Rebel Tech AlliancePrivate messaging
Alternatives to: Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger, Line, Telegram
Messaging apps, other than the ones we recommend below, do not fully encrypt your data. They can still gather and profile the metadata trail left by your messaging activity and use it against you.
We do not recommend Telegram. It has a reputation for privacy but in fact it is not fully encrypted by default, and its encryption protocol is not considered as robust as Signal's.
| App name | Open Source | Centralised / Decentralised | Privacy Features | Business Model | Business Structure | Country of Origin | Link | RTA pick |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Signal | Yes | Centralised | E2EE including metadata, phone number not required | Free, relies on donations | Charity nonprofit | USA | Signal.org | ✅ |
| SimpleX Chat | Yes | Decentralised | E2EE including metadata, no user info required | Freemium | Limited Company | UK | Simplex.chat |
Signal
Unlike Whatsapp, Signal is FULLY end-to-end encrypted - including all metadata. This is vital. Meta still profiles you based on all the metadata breadcrumbs that your WhatsApp messages drop. These include who you contact, your phone number, their phone number, the time of day, what device you're using, your IP address, your physical location etc etc. Basically everything except the content of the message - but they don't need the contents, they can digitally 'recreate you' using only the accompanying metadata.
A further benefit of Signal is that they do not require you to give out your phone number in order to exchange messages with someone or join a message group. Signal uses the concept of 'Usernames' to be able to initiate contact with someone without revealing your phone number.
Signal built its underlying protocol and this included the full encryption (including metadata). WhatsApp actually uses Signal's encryption protocol under the hood but have chosen not to encrypt metadata, due to being owned by Meta - whose business model relies on profiling you via that metadata
Signal is stable, slick interface and easy to install and connect with friends. The company is a nonprofit charity, and has gained significant awareness amongst 'regular people'.
For all these reasons Signal is RTA's pick for private messenger apps.
SimpleX Chat
SimpleX Chat is newer on the scene and tries to go one better than Signal in terms of privacy by eliminating the need for any user info to use the service. They hold no personal identifiers assigned to users, they cannot see who you are communicating with, and their analogy is that using SimpleX Chat is "like having a different burner email or phone for each contact, and no hassle to manage them".
Another benefit of SimpleX Chat over Signal is that it is decentralised. This means that all data and metadata is stored on client devices (i.e. your phone or laptop). How do they do this? Once a message has been transmitted via a SimpleX server (which they call a Relay) the data is deleted.