Open alternatives7
Open-source apps that replace WhatsApp, Telegram and more

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 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 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 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 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 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 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.
What's missing
What people still miss here, and wish existed. Upvote what matters to you.
Before you build
Planning something for messaging? See what exists first, so you can reuse parts or explain what's different. Paste this into any AI assistant:
Fix the list itself
A project or closed app missing from this list, or a mistake on it? These open a short form on GitHub, and a mod reviews it. To say what a project can't do, use What's missing.
About this page
Replaces fully means it does the main job of these apps; Replaces partly means it covers some of it.
Licenses: every project here uses an open-source license (what each one means). Open core means some parts are paid or under another license.
GitHub stars are shown for reference. They measure popularity, not whether it replaces anything.
Verified means r/TrueOpenSource mods checked it: open-source license, maintained, and it really does the job.
How Open Source Everything works