Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks
Best Overall
Signal Private Messenger
Pros & Cons
End-to-end encryption secured with open-source technology
Free, nonprofit owned
Group, voice, and video chats
Multiplatform support
Requires phone number for signup
Why We Picked It
We consider Signal the gold standard for secure messaging apps, and it’s easy to see why. All messages are secured with end-to-end encryption (E2EE) and Signal is a nonprofit, so there’s no reason to harvest any user data. The underlying technology of Signal is so successful it has been implemented by Google and Meta.
Who It’s For
Signal is our top pick as the best secure messaging app because it does the best job of balancing security and usability. It’s more accessible than ever and has improved without having to sacrifice its integrity. It hasn’t quite reached a critical mass of users, but if you want to communicate securely, use Signal.
Specs & Configurations
End-to-End Encryption
For All Messages By Default
Supported Client Software
Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows
Learn More
Signal Private Messenger Review
Best for a Big User Base
WhatsApp
Pros & Cons
Free
Enormously popular
Self-destructing messages and images
Video and voice calls
Requires phone number to sign up
Some users may not trust Meta to protect their privacy
Why We Picked It
WhatsApp has the kind of widespread adoption that technology companies dream of. Originally conceived as a way to avoid costly international texting fees, WhatsApp has grown into a juggernaut. The company takes security seriously and enables E2EE by default on all conversations except those with business accounts.
Who It’s For
Everyone you know is probably already on WhatsApp, so if you’re looking for the app you won’t have to convince people to install, this is a good bet. That said, it comes with serious caveats. First, it’s owned by Meta, putting its future and the future of its privacy protections in question. Second, its backups can potentially be accessed by hackers or law enforcement. The company is very clear about all this, however, and provides remediation where possible.
Specs & Configurations
End-to-End Encryption
For All Non-Business Messages
Supported Client Software
Android, iOS, macOS, Windows
Learn More
WhatsApp Review
Best for Social Networking
Telegram
Pros & Cons
Strong social networking features
Ad revenue sharing program for channel owners
Helpful features and chatbots for business users
Allows users to delete both sides of one-on-one conversations
End-to-end encryption is limited to secret chats and video/voice communication
Requires phone number to set up
Requires Contact list access to message phone numbers
Nonfunctional Quick Replies in testing
Why We Picked It
More than any other app, Telegram has evolved the idea of instant messaging into something wholly unique. With Telegram, you can talk to your friends, sure, but you can also create communities, hold live streams, and so on.
Who It’s For
Telegram is the place to build or participate in communities of people with shared interests. If you’re willing to trade end-to-end encryption for an audience, this is your option.
Specs & Configurations
End-to-End Encryption
For Some Modes Only
Supported Client Software
Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows
Learn More
Telegram Review
Best for Anonymous Texting
Session
Pros & Cons
Free
No personal info required at sign-up
Default end-to-end encryption
Decentralized data storage
Inconsistent screenshot notifications
Spotty calling functionality
Slow text messaging
Why We Picked It
Session is a highly secure, ultra-private open-source messaging app that you can use on every device you own. We like that Session disables screenshots by default.
Who It’s For
Session’s calling features are in beta, so it’s best for anonymous texting now. We like that the app doesn’t request any personal information from you when you’re signing up, which makes it easier to chat without leaving a trail of data for snoops to follow.
Specs & Configurations
End-to-End Encryption
For All Messages By Default
Supported Client Software
Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows
Learn More
Session Review
Best for Avoiding Surveillance
Briar
Pros & Cons
Decentralized network
Screenshots blocked by default
Easy to chat with people you know
Only available for Android devices
No discoverability
No video or voice chat
Why We Picked It
Briar is the most privacy-focused messaging app we’ve tested. It doesn’t request any user data, and it disables screenshots and screen recording by default, which is fantastic.
Who It’s For
Briar doesn’t need a central server to sync messages between users, which is great for activists, journalists, political figures, or anyone else who is worried about surveillance. That said, Briair is text-only and limited to Android devices, making it less functional for casually chatting with family or friends.
