Alternatives to SimpleX Chat
A messenger with no user identifiers at all, not even a random one, so there is no account to correlate. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
SimpleX Chat
A messenger with no user identifiers at all, not even a random one, so there is no account to correlate.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as SimpleX Chat.
Session
An encrypted messenger with no phone number and no account, routed through an onion network.
Session uses a random account ID with onion routing through distributed service nodes, tied to the Oxen cryptocurrency project's infrastructure, and has no terminal client.
Signal
An end-to-end encrypted messenger for calls and chats on Android, iOS, Windows, macOS and Linux, run by a nonprofit.
Signal is a nonprofit-run messenger with a larger user base, but requires a phone number to register and relies on its own central servers.
Cwtch
Metadata-resistant messaging over Tor with no central servers.
Cwtch resists metadata collection over Tor with no servers at all, but delivery is slow, both parties must be online, and there is no iOS app.
Briar
Peer-to-peer encrypted messaging over Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Tor.
Briar messages peer to peer over Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Tor without internet, but runs only on Linux and Android and is in maintenance mode.
Threema
Swiss encrypted messenger that works without a phone number or email.
Threema uses a random ID without phone number or email and is Swiss-based, but requires a one-time purchase per platform.
Jami
A fully peer-to-peer communication platform with no servers relaying your data and no personal information needed to sign up.
Jami is fully peer to peer with calls and conferencing, needs no phone number, but reliability varies and it is listed only for desktop platforms.
Element
The reference Matrix client: end-to-end encrypted chat on a network you can host yourself.
Element uses federated Matrix servers you can self-host, adding bridges and large group rooms, but relies on user accounts on a homeserver.
Also worth comparing
These listings name SimpleX Chat as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
Delta Chat
A messenger that sends over email, so anyone with an address can be reached without installing it.
SimpleX Chat avoids email metadata by using no identifiers at all, but both people must install it and connect via a link or QR code.
Molly
A security-hardened fork of Signal for Android with an encrypted local database and Tor support.
SimpleX Chat avoids any user identifier and runs on many platforms, but is a separate network from Signal.
signal-cli
Send and receive Signal messages from the command line.
SimpleX Chat includes a terminal client among its apps, using its own identifier-free network instead of Signal, so contacts must also use SimpleX.
Telegram Desktop
The official Telegram client for the desktop, with open source code and chats that are not end-to-end encrypted.
SimpleX Chat encrypts all conversations and uses no user identifiers, but contacts are added by link or QR code rather than phone number.
Wire
End-to-end encrypted messaging, calls and file sharing for organisations.
SimpleX Chat is free, uses no user identifier, and supports self-hosted relays, but lacks an organisational focus and needs link-based contact exchange.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Sideband
Messaging client for Reticulum networks over radio or IP.
