What are other apps like WhatsApp? 7 WhatsApp al­tern­at­ives

If you’re looking for a WhatsApp al­tern­at­ive, you’ve probably already noticed the large number of messaging apps out there — including Telegram, Spike, Threema, Signal, Ginlo and Wire, for example. Unlike WhatsApp, most of these al­tern­at­ives are open source and free of ads.

Overview of WhatsApp al­tern­at­ives

The following in­form­a­tion was last updated in December 2024.

Viber

The messenger app Viber was released in 2010 and bought by the Japanese company Rakuten four years later, which is why it is now called Rakuten Viber. In addition to the offer for private in­di­vidu­als, there is also a business variant of the app, which is ad­vert­ised using success stories from well-known brands such as Coca-Cola and FC Barcelona.

Viber has various features. Besides the usual message exchange including emojis, you can also make voice calls and video chats. If the con­ver­sa­tion turns out to have more par­ti­cipants than expected, it’s not a problem since the service enables group chats with up to 250 par­ti­cipants. Another advantage of this messaging service is the data pro­tec­tion. It is possible to set up messages that self-destruct so that they auto­mat­ic­ally disappear after being read. End-to-end en­cryp­tion also ensures that all chats are protected from third party access at all times — including Viber itself.

However, the messaging service also has some downsides. It can be down­loaded for free, but unlike other apps, it is not ad-free. With Rakuten Ad­vert­ising, companies can reach a large number of potential customers by placing their ads on Viber. Another dis­ad­vant­age of Viber is that free com­mu­nic­a­tion can only take place between people who have the app. If you want to call someone who doesn’t have the app installed, it will only work if they have pre­vi­ously purchased the fee-based VoIP service Viber Out. Prices vary depending on the des­tin­a­tion region and the selected package.

Telegram

Telegram is a company run by the Russian brothers Pavel and Nikolai Durov, who are famous for founding the Russian al­tern­at­ive to Facebook, VKontakte. Their WhatsApp al­tern­at­ive has advanced the tech­no­logy behind messenger apps: Telegram is cloud-based, meaning users can easily access their Telegram content across multiple mobile devices as well as on their computer. In addition, users can send an unlimited number of files, each with a size of up to two gigabytes. In contrast, WhatsApp limits the number of files that can be sent and received based on the storage capacity of the user’s device — typically a smart­phone.

Telegram is con­sidered a very secure ap­plic­a­tion. The de­velopers offer two different forms of en­cryp­tion for users. For private and group chats, there’s server-client en­cryp­tion, which encrypts messages as they are trans­mit­ted from sender to server and from server to recipient. Telegram offers end-to-end en­cryp­tion in the form of secret chats, which ensures that only the sender and the recipient can read a message. There’s also a setting for the secret chat mode that ensures the message will auto­mat­ic­ally be deleted after a certain amount of time. Ad­di­tion­ally, the message and/or content sent can’t be copied from the chat or forwarded to anyone else, and if the sender chooses to delete it, it will also be deleted from the recipient’s device.

It’s important to mention that the latest version of WhatsApp now also offers end-to-end en­cryp­tion for all messages. Since this type of en­cryp­tion isn’t possible for cloud-based content, Telegram makes a com­prom­ise here regarding data pro­tec­tion in favour of greater user-friend­li­ness. Users who are concerned about this and the messenger’s lack of trans­par­ency in its corporate structure should consider looking for another al­tern­at­ive to WhatsApp.

Threema

Threema is a messaging app from Switzer­land. Like most al­tern­at­ives to WhatsApp the app is very secure when it comes to data. Like WhatsApp, Threema uses end-to-end en­cryp­tion for all messages. In addition, messages are deleted from the server as soon as they have been suc­cess­fully trans­mit­ted. Ad­di­tion­ally, Threema manages groups and contact lists ex­clus­ively on mobile devices, not on the server. When Threema syn­chron­ises contacts from your phone’s contact list, they are trans­ferred to the server an­onym­ously (hashed). In addition, unlike WhatsApp, Threema does not store metadata about who is com­mu­nic­at­ing with whom and when. This WhatsApp al­tern­at­ive takes user data pro­tec­tion much more seriously than its com­pet­i­tion does. Threema’s servers are located in Switzer­land, where they are subject to strict data pro­tec­tion reg­u­la­tions.

Threema stands out not only for its strong data pro­tec­tion but also for its useful features. For example, Threema can be used without providing any personal in­form­a­tion. When you first use the app, you are assigned a randomly generated eight-digit Threema ID, allowing for anonymous use. Threema also offers a PIN lock feature for private chats.

The catch with Threema is not only — as with any app that is similar to WhatsApp — the re­l­at­ively low number of users, but also the fact that the messaging app is not free. In order to use the app, you have to buy one or more licenses for a small fee in the app store or the Threema store. In the Threema store, you can buy the Android version via PayPal, with Bitcoins as well as other payment methods.

Spike

Spike is an in­nov­at­ive messaging, email and col­lab­or­a­tion app that not only re­volu­tion­ises com­mu­nic­a­tion but also serves as a com­pel­ling al­tern­at­ive to WhatsApp. Unlike tra­di­tion­al email platforms, Spike trans­forms your inbox into a stream­lined platform for com­mu­nic­a­tion, elim­in­at­ing the com­plex­it­ies of subject lines and sig­na­tures. There’s no need to provide a personal phone number when signing up, which sets it apart from other apps like WhatsApp. Instead, an email address is all you need to use Spike.

