Alternatives to Delta Chat
Chat over email with Autocrypt encryption
Delta Chat ranks #1 of 11 in Personal messaging, with an Alt Score of 81. It is licensed under GPL-3.0, free and available on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS and Linux. 12 of 12 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
Privacy-conscious users who want an encrypted messenger without giving a phone number or creating a new account — including people who want separate identities for work, family, or activism via multiple profiles.
End-to-end encrypted (OpenPGP-based) one-to-one and group chats, audio/video calls, channels for broadcasting, disappearing messages, and multi-device sync. It runs on standard email protocols (IMAP/SMTP) instead of a proprietary server, so no company controls the network. It's open source (FOSS).
Install the app and either connect an existing email address or auto-create a lightweight 'chatmail' address in seconds; add contacts by scanning a QR code or sharing an invite link, then chat as usual — messages travel as encrypted emails behind a normal chat interface.
Where Delta Chat stands out
Verified capabilities most alternatives don't have.
Why people leave Delta Chat
Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.
Sign in to add a reason — new reasons go through moderation before appearing.
Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
Feature comparison
Rows come from the Personal messaging checklist (16 rows). Human-verified cells only. ? means the value has not been verified.
| Personal messaging checklist | Delta Chat | Jami | SimpleX Chat | Telegram | Signal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
| Starts at | ||||||
| License | ||||||
| Platforms | ||||||
| E2E encryption by default | ||||||
| E2E optional | ||||||
| Voice calls | ||||||
| Video calls | ||||||
| Phone number required | ||||||
| Username-only signup | ||||||
| Federation / decentralized | ||||||
| Message editing & deletion | ||||||
| Disappearing messages | ||||||
| Reactions | ||||||
| Multi-device without phone | ||||||
| Backup & export of history |
Every fact and feature listed for Delta Chat is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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Pricing model Free verified 2026-07-11
Free and Open Source software, both app and server side
https://delta.chat/en/help -
License GPL-3.0 verified 2026-07-11
Version 3, 29 June 2007
https://github.com/deltachat/deltachat-desktop/blob/main/LICENSE -
Platforms iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux verified 2026-07-11
Android Minimum requirements: Android 5.0 Lollipop
https://delta.chat/en/download -
Status active verified 2026-07-11
Zero metadata, group descriptions, native audio/video calls and much more!
https://delta.chat/en/2026-03-31-zero -
E2E encryption by default Partial verified 2026-07-11
If you use default chatmail relays, it is impossible to receive or send messages without end-to-end encryption. If you instead use a classic email server, you can send and receive messages with or wit
https://delta.chat/en/help -
E2E optional Partial verified 2026-07-11
If you instead use a classic email server, you can send and receive messages with or without end-to-end encryption.
https://delta.chat/en/help -
Voice calls Yes verified 2026-07-11
you can choose whether to place an Audio Call or a Video Call
https://delta.chat/en/help -
Video calls Yes verified 2026-07-11
you can choose whether to place an Audio Call or a Video Call
https://delta.chat/en/help -
Phone number required No verified 2026-07-11
chatmail relays do not ask for any private data (including no phone numbers)
https://delta.chat/en/help -
Username-only signup Partial verified 2026-07-11
Instant creation of private chat profiles with secure and interoperable chatmail relays
https://delta.chat/en/help -
Federation / decentralized Yes verified 2026-07-11
Delta Chat is a reliable, decentralized and secure instant messaging app, available for mobile and desktop platforms.
https://delta.chat/en/help -
Message editing & deletion Yes verified 2026-07-11
Editing and deleting messages is now available in most app stores
https://delta.chat/en/2025-03-26-edit-and-delete-how -
Disappearing messages Yes verified 2026-07-11
You can turn on “disappearing messages” in the settings of a chat, at the top right of the chat window, by selecting a time span between 5 minutes and 1 year.
https://delta.chat/en/help -
Reactions Yes verified 2026-07-11
Android, Desktop, iOS and UbuntuTouch users can now send and display reactions on chat messages.
https://delta.chat/en/2024-03-12-jumbo44 -
Multi-device without phone Yes verified 2026-07-11
You can use the same profile on different devices
https://delta.chat/en/help -
Backup & export of history Yes verified 2026-07-11
go to Settings → Chats → Export Backup
https://delta.chat/en/help
FAQ
Yes. Jami, Telegram and WhatsApp have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
Jami, SimpleX Chat and Telegram — every license claim links its source.