Cost / License
- Free
- Open Source
Application types
Platforms
- Android
- F-Droid
WhatsApp Alternatives
WhatsApp is described as 'Free messaging without SMS fees, web sync, and multimedia sharing, supporting group and video chats, available on iPhone, Android, and desktop' and is a leading instant messenger in the social & communications category. There are more than 100 alternatives to WhatsApp for a variety of platforms, including Android, iPhone, iPad, Windows and Web-based apps. The best WhatsApp alternative is Signal, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like WhatsApp are Telegram, Element, Wire and Tox.
filter to find the best alternatives
WhatsApp 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 Apple Watch, Self-Hosted, Open Source, Windows Phone, EU, Blackberry and Android. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to WhatsApp.
Alternatives list
Protect your communication in transit and on your phone. Silence (formerly SMSSecure) is a full replacement for the default text messaging application: all messages are encrypted locally and messages to other Silence users are encrypted over the air.
Cost / License
- Free
- Open Source
Application types
Alerts
- Discontinued
Platforms
- Android
Comments about Silence IM as an Alternative to WhatsApp
Most users think Silence IM is a great WhatsApp alternative.
- Silence IM is Free and Open Source
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.
Cost / License
- Free
- Open Source
Application types
Platforms
- Android
- iPhone
54 Telegram Web A alternativesThis project won the first prize 🥇 at Telegram Lightweight Client Contest and now is an official Telegram client available to anyone at web.telegram.org/a.
16 Stranger Space alternativesAnonymous chat service connecting users globally. No sign-up needed. Advanced filters for partner selection by location, age, and interests. Supports text, voice notes, video calls, and media sharing. Customizable chat rooms, contact save feature, and a secure environment.
twinme messenger protects your identity & intimacy: no information to identify you and your contacts; relationships under your full control are private, non-transferable.
Cost / License
- Freemium (Pay once)
- Proprietary
Application types
Platforms
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- iPad
SchildiChat is a Matrix client based on Element with a more traditional instant messaging experience.
Cost / License
- Free
- Open Source
Application type
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Online
- Android
- Flathub
- F-Droid
- Flatpak
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.
Cost / License
- Free
- Open Source
Application type
Platforms
- Online
- Self-Hosted
- Raspberry Pi
- Linux
- Debian
- Nix Package Manager
- Docker
- Docker Hub
Secure team messaging platform with organized topic-based conversations, real-time collaboration on Docs, Sheets, Slides, integrated calendar scheduling, one-click meetings, shared tasks and files, Google Workspace support, admin controls, compliance, and advanced search.
Cost / License
- Freemium (Subscription)
- Proprietary
Application types
Platforms
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- iPad
+8
A fork of Signal for Android with proprietary Google binary blobs removed. Uses OpenStreetMap for maps and a websocket server connection, instead of Google Maps and Firebase Cloud Messaging.
Cost / License
- Free
- Open Source
Application types
Platforms
- Android
- F-Droid
Cost / License
- Free
- Open Source
Application types
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- iPad
Kaidan is a simple, user-friendly Jabber/XMPP client providing a modern user interface using Kirigami and QtQuick. The back-end of Kaidan is written in C++ using the QXmpp XMPP client library and Qt 5.
Cost / License
- Free
- Open Source
Application type
Platforms
- Linux
- Android
- Ubuntu Touch
- Plasma Mobile
- Flathub
United States
France
EU
Germany
Estonia
Silence encrypts traditional SMS, it's not an internet messaging service like Whatsapp. And it only encrypts message content, your carrier can still see who you are texting and when.