Self-Hosted WhatsApp Alternatives

WhatsApp is not available as a self-hosted solution but there are plenty of alternatives for power users and business that want to host a solution on-premise. The best Self-Hosted alternative is Element. It's not free, so if you're looking for a free alternative, you could try Element or Wire. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to WhatsApp and 18 are available as a self-hosted solution so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Self-Hosted alternatives to WhatsApp are Jitsi Meet, SimpleX Chat, Zulip and XMPP.

filter to find the best alternatives

WhatsApp alternatives are mainly Instant Messengers, but if you're looking for Encrypted Chat Apps or Group 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.
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Alternatives list

  1. Element icon

    Element

     776 likes

    Provides secure collaboration with end-to-end encryption, supporting chat, voice, and video calls. Available on all major platforms, it enables digital sovereignty with a decentralized design and interoperability through bridges to systems like Slack and Teams. Includes enterprise-grade SaaS.

    302 Element alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • Matrix.org
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    • Cloudron
    • Snapcraft
    Video calls for desktop and mobile
     
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    11
    101
    Comments about Element as an Alternative to WhatsApp
    Top Positive Comment
    Vladimir Studinsky
    9

    Decentral (federation), sure. Open source - client, protocol and server

    Biep
    Positive
    0

    It gives access to the federated, open source, free Matrix network, and through bridges to lots of other social media.

    Guest
    Positive
    1

    It is floss (free/libre and open source) and the developers are friendly and open to the community.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 11 comments
    Element icon
    Element icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Element is a great WhatsApp alternative.

    • Element is Free Personal and Open SourceWhatsApp is Free and Proprietary
    • Element is Privacy focused and LightweightWhatsApp is not according to our users
  2. Wire icon

    Wire

     313 likes

    Wire is the most secure collaboration platform featuring messenger, voice, video, conference calls, file-sharing, and external collaboration –all protected by the most secure end-to-end-encryption.

    282 Wire alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • F-Droid
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    • Flathub
    • Snapcraft
    Wire screenshot 1
     
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    7
    90
    Comments about Wire as an Alternative to WhatsApp
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    8

    Basically Signal on steroids. Also, open source and doesn't ask for your phone number, allows creation of throwaway accounts as well as basic group conversation functionality. Perfect.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    More Privacy oriented, more secure, but best of all OpenSource. Unfortunately it ain't free (as in money but free as in freedom).

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    4

    Elegant UI, encrypted communication, on all relevant operating systems, has great VoIP and video call quality and so on.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 7 comments
    Wire icon
    Wire icon

    • Most users think Wire is a great WhatsApp alternative.

    • Wire is Free Personal and Open SourceWhatsApp is Free and Proprietary
    • Wire is Security-focused and Privacy focusedWhatsApp is not according to our users
  4. Matrix icon

    Matrix

     384 likes

    Matrix defines a set of open APIs for decentralised communication, suitable for securely publishing, persisting and subscribing to data over a global open federation of servers with no single point of control.

    166 Matrix alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • WebRTC
    • Python
    • JavaScript
    • Go (Programming Language)
    • Cloudron
    • Java
    • Perl
    Main Page
     
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    3
    42
    Comments about Matrix as an Alternative to WhatsApp
    Biep
    Positive
    0

    It is open source, e2ee, free, federated, well-maintained, open protocol (allowing bridges to other social media).

    Guest
    Positive
    1

    You can choose, which client you like the most and use it

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    WhatsApp without spyware of Facebook

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Matrix icon
    Matrix icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Matrix is a great WhatsApp alternative.

    • Matrix is Free and Open SourceWhatsApp is Free and Proprietary
    • Matrix is Privacy focused, Security-focused and LightweightWhatsApp is not according to our users
  5. Jitsi Meet icon

    Jitsi Meet

     284 likes

    Go ahead, video chat with the whole team. In fact, invite everyone you know. Jitsi Meet is a fully encrypted, 100% open source video conferencing solution that you can use all day, every day, for free.

