On the surface, Cassava’s messaging App Sasai seems similar to its Western counterparts like WhatsApp and Viber.
The evolution of mobile technology has significantly revolutionized the way we connect and interact with other people across the world.
Like WhatsApp, Sasai allows you to send text messages to people over an internet connection, share photos, videos and other files and all the other wonderful things that smartphone messaging Apps let you do.
Everyone has their own personal preference. But there’s having your own personal preference, then there’s just being smart.
In a nutshell:
Sasai is like Africa’s equivalent of WhatsApp, Telegram, or Wechat. (Wechat is an App used to chat with friends and family. But, in reality, it is so much more, making it China’s number one app.)
Sasai and WhatsApp both positioned themselves
initially as instant messaging Apps. While WhatsApp is still an instant
messaging App, Sasai is more like an ‘ecosystem’ that helps people navigate
their everyday lives.
These two apps have developed in such different settings and environments that it’s hard to find many similarities between them anymore.
However, the main feature you will use it for is
probably to chat with friends. You add friends by scanning their QR codes or
inputting their Sasai ID.
Or, alternatively, you let others scan you from
your QR code.
In this article, we focus on comparing WhatsApp and
Sasai.
Sasai and WhatsApp Overview
Both Sasai and WhatsApp offer real-time mobile
chatting platforms for millions of users without any SMS charges. The two
messaging apps are similar in many ways, but also significantly
different. Most of this we have talked about above.
While WhatsApp limits its focus on providing a
platform for communication and file sharing, SaSai offers a collection of many
things in one package. It provides an all-in-one platform for communication,
social media, mobile wallet and bill payments.
We have
prepared a table below to summarize the differences between Sasai and WhatsApp.
Feature
|
Sasai
|
WhatsApp
|
Free App
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Ad free (No ads)
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Available
|
Globally
|
Globally
|
Launched on
|
To be officially launched soon
|
24-Feb-09
|
Parent Company
|
Cassava Fintech International
|
Facebook
|
Platforms
|
Android, iOS
|
Android, iOS, Blackberry, Windows Phone, Symbian
and macOS / Windows desktop app works with mobile app.
|
Login
|
SIM and Account
|
SIM
|
Language
|
No in-built language support. You need to change
the phone’s language setting.
|
No in-built language support. You need to change
the phone’s language setting.
|
App notifications
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Customization
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Chat
|
Video, audio and message chat
|
Video, audio and message chat
|
Require friend approval
|
Yes, you can turn off this in privacy settings
|
No
|
Group chat
|
Yes, limited to 250 members
|
Yes, limited to 256 members
|
Chat backup
|
No
|
Yes
|
Manage app storage data
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Two-step verification
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
View read receipt
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Recall message
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Block contacts
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Location sharing
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
QR scanner
|
Yes
|
No
|
Mini programs
|
Ride sharing, Payments and vendor integration.
|
No
|
Payment platform
|
Yes, supports money transfer,
| WhatsApp Pay available for limited Indian users |
WhatsApp is still the most popular messaging app,
providing users with a modest and efficient chatting platform.
However, though most people prefer WhatsApp for its
chatting function, Sasai offers full range eco-systems with several features
that would make life more interesting for anyone, and it should be well worth a
good try for you.