FTC COPPA Review Guidelines | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/rules/childrens-online-privacy-protection-rule-coppa">Federal Trade Commission</a></li><li>Call of Duty - voice moderation rollout (progress report + FAQ + coverage) | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.callofduty.com/uk/en/blog/2023/08/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-warzone-anti-toxicity-progress-report">callofduty.com</a></li><li>Roblox - transparency and safety updates | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://about.roblox.com/transparency">Roblox</a></li><li>Talking, Teaming, and Thriving: How In-Game Chats Affect Players’ Experience | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/post/Talking-Teaming-and-Thriving-How-In-Game-Chats-Affect-Players-Experience">Watchers blog</a></li></ul>

Looking for Sendbird alternatives to build thriving communities in your app or website? Read our guide to find the most suitable option for your goals, budget, and timing.

Looking for Sendbird alternatives in 2026? Compare 7 platforms by features, pricing and real-world use cases to choose the right solution for your product.

7 Best Alternatives to Sendbird in 2026

<p>If you’re searching for Sendbird alternatives in 2026, you’re probably in one of two situations:</p><p>- your product already runs on a chat or community stack and the Sendbird pricing / limits no longer work for you</p><p>- you’re starting from scratch, comparing SDK and API-based options that will power in-app chat, communities, and live experiences for years ahead.</p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/engagement-and-marketing-widgets">In-app community tools</a> can help you grow engagement, retention, and revenue, especially if your product is built around content, events, or multiplayer experiences. Sendbird is a well-known communication platform with strong capabilities and a growing AI product line. At the same time, many teams are now evaluating alternatives that are either more community-focused, more transparent in pricing, or easier to integrate with small engineering teams.</p><p>This guide walks through what Sendbird is today, why teams look for alternatives, and seven options worth considering in 2026, including Watchers, which focuses specifically on live communities around content and events.</p><h2>What is Sendbird©?</h2><p>Founded in 2013, Sendbird is an API communication platform that integrates with various platforms. It offers chats, calls, and business messaging, with features like an AI concierge and an AI voice agent. Sendbird serves industries such as digital health, e-commerce, and entertainment, with clients including Hyundai, Noom, and Redfin.</p><p>Sendbird provides APIs and SDKs for mobile and web, uses WebSocket connections, and offers UI kits and backend integrations.</p><p>Sendbird serves clients from various industries but is best suited for enterprises or high-growth startups with large product or engineering teams. While seamless and highly customisable, it requires skilled developers. The company has refocused on AI agents and support, making it less suitable for community-building tools.</p><h2>Best Sendbird Alternatives in 2026</h2><h3><span style="font-size:140%;">Watchers</span></h3><p>Watchers is a SaaS solution offering social tools based <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/community-chats">on live chat.</a> It integrates with iFrame or webview for a simple and fast setup, while allowing customisation. Watchers chats include widgets for engagement, both community-driven and platform-driven. To handle high loads and keep low latency, they have clusters on all continents that support thousands of users at once. For AI moderation, they use their own model and several ML models based on Google Gemini, which supports various languages.</p><p><strong>Key Features</strong></p><figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1500/922;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/f44d05ac-d21d-4189-93b2-2a84d8dc4c7f.jpeg" alt="Watchers" width="1500" height="922"></figure><ul><li>Community live chat</li><li>AI assistants</li><li>AI moderation, filters, user tools, manual tools</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/live-streaming">In-app audio and video live streaming</a></li><li>Semantic and sentimental analysis for deep insights</li><li>Social widgets that grow revenue</li><li>In-chat marketing widgets</li><li>Developed achievement system</li><li>Scope of APIs for seamless connection</li></ul><p><strong>Pros</strong></p><ul><li>Fast integration</li><li>Seamless experience for users</li><li>A lot