One of the best messaging applications you'll find available for Windows Phone 8, is IM+ by Shape Service. Unlike many messaging applications, IM+ comes preloaded with the support of several messaging platforms, which means if you do a lot of chatting via multiple circles, you may only need a single app to get the job done.

Performance wise, IM+ is quite smooth, which is quite surprising since the last time I tested this, it was a disaster. This is probably because it is finally optimized for Windows Phone 8, so expect it to support many of the cool features you would come to expect. Features like fast resume and lock screen notifications are there, so you won't be disappointed too much.

Furthermore, the pricing has changed for the premium version. There was a time when Shape Service chose to sell this thing on the store for $4.99. The developer has since realized this move is highway robbery, and dropped the price to $1.99. If for some reason you can't afford $1.99, there's a free version, but it is limited in features.

IM+ description

Chat in Skype, Facebook, Google Talk, AIM, Yahoo!, ICQ, Jabber, VKontakte, Yandex IM, Mail.ru Agent, Odnoklassniki.ru, Mamba, Fetion, RenRen, Sina Weibo, Mig33, Gadu-Gadu, MeinVZ, Beep and MSN/Windows Live.

"Genial chess move" Focus Magazine

IM+ key benefits:

- 'Always-on' communication across most of public messaging systems

- Skype / AOL / ICQ  group chats: invite your friends and enjoy group chat conversations

- Send pictures on the go- Save battery life. Take advantage of Tile and Toast notifications without running IM+ in background

- Push-to-Email option allows incoming messages to be forwarded to your email

- Multiple accounts for all networks including Skype and Facebook Chat

- One-tap access to phone dialing and email composing right from IM conversations. Simply tap on phone number or email to contact your buddy outside of IM+.

New in 2.8 version:

- Lockscreen notifications on Windows Phone 8

- Portuguese localization

- Option to automatically set "Away" status when IM+ is in Push

- Bug fixes and performance improvements

Download premium version here, and the free version here.