ANDROID IS BECOMING A CLOSED PLATFORM!
This also puts F-Droid (external link) is also at risk, because Google is changing the way apps are installed on the device.
Every bit of help is needed - show your support: keepandroidopen.org (external link)

free (libre) messengers

- Reading time: 5 minutes -

The largest and most comprehensive collection of information
on the subject of “Messenger” and “Alternatives to WhatsApp”

"I have nothing to hide and no secrets from WhatsApp/Facebook/Google".

That is a fallacy, because:

"It's not about secrets, but about freedom, constitutional
security and self-determined decisions about one's own data."

Call to action

Join in and support the german campaign for Digital Independence Day - DI.DAY (external). It takes place on the first Sunday of every month!

Why?

Not only in our private lives, but in all areas (business, politics, administration, etc.) – and in Europe in particular with regard to Greenland and Ukraine – digital independence is becoming increasingly important.

A broad alliance (external) of organizations from all corners of society has launched DI.DAY. Freie Messenger is part of it!

However, due to the structural similarity, we do not recommend Signal as an alternative to WhatsApp, but rather provider-independent messaging via the chat standard (XMPP), which then brings actual independence(!) and even offers genuine interoperability.

For a delicious recipe for free and independent messaging: https://imday.de (external)

There is a podcast (extern) by ‘Blauberta’ (Frank Odenthal) about Independence Day (DI.DAY) that was posted online on March 26. Great! You can also join a german public chat room for DI.DAY to discuss the topic and ask questions.

Fun fact: The first ‘DI.DAY’ was in 2026 on the anniversary of the chat standard (XMPP), January 4.

You like my work? Then support me!

Overview

1. Quick Start

2. Reading recommendations

3. News / latest changes

4. Donations

5. Miscellaneous

Quick Start

For hurried people who are looking for a free alternative to WhatsApp for Android and immediately want to use a free messenger system without delay:

Target	Technology	Short Info	Installation e. g. from
			(All links refer to EXTERNAL sources!)
Simple chatting with phone number (similar to WhatsApp)	with same-type chat servers	Requires a chat address/user ID (with phone number) on the chat-server Server quicksy.im (chatting with contacts on other servers is possible)	Quicksy (F-Droid, PlayStore)
Simple chattening without phone number	with same-type chat servers	Requires a chat address/user ID (without personal data) on a chat-server (Several clients are available)	Conversations (F-Droid, PlayStore) monocles chat (F-Droid Yaxim (F-Droid, PlayStore - without E2EE)
broadest reachability	all e-mail servers	chatting based on e-mail addresses (yes, it works!) Limitation: without modern messenger features like online status	Delta Chat (F-Droid, PlayStore)
Sensitive special areas	without chat server (direct)	For journalists / activists with high security needs Restriction: Only texts	Briar (F-Droid, PlayStore)

More details about the differences can be found below via the Reading recommendations.
Why the Quick Start item is the way it is? For the “WhatsApp use case”, I consider the international standard XMPP more suitable overall than Matrix, which has the edge as a team messenger.
Cross-reference: System comparison XMPP/Matrix

This site lives on engagement and support - Thank you!

Reading Recommendations

The information compiled on these pages is very extensive. For a quick start, there are therefore target group-based reading recommendations. New visitors are also advised to read the “Why” section.

Target Group	Recommended Entry Pages
New to the topic or here by chance?	Basic What are Free Messengers? Why Free Messengers?
For holders of professional secrecy (including teachers).	Info for holders of professional secrecy Education providers Underestimated secret numbers
For private persons (including pupils)	Decision support Usage instructions for standardized chat (XMPP) Monitoring friends using WhatsApp App sources for Android
For companies, organizations, public administration, associations	Administration and authorities and organizations with security tasks Legal certainty Basis for decision Public groups Own chat server
Interested in the topic data protection and privacy?	Why Underestimated secret numbers Privacy and metadata Monitoring friends using WhatsApp Android permissions System comparison
In search of messenger information?	System comparison Messenger systems: Chat standard (XMPP) Matrix E-mail Briar external messenger overviews/comparisons
Active cooperation	Press relations / “Open WhatsApp Contact

This site lives on engagement and support - Thank you!

