Signal
free · open sourceThe default recommendation for private messaging: end-to-end encrypted calls and texts, open-source clients and server, and a design that stores almost nothing about you. Court records confirm it can hand over little beyond a signup date. The main tradeoffs are phone-number registration and a centralized service run by a single nonprofit.
Trust shape
Trust-minimized
Signal's servers are centralized and registration requires a phone number, making the nonprofit a single point of failure for availability.
Facts
- Website: signal.org
- Source: github.com/signalapp
- Platforms: macos, windows, linux, ios, android
- Self-hostable: no
- Last updated: 2026-06-12
Build or maintain Signal? Claim this listing to keep its facts current.
Related in Private Communication
Proton Mail
An encrypted email service from Switzerland where messages are stored in a way Proton itself cannot read. It pairs well with a custom domain, which keeps your address portable if you ever want to leave. Email to outside providers is still exposed in transit by nature, and Proton can be legally compelled to log IP addresses.
SimpleX Chat
A private messenger with no user identifiers at all: no phone number, no username, not even a persistent ID linking your conversations together. Message routing is split across relays so no single server sees both ends of a chat. The cost is convenience, since contact discovery is manual and the network is younger and smaller than Signal's.
Tuta
A German encrypted email provider that encrypts message bodies, subject lines, calendars, and contacts, going further than most rivals. The free tier is enough for a real mailbox. Because it uses its own encryption scheme rather than standard protocols, you cannot connect third-party mail apps, and search inside encrypted mail is limited.
Element / Matrix
A messaging app built on Matrix, an open protocol where anyone can run a server, somewhat like email for chat. You can join an existing homeserver or run your own and keep your conversations on hardware you control. Encryption is solid, but metadata visibility and your real sovereignty depend on whose homeserver you use.