With 2 billion monthly active users as of February 2025, WhatsApp remains the king of messaging apps. However, if you’re like me, you might be concerned about privacy, data collection, and ownership by Meta. I know I was when I started looking for a WhatsApp alternative.
So in this guide, we’ll cover 3 solid options if you’re looking for a WhatsApp alternative in 2025 that prioritize your privacy and the security of your communications.
A Quick Word on WhatsApp in 2025
You might wonder at first why you need a WhatsApp alternative. After all, WhatsApp continues to market itself as a secure and private messaging app:
Indeed, in recent years, WhatsApp has been heavily marketing its end-to-end encryption (E2EE) feature for personal chats.
But is WhatsApp truly private and secure like it claims? Let’s take a closer look.
Firstly, WhatsApp uses the Signal protocol (more on Signal later) to secure text and voice communications. This might sound great, until you learn the huge amount of metadata that is still collected. This includes:
- IP addresses (which can lead to your location);
- phone numbers;
- who you’ve spoken to, when and for how long;
- which browser you use on WhatsApp Web;
- and more.
So on the one hand, yes, your conversations are private thanks to end-to-end encryption. But all of this metadata continues to help Meta build you digital persona across all its platforms (WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook).
In addition, metadata can be used to correlate and infer information about an individual. For example, you might not know exactly where somebody works. But if you know they move from Point A to Point B every morning, you can safely assume that Point B is their work location.
Should you trust Meta’s privacy claims?
Meta has a long history of privacy controversies, data leaks, and regulatory fines. The company previously announced that business chats on WhatsApp are not end-to-end encrypted, allowing businesses to store conversations on Meta’s servers. Additionally, WhatsApp’s terms of service have changed multiple times in ways that reduce user control over their data.
While WhatsApp remains a convenient and widely used app, its reliance on Meta’s data-driven business model should raise concerns.
In our opinion, Big Tech has lost our trust a long time ago. That is why, with so many robust options out there, we would never recommend someone use WhatsApp. If you’re ready to make the leap, read on… There are much better choices in 2025.
Signal – The Best WhatsApp Alternative in 2025
Signal is widely regarded as one of the most private and secure messaging apps available today. It is open-source, end-to-end encrypted, and does not collect user metadata (besides the account creation timestamp and the last connection date).
Some its key features include:
- End-to-end encryption: Powered by the open-source Signal Protocol.
- No ads or trackers: Unlike WhatsApp, Signal does not collect user data for advertising.
- Self-destructing messages: Users can set messages to disappear after a specified time.
- Secure voice and video calls: Encrypted communication with excellent call quality.
Personally, Signal is my app of choice for communicating with friends and family.
At its core, I find Signal to be just as easy to set up and use as any other “mainstream” app. The look and feel is slick, and the Signal team is constantly innovating and improving the user experience.
For people that might be scared by encryption, fear not. On the surface, Signal functions just like WhatsApp or Messenger.
All of the encryption happens in the background, so your experience will be very similar to using any other app. You can use emojis, send GIFs, start group conversations, set up video calls with multiple people etc. You can link Signal with the desktop version on your computer.
One of the major downsides of Signal however is that you still need a phone number to register.
Depending on your required level of privacy, this might not work for you. However, there are several mitigating factors that Signal has put in place:
- By default, your phone number is not visible to everyone on Signal.
- You can choose you can connect with you using your phone number.
- You can also create a username, that you can then share to connect with people.
In particular, the introduction of usernames in 2024 means that you no longer have to give out your phone number so that people can connect with you.
Telegram – Another Solid WhatsApp Alternative
In the privacy space, Telegram often comes out as another powerful WhatsApp alternative. However, there are also some downsides if we compare it to Signal.
Namely, only “secret chats” are end-to-end encrypted. Regular chats are not end-to-end encrypted and stored on Telegram’s servers. This means Telegram has access to those conversations.
This contrasts with Signal’s approach of “privacy by default”. In addition, if you don’t use “secret chats”, Telegram also stores metadata, chat history, and contact lists on its cloud servers. This makes it an inherently less private option than Signal.
It’s also important to note that secret chats are only available for one-on-one conversations.
However, privacy might not be your number one concern. In that case, the advantage of Telegram’s cloud storage approach is that you can easily sync up multiple devices. Signal only allows you a single linked device.
In addition, Telegram offers several community-focused features, in particular:
- Groups of up to 200,000 members
- Ability to “broadcast only” (only the creator of the group can post).
- Developers can create their own bots and automation for various tasks.
So if you are looking for some of the community features offered by WhatsApp, Telegram is a great place to start.
3. Threema – Anonymous and Swiss-Based Privacy
Threema’s key differentiator is that it does not require a phone number for registration.
In that sense, Threema allows for truly anonymous communication.
Much like Signal, Threema is a privacy-first messaging app. It not financed by ads, and does not collect data on its users. It employs end-to-end encryption by default to secure all communications, including text, voice and video calls and file sharing.
It’s important to note however that Threema requires a one-time payment to get the app (5.99 EUR at time of writing). This is how the development of the app is sustained.
Other features include:
- Open-source and regularly audited.
- Encryption based on Networking and Cryptography library (open-source).
- Based in Switzerland with strict privacy laws.
- Hidden chats, anonymous contact verification and self-destructing messages.
Threema also offers “Threema Work”, a secure business messenger app. Learn more about it here.
If you need an option that is 100% anonymous, than Threema is the way to go. They even provide an option to pay for the app in cash.
The Best WhatsApp Alternative: Last Words
That’s it for this guide on the best WhatsApp alternatives. Depending on how importantly you rank certain factors such as privacy, your choice might fall on one or the other.
However, if you are looking for a private and secure email provider, then look no further than Mailfence.
Mailfence doesn’t require a phone number, and offers end-to-end encryption for all communications. In addition, we pride ourselves on providing:
- advanced security tools: end-to-end encryption, symmetric encryption, digital signatures, and a lot more.
- no tracking or advertising. We do not use any third-party advertising or marketing trackers. We do not track your activity in the application. Mailfence is completely free from ads.
- strict privacy laws. Mailfence’s servers are based in Belgium, with strong laws protecting privacy. Only a valid Belgian court order can force us to release data.
Interested in taking your privacy and cybersecurity to the next level? Create your free account today!