of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/engagement-and-marketing-widgets">engagement</a> facilities</li><li>Convenient system for in-app live streaming</li><li>Excellent and fast support</li></ul><p><strong>Cons</strong></p><ul><li>Iframe and webview solution supports customisation but with limitations: clients can choose colours, icons, and many other things, but some structural peculiarities stay as it is</li><li>In-chat video live streaming can be costly</li></ul><h3><span style="font-size:140%;">GetStream©</span></h3><p>GetStream is a scalable, efficient communication platform based on API and SDK, designed for developers to build real-time in-app chat, video calling, and activity feeds. It offers tools like AI moderation, typing indicators, and in-chat file uploads, with pre-built UI components for fast integration.</p><figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1500/921;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/a3b8926f-a6c9-4351-abc6-69076a47f392.jpeg" alt="GetStream" width="1500" height="921"></figure><p><strong>Key Features</strong></p><ul><li>Chat SDK</li><li>Activity Feed</li><li>AI moderation</li><li>Video and audio calls</li><li>Video and audio live streaming</li><li>UI Kits</li><li>Video and voice agents</li><li>Simple usage after implementation</li></ul><p><strong>Pros</strong></p><ul><li>Sophisticated solutions that provides overall experience</li><li>Various features that can enhance the experience</li><li>Suitable for many industries</li><li>Stable and scalable</li></ul><p><strong>Cons</strong></p><ul><li>Costly: considering reviews on G2, various clients notice that the price at the end is much higher than expected, and continues to grow. Also, customers have to pay not just for monthly usage but for peaks<br>Pretty complicated to request new features or changes due to the SDK architecture&nbsp;</li><li>Some users complain about audio and video quality</li><li>Absence of proactive guidance on how to use all of Stream's features; absence of a changelog</li></ul><h3><span style="font-size:140%;">CometChat©</span></h3><p>CometChat is a cloud-based platform that helps businesses integrate real-time text, voice, and video chat with websites and mobile apps. They provide customisable UI Kits, SDKs, and APIs for development. CometChat typically serves health apps, ed tech, and marketplaces.</p><figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1500/921;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/0381e850-3112-4322-819a-8db289f9783b.jpeg" alt="Cometchat" width="1500" height="921"></figure><p><strong>Key features</strong></p><ul><li>Text messaging, voice, and video calling/conferencing.</li><li>No-code widgets for quick setup, UI Kits for front-end customisation, and flexible APIs for deep integration.</li><li>AI User Copilot for a summary of conversations, which analyses the latest 1000 messages.</li><li>Analytics provides insights into user behaviour, engagement patterns, retention, churn, and cohort analysis.</li></ul><p><strong>Pros</strong></p><ul><li>API support and webhooks</li><li>Responsive account managers</li><li>Regular new products</li><li>Easy integration</li></ul><p><strong>Cons</strong></p><ul><li>SDKs appear to have limitations, especially for customisation</li><li>Not too clear documentation, some integration methods are hard to find</li><li>High pricing, based on cost per visit instead of per user</li></ul><h3><span style="font-size:140%;">PubNub©</span></h3><p>Pubnub is a real-time communication platform-as-a-service (PaaS) that offers APIs and SDKs to build instant applications. It supports real-time chat, IoT device signalling, GPS tracking, and live dashboards for many companies. Pubnub has one of the longest histories in this domain, having been founded in 2010. Last year, PubNub collaborated with DAZN to broadcast and provide interaction for fans during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™.</p><figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1500/920;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/927d9069-d951-40ac-9809-ebea98a61a70.jpeg" alt="PubNub" width="1500" height="920"></figure><p><strong>Key features</strong></p><ul><li>Pub/Sub Messaging</li><li>Real-time messages</li><li>File exchange, and storage</li><li>True adaptive intelligence analytics platform to receive trends</li><li>BizOps Workspace dashboard</li></ul><p><strong>Pros</strong></p><ul><li>High reliability</li><li>Variety of functions</li><li>No latency</li><li>Relevant for various industry</li><li>Suitable for huge events</li></ul><p><strong>Cons</strong></p><ul><li>Unpredictably costly</li><li>Difficulties in the documentation navigation</li></ul><h3><span style="font-size:140%;">Twilio©</span></h3><p>Customer Engagement Platform (CEP) was founded in the US in 2008 and offers a scalable platform to build communication channels, access contextual data, and use integrated AI-driven workflows. Unlike other companies presented here, Twilio focuses n customers rather than users, and on communication between a customer and a platform, such as SMS, phone calls, and emails. They also provide video API, conversation API, and engagement tools.