If you can't get people to switch to Signal, you won't get them to switch to anything else.
this post was submitted on 01 Sep 2025
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Signal
second this. afaik signal is the best option right now for most people and the one i use, and also managed to get some friends, family and even coworkers (which was nice of them, even tho i guess it was easier for them to install signal and center our workplace communication there than to get me to reinstall fucking whatsapp) to switch to, alongside my SO.
simplex
Element is just one of many clients I find fluffy chat much more user friendly
Signal is the most user-friendly option so far, which is also expected, given it's also one of the oldest one of those.
Simplex is also a good-ish option, but somewhat rough around the edges; the biggest benefit is, one doesn't need a phone number or e-mail to start chatting.
Matrix is questionable: it's quite feature-rich, but lacks solid android clients (IMO, fluffychat is among the best so far, yet when I last used it, it didn't handle stickers/custom emojis all that well, for example); as for the desktop/web clients cinny is a godsend due to allowing importing/exporting encryption keys manually, which just works all the time.
I have an unfederated XMPP server (running Prosody), family's using Conversations (Android) & Dino (Linux) with it. We can chat, send images, do voice & video calls. Has been working fine & reliably for the past ~6 years or so. Took about 1.5 minutes for them to get used to the clients.
I'm slowly opening it up for friends too, so friends, neighbours, classmates, etc can chat with us too. It's going great so far, no complaints.
I've managed to screw up every self-hosted service whenever I've made an update, edit a config file or just by looking at it. But my Prosody XMPP server? It's rock solid. That thing never fails, for years and years.
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Signal is probably your best bet but it's only mostly open source. Element/Matrix is another good option if open source is your concern.
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Signal is super user friendly. All my normie friends use it. Not super in the spirit of foss as it's not meant to be self hosted—which imo makes the server practically proprietary/source available. (ik people self host it anyway, but it's not supported and Signal don't like people self hosting or even making custom clients.) SimpleX is good too but not as polished as Signal.
I'm surprised that no one else has said this one yet: Delta Chat
I'm a paid contributor to Delta Chat, but I don't feel like I can recommended it until it includes sealed sender and PFS. Signal really changed the game with chat apps. 2.0 looks great, tho! https://delta.chat/en/help#sealedsender
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"Chat app" like texting/whatsapp?
Or "chat app" like Discord/Slack?
For the former, Signal is going to be the one your friends and family will actually use. For the latter there isn't anything really approaching the same level yet. Matrix/Element is making a good effort but absolutely not there yet, especially on mobile.
Has an onboarding wizard, includes text, voice and video calling, OMEMO encryption, group chats etc.
But more importantly, what have you tried and why didn't they work for you?
by "FOSS" you mean compatible with the core values of free/libre software?
This rules out Signal because: 1/ some of its server software is proprietary 2/ they dont allow you to communicate with "their" users if you want to run the server software yourself 3/ the prevented authors of free/libre software in the past to distribute their software (find a fdroid/signal thread) 4/ in practice they channel their users through their centralized servers hosted on AWS
(and that's without evoking their questionable funding, and long lasting commitment to make all their users identifiable through phone number, 10+y after US generals declared "we kill people based on metadata"....)
Simplex seems to me like the one really ticking all the boxes.
and long lasting commitment to make all their users identifiable through phone number
They've had usernames for a good while now...
usernames is just for users. it is just a display thing. Signal still require that you use a phone# to sign up, and that you keep owning and paying for that SIM over the years in order to be able to verify it at random intervals...
despite being a very anti-privacy feature (esp. from a US company, funded initially bu US gov, who still forces its users to have their metadata stored on a US cloud...), it is also very much anti-user as in many cases around me, people who opened Signal accounts with some SIM card some day later traveled abroad, changed life, etc... and one day were asked to verify their account. (this is in some case what prompted their migration towards other communication networks...)
Signal still require that you use a phone# to sign up
Your statement was that phone numbers make users identifiable. If they don't have my phone number, how can they use it to identify me?
and that you keep owning and paying for that SIM over the years
I don't know if you've noticed but it's nearly impossible to exist without a SIM these days. You can't even access your bank account remotely. But I suppose you only have a home phone and don't have internet access outside of WiFi?
in order to be able to verify it at random intervals...
in many cases around me, people who opened Signal accounts with some SIM card some day later traveled abroad, changed life, etc... and one day were asked to verify their account.