    148 Jitsi Meet alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • Apple Watch
    • F-Droid
    Jitsi Meet screenshot 1
     
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    2
    21
    Comments about Jitsi Meet as an Alternative to WhatsApp
    EchtWahr
    Negative
    7

    Jitsi is a conferencing platform not a messenger

    vadim_the_brave
    Negative
    0

    Its videoconferencing platform, not a messenger

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Jitsi Meet icon
    Jitsi Meet icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Jitsi Meet is a great WhatsApp alternative.

    • Jitsi Meet is Free and Open SourceWhatsApp is Free and Proprietary
    • Jitsi Meet is Security-focused, Privacy focused and LightweightWhatsApp is not according to our users
  6. SimpleX Chat icon

    SimpleX Chat

     90 likes

    SimpleX - the most private and secure chat and applications platform - now with double ratchet E2E encryption! Built on Haskell with Love and Coffee.

    69 SimpleX Chat alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Self-Hosted
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    • Flatpak
    SimpleX Chat screenshot 1
     
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    2
    12
    Comments about SimpleX Chat as an Alternative to WhatsApp
    Guest
    Positive
    1

    this is probably the best private and secure alternative to WhatsApp as of 2025, I can personally say it's even better than Session in some ways. More people should use it.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Jaak Dragon
    Positive
    0

    The UI of this app need to be polished, but everything is done correctly. I am really happy that this app and the service exist in this age.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    SimpleX Chat icon
    SimpleX Chat icon

    • Almost everyone thinks SimpleX Chat is a great WhatsApp alternative.

    • SimpleX Chat is Free and Open SourceWhatsApp is Free and Proprietary
    • SimpleX Chat is Privacy focused and LightweightWhatsApp is not according to our users
  7. Zulip icon

    Zulip

     266 likes

    Zulip is the only modern team chat app that is designed for both live and asynchronous conversations. Zulip topics create a separate space for each discussion, so different conversations will never get in each other's way.

    222 Zulip alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • BSD
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • F-Droid
    Zulip screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Comments about Zulip as an Alternative to WhatsApp
    hrishikeshpatil
    Positive
    0

    Messages seperated by streams and topics

    Zulip icon
    Zulip icon
    • Zulip is Free Personal and Open SourceWhatsApp is Free and Proprietary
    • Zulip is Privacy focusedWhatsApp is not according to our users
  9. XMPP icon

    XMPP

     22 likes

    XMPP, or Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol, is an open standard for instant messaging and real-time communication, allowing for message exchanges between any two entities on the Internet. It's known for its decentralized and extensible nature.

    36 XMPP alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Windows Phone
    • Self-Hosted
     
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    6
  10. Snikket icon

    Snikket

     10 likes

    Snikket is an ambitious project to build a new kind of XMPP-based messaging platform.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • F-Droid
    • Docker
    Snikket screenshot 1
     
  11. Tinode icon

    Tinode

     10 likes

    Fully open source instant messaging server and clients. No proprietary components or non-free dependencies. Backend in pure Go (GPL 3.0), with a command-line administration tool in python + gRPC. Clients for Android, iPhone, and Web - ReactJS (all licensed under Apache 2.0).

    160 Tinode alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Self-Hosted
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    iOS client
     
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    2
    Comments about Tinode as an Alternative to WhatsApp
    geneso
    Positive
    0

    Most feature-complete replacement.

    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Completely open source and free end-to-end. Download and run.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Tinode icon
    Tinode icon
    • Tinode is Free and Open SourceWhatsApp is Free and Proprietary
  12. Conduit Chat Server icon

    Conduit Chat Server

     7 likes

    Conduit 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.

    243 Conduit Chat Server alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Self-Hosted
    • Raspberry Pi
    • Linux
    • Debian
    • Nix Package Manager
    • Docker
    • Docker Hub
    Conduit Chat Server screenshot 1
     
  13. Kontalk Messenger icon

    Kontalk Messenger

     30 likes

    Kontalk is a secure instant messenger, allowing you to send and receive text, image and voice messages (other file types coming soon) to and from other Kontalk users completely free of charge.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Android
    • Self-Hosted
    Kontalk Messenger screenshot 1
     
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    9
  14. ARKNet icon

    ARKNet

     1 like

    A decentralized fault-tolerant platform for corporate interaction within companies and for private communication with clients.

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Self-Hosted
    The client's server.
     
12 of 18 WhatsApp alternatives