Alternatives to Jami

A fully peer-to-peer communication platform with no servers relaying your data and no personal information needed to sign up. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.

Replacements

Listings that take over the same core job as Jami.

  • Briar

    Peer-to-peer encrypted messaging over Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Tor.

    FreeOpen sourceLinuxAndroid

    Briar is also peer to peer without accounts and works over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, but runs on Linux and Android and lacks calls.

  • Session

    An encrypted messenger with no phone number and no account, routed through an onion network.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxAndroidiOS

    Session needs no phone number and adds Android and iOS clients, but relays messages through onion routing and distributed service nodes rather than direct peer connections.

  • Cwtch

    Metadata-resistant messaging over Tor with no central servers.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxAndroid

    Cwtch avoids central servers and resists metadata over Tor, adding Android, but has a limited feature set without video conferences.

  • SimpleX Chat

    A messenger with no user identifiers at all, not even a random one, so there is no account to correlate.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxAndroidiOSCommand line

    SimpleX Chat uses no user identifiers and works on mobile too, but relays messages through servers you choose instead of direct peer connections.

  • Signal

    An end-to-end encrypted messenger for calls and chats on Android, iOS, Windows, macOS and Linux, run by a nonprofit.

    FreeOpen sourceAndroidiOSWindowsmacOSLinux

    Signal offers encrypted messages and calls with a larger user base, but requires a phone number and relies on central servers.

  • Keet

    A peer-to-peer chat app for encrypted messages, audio and video calls, and file transfers.

    FreeProprietaryWindowsmacOSLinuxAndroidiOS

    Keet is a peer-to-peer app for encrypted chat, calls and files on desktop and mobile, but it is not open source and relies on a 24-word seed phrase.

  • qTox

    A desktop client for the encrypted peer-to-peer Tox protocol with chat, calls and file transfer.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

    qTox is a GPL-3.0 desktop client for the peer-to-peer Tox protocol with chat, calls and file transfer, though contacts must also use Tox.

  • Berty

    An open-source peer-to-peer messenger that works without central servers and can operate offline.

    FreeOpen sourceAndroidiOS

    Berty is an open-source serverless peer-to-peer messenger for Android and iOS that can work offline, though its developers say it is not ready for high-risk use.

Also worth comparing

These listings name Jami as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.

  • Baresip

    A portable, modular SIP user agent for audio and video calls, run from the command line.

    FreeOpen sourceCommand line

    Jami works mainly as a peer-to-peer messaging and calling app with no servers, and includes a SIP client alongside chat, video conferences and screen sharing in one desktop app.

  • Chitchatter

    A peer-to-peer chat app in the browser that is serverless, decentralized and ephemeral.

    FreeProprietaryWeb

    Jami is an open-source peer-to-peer desktop app with messaging, calls and screen sharing, and keeps history, but you install it and must back up your account key.

  • Linphone

    An open-source SIP softphone for voice and video calls on desktop and mobile.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxAndroidiOS

    Jami includes a SIP client along with peer-to-peer messaging and calls, but has no Android or iOS builds in this catalog.

  • MicroSIP

    A lightweight open-source SIP softphone for Windows that makes voice and video calls through SIP providers.

    FreeOpen sourceWindows

    Jami includes a SIP client with peer-to-peer messaging, video conferences and screen sharing, running on Windows, macOS and Linux.

  • Olvid

    An end-to-end encrypted messenger that works without a phone number, email address or other personal data.

    FreeProprietaryWindowsmacOSLinuxAndroidiOS

    Jami is a GNU peer-to-peer messenger with no servers and no phone number, adding calls and SIP, but offline messages wait for reconnection.

  • RetroShare

    A decentralized, encrypted friend-to-friend network for chat, mail, forums, channels and file sharing.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxAndroid

    Jami is a peer-to-peer GNU platform focused on messaging, calls and video conferences rather than forums, channels and file swarming.

  • Zoiper

    A SIP softphone for making VoIP voice and video calls through a PBX or SIP provider.

    FreemiumProprietaryWindowsmacOSLinuxAndroidiOS

    Jami is a free GPL-3.0 peer-to-peer app that includes a SIP client alongside messaging and video, with desktop builds for Windows, macOS and Linux.

Similar software

Related functionality, not a direct replacement.