Specs & Configurations
End-to-End Encryption
For All Messages By Default
Supported Client Software
Android
Buying Guide: The Best Private Messaging Apps for 2024
Why Should I Use a Private Messaging App?Privacy and security are terms often used interchangeably (especially in cybersecurity product marketing lingo), but we’re using them to define very different things. When we talk about privacy, we’re referring to information that can be used to track or identify you, like photos, conversations, your location, or the names of your family and friends. When we mention security, we’re talking about whether you or your data is vulnerable to attack or theft. We make this distinction because there are lots of factors that can erode your privacy without necessarily affecting your security.
(Credit: René Ramos; puhhha/Shutterstock.com)
You should care about protecting your privacy because many people are keen to harvest and sell your data. You should care about the chat app’s security because you don’t want the app to get hacked, leading to criminals leaking your private chats, photos, or videos. What Is the Most Secure Private Messaging App?The best services use a process called end-to-end encryption (E2EE), where messages are encrypted in such a way that only the intended recipients—not the messaging company and not anyone spying on your activity—can see the message’s contents. The encrypted messaging apps in this roundup all use E2EE, but they’re not all implemented the same way. Briar and Session both use a decentralized network for receiving and sending user messages, which is great because it means user data isn’t stored on one central server that can be attacked or infiltrated. These two ultra-secure messaging apps also disable in-app screenshots and recording for all users by default, though you can turn off that setting in Session’s Settings menu. The private messaging apps with more social components, such as Signal, Telegram, and WhatsApp, offer fewer default security measures but offer options for increasing your security on the platform. Signal and WhatsApp use E2EE by default for all person-to-person and group chats, as well as voice and video. Both also use the Signal Protocol, which has been evaluated and implemented by Google, Meta (read: Facebook), and others. We recommend Signal because it always uses E2EE encryption; WhatsApp and Telegram do, too, but with some exceptions.If you message a business account on WhatsApp, your message contents are not encrypted. Business accounts are clearly marked. Plus, the expectation of privacy when communicating with a business like Big Max’s Kombucha Haus isn’t the same as you’d expect when chatting with your spouse.Telegram’s E2EE implementation is a different story. With Telegram, only Secret Chats are end-to-end encrypted. All other chats—normal one-to-one, group, and all others—are still encrypted but done so that Telegram holds the keys. That means the company could potentially read your messages or be compelled to hand over your conversations to law enforcement. Telegram says it won’t do this, and the company’s reputation for independence backs that up. However, we prefer tried-and-true E2EE implementation over homegrown encryption methods.Which Messenger Protects Your Privacy?Signal, Telegram, and WhatsApp are all messaging apps with social media components that muddy the privacy waters because they need data to help users find new people to interact with. Of the three social messenger apps, Signal appears to be the most trustworthy, as it’s a free app run by a registered nonprofit that pledges never to sell, rent, or lease customer data. Telegram’s website has published several commitments to user privacy over the years, but it’s run by a for-profit organization that recently rolled out questionable beta features to Android users. Experts say the platform’s lax rules enforcement makes it a hotbed for scams and other cybercrimes.WhatsApp’s biggest privacy problem is its reputation. Facebook purchased the app before it became Meta and thus shares the parent company’s scandalous past. To its credit, WhatsApp is open about its relationship with Meta and goes into detail about what data it shares with its parent company. Basically, your messages (except those to businesses) are between you and your contacts, but some identifying information—including IP addresses—may be shared.
