Private messengers
6 listings · 2 tested by the Monereo team
Most popular messengers tie your account to a phone number, which links your chats to your identity. The messengers here work without one, encrypt everything end to end, and most are open source.
Some go further and hide who is talking to whom, by routing messages over Tor or sending them straight between devices with no central server.
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SimpleX ChatVerifiedsimplex.chat
Messenger with no user IDs at all, not even random ones.
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SessionVerifiedgetsession.org
End-to-end encrypted messenger that needs no phone number.
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BriarUnverifiedbriarproject.org
Peer-to-peer messenger that syncs over Tor, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.
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CwtchUnverifiedcwtch.im
Metadata-resistant messenger that runs over Tor, from the Open Privacy nonprofit. Takes donations in Monero or Bitcoin.
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StatusUnverifiedstatus.app
Private peer-to-peer messenger and crypto wallet in one app.
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0xchatUnverified0xchat.com
Private chat over Nostr with end-to-end encryption and Lightning payments built in.
Private messengers: questions
Why avoid messengers that need a phone number?
A phone number is usually registered to your name. Anyone who sees your number, or gets the messenger's records, can tie your account to you.
What is metadata and why does it matter?
Metadata is who you talk to, when and how often. Encryption hides what you say, but metadata can still reveal a lot. Messengers that run over Tor or peer to peer collect far less of it.
Know one we missed?
If it respects your privacy and works without ID, tell us about it. We review every submission by hand.