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.
Fully open source instant messaging server and clients. No proprietary components or non-free dependencies. Backend in pure Go (GPL 3.0), with a command-line administration tool in python + gRPC. Clients for Android, iPhone, and Web - ReactJS (all licensed under Apache 2.0).
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.
![Profile Interface [PC - 2025]](https://d4.alternativeto.net/od-oQxPBmbGgMb1DDF56LetNIIFfN-sw15fMkRUB3mU/rs:fill:309:197:1/g:no:0:0/YWJzOi8vZGlzdC9zL25lcmltaXR5Xzk5MzIyMl9mdWxsLnBuZw.png)
![Messages View [PC - 2025]](https://d4.alternativeto.net/onkc5zjoyV0rmmltjDuVgkJz6n_BWgqQPeuSyoFbHAs/rs:fill:309:197:1/g:no:0:0/YWJzOi8vZGlzdC9zL25lcmltaXR5XzI4MTQxOF9mdWxsLnBuZw.png)
![Server Discovery [PC - 2025]](https://d4.alternativeto.net/DoId0spu4HU_371pFn-leEiedu6M4bu453CRrSZAD4s/rs:fill:309:197:1/g:no:0:0/YWJzOi8vZGlzdC9zL25lcmltaXR5XzI4MjUwOF9mdWxsLnBuZw.png)
![Server Settings [PC - 2025]](https://d4.alternativeto.net/K6RpZpz2k_EvPbvMB3X-9Tq3JQEARLiCsjqmrr2hps0/rs:fill:309:197:1/g:no:0:0/YWJzOi8vZGlzdC9zL25lcmltaXR5XzYyODAyOF9mdWxsLnBuZw.png)
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.
Sphinx.chat lets you use your lightning node to talk to anyone else who is running lightning and a sphinx compatible chat client.
SchildiChat is a Matrix client based on Element with a more traditional instant messaging experience.
jami-commander (jc for short) is a simple but convenient CLI-based Jami client app for setting up accounts and swarms as well as sending.
VeilidChat is a 1-to-1, person-to-person text only chat application which serves as a technology demonstration for the Veilid application development framework. All communication is end to end encrypted, authenticated, private routed, and peer-to-peer. It's currently in early beta.
Telegram Desktop fork with Material Design and other improvements, which is based on the Telegram API and the MTProto secure protocol.
Kontalk is a secure instant messenger, allowing you to send and receive text, image and voice messages (other file types coming soon) to and from other Kontalk users completely free of charge.
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