7 open source alternatives to WhatsApp: Signal for Android

Side by side

7 open source alternatives to WhatsApp
Tool	Fit	Stars	Licence	Terms	Self-hosted	Language	Latest	Last push
Signal for Android	Full replacement	29k	AGPL-3.0	Open source	No	Kotlin	v8.28.4	2026-10-05
SimpleX Chat	Full replacement	20k	AGPL-3.0	Open source	No	Haskell	v7.0.3	2026-10-06
Signal Desktop	Partial	17k	AGPL-3.0	Open source	No	TypeScript	v8.29.0	2026-10-01
Tinode	Partial	14k	GPL-3.0	Open source	Yes	Go	v0.25.3	2026-09-27
Delta Chat for Android	Partial	1.8k	GPL-3.0	Open source	No	Java	v2.62.0	2026-10-06
Session for Android	Partial	915	GPL-3.0	Open source	No	Kotlin	1.33.5	2026-10-05
Snikket	Partial	464	Apache-2.0	Open source	Yes	Lua	stable.20260611	2026-09-30

7 alternatives

A private messenger for Android.

End-to-end encrypted messages, groups and voice and video calls, run by a non-profit.

SimpleX - the first messaging network operating without user identifiers of any kind - 100% private by design! iOS, Android and desktop apps 📱!

Encrypted messages, groups and calls with no phone number or user identifier, over relays you can host.

A private messenger for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Desktop app linked to a Signal account on a phone.

Instant messaging platform. Backend in Go. Clients: Swift iOS, Java Android, JS webapp, scriptable command line; chatbots

A messaging server with web, Android and iOS clients and a gRPC API for bots.

Decentralized private messenger with chat-shared tools and games for Android

Encrypted chats and groups carried over email, through any mail account or a chatmail relay.

Session Android - A Decentralized, Onion Routed, Private Messenger

Encrypted messages and groups routed through an onion network, with no phone number; calls are in beta.

Image builder for Snikket server

Chats, calls and file sharing for a family or group on your own XMPP server, through the Snikket apps.