You're lying. You don't need to verify it at "random intervals", you only need it once when you initially sign up. You're just spreading misinformation at this point.
despite being a very anti-privacy feature
It's not, but please do elaborate.
funded initially bu US gov
You know what else is funded by the gov? TOR. But I suppose that's compromised as well? Which also compromises many of the messengers using the TOR network?
I don't support phone # verification, but they do have valid reasons for it, and it doesn't compromise the service at all, as you claim, because the only things tied to your phone number is:
- When you first registered
- When you last connected.
Which isn't really super useful information to the gov. And in order to get that info they have to ALREADY HAVE YOUR #. Which, of course, they do already have everyone's #. It's not exactly private information.
You’re lying.
Thanks! :)
But no. Happened to several friends of mine, out of the blue: phone# verification to their signal account. Therefore when accusing people of lying... you are lying! :)
It's not just about "having your phone number", it is indeed relating it to the phone numbers of all the people you interact with, and (at least) processing these data in the RAM of amazon servers while promising they do not use or store it. It is strongly identifying "strong selector" metadata that is incompatible with the protection of users' privacy.
You can call me a lier, but you better check your sources.
it is indeed relating it to the phone numbers of all the people you interact with
Please provide evidence when you make such wild claims.
Evidence is: Signal still requires a phone# that is your unique identifier. Thus when connecting two parties, it is bound to have identifying metadata about them. (and that Signal still operates within AWS cloud, and is bound by US law: FISA, Patriot Act, etc.) How much more than this do you need?
Evidence is: Signal still requires a phone#
This does not even remotely resemble evidence.
Thus when connecting two parties, it is bound to have identifying metadata about them
No it isn't.
(and that Signal still operates within AWS cloud, and is bound by US law: FISA, Patriot Act, etc.)
There's no law in existence that requires them to store metadata or hand anything over to the feds. They have been subpoenaed several times and it always comes out the same: the only data they have is what I detailed above. Even if they DO have it (which they don't) they don't provide it, which is effectively the same thing.
How much more than this do you need?
Literally anything legitimate.
There’s no law in existence that requires them to store metadata or hand anything over to the feds. They have been subpoenaed several times and it always comes out the same: the only data they have is what I detailed above. Even if they DO have it (which they don’t) they don’t provide it, which is effectively the same thing.
It is just enough that this metadata be handled within the computing environment of Amazon. Their refusal for anyone use their own server and federate with "their" (as in captive) users also prevents anyone for using it in any other way...
If you dont see that Signal requires that its users use a strong-selector phone# in order to use the service, there is nothing i can do for you.
If you're unable to explain or provide evidence as to why any of that is problematic, there's nothing I can do for you.
Authorities don't need to ask Signal for metadata; Signal promises they don't log any themselves and that is probably true.
But, they outsource their server operation to Jeff Bezos, and then they do some absurd security theater to pretend that cryptography makes it so that the server (Amazon) couldn't possibly log metadata - which is obviously false.
You think Bozos has access to information that Signal does not?
I would reccomend XMPP(with OMEMO), for android I reccomend the conversations client, but there are a lot of clients: https://xmpp.org/software/?platform=all-platforms I suggest you choose a client that fully supports OMEMO encryption.
Signal is easy and straightforward to use
SimpleX, best anonymity. Not really what u are asking for in terms of use case. It's a great messenger app, but still needs some refining in their UX. But I still like to mention it. Probably Signal then.
Love it. Very easy to use and looks great, IMO.
Aye but things like same account use isn't quite there yet.
As in, you can connect your phone to a pc and use it from there. But then u can't use it on your phone, while connected with another device.... if i remember correctly.
At one point I had a group chat with my phone, home desktop, and work laptop. Whereas whatsapp u just connect once and go.
It's probaly to secure your privacy and technical stuff under the hood....
It's a great app nonetheless, so I shall always shill it over Signal lol.
That's true. And it doesn't seem like you can connect phone to pc if both are using Tor. I think this is the only downside.
Fluffychat (matrix), Deltachat seem really good but good luck getting anyone to change. Let us know if you figure out a way to persuade people they should make any effort or try something new.
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Revolt looks promising, but is more along the lines of Discord. It is less mature than other previously mentioned alternatives. https://revolt.chat/
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