</p><figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1500/921;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/5cde11c5-1e48-4e81-a894-e6bb90340b94.jpeg" alt="Twilio" width="1500" height="921"></figure><p><strong>Key features</strong></p><ul><li>Phone calls and video calls</li><li>Instant messaging, live chat</li><li>WhatsApp Messaging</li><li>WhatsApp Marketing</li><li>Screensharing</li></ul><p>Pros</p><ul><li>Reliability</li><li>Scalable CPaaS with excellent APIs</li><li>Detailed documentation</li><li>Customisable workflows</li></ul><p><strong>Cons</strong></p><ul><li>Complex initial configuration</li><li>Some of additional features require deep involvement of the client which can be irrelevant for small teams</li><li>Weak support on most of the plans</li><li>Pricing with hidden fees</li></ul><h3><span style="font-size:140%;">Ably©</span></h3><p>Ably is a WebSocket platform that delivers a real-time layer for AI agents, real-time chat, notifications, live dashboards, and collaboration between users. They are known for great scalability and global availability. It is built primarily on Amazon's cloud infrastructure. Their core product is Ably Pub/Sub, Chat SDK, and Spaces SDK for building multiplayer collaborative components in apps. Users of Ably’s clients can collaborate synchronously.</p><figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1500/922;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/188b93f7-b489-4c79-90b4-197ea66e5c10.jpeg" alt="Ably" width="1500" height="922"></figure><p><strong>Key features</strong></p><ul><li>API chat features</li><li>AI agents</li><li>Notifications</li><li>Live dashboards</li><li>Campaign performance</li><li>Audience insights</li><li>History API</li><li>Push notifications</li></ul><p><strong>Pros</strong></p><ul><li>Low latency</li><li>Developer-friendly APIs and SDKs</li><li>Responsive customer service team</li><li>Precise SDK documentation</li><li>Excellent onboarding</li><li>Scalability</li></ul><p><strong>Cons</strong></p><ul><li>Complex initial configuration</li><li>Some of additional features require deep involvement of the client which can be irrelevant for small teams</li><li>Weak support on most of the plans</li><li>Pricing with hidden fees</li><li>Lack of enterprise dashboard to monitor</li></ul><h3><span style="font-size:140%;">Social.Plus©</span></h3><p>Social.Plus was known as Amity, before this, as Eko. Initially, the company was founded in Thailand in 2012, but a year ago, they rebranded. In general, Social.Plus is a suite of pre-built white-label modules, SDKs and API that bring engagement features to clients’ apps or websites. They provide features like activity feeds, groups, profiles, live chat, and streaming. To improve community experience, they focus on AI-driven insights and moderation capabilities, also providing monetisation for their clients.</p><figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1500/920;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/aa6eb601-ca5c-414e-81a6-df2781205cfd.jpeg" alt="Social.plus" width="1500" height="920"></figure><p><strong>Key features</strong></p><ul><li>Communication Platform as a Service (CPaaS)</li><li>Customer-to-Customer (C2C) Community Marketing</li><li>Live chat</li><li>Online community management</li></ul><p><strong>Pros</strong></p><ul><li>Quick set-up</li><li>Easy customisation</li><li>Large number of features</li></ul><p><strong>Cons</strong></p><ul><li>Incomplete and outdated documentation</li><li>Weak admin dashboards</li><li>Can be difficult to manage large communities</li></ul><h2>How to choose the best Sendbird alternative</h2><p>The table below compares each company’s main product focus, the industries they serve, and how long setup takes.</p><figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1500/1438;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/8526ec1b-d3af-4a62-9ffc-8f73c460b9aa.jpeg" alt="comparison of Sendbird alternatives" width="1500" height="1438"></figure><h2>Build Your In-App Community with Watchers</h2><p>If you have an app or website and want a community platform to bring people together around your service, product, or content, try Watchers. We integrate easily with a webview or iframe architecture, so you do not need to synchronise release cycles to access our new features. Book a demo call to start the integration process, or <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://chatadmin.watchers.io/register">register directly</a> to explore our solution on your own.