(Credit: Signal/WhatsApp/Telegram/PCMag)
Each private messaging app on the list requires a phone number to use, and all ask for access to your contacts to find your existing friends. That means none of them is suitable for anonymous chatting. Signal is the most usable while sharing the least information, while Telegram and WhatsApp both require access to your contact list for full-featured texting. Signal and WhatsApp hash your contact list information, so they never hold the actual phone numbers of your friends.In testing, we were impressed with Telegram’s Secret Chats feature, which blocks device-level screenshots and screen recording. Signal and WhatsApp have similar features for users’ regular chats. All of the apps allow users to customize their level of privacy on the app in the Settings menu.Going a step further in the privacy department are apps with niche audiences and use cases, like Briar and Session. These apps are also E2EE and open-source, plus they don’t collect any data from users at sign-up. Just create a username-based login and add people you know to start chatting. Briar and Session also don’t request access to your devices’ Contact list. That said, these apps are meant to be used by people who are avoiding surveillance, like government agents or journalists, so there aren’t a lot of “fun features” or options for discovering new users.Can Law Enforcement Read Your Chats?The bad news is that law enforcement has many avenues it can take while obtaining your private conversations. The good news is that in 2021, an FBI document detailed exactly how well Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp, and others stand up to these methods. The feds say they can’t get the contents of messages from Signal and Telegram, which is great. That said, law enforcement can obtain a surprising amount of information on WhatsApp users. If those users are backing up WhatsApp to iCloud, the feds can simply grab their unencrypted messages. WhatsApp suggests its users deactivate iCloud backups.The same FBI document mentioned above covers some privacy information. The document notes that Telegram might hand over IP address information and phone numbers of confirmed terrorists. Signal has no such information to offer (although Signal does require users’ phone numbers to function). The FBI can apparently obtain some information on address book contacts with a court order and can use a pen register to obtain source and destination data (but not message contents) for messages every 15 minutes.Which Messaging App Is the Easiest to Use?If you’re familiar with text messaging, all three of the encrypted messaging apps listed here are easy to adopt. The user interfaces have familiar speech bubble text messages, and you can customize the apps’ appearances in the settings.The most popular app is WhatsApp. Just about anyone you’ve ever wanted to talk to is on the platform (and everyone you hoped you’d never see again). The hardest part of using the other apps on this list will be finding other users to chat with.The apps are pretty fun to use, too. A round of recent product updates saw Signal offer users light-hearted features like Stories, reaction GIFs, and stickers. Telegram and WhatsApp have offered these perks for a while, helping make them popular. Telegram has started monetizing some features, putting access to certain emoji or usernames behind a paywall, which is not ideal.
Recommended by Our Editors
Which Messaging App Is the Most Social?Messaging apps need to do more than just let you talk to one person at a time to differentiate themselves from SMS-based messaging. Social features are essential.WhatsApp is a full social experience, letting you easily create group and private chats using a wide network of contacts already on the app. As mentioned, Signal doesn’t have the massive user base that WhatsApp cultivated over the years, so finding groups of people to talk to can be a challenge. Popularity comes at a price, though, as WhatsApp and Telegram have seen misinformation spread widely through their respective social networks. Telegram makes it fairly easy to find groups to chat with or create a Channel to broadcast your thoughts, but many of its public spaces are clogged with spam and scammers, making them unusable for chatting. Telegram appears to operate more like a social media platform than a private messaging service, so content moderation is left up to group moderators or Channel owners. Which Messaging App Has the Best Voice and Video Calling?Each service makes voice and video calling tools easy to find and use. However, it’s hard to say which is more reliable since it depends heavily on network conditions and individual hardware. Signal and WhatsApp extend their end-to-end encryption to voice and video calls, while Telegram’s encryption caveats extend to its video and voice calling.
(Credit: Signal/WhatsApp/Telegram/PCMag)
Each service supports 30–40 participants—more than enough for a family or small group. If you’re looking to build a following, Telegram is probably your best bet. The service lets you create groups of up to 200,000 people. That said, established social media and streaming platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Twitch, and YouTube are probably better for established or aspiring influencers.None of these services, however, can replace Zoom, Google Meet, or other products for large-scale ad-hoc video calls. For that, you need video conferencing software.Which Messaging App Is Most Secure? The apps on this list assure their users that you can rely on them for fun, safe, secure, and social messaging, but only one can fully deliver on that promise. Editors’ Choice winner Signal uses tried-and-tested technology to protect your messages from spies, law enforcement, and even Signal itself. Its nonprofit status removes any incentive for the company to harvest and sell user data, protecting your privacy. It also compares favorably with the competition in terms of entertaining features and ease of use.Max Eddy contributed to this roundup.
