I want to start out by talking about WeChat. WeChat is possibly the most comprehensive APP, Social Platform, mobile operating system, so comprehensive in fact that most experts aren’t even sure what to call it. Without a doubt it is the first platform of its kind that has reached a large audience. In fact WeChat boasts over 1 billion active users, and they are continuing to grow towards the giant Facebook (2.41 Billion). What WeChat lacks in monthly users it makes up in features. Below I created a list comparing features of Facebook and WeChat.
WeChat: Messaging
WeChat started as a messaging platform so guess what, its great for messaging. Not only can users create personal messages for other users they can also use, voice messaging, broadcast messaging, video call, and conference call. Another great feature is that WeChat can be used to call internationally.
Facebooks messaging is hosted on another App called messenger. Messenger allows users to send text, images and video messages. Also, users can make voice or video calls from the Messenger App or Website. This is a pattern I saw repeatedly when comparing the two platforms, WeChat has everything included in one app, Facebook has a lot of the same features, but they are hosted by partner Apps. Messenger also allows users to send money to one another via the App or website. Another feature of messenger is that it allows you to play games, so you don’t get to board while reading the hundreds of new messages in your group chat. Finally messenger also has a location service, this allows users to let people know where they are geographically for up to an hour.
WeChat: Localization
This is a feature in WeChat that allows users to share their location with friends. The same feature is used by the app to direct consumers to geo-localized add content this component is becoming more and more useful for marketers.
Every day Facebook receives 1.5 billion search queries. These queries search through content on Facebook and populate results based first on top stories, then latest stories, next people and finally photos. You can search through public or private posts, and Facebook will tell you how many people are searching for the same thing (so you know that your trendy).
WeChat search engine is not like Google or other search engines we are used to because, WeChat search engine only searches through content on the WeChat app. When you make a search on WeChat the first thing that will come up is the most recent news regarding the topic you searched, below this WeChat will display times when your friends mentioned the search query, finally at the bottom of the results will be random articles and content related to your search.
WeChat: E-Wallet/ WeChat Pay / Loans
E-wallet allows uses to connect their bank account to their WeChat account. Once he connection has been made users can make payments through we chat seamlessly without transferring money from their actual bank accounts.
WeChat Pay allows you to use WeChat to pay for your groceries or any other purchase that you may want by simply scanning a QR code at checkout.
Loans, yes WeChat offers loans. Apparently, you can borrow up to RMB 300,000 without any collateral, that’s $42,808.
WeChat: Booking / Travel
WeChat allows you to call a taxi like Uber. Beyond just taking a taxi across town though WeChat also offers a booking service that will show you different travel combinations and allow you to sort them by cost or efficiency.
As you can see the biggest difference between the two platforms is the inclusivity. What I mean by that is that WeChat includes so many facets of our daily life that with that one App we could easily do everything we need to in a day. Facebook on the other hand is great for messaging and connecting but lacks a lot in terms helping us with the rest of our daily struggles.