</p><h2>FAQs About Sendbird Alternatives</h2><h3>Who are the main Sendbird Competitors?</h3><p>For SDKs, the main Sendbird competitors are GetStream and Social.plus. For live chat functionality, Watchers is a strong competitor, offering a different architecture and a white-label solution with many in-chat features.</p><h3>Why do teams look for Sendbird Alternatives?</h3><p>Teams look for alternatives because of high pricing, an outdated approach to live chat and moderation, and the company's shift from community-building tools to AI support and agents.</p><h3>How to choose the right Alternative for your product?</h3><p>You need to understand your main goals and expectations, considering usage. Your goals help you choose a shortlist of solutions, and usage helps estimate the price. If your main goal is support chat, CometChat or Pubnub may be the best fit. If you want to build a community on your sports platform or VOD, Watchers or Getstream are top choices. Then, compare their pricing to decide which fits you best.</p>

Discover how you can boost performance marketing by using the power of community, with almost any audience (including the silent ones) in your own app. 

Learn what community-led growth is, why it matters now, and how in-app communities help brands boost retention, engagement and organic growth across digital products.

Community-Led Growth: Definition, Strategies & Examples

Keep your audience interested in your brand. Grow your business on your terms with our six effective strategies to boost user engagement and grow retention. These methods are designed to encourage the audience to interact and remain loyal.

How to Grow User Engagement and Why You Should: Proven Strategies for Retention and Growth

<div style="font-size:14px;line-height:1;" id="toc"><p style="margin-bottom:1vw;"><strong>Table of Contents</strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-bottom:0.2vw;"><a href="#what-is-the-user-engagement"><span style="color:#0E101A;"><strong>What Is User Engagement?&nbsp;</strong></span></a><strong>&nbsp;</strong></p><p style="margin-bottom:0.2vw;"><a href="#how-user-engagement-drives"><span style="color:#0E101A;"><strong>How User Engagement Drives Retention&nbsp;</strong></span></a><strong>&nbsp;</strong></p><p style="margin-bottom:0.2vw;"><a href="#proven-strategies"><span style="color:#0E101A;"><strong>Proven Strategies to Boost User Engagement and Retention</strong></span></a><strong>&nbsp;</strong></p><p style="margin-bottom:1vw;"><a href="#Get-in-Touch"><span style="color:#0E101A;"><strong>Get in Touch</strong></span></a><strong>&nbsp;</strong></p></div><hr style="margin-bottom:1vw;"><p>User engagement varies significantly across digital products. Whether you operate a VOD platform, sports book, or fitness app, engagement isn’t just about volume but about how deeply users interact with your platform.</p><p>Some businesses can easily measure engagement, such as tracking likes, shares, and comments on social media platforms. However, engagement is often assessed through retention rates, lifetime value (LTV), and revenue impact for content-driven platforms. Failing to focus on user engagement can leave your users feeling bored, disconnected, or lost, leading them to abandon the platform. That’s why prioritising engagement is not just about keeping users active; it’s a strategic necessity for driving retention growth and long-term profitability.</p><p>Before discussing actionable strategies to enhance engagement, let’s define user engagement in a product-focused context and explain why it is a critical metric.</p><h2 id="what-is-the-user-engagement"><span style="color:black;"><strong>What Is User Engagement?</strong></span></h2><p>User engagement reflects users' interest and interaction with a product. It represents their ongoing experiences with your platform, whether through consuming content, using features, or actively participating in the product ecosystem.</p><p>Key engagement metrics vary based on the platform type but commonly include&nbsp;clicks, likes,&nbsp;and&nbsp;shares&nbsp;within an application;&nbsp;content interactions—such as rating content, adding items to favourites, or saving content for later;&nbsp;and social amplification, where users share content across external platforms. However, engagement should not be viewed as an isolated number. The actual value lies in how it influences&nbsp;high-impact business metrics&nbsp;like time spent on the platform and LTV. Increased engagement typically leads to higher retention rates, improved conversion, and, ultimately, stronger business growth.