A secure messenger service can keep your online conversations private from advertisers and governments. We’ve reviewed the top three contenders for end-to-end encrypted chat.
Mobile chat services have put our friends and families at our fingertips, and group chats have revolutionized the way we socialize, collaborate, and organize. Unfortunately, not all chat services make security their top priority. For some, however, it’s a selling point.
The best encrypted messaging apps for your phone
We’ve rounded up the top contenders for the best secure messaging service. When compiling our list, we considered key security benefits as well as features, usability, price, and more.
Apple iMessage
Apple’s iMessage is a secure messaging service exclusively for Apple platforms: iOS, macOS, iPadOS, and watchOS. It offers end-to-end encryption between users, however it can also handle unencrypted SMS text messages.
Data in iMessage can be backed up to Apple’s cloud storage platform iCloud. Though it’s a convenient way to transfer and store data, iCloud is vulnerable to hacks that could compromise your private data.
Facebook Messenger
Facebook Messenger is a hugely popular secure messaging service, owned by the social media tech giant, Meta. It has a familiar interface that features one-to-one messaging, group messaging, stickers, photos, file transfers, and voice and video calls. It also has a disappearing message feature.
Facebook messenger features end-to-end encryption, but it’s not enabled by default. You need to use the secret conversations feature for a message encryptor.
Telegram
Telegram works similarly to WhatsApp and other secure text apps. It lets you message and call other Telegram users, have group chats, and send files. Telegram features a smooth, intuitive interface that’s especially great for group messaging (up to 20,000 participants!). Beyond messaging, Telegram is also a popular social media platform.
Telegram is cloud-based, so it stores all your messages and pictures on a secure server. This lets you access your data on any connecting device, on a variety of platforms. However, this also leaves your data vulnerable if their servers are breached.
The world’s most popular standalone chat and voice app, WhatsApp has over two billion monthly active users. WhatsApp is a great way to jump into the encrypted messaging app game, because many of your contacts most likely already use it.
WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption and allows encrypted backups of all your chats. Also, it doesn’t store messages on its servers. Plus, WhatsApp offers two-step verification, requiring a PIN to verify your phone number on any device. And since the app uses a limited amount of background data, you may save on your phone bill.
Google Messages
This private messaging app comes standard with Android phones. Google Messages uses the new RCS (rich communication services) protocol by default. Safer than SMS, RCS can handle payments, high-res photos and file sharing, location sharing, video calls, and other features.
On top of that, Google Messages has end-to-end encryption by default. Plus, it’s open-source technology so it’s regularly tested for vulnerabilities that may turn into security exploits.
Though you can access Google Messages through a web browser, you can only use the RCS protocol with other Android devices.
Viber
Viber is one of the more feature-rich encrypted messaging applications available. Along with standard messaging and voice and video calls connected to your phone number, it features disappearing messages and hidden chats. Viber also includes some fun AR filters and stickers for your photos.
You can also sync Viber across your desktop and mobile devices for easy accessibility.
Viber uses end-to-end encryption and features a unique color-coded indicator to show you a conversation’s level of protection. Green means the chat is encrypted and the contact is trusted. Gray means the chat is encrypted but the contact has not yet been marked as trusted. Red indicates the contact can’t be authenticated.
Signal
Considered one of the most secure messaging apps on the market, Signal protects your communications with end-to-end call and text encryption. Its encryption protocol is so secure that other leading apps like WhatsApp and Facebook messenger use it too.
Like other apps, Signal features messaging, calls, video chats, and file and photo sharing. It also allows disappearing messaging for extra privacy. You need a phone number to sign up, and we recommend securing the app with a password. For the security-minded, all your data is stored locally on your device — not on remote servers.
Wickr Me
Founded by a group of security experts and advocates, Wickr Me is one of the best private messaging apps for anonymity. It’s designed to send auto-destructing text or voice messages, photos, or videos to other users. And it doesn’t require an email or phone number to sign up.
Wickr Me features powerful end-to-end encryption and deletes metadata like geolocation info and message times. And it’s an open-source technology, so it goes through rigorous security audits to make sure vulnerabilities are uncovered. It also boasts some unique security features like video verification: users verify each other with short bursts of encrypted video.