I'd go for Matrix, with Element or Schildichat (not the next gen versions for now) as clients. It's federated, which means you can choose which instance you want your account to reside on, end to end encrypted, has (video) calls, and some other features you wouldn't necessarily expect from others like spaces for groups with several group chats, prioritizing conversations (low, normal, high / favorite) and threads inside a conversation.
this post was submitted on 28 Mar 2025
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fluffychat is another decent client worth trying.
In the past there was some "Identity Management" server that was centralizing the accounts of matrix.org or any other instances, and it was managed by Vector which was an ONG or Company... Nowadays, I see no mention to it in documentation (at least from my quick overview) and vector.im redirects to element (matrix client). Did anything change? Do anyone know? The lack of transparency over Vector.im made me reluctant to recommend Matrix as a really federated alternative to messaging.
As far as I am aware the accounts for other servers were never centralised it was just part of the federation. If you search for a user the lookup queries your server then matrix or other servers it knows of. Unless thats just user search and not identity initially.
Why does it look like Signal might introduce backdoors?
SimpleX-Chat. It's not as streamlined as Signal for onboarding new users, aka convincing your friend and families. But most things work fine, chatting, calling and filesharing. It's completely anonymous, as in that you don't need to register with a phonenumber and or username. You can also self-host and use your own server if you are into that.
The more users it gets, the more investment it will have and become better. A fellow lemming also recommended Briar, but not familiar with it. Privacy enthusiasts also enjoy Matrix so also check that out.
Depends on the priorities I guess.
If moving your family/friends is top priority matrix may be a bit of a learning curve.
In your shoes I would move to signal, and aside from some video playing bugs it works well and it is easy to use. Yes the privacy concerns are there, but that will be so for every app that becomes popular enough.
Canadian open-source peer-to-peer (i.e. no company-owned central server that might access communications) cross-platform software that does messages, voice, video etc:
Olvid (French app) is a solid choice. Just so you know, you'll need a monthly membership to access features like calls and desktop pc app sync.
I second this! FYI, XMPP is the one protocol that as been forked over and over... it's the base of all (or many) messaging apps (incl. whatsapp). The thing is that XMPP has all this "Extensions" to their protocol, and it's difficult to implement or have a federated protocol that goes like that, with so many variations... that are implemented or installed on servers, and then also used by clients (e.g. Conversations is a great app on mobile, but not ready for just an average joe or my grandma)... I reckon snikket doesn't implement OTR (the end-to-end encryption of XMPP), that could be a downside to some. But, please, reconsider if you really need that.. if you happen to self-host, and then use SSL to encrypt on transit, and storage is encrypted on the server... that's already pretty much everything we need/ want in most cases (e.g. communicating with family safely.)
The only contender would be hosting an email server (which is tough, dependes on your luck with getting a 'clean' IPv4) on a cheap VPS (say โฌ5 per month, for all users) and then install Delta Chat.
Personally using Olvid with my friends and family but I guess it's only for very close connexions. Although I like it lot I doubt anyone else (more distant friends?) will download this app to contact me.
(It's free without the ability to initiate calls but everything else is here and works perfectly: groupchats, voice messages, sending photos)