</p><figure class="image" style="margin-bottom:1vw;"><img style="aspect-ratio:1301/1304;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/22368673-6219-460d-a8f3-cc3729281c25.jpg" alt="how to increase your platform engagement and user loyalty with live real0time community chats" width="1301" height="1304"></figure><h2 id="how-user-engagement-drives"><span style="color:black;"><strong>How User Engagement Drives Retention</strong></span></h2><p>Customer retention measures a business’s ability to keep users engaged over time, reducing churn and increasing long-term loyalty. High retention rates indicate that users find continuous value in your product, leading to recurring usage and sustained revenue.</p><p>Engagement is a&nbsp;key driver of retention—when users actively interact with a product, they are more likely to return, provide feedback, and even advocate for it. A well-engaged user base contributes to:</p><ol><li data-list="bullet"><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(0,0,0);">Higher customer loyalty</span></li><li data-list="bullet"><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(0,0,0);">Improved retention growth</span></li><li data-list="bullet"><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(0,0,0);">A steady stream of recurring revenue</span></li></ol><p>Without meaningful engagement, even the most well-designed platform risks losing users. That’s why implementing engagement strategies is critical to encourage users to stay, interact, and ultimately convert into loyal customers.</p><h2 id="proven-strategies"><span style="color:black;">Proven strategies to boost user engagement and retention</span></h2><p>Now that we’ve established why engagement is crucial, let’s explore several actionable strategies, backed by real-world examples, to enhance user engagement and increase retention growth rates.</p><h3><strong>Building an In-App Community</strong></h3><p>This refers to users' interactions and activities within your platform. Many brands engage their users on social media, and their users spend their time (and money) on social media. There is a surprise: they could communicate, text, chat, comment, and exchange stickers directly on your app and discuss your content if you provide them with in-app tools for it. They can even participate in events directly on your platform. What, you don’t have any events? Yet you should, it’s easy and works perfectly.</p><h4><strong>Real-time events</strong></h4><p>For many platforms, it is still difficult to imagine that they can host events without any additional tools, just by providing video or audio live streams in-app. Invite guests, influencers, celebrities, athletes, brand ambassadors, anybody, and users, along with these guests' followers, who will engage on the main platform without any Instagram or Twitch. Do you have a sports app? Let’s have commentators or athletes host a meeting with users. Do you provide video streaming? Invite critics, bloggers, actors, or any other people who can talk about films or TV. Is your app for fitness? Without counsellors, athletes are the best hosts for live streaming on how to make more effective training.</p><figure class="image" style="margin-bottom:1vw;"><img style="aspect-ratio:1500/1000;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/c6730e50-0866-4e6a-9281-7452d764c15d.jpg" alt="how to increase your user engagement and loyalty with real-time live community chats" width="1500" height="1000"></figure><h4><strong>Real-time communication</strong>&nbsp;</h4><p>It is what grabs users' attention. It’s impossible to turn off the sports channel during the break if you are talking about the game or an episode with someone right now. The right tools help boost user engagement even more: try AI chatbots or personalised messages, which greatly enhance engagement and improve the user’s overall experience.</p><h4><strong>Gather user feedback and Quality data</strong></h4><p>In-app community chats always show your users’ preferences and behaviours. You can also use surveys and polls to get more information and insights from your audience than ever before, and your users will appreciate being heard.</p><h3><strong style="color:black;">Enhancing the Customer Experience Through Gamification</strong></h3><p>Gamification integrates game-like elements into the user experience, transforming routine interactions into engaging and enjoyable experiences.