Messenger & Conferences

Messenger with encryption

2022-05-04

XMPP/Jabber

2022-05-23

The following apps support the XMPP protocol, originally known as Jabber. This is one of the oldest protocols in the instant-messaging world, but still very fresh and constantly being improved.

Snikket (5@25) Ǥ 28 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; XMPP client forked from Conversations
Quicksy (4.7@117) Ǥ 28 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; Vorstellung 11/2018; fork of Conversations using your phone number as ID
Conversations (Jabber / XMPP) (4.3@2,165; ~EUR 3.50) Ǥ 29 1 / Share Location Plugin (4.6@92) Ǥ 7 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2017-12-28 / Voice Recorder Plugin (4.2@58) 3 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2016-11-13 Github; XMPP/Jabber; PGP/OTR/OMEMO; Wikipedia DE | EN; Vorstellung & Schnelleinstieg 5/2016; Anleitung für Anfänger 7/2018; ausführliche Vorstellung 9/2020
blabber.im (4.2@205) Ǥ 29 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; fork of Conversations
aTalk (Jabber / XMPP) (3.7@89) 22 1 Github
Xabber (3.5@12,329) Ǥ 11 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2019-11-27 Github
Stork IM (3@61) Ǥ 17 2 Github
Cheogram (0@0) 27 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ fork of Conversations
monocles chat (0@0; ~EUR 2.00) Ǥ 31 Codeberg
monocles social (0@0) 4 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Codeberg; based on movim
Conv6ations (0@0) 27 fork of Conversations

Matrix/riot/Element

2022-05-20

These are clients for the Matrix protocol. Don't mind the triple naming – it seems they like to rename the project a lot

SchildiChat (4.9@59) Ǥ 30 Github; Review 10/2020
FluffyChat (4.3@194) Ǥ 23 1 also available via its own F-Droid repo; supports UnifiedPush
Syphon (4.2@60) 9 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; Matrix
Element - Secure Messenger (3.7@3,742) Ǥ 30 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; Video Anleitung 3/2021; Wikipedia DE | EN
Librem Chat (3.5@67) Ǥ 30 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2020-04-11 fork of Riot.im
Ditto (0@0) Ǥ 8 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$

Miscellaneous encrypted messenger

2022-05-22

ShazzleChat (4.6@4,308) Ǥ 15 2 Intro 5/2020
Watomatic - Auto Reply for WhatsApp & Facebook (4.6@612) 4 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; Vorstellung 2/2021 | 3/2021; Intro 2/2021; leaving WhatsApp? Tell where you've gone to with this auto-responder!
SimpleX Chat (4.6@12) 11 1 Github
Signal Private Messenger (4.5@2,018,656) Ǥ 54 1 Vorstellung 11/2015 | 11/2015 | 11/2015 | 8/2018-2/2022 | 11/2015; Video-Vorstellung 1/2020; ausführlicher Test 12/2020; "Crypto-SMS" und verschlüsselte Telefonie (ehemals TextSecure + RedPhone)
Threema (4.5@69,672; ~EUR 4.00) Ǥ 26 2 / Threema Work (3.7@1,443) Ǥ 29 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; Video Review 4/2016 (DE) | 3/2019 (DE); Video Backup & Restore (3/2019); Video Threema Webchat Howto 2/2017 (DE); Threema Video Tutorials; Test 4/2016; Vorstellung 8/2018 | 11/2018-1/2021; Wikipedia DE|EN; Audit 11/2015 | 3/2019; (Datenschutz-) Testbericht 2/2020 ; FAQ; messenger with end-to-end encryption
Delta Chat (4.5@2) 25 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ / Delta Chat (4.2@797) 25 2 Github; ausführlicher Testbericht 7/2020 / Vorstellung 6/2019 | 2/2020 | 4/2020; Wikipedia DE
SafeSwiss® - Encrypted Messenger (4.4@558) Ǥ 29 3 Review 9/2021
whispeer Messenger (4.4@32) Ǥ 18 2 LastUpdate: 2018-08-01 Github; DerStart 8/2015; FU-Berlin 5/2017
Wickr Me – Private Messenger (4.3@88,059) Ǥ 20 4 Wikipedia EN; end-to-end encryption with mission-impossible-flair (self-destructing messages)
Rocket.Chat (4.3@10,880) Ǥ 23 5 Github; chat with screen and file sharing, and more
surespot encrypted messenger (4.3@4,210) Ǥ 11 3 LastUpdate: 2019-04-30 Github; Wikipedia DE|EN; send encrypted messages. unlock voice messages per in-app payment. AES end-to-end encryption.
Briar (4.3@2,091) 16 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Video Intro 7/2017; Video Review 7/2018 | 9/2020; Vorstellung 9/2018 | 10/2019 | 4/2020; Wikipedia DE | EN; FreieMessenger; ausführliche Besprechung 11/2020
Nekogram X (4.3@1,263) 38 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github
Telegram (4.1@10,898,287) Ǥ 44 1 Github; Testbericht 7/2016 | 3/2020; Vorstellung 8/2018-1/2021; Security Analysis 5/2017; Video Erklärung 7/2019; Wikipedia DE|EN; encryption and self-destruct timer
Hoop Messenger (4.1@5,122) Ǥ 33 3 Intro 4/2020
Session - Private Messenger (4.1@2,886) Ǥ 28 1 Github
ginlo Private Messenger (4@498) Ǥ 26 3 Vorstellung 9/2018-7/2020
Jami (3.6@1,405) Ǥ 20 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Wikipedia EN; FAQ; background 9/2015 (EN) | 9/2015 (DE); Vorstellung 12/2019 | 5/2020; Testbericht 3/2020; Review 1/2021; desktop clients for Linux, Mac, Windows
Nextcloud Talk (3.6@1,165) Ǥ 32 2 Github
Kontalk Messenger (3.6@614) 31 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2020-07-12 Github; Vorstellung 8/2018
aTox (3.3@132) 5 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github
Chiffry Secure Messenger (3.2@862) Ǥ 28 1
TRIfA (3@108) 14 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; Tox client
TigerConnect - Clinical Solutions (2.9@5,332) Ǥ 31 3
Wire - Secure Messenger (2.7@34,781) Ǥ 20 1 Testberichte 4/2017 | 3/2020; Privacy-Warnung 7/2018; Vorstellung 8/2018 - 4/2020; free/gratis, encrypted communication: voice, video and group chats; cross platform: Android, iOS, Mac, Windows. Or in the web browser.
Anonymous Messenger (2@46) 9 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ peer-to-peer, works over TOR
moin (2@7) 6 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ GitLab; based on IPFS
Dib2Qm (0@0) 10 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ GitLab; based on IMAP and QuickMSG (no centralized server)

