By Viber Media
Report updated Apr 13, 2026
Rakuten Viber Messenger
For global users requiring secure, multi-device communication, particularly those who frequently call international landlines or participate in large public interest-based communities.
Rakuten Viber Messenger is an established communication app that is free with in-app purchases. With a 4.2/5 rating from 17.6M reviews, it shows polarized user reception. Users particularly appreciate core communication utility, though account activation and login failures remains a common concern.
What Is Rakuten Viber Messenger?
Current Momentum
v27.6.0 · 1w ago
MaintenanceRakuten Viber Messenger is currently in maintenance mode, with recent updates limited to generic stability and performance improvements.
Active Nemesis
WhatsApp Messenger
By WhatsApp
Other Rivals
7-Day Rank Pulse 🇺🇸
No ranking data
Recent User Mood 🇺🇸
What makes this app unique?
What Does It Look Like?
How Is The App's Momentum Right Now?
Loading...
What Are The Key Features?
Low-cost international calling to landlines and mobile phones.
Default security for all 1-on-1 and group communications.
Audio and video calls for up to 60 people simultaneously.
Integrated AI for content generation and utility tasks like bill payments.
Who is it for & how much does it cost?
Target Audience
Global users requiring secure, multi-device communication, particularly those who frequently call international landlines or participate in large public interest-based communities.
Pricing
Freemium- Free core messaging/calling
- Viber Out subscriptions
- Credit-based international minutes
Monetization is strategically tied to utility-based international calling (Viber Out) and business services, keeping the core social experience free to maintain its massive network effect.
Who Built It?
Enrichment in progress
Publisher profile available very soon
What other apps does Viber Media make?
Rakuten Viber Messenger
Social Networking
What do users think recently?
High confidence · 17.6M reviews analyzed
What is the recent mood?
“Recent user voice shows a mixed sentiment. Users appreciate core communication utility and long-term reliability, but report account activation and login failures and technical bugs and media loading.”
What Users Love
Viber is good for messaging and calls. The call quality is clear and reliable.
use Viber many years, always perfect!!! thanks
What Frustrates Users
I cannot activate my account using a new device... I input the correct code and it says wrong
All my contact profile pictures are still not showing up even after the latest update
What is the competitive landscape for Rakuten Viber Messenger?
How's The Communication Market?
Market outlook for this category
Available very soon
Communication Market Trend
Communication market trend & dynamics
Available very soon
The rivals identified
The Nemesis
- -
Higher rated at 4.7★ vs 4.2★
- -
End-to-End Encryption
- -
Meta AI Integration
Peers
Superior persistent voice channels and low-latency streaming for communities
Highly customizable server structures and role-based permissions
Direct connection to the Facebook social graph for easy contact discovery
Strong focus on casual social features like AR effects and shared watch parties
Supports significantly larger group sizes and highly sophisticated automated bots
Cloud-based architecture allows for seamless multi-device use without requiring a phone to be online
Non-profit status and open-source protocol provide higher trust for security-focused users
Zero-knowledge storage ensures that no metadata is collected or stored
New Kids on the Block
Session - Private Messenger
★4.7 (22.3K)Session Foundation
An emerging threat in the privacy space that removes the need for a phone number, addressing a key privacy limitation of Viber.
No phone number or email required for account creation, ensuring total anonymity
Uses a decentralized onion-routing network to hide user metadata
The outtake for Rakuten Viber Messenger
SWOT Analysis
Core Strengths
- Viber Out PSTN termination
- Default E2EE for all chats/calls
- 60-person group call capacity
- Rakuten ecosystem synergies
Critical Frictions
- Critical account activation/OTP failures
- Media loading and synchronization bugs
- Lower Android performance sentiment
Growth Levers
- Expansion of AI-driven utility services (payments)
- Capturing users seeking public community discovery
- Localized Rakuten e-commerce integrations
Market Threats
- WhatsApp's dominant global network effect
- Privacy competitors removing phone number requirements (Session)
- Messenger aggregators (Beeper) commoditizing the UI
What are the next best moves?
Audit and overhaul the OTP/Activation infrastructure.
Account activation is the #1 complaint theme and a critical blocker for new and returning users, directly causing churn at the top of the funnel.
Resolve media loading and profile picture synchronization bugs.
Users report these issues persisting even after the latest v27.6.0 update, degrading the core UX and perceived app quality.
Accelerate AI Bot utility for financial services.
Leverages the recent AI integration to differentiate from WhatsApp and align with the Rakuten Group's financial services strength.
Feature Gaps vs Competitors
- No-phone-number account creation (available in Session)
- Unified multi-network inbox (available in Beeper)
- Advanced automated bot sophistication (available in Telegram)
Key Takeaways
Viber remains a powerful utility-first messenger with a unique moat in PSTN calling (Viber Out), but it is currently bleeding users due to a 'Mixed' sentiment driven by critical activation failures. If I were the PM, I would halt feature expansion to fix the onboarding funnel immediately, as the inability to log in is a terminal risk to the platform's massive user base.
Where Is It Heading?
Stable
v27.6.0 (April 2026) added AI bots for utility/payments—active investment in 'super-app' features.
Persistent activation failures reported by users despite frequent updates—indicates a deep-seated infrastructure issue.