</p><p><strong>Implement a point system</strong>—reward customers with points for purchases, interactions, or consuming content. Points can be redeemed for discounts or special offers, encouraging repeat engagement.</p><p><strong>Offer rewards</strong>—introduce engaging challenges or quests where users earn rewards for completing specific actions, such as surveys or brand promotions.</p><p><strong>Create interactive experiences—</strong>use quizzes, polls, and interactive content relevant to your business to boost engagement.</p><figure class="image" style="margin-bottom:1vw;"><img style="aspect-ratio:2000/1333;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/b90fc373-f63f-425a-ad84-01e9a2e94408.jpg" width="2000" height="1333"></figure><p><strong>Build a community around your brand—</strong>provide users with a space to share experiences, celebrate achievements, and exchange tips, fostering a sense of belonging.</p><p><strong>Gamify customer support—</strong>reward customers for using self-service options or assisting others in forums, making support more engaging.</p><p><strong>Enable social recognition—</strong>remember that people like to show off. If your users have badges or specific awards, they need a place to display them. Community public chats can be the best place for them to showcase their awards and expertise and advise other users on how to get the same goodies.</p><h3><strong style="color:black;">Using Tools for User Feedback</strong></h3><p>If you do not understand your users' basic needs, how will they engage with your platform? Without clear communication, they may become frustrated. To foster engagement, provide users with tools to send feedback and never ignore their questions. User loyalty is essential for long-term business growth.</p><h4><i><strong style="color:black;">Tips for Effective Feedback Management:</strong></i></h4><ol><li data-list="bullet">Gather customer feedback regularly to improve satisfaction and surpass expectations. Gaining insights into their views and needs is essential for delivering outstanding interactive experiences.</li><li data-list="bullet">Personalise the customer experience to match individual preferences, leading to more meaningful engagements.</li><li data-list="bullet">Offer incentives such as unexpected gifts to returning customers to strengthen their loyalty and appreciation.</li><li data-list="bullet">Use automated systems, such as raffles for loyal customers, to streamline engagement efforts.</li></ol><h3><strong style="color:black;">Personalising User-Interactive Experiences</strong></h3><p>Incorporating personalisation into a business strategy can significantly enhance customer retention and growth. When customers feel acknowledged and valued based on their previous interactions, they are more likely to return, leading to an increase in repeat purchases. Additionally, personalised recommendations enable customers to discover products they may not have found independently, enriching their shopping experience.</p><hr style="margin-bottom:0.8vw;"><h2 id="Get-in-Touch">Get in Touch</h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Inter;font-size:0.9375vw;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.35417vw;margin:0px 0px 1.30208vw;orphans:2;outline:0px;padding:0px;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><span style="background-color:white;color:black;font-family:inherit;font-size:14px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;border:1pt none windowtext;box-sizing:border-box;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:16.1px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0cm;vertical-align:baseline;" lang="EN-GB" dir="ltr">Please </span></span><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://calendly.com/watchers-platform/social-tools-for-your?month=2025-08"><span style="background-color:white;color:hsl(240,75%,60%);font-family:inherit;font-size:14px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;border:1pt none windowtext;box-sizing:border-box;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:16.1px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0cm;vertical-align:baseline;" lang="EN-GB" dir="ltr">book a call</span></span></a><span style="background-color:white;color:black;font-family:inherit;font-size:14px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;border:1pt none windowtext;box-sizing:border-box;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:16.1px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0cm;vertical-align:baseline;" lang="EN-GB" dir="ltr"> to explore how integrating community chats can boost your platform engagement and optimise your business performance. We'll be happy to help you find the best solution.</span></span>&nbsp;</p>