Zero to Zero Knowledge | Messaging Apps
Top Messaging Apps for Protecting Your Conversations in a Digital World
Today, we’re diving into the best messaging apps you can use safely, focusing on their technology while avoiding surveillance and data leaks from big corporations.
Since the early days of the internet, one of its most popular uses has been communication—whether via apps, or websites.
Nowadays, everything is connected through messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Signal, Element (Matrix), and others. But have you ever wondered how these apps work or what’s happening behind the scenes? Let’s check it out!
Signal is, by far, one of the best private messaging apps ever made, ranking as the top choice for many people.
It uses end-to-end encryption, meaning every message, call, and media file is encrypted by default using its own protocol—one of the most secure encryption methods available. This ensures that only you and the recipient can read your messages—no one else.
The app also stands out for its minimal data collection. The only information Signal stores is your phone number, but you can hide it using a PIN.
Unlike WhatsApp, Telegram, and Facebook Messenger, Signal is a non-profit organization. This means no ads, no tracking, and no selling of user data. Donations are continuously sent to support Signal’s development, and you can contribute if you’d like to support their work.
A crucial aspect of Signal is its open-source and audited code. The entire codebase is publicly available for review, allowing users to research it before using the app. Security experts can also audit and verify that there are no backdoors or vulnerabilities.
Another key feature is that Signal can work over Tor and includes a censorship-bypass option for certain countries. It also uses less data compared to other messaging apps.
The user interface is excellent—friendly and easy to use. You can add a nickname to protect your privacy, sharing it only with people you trust.
The Zcash community is also active on Signal, so you can find us there if this is your first time using the app!
Fun fact: Brian Acton, one of WhatsApp’s co-founders, is now a key figure in Signal. When Facebook (now Meta) acquired WhatsApp for $19 billion, Acton left in 2017 due to disagreements over Facebook’s plans to monetize the app through ads and data collection. In 2018, he donated $50 million to help launch the Signal Foundation, the nonprofit behind Signal Messenger.
To stay updated on Signal’s development and news, follow Signal on X or check out the blog section on their website.
Session is another great private messaging app, highly valued by privacy enthusiasts!
It is a decentralized, anonymous, and end-to-end encrypted messaging app designed for maximum privacy. Unlike Signal or WhatsApp, it does not require a phone number or store metadata. Instead, users receive a random Session ID, eliminating the need for personal information.
Messages, voice calls, and attachments are fully encrypted using the Session Protocol, which is based on the Signal Protocol. Even Session’s servers cannot read your messages.
Session operates on a decentralized network with no central servers. It uses a distributed network of nodes called Lokinet, making the app more resistant to censorship and government tracking.
Another key advantage of Session is that it does not log IP addresses, timestamps, or device information. Your messages are routed through an anonymous Onion routed network, similar to Tor, adding an extra layer of privacy. Messages are relayed through multiple servers, making it significantly harder to trace the sender or recipient. No single entity has full control over the network.
Session also offers self-destructing messages, no cloud storage (only your device). The code, developed by Oxen, a privacy-focused organization is open-source..
Due to onion routing, Session isn`t too fast like Signal and others, its base of users is low comparting to the mainstream apps and no video calls are allowed at present, only voice and messaging.
How is Session Funded?
Oxen Foundation created Oxen (OXEN), a privacy-focused cryptocurrency and Session also accepts donations from privacy-conscious users who want to support the project. People can stake OXEN tokens to help un Service Nodes which power Session, earning rewards in OXEN tokens.
Conclusion: Session is great for privacy, no doubt about that, however, it comes with a small speed trade-off due to its decentralized nature. Even with that, it’s a awesome choice if you’re shielding yourself.
SimpleX was officially launched in 2021 by the SimpleX Foundation as a fully decentralized, privacy-first messaging app.
It goes even further than Signal or Session in protecting user data, as it does not require phone numbers, user IDs, or any centralized servers—making it one of the final bosses of extreme privacy! 😎
With SimpleX, you don’t even create an account—there are no user IDs, no phone numbers, and complete anonymity. Unlike Signal, it does not store any metadata about who you message or when.
SimpleX uses Double Ratchet encryption to ensure secure, end-to-end encrypted communication. This applies to messages, calls, file sharing, and even group chats. It is fully decentralized and serverless—messages are sent through relay servers without storing or tracking data, making it resistant to government censorship.
SimpleX stores absolutely nothing about you—not even who you talked to or when. Literally nothing!
The interface is user-friendly—though it may take a little time to fully understand, it’s not an unsolvable puzzle.
