Best messaging service
A secure and privacy-friendly alternative to WhatsApp
If you are currently using a Messenger such as WhatsApp, Telegram or regular SMS, it is better to choose an alternative here. WhatsApp is owned by Meta (formerly Facebook), a company that makes money by collecting as much information about its users as possible. As far as we know, WhatsApp does not read the content of your messages, but it does collect important metadata. That’s information about how often you app, what time, with whom, what phone number you use, location, and so on.
Meta does not have a good reputation for privacy or promises, to say the least. Therefore, it is advisable to switch to a privacy-friendly alternative. Read why we recommend only Signal here.
Signal is the best alternative to WhatsApp or Telegram as far as we are concerned.
Signal is a secure and privacy-friendly chat app. All communications are encrypted by end-to-end encryption. The key is stored on the user’s own device. As a result, Signal cannot decrypt your conversations, thus also cannot hand them over to third parties.
You can send text messages with Signal, of course, but also send photos and files and make (video) calls. Each update adds new features, such as sending GIFs and stickers. There is also a privacy option to make your messages disappear after it is read. The message disappears from all your devices after a timer expires. This leaves only the reminders (unless your contact takes a screenshot).
Signal retains minimal data from users (privacy by design). To know who is already using Signal, like WhatsApp, it looks in your phone’s address book. This is a downside in terms of privacy.
The software is open source, so anyone can look at the code and see if the app really does what it promises.
Advantages
- Works the same as Whatsapp
- (group) video calling
- A desktop version is available
- Open Source
- End-to-End encryption
- User-friendly
- Privacy Friendly
- Safe
- More and more people are starting to use Signal
Cons
- You need to convince your friends to use Signal
Why should you trust Signal?
Not for-profit (501c3 nonprofit organization)
Signal is an independent, non-profit organization. They have no ties to large technology companies, nor can they ever be acquired by them. Development is funded by scholarships, grants and user donations.
Open Source
All of Signal’s source code is published for anyone to examine and use. This means you can see what’s going on in the code – or, more usefully, rely on the specialized expertise of people who look at the code and know exactly what they’re looking for.
WhatsApp’s closed-source code ensures that there are many security problems that remain unknown until they are exploited.