The group chat app that keeps your community organized
The workspace for private communities.
Groupanda is a group chat app for communities, with real-time conversations in channels and direct messages between members. You choose how people join and who can post in each channel, and your admins can ban, mute and delete messages. It runs on web, iOS and Android, and only members see the conversations.
What can members do in a Groupanda group chat?
Members talk in real time in channels, and message each other one to one. Each channel shows messages in the order they were sent, with no ads and no feed deciding what anyone sees.
Reply with a quote
A reply stays in the channel with a snippet of the message it answers. Tap the snippet to jump to the original.
Reactions and mentions
React to a message with an emoji. Mention a member with @, or point to a channel with #.
Photos, documents, voice messages and links
Send up to 10 photos in one message, a document up to 10 MB, or a voice message up to 2 minutes. Voice messages work in the browser too, and links show a preview.
Edit and delete your messages
Edit your own text messages, which then show an "edited" label. You can also delete your own messages.
Direct messages
Message another member one to one, with the same attachments as in channels. Read receipts show only here: one grey tick when a message is sent, two green ticks when it is read.
Who is here
See when someone is typing, in channels and direct messages. A green dot on an avatar shows who is online.
How do channels keep a group chat organized?
Each channel holds one topic, so separate conversations stay apart. You create and arrange the channels as the group owner, with no limit on how many.
Five channels to start
Every new group starts with General, Announcements and three topic channels based on its category. You add, rename, reorder and delete channels as the group grows.
Announcements
In the Announcements channel, only the owner posts, so news stays easy to find. The owner can let the admins post there too.
Who can post
Choose who can post in each channel: the owner, the owner and admins, or everyone.
Pinned messages
You and your admins pin the messages that matter. Each channel keeps them in its Pinned tab.
Tabs in every channel
Each channel has tabs for Messages, Pinned, Photos, Docs, Links and Voice. They cover that channel only, and there is no file library for the whole group.
Channels open to every member, or limited to plans
A channel is open to every member, or limited to the plans you choose. Members without access see its name with a lock.
Want members to pay for some channels? Read how Groupanda works as a membership platform.
Can you search the message history?
Yes, within a channel. Groupanda searches the text of messages in one channel, or in one direct message conversation, across its whole history. A search needs at least 2 characters.
What search skips
Search does not look inside files, file names, photos or voice messages. There is no search across the whole group.
Nothing is deleted automatically
Groupanda deletes no messages or files on a schedule. The history of a channel stays, however old it gets.
Who can delete messages
The author, the owner or an admin can delete a message, and the owner can delete the whole group. Leaving the group or being banned deletes no messages.
Who runs the group chat, and how does moderation work?
Every group has one owner, admins and members. The owner sets up the group and chooses the admins, and admins keep order in every channel.
Owner
The owner controls the group settings, the channels, how people join, the invite link, who can post in each channel, and who is an admin.
Admins
Admins ban and mute members and delete messages. They read every channel, including channels limited to plans.
Mute
A muted member keeps reading, but cannot post or react. A mute has no time limit.
Ban
A ban ends the membership at once and stops the person from rejoining. It also cancels their subscription in your group, if they have one. Only the owner can ban an admin.
Report and block
Members can report a message to Groupanda, and block other users.
Who can join, and who sees the conversations?
Only members see the conversations: the channel list, the messages and the files. That holds for every group, whichever of the three join modes you choose.
Open
The group is listed in Groupanda search, which finds groups by name and shows their image, name and description. Joining needs no invitation and no approval. Where joining requires a plan, it means buying one.
By invitation
The group stays out of Groupanda search, and anyone with the group's invite link joins at once, or first buys a plan where joining requires one. The link is built from the group's name unless you change its ending.
After approval
The invite link sends a join request, and you accept or reject it. Where joining requires a plan, the member pays after you accept them.
One invite link
Each group has one invite link, app.groupanda.com/your-group, whatever its join mode. Only you see and copy it, and changing its ending turns off the old link.
Joining from the link
The link opens the Groupanda web app. Someone who is not signed in logs in or signs up first.
Groupanda is free to use, with no member limit, no limit on channels and no time limit. You need no card to start. Fees apply only when members buy one of your paid plans.
Which devices does the group chat app work on?
Groupanda runs in the browser at app.groupanda.com and as apps for iPhone, iPad and Android. There is no desktop app: on a computer, members use the browser.
iPhone and iPad
The iOS app needs iOS 17 or later.
Notifications
Push notifications arrive on iOS, on Android and in the browser, and the app keeps them in its notifications inbox. Unread counters show what is new.
Your settings for each channel
Each member sets every channel to all messages, mentions only (the default) or muted. The settings also have quiet hours.
Eight languages
The app's interface comes in 8 languages, with a light and a dark mode.
For everything else in the workspace, see all Groupanda features.
What can't Groupanda group chat do?
If you are comparing the best private group chat apps, check these limits first.
- No threads. To answer a specific message, you reply with a quote, and the reply stays in the channel.
- No voice or video calls, and no screen sharing. Members send voice messages of up to 2 minutes instead.
- No search across the whole group, and no search in files. Search works within one channel or one direct message conversation.
- No group direct messages. Direct messages are one to one.
- No read receipts in channels, and no "last seen". Read receipts show only in direct messages.
- No GIFs or stickers. Members react with emoji and share photos.
- No desktop app and no offline mode. On a computer, Groupanda runs in the browser.
- No bots or integrations.
- No moderator role and no custom roles. Every group has one owner, admins and members.
- No end-to-end encryption. Only members see the conversations.
Running a club or a nonprofit? See Groupanda as a club communication app. Coming from Discord or Slack? One comparison puts Groupanda next to a paid Discord server, row by row, and another starts from Slack's free plan limits.
Questions about Groupanda group chat
What app is best for group chats?
The best app for group chats depends on the group. A few friends or a family often need nothing more than the messaging app they already share. A community with many members and topics works better with channels, roles and moderation. Groupanda is a group chat app built for that, on web, iOS and Android.
Is Groupanda a free group chat app?
Yes. Groupanda is free to use, with no member limit and no time limit, and you need no card to start. Groupanda charges no monthly fee and no fee per member. Fees apply only when members buy one of a group's paid plans.
Does Groupanda have threads?
No. Groupanda has no threads. To answer a specific message, you reply with a quote. The reply stays in the channel with a snippet of the quoted message, and tapping the snippet jumps to the original.
Can members make voice or video calls in Groupanda?
No. Groupanda has no voice or video calls and no screen sharing. Members can send voice messages of up to 2 minutes, in channels and in direct messages, on web, iOS and Android.
Who can see the conversations in a Groupanda group?
Only members of a Groupanda group see its conversations: the channel list, the messages and the files. Open groups are listed in Groupanda search by name, with their image and description. Groups that people join by invitation or after approval are not listed there.
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Start a free group chat for your community
Create your group, share its invite link, and start talking in channels. No card needed to start.