The Best Messaging Apps for Privacy (2025)

The last time we spoke about messaging apps on this platform was 2021, so we figured it was high time for an update. Messaging apps are a necessity of life, but unfortunately, many are secretly stealing your information.

Even if you don’t have anything to hide, it’s important that you only use apps that value your privacy. Otherwise, you may find something you didn’t want others to know becoming public information. Read on to learn about the best messaging apps for preserving your privacy.

1. Signal

Honestly, we could write an entire article about how Signal is the best of the best. Not only is this app free, non-profit owned, and open sourced, but they are one of the few that actually doesn’t save chat history—meaning even if the government sends a subpoena, there is nothing for them to release.

All messages sent on Signal are encrypted, and though you need a phone number to sign up, it is fairly user-friendly and easy to figure out. It still has glitches from time to time, but it is far better than any other alternative you will see on this list in terms of privacy and security.

2. Session

Session is a new messaging app that is still in Beta testing, though it is expected to launch later this year. Session is just as private as Signal, but this app takes things even a step further by disabling the screenshot feature while using the app. This means that no one can take photos of your messages to them, providing an extra layer of privacy.

Like Signal, Session is open-source and can be used on pretty much every device you own—whether that is a computer or a phone. As mentioned previously, Session is still new, so there are a lot of glitches on the app that may affect usability, though we do expect these to be ironed out eventually.

We also want to mention that Session doesn’t require a phone number to sign up, making it ultra-private.

3. Briar

Briar is similar to Session, as it is a decentralized app which blocks screenshots while using the app. Unfortunately, Briar is only for Android devices, which is one of the reasons it is so low on our list.

Briar is an excellent choice for private messaging, but it is important to note that it is the only thing it can be used for. There are no audio or video calling features with Briar, further limiting its use.

So, if you have a group of busy friends who all have Android devices, Briar might be a contender. Otherwise, we recommend sticking with Signal or trying out the beta version of Session.

4. Wire

Wire is another option in the private messaging space, and while we personally like it better than Briar because of the features, know that it does log some personal data, to the point where we have to place it below.

That being said, Wire is encrypted, with an open-source algorithm that is reportedly secure. The company behind Wire does regularly post the results of their audits which is more than we can say for many of the other companies on this list. They are also GDPR compliant.

Unfortunately, Wire isn’t free for all users, and as such, they have the smallest pool of users on this list. You can register with either a phone number or email, though some personal information is recorded within the app, which makes us hesitant.

Overall, Wire is definitely a contender, but we recommend choosing something like Signal first if you can.

Messaging Apps to Move Away From

1. WhatsApp

WhatsApp, though it does offer end-to-end encryption, was purchased by Meta several years ago. While they are somewhat private now, we highly suspect this will change, especially with the shifting political situation in the United States. If you currently use WhatsApp, we highly recommend that you and your friends move to a different app if possible.

Plus, WhatsApp stores a backup of all chats, meaning that hackers or law enforcement could access them. It is unclear how long backups are held, but we assume the company likely has several years of chats on hand.

It is additionally important to note that business chats on WhatsApp are not encrypted in the same way as personal messages, therefore we highly recommend an alternative for those looking for business chat features.

2. Telegram

When WhatsApp first started having privacy issues, tons of users flocked to Telegram. However, the more we look into Telegram, the more we believe the users aren’t actually as well off in terms of privacy on the platform.

First, let’s discuss the good things—Telegram is free, easy to use, and widely used, meaning you can likely find your friends already using it. That is where the good news ends, though.

Unfortunately, communications in Telegram are not end-to-end encrypted unless you choose the secret chat option—meaning you may actually be worse off on Telegram than WhatsApp. Additionally, the method they use for securing the secret chats is known to be insecure; thus, it is susceptible to hacks. All user information put into Telegram is logged.

Not to mention that the platform is currently riddled with scammers, but that’s a different issue.

Honestly, when we look into it, we aren’t sure why so many users flocked to Telegram in the WhatsApp debacle, as it is actually a worse solution. If you are still using Telegram for some reason, we urge you to switch to one of the platforms above, even if it’s WhatsApp, because at least that is encrypted using a secure algorithm.

Overall, there are many messaging apps on the market, but Signal is the best of the best. It is so secure that it is often used by the US Military for communication, even as the government may urge you otherwise in public. While it isn’t as private as Session or Briar, it is one of the most used options, meaning it shouldn’t be too hard to find friends and family already using the app.