Open Source Telegram Alternatives

The best open source alternative to Telegram is Signal. 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, 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, Open Source and Self-Hosted. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Telegram.
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Alternatives list

  1. nheko icon
     7 likes

    Matrix-focused desktop chat client supporting secure end-to-end encrypted messaging, voice and video calling, file sharing, emoji, room and community management, multi-theme interface, presence/status, notifications, profiles, and plugin integration for Unix.

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
     
  2. Nicegram icon
     5 likes

    Open-source, privacy-first, with a non-custodial multichain wallet, a built-in AI assistant and Agent Marketplace, escrow payments, and a trusted reputation — all inside your chats.

    29 Nicegram alternatives

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Mac
     
  3. Olvid icon
     11 likes

    The most secure messaging app in the world.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • F-Droid
    • Mac
    • Linux
    • Windows
     
  4. Nerimity icon
     14 likes

    Open-source chat platform providing community-focused group messaging, video calls, profile customization with animated avatars, custom emojis, tags, post creation, discovery of communities, and full source code access on GitHub. Entirely donation-funded.

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • Self-Hosted
     
  5. Speek! icon
     12 likes

    Speek! is the first messenger that is anonymous and censorship-resistant by design. Speek! messenger encrypts all messages and is secure, private and decentralized.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
     
  6. Flotilla icon
     9 likes

    Decentralized chat platform built on the nostr protocol with support for multi-group communities, event calendars, threads, private messaging, web of trust, customizable access controls, monetization via zaps, full privacy, and white-label options for branding.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Self-Hosted
     
  7. Vector encompasses the ideals of freedom through free and open-source technology, using a "Privacy by Principle" approach. This means that privacy is not a feature or add-on, but the core foundation that Vector is built upon, which is granted and accessible to everyone.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • Android Tablet
     
  8. Quaternion icon
     4 likes

    Quaternion is a cross-platform Qt5-based desktop IM client for Matrix, a reference desktop application using libQMatrixClient. Source code, issue tracker, roadmap etc. can be found at GitHub. Releases (with links to cross-platform source code archives, as well as binaries for...

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
     
  9. Off-the-Record (OTR) Messaging allows you to have private conversations over any instant messaging (MSN,Gtalk, Facebook and so on) by providing encryption, authentication, deniability, perfect forward...

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Java Mobile
     
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  10. KryptEY icon
     10 likes

    Android keyboard for secure E2EE communication through the signal protocol in any messenger. Communicate securely and independent, regardless of the legal situation or whether messengers use E2EE.

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Android
    • F-Droid
     
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