Decentralised messenger with no user IDs at all. The only major messenger that doesn't identify users.
Free · open-source · self-hostable relays
Tools — browsers, password managers, hardware
Adjacent tooling that doesn't fit into the other categories — hardened browsers, anonymity-OS distros, password managers, file-share, hardware wallets reviewed in their own right. We don't earn affiliates on most of these; they're listed because they belong in the kit.
last reviewed 2026-05-13
› Tools — browsers, password managers, hardware » Messaging 4
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Briar
Peer-to-peer messenger over Tor, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi. No servers, no metadata.
Free · F-Droid + Play Store · Android primary
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Element
Federated E2E chat. Self-hostable, open-source, hosts most XMR/privacy community rooms.
Free · federated · self-hostable · clients on all platforms
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Cwtch
Tor-only multi-party chat. No accounts, no servers, every conversation an ephemeral .onion.
Free · Tor-only · multi-platform · ephemeral groups