What is Encrypted Messaging?
Messaging services that use end-to-end encryption to ensure only the sender and recipient can read messages, protecting against eavesdropping by anyone including the service provider.
End-to-end encrypted messaging means not even the company running the service can read your messages.
Recommended Messengers (Ranked)
- Signal: Gold standard. Open source, minimal metadata, sealed sender, disappearing messages.
- Briar: Peer-to-peer, works over Tor/WiFi/Bluetooth. No central server.
- Wire: Good for teams. Swiss jurisdiction. Open source.
- Threema: Swiss, no phone number required, paid app.
- Element (Matrix): Self-hostable, federated, open standard.
Partially Encrypted
- WhatsApp: Signal Protocol, but owned by Meta. Collects extensive metadata.
- iMessage: Encrypted Apple-to-Apple, but Apple holds the key for iCloud backups.
- Telegram: Only encrypted in "Secret Chats" — regular chats are not E2EE.
What to Look For
- Default E2EE: Encryption should be on by default, not opt-in
- Open source: Both client and server should be auditable
- Minimal metadata: Who you talk to matters as much as what you say
- Disappearing messages: Automatic deletion after a set time
- No phone number requirement: Reduces identity linkage
The Metadata Problem
Encrypting message content is solved. The remaining challenge is metadata — who talks to whom, when, how often. Signal's sealed sender and Briar's peer-to-peer design address this.
Related Terms
End-to-End Encryption
A method of secure communication where only the communicating users can read the messages. In principle, it prevents potential eavesdroppers – including telecom providers, Internet providers, and even the provider of the communication service – from being able to access the cryptographic keys needed to decrypt the conversation.
Forward Secrecy in Messaging
A property of messaging protocols where each message uses a unique encryption key, so compromising one key doesn't expose past or future messages.
Sealed Sender
A messaging feature where the server cannot see who sent a message to whom, protecting sender identity metadata even from the service provider.
Signal Protocol
A cryptographic protocol that provides end-to-end encryption for voice and instant messaging conversations. Developed by Open Whisper Systems, it combines the Double Ratchet Algorithm, prekeys, and a triple Diffie-Hellman handshake to provide forward secrecy and future secrecy.
Have more questions?
Use our guided flow to get the right next privacy step for Encrypted Messaging.
Open Guided Flow