Clipchat for iPhone review: A Snapchat alternative minus the terrible interface

Clipchat for iPhone does pretty much the same thing Snapchat does, self destructing photos and videos. If you've ever used Snapchat before, you're probably already aware that the interface is terrible and to be quite honest, pretty tacky. Clipchat's design is quite the opposite actually, and provides the same functionality and allows you to search for friends or invite them directly from Facebook, Twitter, or email.

When it comes to sending incriminating images (we're not here to judge), the two games in town are Snapchat and Facebook Poke. While Facebook Poke has a decent interface, it's obviously only limited to Facebook users. If you'd like cross-platform support that doesn't depend on Facebook, your option is typically Snapchat. Clipchat is currently available for both Android and iOS and provides most of the same options.

You can add users to Clipchat either by their Clipchat username or by searching for users on both Facebook and Twitter. From there, you can get to taking videos. Clipchat allows you to take up to five second videos in the same manner as Snapchat. For the person on the other end to view the video, they'll need to hold down on the screen. If they take a screenshot or attempt to, you'll also be notified, much like the other guys do. The screenshot will simply appear as a blank black screen in their camera roll, therefore not incriminating you for anything you may want to send.

The side menu of Clipchat is actually quite nice and gives you pretty decent details at a quick glance. When it comes to taking photos or videos, you can use either the front-facing or rear camera. Just toggle between photo and video along the top. Clipchat will also allow you to overlay text on the image after taking it. Snapchat does allow you to draw which is one feature that Clipchat does not currently offer.

The good

  • A much nicer interface than Snapchat
  • Snappy response times for sending and receiving both photos and videos
  • Searching for friends via email, username, Facebook, and Twitter
  • Inability to screenshot photos along with detection when people try to take screenshots

The bad

  • No drawing on images the way you can with Snapchat

The bottom line

If you have a need for a self destructing photo and video app, and hey, we aren't here to judge, Clipchat is a great option. Mainly because it's got an interface that isn't downright ugly. Facebook Poke will tie you into Facebook users only while Clipchat doesn't do that. If you're okay with not being able to draw directly on photos, Clipchat is definitely a better option than Snapchat.