30kActiveWindows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhoneVerifiedAGPL-3.0App
Signal is a messenger app for private text messages, group chats, and voice or video calls. It is for anyone who wants encrypted communication on their phone or computer.
20kActiveWindows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhoneAGPL-3.0App
SimpleX Chat is a messaging app that lets people send private messages and group chats without any user accounts or identifiers. It is for people who want their conversations and who they talk to kept private.
App · GitHub · No phone number needed; smaller network of users
1.9kActiveWindows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhoneGPL-3.0App
Delta Chat is a messaging app for phones and computers that sends chats and files through ordinary email accounts. It lets you reach anyone with email, without relying on a single company's chat service.
14kActiveWindows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone · In your browserVerifiedAGPL-3.0Replaces partlyApp
Element is a chat app for private messages and group chats over the Matrix network, used in a web browser or as a desktop app. It is for people and teams who want chat they can host and control, with phone apps offered as separate Element X projects.
App · GitHub · Friends need Matrix accounts; less polished
14kActiveWindows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhoneGPL-3.0Replaces partlyRuns on your own server
Tinode is a messaging server and set of apps for sending private messages and group chats between people. It is for people or organizations who want to run their own chat service or use an open alternative to WhatsApp and Telegram.
Runs on your own server · GitHub · Small user base; you host the server
470ActiveAndroid · iPhoneApache-2.0Replaces partlyRuns on your own server
Snikket is a messaging service you run on your own server, so chats don't depend on a single company. It is aimed at people or groups who want private messaging with a simple setup.
Runs on your own server · GitHub · You must run a server for your group
Not on GitHubActiveWindows · Mac · Linux · AndroidGPL-3.0-or-laterReplaces partlyApp
Briar is a messaging app that sends private messages directly between phones, using Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or Tor instead of company servers. It is meant for people who need secure communication in sensitive situations, and it can work without internet access.
App · Own website · Android only; for sensitive situations
None of these match. Try another device.
Before you build
Planning something for an alternative to WhatsApp? See what exists first, so you can reuse parts or explain what's different. Paste this into any AI assistant:
Read the list of open-source alternatives at https://opensourceeverything.org/data/groups/messaging.json. Compare it with my project or idea below. Tell me which projects overlap, what I could reuse instead of rewriting, and what mine does that none of them do.
My project or idea:
Here is a list of open-source alternatives to WhatsApp, from Open Source Everything (CC BY-SA 4.0):
- Signal (AGPL-3.0, https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-Android; replaces fully): Signal is a messenger app for private text messages, group chats, and voice or video calls. It is for anyone who wants encrypted communication on their phone or computer.
- SimpleX Chat (AGPL-3.0, https://github.com/simplex-chat/simplex-chat; replaces fully): SimpleX Chat is a messaging app that lets people send private messages and group chats without any user accounts or identifiers. It is for people who want their conversations and who they talk to kept private.
- Delta Chat (GPL-3.0, https://github.com/deltachat/deltachat-android; replaces fully): Delta Chat is a messaging app for phones and computers that sends chats and files through ordinary email accounts. It lets you reach anyone with email, without relying on a single company's chat service.
- Element (AGPL-3.0, https://github.com/element-hq/element-web; replaces partly): Element is a chat app for private messages and group chats over the Matrix network, used in a web browser or as a desktop app. It is for people and teams who want chat they can host and control, with phone apps offered as separate Element X projects.
- Tinode (GPL-3.0, https://github.com/tinode/chat; replaces partly): Tinode is a messaging server and set of apps for sending private messages and group chats between people. It is for people or organizations who want to run their own chat service or use an open alternative to WhatsApp and Telegram.
- Snikket (Apache-2.0, https://github.com/snikket-im/snikket-server; replaces partly): Snikket is a messaging service you run on your own server, so chats don't depend on a single company. It is aimed at people or groups who want private messaging with a simple setup.
- Briar (GPL-3.0-or-later, https://code.briarproject.org/briar/briar; replaces partly): Briar is a messaging app that sends private messages directly between phones, using Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or Tor instead of company servers. It is meant for people who need secure communication in sensitive situations, and it can work without internet access.
Compare it with my project or idea below. Tell me which projects overlap, what I could reuse instead of rewriting, and what mine does that none of them do.
My project or idea:
