This project won the first prize 🥇 at Telegram Lightweight Client Contest and now is an official Telegram client available to anyone at web.telegram.org/a.
WhatsApp Alternatives
WhatsApp is described as 'Free messaging without SMS fees, web sync, and multimedia sharing, supporting group and video chats, available on iPhone, Android, and desktop' and is a leading instant messenger in the social & communications category. There are more than 100 alternatives to WhatsApp for a variety of platforms, including Android, iPhone, iPad, Windows and Web-based apps. The best WhatsApp alternative is Signal, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like WhatsApp are Telegram, Element, Wire and Tox.
filter to find the best alternatives
WhatsApp alternatives are mainly Instant Messengers, but if you're looking for Group Chat Apps or Encrypted Chat Apps you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Apple Watch, EU, Open Source, Windows Phone, Self-Hosted, Blackberry and Android. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to WhatsApp.
Alternatives list
VeilidChat is a 1-to-1, person-to-person text only chat application which serves as a technology demonstration for the Veilid application development framework. All communication is end to end encrypted, authenticated, private routed, and peer-to-peer. It's currently in early beta.
Android keyboard for secure E2EE communication through the signal protocol in any messenger. Communicate securely and independent, regardless of the legal situation or whether messengers use E2EE.
+7
5 twinme alternativestwinme messenger protects your identity & intimacy: no information to identify you and your contacts; relationships under your full control are private, non-transferable.
Cost / License
- Freemium
- Proprietary
Application type
Platforms
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- iPad
+3
18 Stranger Space alternativesAnonymous chat service connecting users globally. No sign-up needed. Advanced filters for partner selection by location, age, and interests. Supports text, voice notes, video calls, and media sharing. Customizable chat rooms, contact save feature, and a secure environment.
21 Vector Private Messaging alternativesVector encompasses the ideals of freedom through free and open-source technology, using a "Privacy by Principle" approach. This means that privacy is not a feature or add-on, but the core foundation that Vector is built upon, which is granted and accessible to everyone.
Cost / License
- Free
- Open Source (MIT)
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Android
- Android Tablet
243 Conduit Chat Server alternativesConduit is a simple, fast and reliable chat server powered by Matrix. Conduit is an alternative to Synapse and tries to be lightweight and easy to install, but it is still in development.
Cost / License
- Free
- Open Source (Apache-2.0)
Application type
Platforms
- Online
- Self-Hosted
- Raspberry Pi
- Linux
- Debian
- Nix Package Manager
- Docker
- Docker Hub
65 Google Chat alternativesSecure team messaging platform with organized topic-based conversations, real-time collaboration on Docs, Sheets, Slides, integrated calendar scheduling, one-click meetings, shared tasks and files, Google Workspace support, admin controls, compliance, and advanced search.
Cost / License
- Freemium
- Proprietary
Application type
Platforms
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- iPad
+8
SchildiChat is a Matrix client based on Element with a more traditional instant messaging experience.
Cost / License
- Free
- Open Source
Application type
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Online
- Android
- Flathub
- F-Droid
- Flatpak
+1
+5
Kaidan is a simple, user-friendly Jabber/XMPP client providing a modern user interface using Kirigami and QtQuick. The back-end of Kaidan is written in C++ using the QXmpp XMPP client library and Qt 5.
Cost / License
- Free
- Open Source
Application type
Platforms
- Linux
- Android
- Ubuntu Touch
- Plasma Mobile
- Flathub
Cost / License
- Free
- Open Source
Application type
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- iPad
+2
United States
Switzerland
France
EU
Germany
Estonia