Open Source Telegram Alternatives

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

    This page was last updated Oct 12, 2021
    1. Signal is a messaging app with an unexpected focus on privacy, combined with all the features expected from a modern IM app. Signal has received a lot of praise from all around the world for its security and privacy-respecting technologies.
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      Signal vs Telegram opinions
      Most users think Signal is a great alternative to Telegram.
       all • positive • negative      relevance • date
      revxo5852 Signal has end-to-end encryption by default, Telegram does not. Signal does not store your conversations and files in the cloud, Telegram does.
      Top positive comment  about 1 year ago

      9
      Is a Open Source project App and also Server
      Top positive comment  9 months ago

      0
      can't use signal without smartphone. (scan qr-code bla-bla-bla...)
      Top negative comment  about 2 years ago

      25
      LeSnake requires a phone number, uses it own protocols, server is open source, but seemed to be closed source for a short time If you are already making the effort to switch, use element instead, since it uses the open protocol instead of an own
      Negative comment • 4 months ago

      -1
      Signal is more private and security focused than telegram. Signal also features audio and video calls as well as group calls. Telegram has support for much larger groups and has an api allowing for bots in chats.
      Positive comment • 10 months ago

      1
      sadlyfatobguh Signal is ad-free, telegram has announced they will start integrating ads in 2021
      Positive comment • 10 months ago

      -2
      gnudesign More private, security focused, but way behind great Telegram's user experience
      Positive comment • about 1 year ago

      7
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      7 of 14 comments

    2. Element

      • Freemium • Open Source
      • Mac
      • Windows
      • Linux
      • Online
      • Android
      • iPhone
      • Android Tablet
      • iPad
      • Self-Hosted
      • Matrix.org
      • Cloudron
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      Element is a secure collaboration and messaging app based on the Matrix protocol. It’s decentralised to deliver digital sovereignty, and based on an open standard for easy connections and interoperability. It is end-to-end encrypted by default.
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      Element vs Telegram opinions
      Almost everyone thinks Element is a great alternative to Telegram.
       all • positive • negative      relevance • date
      Cloud base with good features and awful UI!
      Top positive comment  over 3 years ago

      5
      Element is structured more honestly out in the open, compared to Telegram.
      Top positive comment  9 months ago

      1
      LeSnake Great encryption, uses matrix protocol, so it's decentralized, while offering similar and even more functions. But the UI isn't as intuitive as the telegram one, and the encryption sometimes can't decrypt a message.
      Positive comment • 4 months ago

      0
      rrhyast Better than telegram and discord but need a lot of work to be popular
      Positive comment • 6 months ago

      0
      The group features match up to telegrams with a more discordesqe UI.
      Positive comment • 10 months ago

      0
      Great group functionality
      Positive comment • 10 months ago

      1
      It is 100% free as in freedom.
      Positive comment • about 1 year ago

      0
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      7 of 9 comments
    4. With the rise of widespread government monitoring programs, Tox is an easy to use application that allows you to connect with friends and loved ones without anyone else listening in.
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      Tox vs Telegram opinions
      Almost everyone thinks Tox is a great alternative to Telegram.
      Centaro P2P encrypted communication
      Positive comment • over 1 year ago

      0
      rrhyast Ugly UI and less user friendly
      Negative comment • 6 months ago

      0

    5. Wire

      • Free Personal • Open Source
      • Mac
      • Windows
      • Linux
      • Online
      • Android
      • iPhone
      • Android Tablet
      • iPad
      • Self-Hosted
      • Software as a Service (SaaS)
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      Wire is the most secure collaboration platform featuring messenger, voice, video, conference calls, file-sharing, and external collaboration –all protected by the most secure end-to-end-encryption. Why Wire?
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      Wire vs Telegram opinions
      Almost everyone thinks Wire is a great alternative to Telegram.
      cityroler always End-to-End encrypted; servers in the EU; high quality audio and video calls;
      Top positive comment  over 4 years ago

      10
      Multiplatform, chat, audio and video calling with great quality and: Clientside is already open source and they are currently working on completely opensourcing the serverside too. Great application.
      Top positive comment  over 4 years ago

      7
      gnudesign Privacy and security focused, lot of features but way behind Telegram's user experience design.
      Positive comment • about 1 year ago

      0
      It is fully open source instead Telegram (server and client).
      Positive comment • over 3 years ago

      0
      Always end-to-end encrypted. Fully open source.
      Positive comment • over 3 years ago

      6
    6. Jitsi (previously SIP Communicator) is an audio/video and chat communicator with full encryption that supports protocols such as SIP, XMPP/Jabber, ICQ/AIM, Windows Live, Yahoo!, GTalk/Hangouts extensions, as well as OTR, ZRTP, etc.
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      Jitsi vs Telegram opinions
      Almost everyone thinks Jitsi is a great alternative to Telegram.
      gnudesign It's different. Watched this project grow and getting improved. Great solution for conferencing. It's more alternative to Zoom than Telegram.
      Positive comment • about 1 year ago

      3
      LeSnake Jitsi is a great platform for videoconferences, not a messager
      Negative comment • 4 months ago

      0

    8. Matrix.org

      • Free • Open Source
      • Mac
      • Windows
      • Linux
      • Online
      • Android
      • iPhone
      • Android Tablet
      • iPad
      • Self-Hosted
      • WebRTC
      • Python
      • JavaScript
      • Go (Programming Language)
      • Cloudron
      • Java
      • Perl
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      Matrix defines a set of open APIs for decentralised communication, suitable for securely publishing, persisting and subscribing to data over a global open federation of servers with no single point of control.
      No screenshots yet
      Matrix.org vs Telegram opinions
      Almost everyone thinks Matrix.org is a great alternative to Telegram.
      LeSnake Matrix is a protocol used by i.e. Element, not a messenger iself
      Negative comment • 4 months ago

      0
    9. Pidgin is an easy to use, multi-protocol chat client client used by millions. Connect to AIM, MSN, Yahoo, XMPP, and more chat networks all at once. It has built-in support for NSS, offering client-to-server message encryption for protocols that support it.
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      Almost everyone thinks Pidgin is a great alternative to Telegram.
    10. Jami (formerly GNU Ring, SFLphone) positions itself as a potential free Skype replacement Open Source and cross-platform. Jami gives you a full control over your communications and an unmatched level of privacy.
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      Jami vs Telegram opinions
      Almost everyone thinks Jami is a great alternative to Telegram.
      UsernameUn Decentralized and encrypted. Available on all major devices. There is video conferencing and the ability to show a desktop.
      Positive comment • about 1 year ago

      1
    11. Keybase is a new and free security app for mobile phones and computers. For the geeks among us: it's open source and powered by public-key cryptography.
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      Keybase vs Telegram opinions
      pros, cons and recent comments
      everything is encrypted and gives cloud drive, git, a stellar wallet other than a chat
      Positive comment • over 1 year ago

      0
    12. Zulip is a group chat app in which messages are threaded by topic, helping you have long-running, organized conversations.
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    Showing 10 of 73 alternatives