Communication Tools
Recommended for Privacy
(Strong E2EE, open-source or decentralized, minimal metadata retention. Flags indicate primary legal jurisdiction; 🌐 = decentralized/no single jurisdiction.)
Briar 🌐 — Peer‑to‑peer E2EE messaging over Bluetooth, Wi‑Fi, or Tor; no phone number required.
Cwtch 🇨🇦 — Decentralized, metadata‑resistant, anonymous communications (Open Privacy Research Society).
Element 🇬🇧 — Open‑source Matrix client; E2EE by default; decentralized/self‑hostable.
Friends 🌐 — Open‑source, peer‑to‑peer chat.
Jitsi 🇺🇸 — Open‑source; self‑hostable; Jitsi Meet supports E2EE in certain contexts (project owned by 8x8).
Linphone 🇫🇷 — Open‑source VoIP; strong encryption (ZRTP, SRTP).
Mattermost 🇺🇸 — Open‑source, self‑hosted team chat with strong security.
Rocket.Chat 🇺🇸 — Open‑source, self‑hostable team chat; optional E2EE.
Session 🇨🇭 — Decentralized, onion‑routed messenger; no phone number required (Session Technology Foundation).
Signal 🇺🇸 — Open‑source; E2EE by default; minimal metadata retention (Signal Technology Foundation).
Threema 🇨🇭 — Privacy‑focused; E2EE by default; minimal data.
Tox 🌐 — Decentralized P2P E2EE messaging; no central servers.
Wire 🇨🇭 — Open‑source; E2EE; GDPR‑aligned hosting options.
Better Privacy
(Some metadata collected, but E2EE or stronger privacy stance than mainstream competitors)
- Viber 🇯🇵: E2EE by default; owned by Rakuten.
Good Privacy
(Open-source or self-hostable; privacy depends on server admin / hosting configuration)
- Discourse: Self-hostable forums; privacy depends on admin choices.
- Ekiga: Open-source VoIP; not actively maintained.
- Exo Platform: Open-source digital workplace; self-hostable.
- Lets Chat: Open-source, self-hosted chat.
- MyBB: Open-source forums; depends on hosting.
- Phorum: Open-source forums; depends on admin setup.
- Talky: WebRTC video chat; no account required.
- Zulip: Open-source team chat; can be self-hosted.
Privacy Caution
(Proprietary, logs metadata, limited or no E2EE; includes Meta-owned services)
- Adobe Connect 🇺🇸: Meeting data on Adobe servers.
- AnyDesk 🇩🇪: Remote desktop; lock down unattended access.
- AnyMeeting 🇺🇸: Proprietary, U.S.-hosted.
- BeamYourScreen 🇩🇪: Not E2EE.
- Blackboard 🇺🇸: Heavy data collection.
- blind 🇺🇸/🇰🇷: Requires work email; collects user data.
- Chanty 🇺🇦: Cloud-hosted; not E2EE.
- Digital Samba 🇪🇸: Proprietary webinar platform.
- eBLVD 🇺🇸: Proprietary remote access.
- FaceFlow 🇨🇦: Logs metadata; proprietary.
- Fleep 🇪🇪: Not E2EE; cloud-stored.
- Flowdock 🇺🇸/🇫🇮: Cloud storage; owned by CA Technologies.
- FreeConferenceCall 🇺🇸: Not E2EE; stores metadata.
- FreeScreenSharing 🇺🇸: Proprietary; not E2EE.
- Glance 🇺🇸: Proprietary engagement platform.
- GoToMeeting 🇺🇸: Logs metadata; proprietary.
- Google Meet 🇺🇸: Google account required; extensive metadata.
- Highfive 🇺🇸: Proprietary.
- ICQ 🇷🇺: Weak encryption history; Russian ownership.
- Infinite 🇺🇸: Proprietary.
- Intercall 🇺🇸: Proprietary.
- Join.me 🇺🇸: Proprietary.
- Jostle 🇨🇦: Proprietary.
- Lifesize 🇺🇸: Proprietary.
- Live Conference Pro 🇺🇸: Proprietary.
- Lucid Meetings 🇺🇸: Proprietary.
- LumoFlow 🇫🇮: Proprietary.
- Mashme tv 🇪🇸: Proprietary.
- MeetingOne 🇺🇸: Proprietary.
- MeWe 🇺🇸: Proprietary. Markets itself as ad- and tracking-free, but this cannot be independently verified due to closed-source code and absence of third-party audits.
- Microsoft Teams 🇺🇸: Heavy telemetry; logs metadata.
- Mikogo 🇩🇪: Proprietary.
- Mobilimeet 🇸🇪: Proprietary.
- omNovia 🇺🇸: Proprietary.
- PGi iMeet 🇺🇸: Proprietary.
- Personify 🇺🇸: Proprietary.
- Polycom 🇺🇸: Proprietary.
- Quick Topic 🇺🇸: Hosted, no encryption.
- ReadyTalk 🇺🇸: Proprietary.
- RingCentral 🇺🇸: Logs metadata; proprietary.
- Screenleap 🇺🇸: Proprietary.
- Sharetronix 🇺🇸: Proprietary.
- Skarpline 🇨🇦: Proprietary.
- Skype 🇺🇸: Microsoft-owned; logs metadata/content.
- Slack 🇺🇸: Logs metadata; server-side storage unencrypted at rest by default.
- Socialtext 🇺🇸: Proprietary.
- StartMeeting 🇺🇸: Proprietary.
- TeamViewer 🇩🇪: Logs metadata; proprietary.
- Telegram 🇷🇺: Default “cloud” chats are not end-to-end encrypted; uses proprietary MTProto protocol with known design concerns; requires phone number, exposing users to SIM-swap risks; metadata and IP address logs accessible to the company; Russian jurisdictional exposure and documented compliance with data requests.
- WhatsApp 🇺🇸: E2EE by default but Meta-owned; extensive metadata and backups exposure.
- Workplace by Facebook 🇺🇸: Facebook-linked; extensive tracking.
- Zoho Cliq 🇮🇳: Proprietary.
- Zoom 🇺🇸: Logs metadata; E2EE not default across all meeting types.
Defunct / Offline
Campfire: Defunct.
iLinc: Defunct.
iWowWe: Defunct.
ooVoo: Defunct.
Simple Signal: Defunct.
Encrypted Cloud: Defunct.