Video and Audio Conferences

2022-05-17

Mumla - Mumble VoIP (4.4@277) 12 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ GitLab; audio calls/conferences; client for Mumble (Wikipedia DE | EN)
Skype (4.1@11,454,619) Ǥ 43 4
Jitsi Meet (3.8@49,802) Ǥ 18 2 Github; Anleitung 3/2020; Video Kurzanleitung 3/2020; Vorstellung 4/2020
Jami (3.6@1,405) Ǥ 20 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Wikipedia EN; FAQ; background 9/2015 (EN) | 9/2015 (DE); Vorstellung 12/2019 | 5/2020; Testbericht 3/2020; Review 1/2021; desktop clients for Linux, Mac, Windows
Nextcloud Talk (3.6@1,165) Ǥ 32 2 Github
Wire - Secure Messenger (2.7@34,781) Ǥ 20 1 Testberichte 4/2017 | 3/2020; Privacy-Warnung 7/2018; Vorstellung 8/2018 - 4/2020; free/gratis, encrypted communication: voice, video and group chats; cross platform: Android, iOS, Mac, Windows. Or in the web browser.
Infomaniak kMeet (0@0) Ǥ 14 1 Github

Further Readings:

Mike’s Empfehlungs-Ecke: Messenger
Mike’s Messenger-Matrix
Messenger-Matrix der Piratenpartei
Hinweise zu Anbietern von Videokonferenzdiensten (PDF des Berliner BfDI)
Diese sicheren Messenger empfiehlt das FBI (12/2021)
What was that with E2EE? FBI Document Says the Feds Can Get Your WhatsApp Data — in Real Time (11/2021)
Messenger-Apps auf dem Smartphone – Digitaler Schutzschild Teil6 (6/2021)
Datenschutzfreundliche und sichere WhatsApp-Alternativen (5/2021)
Messenger: Unterschied zwischen Push und Polling (2/2021)
Messenger-Apps im Sicherheits-Check (1/2021)
Homeoffice? Beliebte Dienste und Geheimtipps für Video-Chat (4/2020)
Vorstellung verschiedener Messenger: Warum Signal Messenger eine super Alternative zu WhatsApp ist (3/2020)
Die verrückte Welt der Messenger: Teil1 (1/2020) | Teil2 (2/2020)
Verschlüsselte Messenger: Threema, Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp (11-2015 - 1/2021)
Wire, Hoccer, Kontalk (3/2017)