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, Armada and Nextcloud Talk.

filter to find the best alternatives

Telegram alternatives are mainly Group Chat Apps, but if you're looking for Video Calling Apps or Instant Messengers you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Mac, Android, Windows, Linux, Group Chat, 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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Get a badge for your siteTelegram alternatives page was last updated Aug 6, 2026

Element
838 likes
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.
355 Element alternatives
Cost / License
Free Personal
Open Source (AGPL-3.0)
Application typeApplication types
Instant Messenger
Video Calling
Origin
United Kingdom
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Online
Android
iPhone
Android Tablet
iPad
Self-Hosted
Snapcraft
Matrix.org
Flathub
F-Droid
Cloudron
OpenAPK
United Kingdom
+3
Good alternative?Is Element a good alternative to Telegram?

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13comments
Element vs Telegram Comments
Top Positive Comment by Sam Lander · May 30, 2023
Element is a good privacy chat that you can host yourself. However, not many people use it compared to Signal or Telegram.
Positive comment by crayon-cod-usable · Apr 21, 2026
Descentralized, FOSS, E2E, video and chat options
Negative comment by calkesh · May 13, 2022
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.
3 of 13 comments
Element is Free Personal and Open SourceTelegram is Freemium and Proprietary
Element is Decentralized and Privacy focusedTelegram is not according to our users
Wire
333 likes
Secure communication platform featuring encrypted chats and calls, file and media sharing, self-deleting messages, device verification, group collaboration, and customizable settings. Supports use across multiple devices with no phone number required for access.
Cost / License
Free Personal
Open Source (GPL-3.0)
Application typeApplication types
Instant Messenger
Video Calling
Origin
Switzerland
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Online
Android
iPhone
Android Tablet
iPad
Self-Hosted
Snapcraft
Flathub
F-Droid
Software as a Service (SaaS)
Switzerland
Good alternative?Is Wire a good alternative to Telegram?

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5comments
Wire vs Telegram Comments
Top Positive Comment by cityroler · Apr 28, 2017
always End-to-End encrypted; servers in the EU; high quality audio and video calls;
Positive comment by gnudesign · Sep 9, 2020
Privacy and security focused, lot of features but way behind Telegram's user experience design.
Positive comment by Guest · Jul 16, 2018
It is fully open source instead Telegram (server and client).
3 of 5 comments
Wire is Free Personal and Open SourceTelegram is Freemium and Proprietary
Wire is Security-focused and Privacy focusedTelegram is not according to our users
Matrix
417 likes
Open standard protocol enabling decentralized, encrypted instant messaging, VoIP signaling, IoT device connectivity, and persistent data management across federated servers without central control or single points of failure, bridging communication platforms.
199 Matrix alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application typeApplication types
Instant Messenger
Group Chat
Origin
United Kingdom
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Online
Android
iPhone
Android Tablet
iPad
Self-Hosted
WebRTC
Python
JavaScript
Go (Programming Language)
Cloudron
Java
Perl
United Kingdom
Good alternative?Is Matrix a good alternative to Telegram?

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2comments
Matrix vs Telegram Comments
Negative comment by LeSnake · Jun 24, 2021
Matrix is a protocol used by i.e. Element, not a messenger iself
Positive comment by Guest · Mar 17, 2026
A lot of people state that it is not an alternative. Yes. Yes it is. However, it is not a program, but a protocol. Listed on their site, multiple clients exist, that permit a creation of spaces (servers, basically), to which people that use the Matrix protocol (including its other clients) can connect to.
2 of 2 comments
Matrix is Free and Open SourceTelegram is Freemium and Proprietary
Matrix is Decentralized, Privacy focused and Security-focusedTelegram is not according to our users
SimpleX Chat
115 likes
Open-source messaging platform enabling private, identifier-free chats, encrypted group discussions, file and media sharing, plus audio and video calls. Employs double-ratchet protocol, stores user data on-device, protects metadata, and lets users self-host relay servers.
85 SimpleX Chat alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (AGPL-3.0)
Application typeApplication types
Instant Messenger
Video Calling
Origin
United Kingdom
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Android
iPhone
Android Tablet
Self-Hosted
Flathub
F-Droid
Flatpak
OpenAPK
United Kingdom
Good alternative?Is SimpleX Chat a good alternative to Telegram?
Zulip
275 likes
Threaded group conversations combine live and asynchronous messaging, separating topics for organized collaboration, supporting open-source, cloud, and self-hosted deployments, secure communication with encryption, and multi-platform access for diverse teams.
252 Zulip alternatives
Cost / License
Free Personal
Open Source (Apache-2.0)
Application typeApplication types
Instant Messenger
Group Chat
Origin
United States
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Online
Android
iPhone
Android Tablet
BSD
iPad
Self-Hosted
F-Droid
United States
+4
Good alternative?Is Zulip a good alternative to Telegram?

