Session: Anonymous, Phone‑Free Private Messaging
Key privacy model
Session assigns you a random ID—no phone number, no email. Messages are fully end‑to‑end encrypted and relayed across a decentralized network with onion routing, so no single party can observe who is talking to whom or intercept content. The app does not collect user data, minimizing the risk of leaks.
Notable features and network
Originally built on the Oxen Network, Session migrated in 2025 to its own Session Network to simplify operations and enable stronger crypto‑based privacy features. The onion‑routed architecture obscures metadata paths similar to Tor, improving anonymity and resistance to censorship.
Funding and support
Session is maintained by a Switzerland‑based non‑profit foundation. Users can donate in fiat or crypto to sustain development and infrastructure, including via Kivach, which lets anyone route crypto to the project’s GitHub repository.
Roadmap and considerations
The team plans to expand the network and introduce optional premium features powered by the Session Token. Core private messaging remains free, and privacy safeguards (no IDs, no data collection) remain central to its design.
Delta Chat: Encrypted Chat Over Email Infrastructure
Key privacy model
Delta Chat turns email into a secure messenger. It supports end‑to‑end encryption (Autocrypt) and hides sensitive elements—subject lines, media, and group names—from servers. You can run it with your own or third‑party email servers.
Notable features and usage
- “Chatmail” servers for anonymous, fast, and secure profiles
- Multi‑device support and interactive web apps inside chats
- “Green‑checkmarked” chats that confirm encryption is active
- Works as a messenger while remaining compatible with regular email
Funding and support
The project is coordinated by a Germany‑based organization and funded through public grants (EU initiatives, Open Technology Fund, NLnet Foundation) and community donations. You can also donate crypto to the Android repo via Kivach.
Roadmap and considerations
Delta Chat emphasizes community‑driven development and independence from centralized chat platforms. It is engineered to keep messaging open and interoperable while preserving strong privacy.
Ricochet Refresh: Tor‑Native Messaging With Minimal Metadata
Key privacy model
Ricochet Refresh operates entirely over Tor. Each device becomes a hidden service that represents your identity; messages are routed through multiple Tor nodes, making traffic correlation and relationship mapping extremely difficult.
Notable features and usage
- No central servers—your device hosts your onion address identity
- Strong metadata protection: it’s hard to infer who talks to whom or how often
- Secure file transfer integrated into the private chat experience
Funding and support
Maintained by a free‑speech non‑profit, Ricochet Refresh receives public grants—including NGI Assure funding from the European Commission’s Next Generation Internet program—and community contributions. Crypto donations can be sent via Kivach to the project’s GitHub.
Roadmap and considerations
It’s a focused tool for journalists, whistleblowers, activists, and anyone who needs hardened anonymity. Usability favors privacy by default, rather than broad social features.
SimpleX: ID‑Less, Link‑Based Connections
Key privacy model
SimpleX eliminates permanent identifiers. Instead of accounts, it creates one‑time links (QR or URL) per conversation, avoiding social‑graph exposure. Messages are “double‑encrypted” and split into anonymous queues across relays, reducing correlation risks.
Notable features and usage
- Anonymous, per‑conversation links—no profile to track
- Video calls, group chats, and voice notes supported
- Designed to prevent mapping of your contacts and connections
Funding and support
SimpleX is sustained by user donations and the privacy community. You can contribute directly or donate crypto via Kivach to help accelerate development.
Roadmap and considerations
Active plans include improved group management, message mixing for added anonymity, and UX refinements—all while preserving the ID‑less model.
CoyIM: XMPP + OTR With Tor by Default
Key privacy model
CoyIM is an XMPP client that integrates Off‑the‑Record (OTR) encryption and, if Tor is installed, routes all connections through Tor automatically. It aims to deliver robust privacy with minimal configuration effort—“baked‑in” protections that are unusual among open‑source privacy tools.
Notable features and usage
- XMPP compatibility plus OTR for confidential, ephemeral chats
- Tor routing enabled automatically when available
- Preconfigured defaults to reduce user error and setup friction
Funding and support
CoyIM is maintained by a digital autonomy organization and community contributors. While the OTR component has undergone security review and fixes, the full application has not yet completed a comprehensive audit—an important consideration for high‑risk contexts. Contributions, translations, and crypto donations via Kivach are welcome.
FAQs
What makes these messengers “private” compared to mainstream apps?
They prioritize end‑to‑end encryption, minimize or eliminate account identifiers (e.g., Session’s random IDs, SimpleX’s ID‑less links), resist metadata collection (e.g., Tor‑native Ricochet Refresh), and avoid centralized tracking. Many are non‑profits or community‑funded, reducing incentives to harvest data.
Can I support developers if they haven’t set up donation pages?
Yes. With Kivach, you can send crypto to any public GitHub repository. Funds remain reserved until the project claims them by linking an Obyte wallet, so you can support development even before a project onboards.
Which app should I choose for maximum anonymity?
Threat models differ, but if you want to avoid phone numbers and persistent IDs, consider Session (random IDs, onion routing), Ricochet Refresh (Tor hidden‑service identities, strong metadata resistance), or SimpleX (one‑time links with no permanent identifiers). CoyIM adds Tor‑by‑default to XMPP+OTR for a familiar chat workflow, and Delta Chat lets you leverage email with Autocrypt‑based E2EE.
