Alternatives to Session
Onion-routed messenger with no phone number
Session ranks #9 of 11 in Personal messaging, with an Alt Score of 66. It is licensed under GPL-3.0, free and available on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android. 12 of 12 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
Privacy-conscious individuals, activists, journalists, and anyone who wants to message without tying their identity to a phone number or email — especially people in contexts where metadata exposure or centralized data collection is a risk.
End-to-end encrypted one-to-one chats and group conversations (communities of 100+ members) with no phone number, email, or personal data required to sign up. Messages are onion-routed through a decentralized network of community-run service nodes (built on Oxen) rather than passing through centralized servers. The app is open-source and supports disappearing messages for extra control over message lifespan.
You install the app and generate an Account ID locally instead of registering with a phone number or email. Messages are encrypted end-to-end and relayed through multiple onion-routing hops across the decentralized node network before reaching the recipient, so no single server sees both the message content and both parties' identities.
Where Session stands out
Verified capabilities most alternatives don't have.
Why people leave Session
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 | Session | Delta Chat | Jami | SimpleX Chat | Telegram | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 Session is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
-
License GPL-3.0 verified 2026-07-11
GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
https://github.com/session-foundation/session-android/blob/dev/LICENSE -
Pricing model Free verified 2026-07-11
Nope, Session will always remain free to use.
https://getsession.org/faq -
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android verified 2026-07-11
Windows
https://getsession.org/download -
E2E encryption by default Yes verified 2026-07-11
Session encrypts your messages using the Session Protocol, a cutting-edge end-to-end encryption protocol built on libsodium, a highly-audited and widely trusted cryptographic library.
https://getsession.org/faq -
E2E optional No verified 2026-07-11
Session encrypts your messages using the Session Protocol, a cutting-edge end-to-end encryption protocol built on libsodium, a highly-audited and widely trusted cryptographic library.
https://getsession.org/faq -
Voice calls Partial verified 2026-07-11
Both voice calls and video calls are currently available as a beta feature in Session.
https://getsession.org/faq -
Video calls Partial verified 2026-07-11
Both voice calls and video calls are currently available as a beta feature in Session.
https://getsession.org/faq -
Phone number required No verified 2026-07-11
You don't need a mobile number or an email to make an account with Session.
https://getsession.org/faq -
Username-only signup Yes verified 2026-07-11
You don't need a mobile number or an email to make an account with Session.
https://getsession.org/faq -
Federation / decentralized Yes verified 2026-07-11
Session uses onion routing to ensure that a server which receives a message never knows the IP address of the sender.
https://getsession.org/faq -
Message editing & deletion Partial verified 2026-07-11
Unsend messages will completely erase the message from both the device and the network.
https://getsession.org/blog/self-deleting-messages -
Disappearing messages Yes verified 2026-07-11
Disappearing messages have two options: Disappear after Send and Disappear after Read.
https://getsession.org/faq -
Reactions Yes verified 2026-07-11
Emoji Reacts are coming to messages across all platforms.
https://getsession.org/blog/session-release-roundup-15 -
Multi-device without phone Partial verified 2026-07-11
Multidevice is rolling out in early beta right now to an App Store or Play Store near you!
https://getsession.org/blog/multidevice-beta-release -
Backup & export of history Partial verified 2026-07-11
use their Recovery Password to recover their account if their device is lost or destroyed.
https://docs.getsession.org/session-network/session-protocol/account-restoration
FAQ
Yes. Delta Chat, Jami and Telegram have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
Delta Chat, Jami and SimpleX Chat — every license claim links its source.