Free Telegram Alternatives

The best free alternative to Telegram is Signal, which is also Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Telegram and loads of them is free so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free alternatives to Telegram are Element, Tox, Wire and Matrix.

filter to find the best alternatives

Telegram alternatives are mainly Instant Messengers, but if you're looking for Group Chat Apps or Encrypted Chat Apps you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Online, Mac, Android, Windows, Linux, Android + Free and Open Source. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Telegram.
More about Telegram
Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard
Telegram alternatives page was last updated

Alternatives list

  1. Ricochet Refresh icon

    Ricochet Refresh

     2 likes

    Ricochet Refresh is the new updated version of Ricochet, supported by Blueprint for Free Speech.. We are a non-government, not-for-profit organisation working to safeguard the freedom of expression for whistleblowers, activists, and everybody else, worldwide.

    51 Ricochet Refresh alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
    Ricochet Refresh screenshot 1
     
  2. Adapt Chat icon

    Adapt Chat

     3 likes

    Open source encrypted group-chat platform focused on privacy and efficiency, featuring Rust-based backend for speed, customizable interface, minimal data collection, real-time messaging, community-driven improvements, and ergonomic design for various use cases.

    61 Adapt Chat alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Self-Hosted
    Adapt client homepage
     
  4. signal-cli icon

    signal-cli

     1 like

    signal-cli is a commandline interface for the Signal messenger. It supports registering, verifying, sending and receiving messages. signal-cli uses a patched libsignal-service-java, extracted from the Signal-Android source code.

    39 signal-cli alternatives

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Java
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
     
  5. Ad
  6. Torchat icon

    Torchat

     30 likes

    TorChat is a peer to peer instant messenger with a completely decentralized design, built on top of Tor's location hidden services, giving you extremely strong anonymity while being very easy to use without the need to install or configure anything.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    Torchat screenshot 1
     
  7. KakaoTalk icon

    KakaoTalk

     30 likes

    KakaoTalk is a phone number based messenger service that allows users anywhere in the world to chat one-to-one or in a group for free. (no SMS service)

    84 KakaoTalk alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Wear
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    KakaoTalk screenshot 1
     
  10. NekoGram X icon

    NekoGram X

     4 likes

    The third-party Telegram android app. Contribute to NekoX-Dev/NekoX development by creating an account on GitHub.

    25 NekoGram X alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Android
     
  11. WireMin: Chat Freely, Securely icon

    WireMin: Chat Freely, Securely

     4 likes

    WireMin is a decentralized network built by the people, for the people, and of the people. Enjoy full privacy and security with end-to-end encryption on a network without central servers. Your data stays under your control—free from censorship, surveillance, and exploitation.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    WireMin: Chat Freely, Securely screenshot 1
     
  12. Axolotl icon

    Axolotl

     5 likes

    Axolotl is a complete cross-platform Signal client, compatible with the Ubuntu Phone and more. Unlike the desktop Signal client, Axolotl is completely autonomous and doesn't require you to have created an account with the...

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Ubuntu Touch
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Linux Mobile
    Axolotl screenshot 1
     
  13. Zalo icon

    Zalo

     1 like

    Zalo is a Vietnamese instant messaging multi-platform service developed by VNG Corporation.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Mac
    • Online
    Zalo screenshot 1
     
  14. Conion icon

    Conion

     Like

    Conion is an ultra safe conversation app built to provide end to end encrypted data sharing medium.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Android
    Conion screenshot 1
     
You are at page 8 of Telegram alternatives