News / Latest Changes

Please:

If anyone finds outdated content or broken links, I would be very grateful for a short information.

08.04.2026

References / External Articles
- March 26, 2026: Activist podcast by “Blauberta” (Frank Odenthal) on Digital Independence Day (DI.DAY)
- March 2026: “Selbsthilfe Heidelberg” magazine: Protecting Privacy: Free Messengers for Self-Help Groups

01.02.2026

Freie Messenger has been a co-initiator and supporter of Digital Independence Day (DI.DAY) since the beginning.

Why not!

New: Bitchat
New: MAX (Russia’s state messenger)
New: XChat (messenger integrated into “X”)
Info: Complete takeover of Threema by new financial investor

Messengers - General

New: Kids messenger

System comparison

New: Arabic …
New: Bengali …
New: Danish …
New: Portuguese …
New: Swahili/Suaheli …
… translated version of the Quick overview of messenger systems

Server-based systems

Chat standard (XMPP)
- Server numbers for the xmpp-networkgraph updated
- New sections in Conversations: Pausing and previewing voice messages and Tips: Basic settings;
  Various links to video tutorials on ‘MakerTube’ added
- New section in public chat rooms: Restrict access
- New section in extras: NINA und Bots
SimpleX: New section financing and [/en/simplex/#community-voucher] added; texts updated
New: Nostr

Serverless systems

Revised and supplemented: Echo / Goldbug / Smoke
New: More detailed information on Reticulum/Sideband

English translation

Privacy)
Messenger: Problems

02./04.09.2025

Why not!
- Identical section “Spying and attacking using delivery confirmations” added to WhatsApp and Signal
Information and invitation
Some of our public chat rooms have been moved to other servers. Here is the current overview:
- „Freie Messenger“ (DE) / chat address freie-messenger@chat.openim.de
- New: „Free Messenger“ (EN) / chat address free-messenger@chat.openim.de
- „Chatstandard (XMPP)“ (DE) / chat address chatstandard@chat.openim.de
- „IT-Sicherheit, Datenschutz und Privatsphäre“ (DE) / Chatadresse xmpp:it@chat.disroot.org
- „Schulen“ (DE) / chat address schulen@chat.yax.im

Donations

This site lives on engagement and support - Thank you!

2026: …

Thanks a lot!

The last years:

2025: Monthly: 5,- (= 60€/year) / One-time donations: 20,- / 20,-
2024: Monthly: 5,- (=60€/year) One-time donations: 10,- / Robert 20,-
2023: Monthly: 5,- One-time donations: 500 USD / 20,-
2022: Monthly: 5,- One-time donations: 24,- / 20,- / 20,-
2021: Monthly: 5,- / Für Konterlobbyismus 5,- / Mannott 4,- One-time donations: 20,- / Vogelsang 5,- / 20,-
2020: Monthly: 5,- / Für Konterlobbyismus 5,- One-time donations: 20,- / 20,- / 5,-
2019: Monthly: 5,- One-time donations: Michael D. 20,- / 7,50

Thanks a lot!

Miscellaneous

Logo	Action / Participation / Support
	Freie Messenger is a co-initiator and supporter of Digital Independence Day (DI.DAY) (external)
	Freie Messenger supports the open letter (exteral) of „publiccode“ (extern) and is listd as „Nationale NGO“ (non goverment organisation).
	Freie Messenger is a registered participant of Allianz für Cybersicherheit (external) This is an initiative of the German Federal Office for Information Security (external).
	Free Messenger has been nominated for the Bundespreis 2024 (external) of the Deutsche Stiftung Verbraucherschutz (external).