Self-Hosted Telegram Alternatives

Telegram is not available as a self-hosted solution but there are plenty of alternatives for power users and business that want to host a solution on-premise. The best Self-Hosted alternative is Element. It's not free, so if you're looking for a free alternative, you could try Element or Wire. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Telegram and many of them are available as a self-hosted solution so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Self-Hosted alternatives to Telegram are SimpleX Chat, Zulip, Mirotalk and Snikket.

filter to find the best alternatives

Telegram alternatives are mainly Group Chat Apps, but if you're looking for Instant Messengers or Video Calling Apps you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Online, Mac, Android, Windows, Linux, Android + Free 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. Element icon

    Element

     766 likes
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    Provides secure collaboration with end-to-end encryption, supporting chat, voice, and video calls. Available on all major platforms, it enables digital sovereignty with a decentralized design and interoperability through bridges to systems like Slack and Teams. Includes enterprise-grade SaaS.

    301 Element alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • Matrix.org
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    • Cloudron
    • Snapcraft
    Video calls for desktop and mobile
     
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    82
    Comments about Element as an Alternative to Telegram
    Comment summary: Element is praised for its decentralization and privacy features, as well as strong encryption and versatility provided by the Matrix protocol. However, users note Element's lower user base compared to more popular platforms like Telegram, which limits its appeal despite its potential. Some also criticize its less intuitive UI and occasional encryption issues, suggesting it needs more development to become widely popular.
    Top Positive Comment
    Sam Lander
    2

    Element is a good privacy chat that you can host yourself. However, not many people use it compared to Signal or Telegram.

    calkesh
    Negative
    -3

    Element is severely lacking in uptake. It could be the best messenger in the world (and may well be) but ultimately, if I can't talk to my friends on there, there's no incentive for me to use it.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    FiTekno
    Positive
    0

    I like this because of fact its purpose is to be decentralized. however time shows as knowledge is needed to bridges be made from other platforms.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
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    3 of 12 comments
    Telegram Icon
    Element icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Element is a great Telegram alternative.

    • Element is the most popular Web-based, Android Tablet & Self-Hosted alternative to Telegram.

    • Element is Free Personal and Open SourceTelegram is Freemium and Proprietary
  2. Wire icon

    Wire

     311 likes
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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.

    282 Wire alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • F-Droid
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    • Flathub
    • Snapcraft
    Wire screenshot 1
    Wire screenshot 2
    Wire screenshot 3
     
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    5
    58
    Comments about Wire as an Alternative to Telegram
    Top Positive Comment
    cityroler
    10

    always End-to-End encrypted; servers in the EU; high quality audio and video calls;

    gnudesign
    Positive
    0

    Privacy and security focused, lot of features but way behind Telegram's user experience design.

    Guest
    Positive
    0

    It is fully open source instead Telegram (server and client).

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
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    3 of 5 comments
    Telegram Icon
    Wire icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Wire is a great Telegram alternative.

    • Wire is the most popular SaaS alternative to Telegram.

    • Wire is Free Personal and Open SourceTelegram is Freemium and Proprietary
  4. Matrix icon

    Matrix

     380 likes
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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.

    165 Matrix alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • WebRTC
    • Python
    • JavaScript
    • Go (Programming Language)
    • Cloudron
    • Java
    • Perl
    Main Page
     
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    28
    Comments about Matrix as an Alternative to Telegram
    LeSnake
    Negative
    11

    Matrix is a protocol used by i.e. Element, not a messenger iself

    Telegram Icon
    Matrix icon

    • Most users think Matrix is a great Telegram alternative.

    • Matrix is Free and Open SourceTelegram is Freemium and Proprietary
  6. Zulip icon

    Zulip

     263 likes
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    Zulip is the only modern team chat app that is designed for both live and asynchronous conversations. Zulip topics create a separate space for each discussion, so different conversations will never get in each other's way.

    221 Zulip alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • BSD
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • F-Droid
    Zulip screenshot 1
     
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    10
    Comments about Zulip as an Alternative to Telegram
    PlaidRadish
    Positive
    0

    Zulip is actually a better alternative to Telegram because it has security that is hosted on public or private servers, using an open source application. This app and its features are far more beneficial to organizations as a better, more secure, more feature-rich alternative to Telegram.

    Telegram Icon
    Zulip icon

    • Most users think Zulip is a great Telegram alternative.

    • Zulip is Free Personal and Open SourceTelegram is Freemium and Proprietary
  9. Snikket icon

    Snikket

     10 likes
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    Snikket is an ambitious project to build a new kind of XMPP-based messaging platform.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • F-Droid
    • Docker
    Snikket screenshot 1
    Snikket screenshot 2
    Snikket screenshot 3
     
  10. Tinode icon

    Tinode

     10 likes
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    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).

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Self-Hosted
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    iOS client
     
  11. Flotilla Chat icon

    Flotilla Chat

     6 likes
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    Experience a new way to connect with your people online. Join an existing community space or launch your very own branded platform tailored to your audience.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Online
    • iPhone
    • Android
    • Self-Hosted
    Customize your space, set access controls, and announce updates.
    Keep in touch with group chats — invite friends, report spam, and extend the experience.
    Post a thread for a more in-depth discussion; cross post to chat rooms.
     
  12. Nerimity icon

    Nerimity

     10 likes
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    Nerimity is an open-source, community-first chat platform built to deliver an elegant, powerful, and feature-rich experience.

    27 Nerimity alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • Self-Hosted
    Profile Interface [PC - 2025]
     
  13. Kontalk Messenger icon

    Kontalk Messenger

     30 likes
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    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.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Android
    • Self-Hosted
    Kontalk Messenger screenshot 1
    Kontalk Messenger screenshot 2
    Kontalk Messenger screenshot 3
     
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  14. Conduit Chat Server icon

    Conduit Chat Server

     7 likes
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    Conduit is a simple, fast and reliable chat server powered by Matrix. Conduit is an alternative to Synapse and tries to be lightweight and easy to install, but it is still in development.

    243 Conduit Chat Server alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Self-Hosted
    • Raspberry Pi
    • Linux
    • Debian
    • Nix Package Manager
    • Docker
    • Docker Hub
    Conduit Chat Server screenshot 1
     
12 of 26 Telegram alternatives