It's gotten much better. Now that they have a web interface as well as a desktop client, along with Automated Google Drive backups and End-to-End encryption I feel Whatsapp is finally where it needed to be. It even supports VoIP which is awesome. The truth is Whatsapp is really, really convenient since you don't have to get people to create yet another account. You just need their phone number.
At any rate, one doesn't really pick one's messaging solution: basically a society does and you're stuck with it. Whatsapp is so entrenched where I live that not using Whatsapp means being completely cut off from communication. People here don't say: hey, give me your number. They say: hey, send me a 'Whats'. A lot of people here buy smartphones just for Facebook and Whatsapp.
Even my 70 year old dad uses it now, which is fucking annoying since he gets mad if I don't reply to his shitty jokes and ancient memes within 3 seconds. "Hey I saw you online and you ignored my whats you snot what's going on I'll disown you."