If you’re not happy with the server provided by SimpleX—which also uses onion routing—you can host your own server for even more control over your privacy.
How do you find people without a phone number or user ID? Instead of using those, you can share a one-time invitation link or QR code to start a conversation. Once connected, the link expires, making it impossible for anyone to track your contacts.
Unlike Session, which does not support video calls, SimpleX offers fully encrypted voice and video calls. Plus, calls do not reveal your IP address, unlike Telegram or WhatsApp.
You can also create anonymous group chats where members don’t need to share any personal information—completely shielded!
And of course, SimpleX is fully open-source.
We’re bullish on this one! It’s not widely popular yet, but it’s highly secure and incredibly useful.
How it’s funded?
SimpleX is funded primarily through voluntary donations from users who support privacy, made via GitHub Sponsors, Cryptocurrency payments (THEY ACCEPT ZEC) or direct contributions on their website.
Try to check it out!
Element Matrix was created in 2014 designed for secure, decentralized communication, being a strong alternative to centralized chat platforms like Whatsapp, Discord or Slack.
Matrix has a approach on end-to-end encryption for privacy, decentralization to control own data, bridges that allows the connection with other platforms like Slack, Telegram and Discord simultaneously and customizations, since it’s open-source and can be self-hosted.
The interface of Matrix is friendly, with a high security and private, deleting messages or no allowing acess to messages with you’re using different devices. News are posted constanly in the blog’s tag about updates of the app.
If you don’t like Discord or Telegram, we highly recommend to find the Zcash community on Matrix, which is also connected with the Zcash Global Discord.
The base of users of Matrix is good, with a lot of different community.
Telegram was created by Pavel Durov and his brother Nikolai Durov in 2013 as an alternative to mainstream messaging apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, while maintaining a similarly user-friendly interface.
Due to WhatsApp’s privacy policy controversy, millions of users switched to Telegram, boosting its user base to over 500 million in 2021. In the following years, Telegram introduced new features such as Stories, Channel Monetization, and Premium Subscriptions.
Unlike the other apps we’ve listed, end-to-end encryption (E2EE) is only available in Secret Chats—it is not enabled by default. Secret Chats are not stored in the cloud, making them more secure but less convenient.
Telegram also offers self-destructing messages and media, as well as the ability to disable message forwarding and remove the original sender’s identity if privacy settings are enabled. However, unlike Signal and other privacy-focused apps, Telegram’s Cloud Chats are stored on Telegram’s servers. Although Telegram claims to use strong encryption, messages can be accessed by Telegram if required by third parties. Additionally, its encryption keys do not rotate frequently, which could make older messages more vulnerable.
Conclusion
Telegram has several privacy concerns—it’s better than WhatsApp but still has similar issues. However, it remains a popular choice for crypto communities due to its features and ease of use for casual chats.
Telegram is partially open-source, but not as transparent as Signal or other privacy-first apps. Like Element, you can also find the Zcash community on Telegram.
OBS: If you want to bridge Telegram, Matrix & Discord, check this → https://t2bot.io/
WhatsApp is the most popular message app. It was created by two former Yahoo employers and became well-known around 2011, achieving 200 million active users in 2023.
Whatsapp is professional in metadata collection, and you know why: Meta!
It collects your messages, how often you message, IP address, device info and location if you enable it, your contacts and profile info. These things are used for targeted ads or even handed over to governments if requested.
Despite being encrypted during transmission, it uses cloud backups which were historically unencrypted, alongside several additional problems that can compromise your privacy and of your friends and family.
Even with these negative points, WhatsApp keeps in the top 1 of the most Chat App used in the world. Based that you probably already have tested or had been using WhatsApp, we don’t need to tell too much about it.
The advice is: Don’t use it if possible. There are a lot of good alternatives listed above that can protect your privacy. Meta’s products are made for surveillance and to watch your life without your consent. Stay aware!
Once you send a transaction through a Zcash Wallet you can type a Memo to the person that you’re transitioning to.
These wallets use zero-knowledge proofs to confirm validity while keeping amounts, sender and recipients fully encrypted, providing full privacy and a fast method of payment.
The Memos are secured using AES-256-GCM (authenticated encryption), providing 512 bytes/characters for you to send any messages you want, including links and emojis. It’s only necessary 0.0001 ZEC to make a transaction on the Zcash Blockchain, this is (currently) basically free. It takes 75 seconds to confirm.
Encrypted Memos are only possible in private transactions. It’s available on Zashi, Zingo, Ywallet and Brave Browser!
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