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1comment
Zulip vs Telegram Comments
Positive comment by PlaidRadish · Oct 31, 2025
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.
1 of 1 comments
Zulip is Free Personal and Open SourceTelegram is Freemium and Proprietary
Zulip is Privacy focusedTelegram is not according to our users
Armada
14 likes
Open-source, end-to-end encrypted chat supporting decentralized, serverless communities and Concord. Features self-hosting, cryptographic login, encrypted text channels, threads, live voice and video rooms, compatibility with Nostr and other protocols, custom emojis, and GIFs.
25 Armada alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (AGPL-3.0)
Application typeApplication types
Video Calling
Encrypted Chat
Origin
United States
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Online
Android
iPhone
Self-Hosted
United States
+1
Good alternative?Is Armada a good alternative to Telegram?
Nextcloud Talk
35 likes
Self-hosted communication platform with secure audio, video, chat, web conferencing, screensharing, advanced encryption, and metadata privacy, running on user-controlled servers, supporting web and mobile apps, and eliminating third-party data exposure.
121 Nextcloud Talk alternatives
Cost / License
Free Personal
Open Source (AGPL-3.0)
Application typeApplication types
Video Calling
Group Chat
Origin
Germany
EU
Platforms
Online
Android
iPhone
iPad
Self-Hosted
Nextcloud
F-Droid
Flatpak
Chocolatey
Windows
Mac
Linux
Homebrew
Germany
EU
+5
Good alternative?Is Nextcloud Talk a good alternative to Telegram?
Movim
56 likes
Decentralized social and blog platform based on XMPP, enabling self-hosting, cross-network chat, video calls, and group collaboration. Users control and migrate their data, communicate across various networks, and access services from any node while preserving privacy and open-source principles.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (AGPL-3.0)
Application typeApplication types
Video Calling
Social Network
Origin
France
EU
Platforms
Online
Self-Hosted
France
EU
+6
Good alternative?Is Movim a good alternative to Telegram?
Mirotalk
18 likes
Powered by WebRTC, Real-time video call, chat room and screen sharing entirely browser based.
89 Mirotalk alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (AGPL-3.0)
Application typeApplication types
Video Calling
Group Chat
Origin
Italy
EU
Platforms
Online
Self-Hosted
Docker Hub
YunoHost
Cloudron
Italy
EU
Good alternative?Is Mirotalk a good alternative to Telegram?
Snikket
9 likes
Snikket is an ambitious project to build a new kind of XMPP-based messaging platform.
41 Snikket alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (Apache-2.0)
Application typeApplication types
Instant Messenger
Video Calling
Origin
United Kingdom
Platforms
Android
iPhone
Android Tablet
iPad
Self-Hosted
F-Droid
Docker
United Kingdom
Good alternative?Is Snikket a good alternative to Telegram?
Nerimity
16 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.
50 Nerimity alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (GPL-3.0)
Application typeApplication types
Group Chat
Instant Messenger
Origin
United Kingdom
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Online
Android
Android Tablet
Self-Hosted
United Kingdom
+2
Good alternative?Is Nerimity a good alternative to Telegram?
Flotilla
11 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)
Application typeApplication types
Group Chat
Team Collaboration
Origin
United States
Platforms
Online
Android
iPhone
Self-Hosted
United States
+2
Good alternative?Is Flotilla a good alternative to Telegram?

12 of 33 Telegram alternatives

Self-Hosted Telegram Alternatives

Alternatives list

Element

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Element vs Telegram Comments

Wire

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Wire vs Telegram Comments

Matrix

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Matrix vs Telegram Comments

SimpleX Chat

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Zulip

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Zulip vs Telegram Comments

Armada

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Nextcloud Talk

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Movim

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Mirotalk

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Snikket

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Nerimity

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Flotilla

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