Spike’s group chat feature bears a striking re­semb­lance to WhatsApp’s, allowing for instant creation of groups and the pos­sib­il­ity to add any Spike user. The sole re­quire­ment is an email address, granting all group members the ability to engage in real-time messaging. Ad­di­tion­ally, Spike enables one-on-one private messaging in both text and voice message formats, along with support for video and audio calls. However, the basic version allows a maximum of ten different group chats and does not offer the option to call more than one person at a time.

Spike relies on open standards and protocols with email, meaning you can com­mu­nic­ate with your contacts or clients even if they don’t use Spike. Data security is a top priority for the Spike team: all data is auto­mat­ic­ally encrypted with AES-256 before trans­mis­sion. Spike also offers Magic AI, an AI-powered com­mu­nic­a­tion assistant that stream­lines workflows, sum­mar­ises content, and boosts pro­ductiv­ity.

Spike offers a cross-platform web ap­plic­a­tion as well as apps for iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS. The basic version is free for personal use and allows you to manage one email account. For ad­di­tion­al features, paid packages are available:

1. Pro Plan (around £3/month): Allows you to manage up to three email addresses, access unlimited search history, and provides ad­di­tion­al storage.

2. Business Plan (around £6/month): Offers advanced features such as custom email domains (free for the first year), 1 TB of storage, and the ability to upload large files up to 100 MB.

Signal

Signal is, like most al­tern­at­ives to WhatsApp, re­l­at­ively unknown, and its de­velopers even more so. The creators of Signal, Open Whisper Systems, have delivered end-to-end en­cryp­tion software with open-source code, which has been used by WhatsApp, Telegram and other companies to develop their own en­cryp­tion. Edward Snowden uses Signal, and the team around cryp­to­graph­er Moxie Mar­lin­spike, the founder of Open Whisper Systems, has built up an excellent repu­ta­tion among IT security experts. Open Whisper Systems is financed entirely by schol­ar­ship grants and donations, so it doesn’t rely on any ad­vert­ising.

As might be expected from the most famous en­cryp­tion tech­no­logy available for mes­sen­gers, security is at the forefront of everything Signal does. Both private and group chats are secured with end-to-end en­cryp­tion, and telephone numbers are trans­mit­ted an­onym­ously (hashed) to the server. In contrast, users are required to share their contact list with Signal when they sign up. Signal hardly stores any metadata and doesn’t store any in­form­a­tion about who com­mu­nic­ates with whom. The only thing the app can store is whether someone uses the service.

Ginlo

The messenger service Ginlo is operated by the company ginlo.net, which is based in Germany. Like most apps similar to WhatsApp, Ginlo also enables its users to send encrypted messages and files free of charge and without ad­vert­ising. Users can further protect their data by scanning a QR code when meeting someone in their contacts in person, therefore verifying their identity.

Self-de­struct­ing messages are a special feature. Pictures, videos and chats can be auto­mat­ic­ally removed as soon as the recipient has seen them. It’s also possible to send messages at a pre­defined time. To do this, you simply set the time you want to send the message in advance. Another special feature of the app is that users can find out about the latest news via content channels.

The app is available in a free version for private users and a business version. Busi­nesses have the option of having the app’s design cus­tom­ised to their own brand. Unlike private users, business customers can download versions for Mac, Windows and Linux in addition to the Apple and Android versions.

Wire

Wire is a secure messenger and WhatsApp al­tern­at­ive that was founded in 2012 and launched two years later. The company behind it, Wire Swiss GmbH, is based in Switzer­land, while most of the technical de­vel­op­ment takes place in Berlin. There is also an office in San Francisco. Wire’s source code is publicly available, and its user ex­per­i­ence (UX) is well designed.

Like other messaging services, Wire also offers platform in­de­pend­ence and end-to-end en­cryp­tion. Another plus point is that you can make group calls with the app thanks to voice-over-IP tech­no­logy. In addition, Wire was founded by Skype co-founder Janus Friis. Just like Skype, phone calls are tap-proof.

However, like Telegram, the app stores metadata, including various user profile and device in­form­a­tion. In addition, it’s best to be cautious with third-party functions such as YouTube or Sound­Cloud. This is because the data that users generate when sending such content falls under the data pro­tec­tion pro­vi­sions of the re­spect­ive third-party providers. So if you want to avoid dis­clos­ing in­form­a­tion about your usage behaviour, it is better not to use these options.

Summary of WhatsApp al­tern­at­ives

The biggest dis­ad­vant­age of WhatsApp al­tern­at­ives is certainly the small user base. Few people are eager to deal with the hassle of con­vin­cing a large portion of their friends to switch to a new app before they can even start using it properly. It can be just as tricky if your entire work team relies on WhatsApp and you risk being left out because you chose not to use the most popular messaging app. Still, this should not stop you from choosing a more secure option. You can simply install multiple messaging apps and no­ti­fic­a­tions from all of them will appear together on your smart­phone’s home screen.

Another important point to keep in mind is that the more often you use messenger apps that do not collect metadata, the harder it becomes for anyone to build a complete and accurate profile based on your in­form­a­tion. Over time, you might even manage to gradually convince your friends and col­leagues to adopt more secure apps.