10 Telegram alternatives - secure messengers for all occasions

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10 Telegram alternatives - secure messengers for all occasions

Tags: VIPole Secure Messenger , Safety , Wickr , Windows , macOS , iOS , android , Keybase , Chatsecure , Coim , Signal , BBM , Dialog messenger , Threema , Wire

When it comes to secure messengers, Telegram comes to the mind of most people. In fact, there are many alternatives to the creation of Durov, which can be used both for solving work processes and for ordinary communication. Today I decided to show you 10 Telegram alternatives that you might not even have heard about.

VIPole Secure Messenger
Protected messenger, which is stuffed with all possible tools for secret communication. Here you have the password manager, and changing the voice during calls, end-to-end encryption, connection control, storing all data on your server or even on the device, masking the IP address, your own keyboard, auto-lock, controlling the deletion of the correspondence history, prohibiting screenshots and many many others.


You can use it for free, but for an additional fee in the form of a subscription you get advanced features. The more expensive the tariff, the more customization and additional “chips” (both individually and in groups). You can see the rates below in the screenshot.


Install

Wickr
This is one of the first messengers that appeared after the hype with Snowden. Completely anonymous, does not leave any traces on the device or on the servers, because it uses AES 256, ECDH 521, RSA 4096 TLD encryption (if that tells you anything). You can’t take a screenshot or copy a message either. When registering, you do not use either a phone number or mail, but you come up with your ID and password.

Wickr also has an option for corporations. In general, there are three options: Wickr Me, Wickr Pro, and Wickr Enterprise. The first option involves the free use of up to 10 users. The second and third option - for large groups with admin rights. At 5 and 10 dollars a month, respectively, have to pay.


Set for home users | Set for corporate users

Keybase
Calling Keybase a messenger would not be entirely correct. Rather, it is a platform with a public key database that allows you to quickly find a person in different services and send him an encrypted message.

Finds people on twitter, reddit, facebook, github and hacker news. The “trick” is that in order to send a message to a person, you do not need to know his phone or e-mail. The sent message gets to the person in private messages. Cross-platform Keybase is completely free and will delight coders, as everything here “breathes” with this particular craft.


Install

Wire
In Wire, you can catch the “notes” of Skype, and it’s not just that. This messenger was developed by people who made and a popular video chat. If we talk about design, the messenger looks like a good glossy magazine. Despite all this crap, there is end-to-end encryption of messages of all types, calls and so on.

A nice bonus is the ability to use both individually and within the company. There is an option to use the web version. Of the features: developed SILK sound compression technology, which translates sound into a specially designed Opus format. This improves sound quality even in the face of poor internet.


Install

Threema
Unlike others, there is no free version. You will have to pay at least 200 rubles to start using. But you don’t need to buy a subscription, create group chats and chat there. There is a web version.

A feature of Threema is its 100% privacy. Even with registration, you will not be able to register using a phone number, mail or social networks. You will have to create two keys (one public, the other private). You can also create several passwords, and add a code word. When adding a contact, it is advised to use a QR code.


Install

Dialog messenger
Domestic solution for corporate communication. However, it is not necessary for communication within the company, it is possible for the individual. It has the whole set of necessary tools. Among them: group chats, video messages, screen demos, channels for quick notification of employees about certain announcements. All this, of course, is encrypted. Using the platform, you can collect your own instant messenger according to your preferences.


Install

BBM
Child BlackBerry skillfully in secret chats long before your Telegram. All the necessary functions of instant messengers are also available in BBM. Closed (secret) chats do not show the name of the interlocutor, do not allow taking a screenshot, self-destruct after a specified time.

Despite the fact that the messenger is branded, it is cross-platform. A nice bonus: the ability to create BBMoji - emoji based on your face.
Install

Signal
Almost everyone knows that this messenger is Edward Snowden's favorite. The design of the application and how it is implemented is very similar to Telegram. But at the same time, Signal has one significant advantage - video calls, which Telegram still does not have. There is an extension for Chrome. Well, cross-platform, of course.


Install

Read more about encryption in Signal

Coim
People who made TorMessenger at the time and who stopped supporting it for some reason advise using this messenger as a replacement. Just think, these are the people who made the most secure browser - Tor.

Data transfer is based on the XMPP protocol, more precisely, on its OMEMO extension (if this tells you something). Of the inconveniences: there is no android version of the application; all other versions on other platforms are downloaded directly, and not through the application store. However, this may seem more secure for someone.


Install

Chatsecure
Another chat that runs on XMPP. If in the previous case the application could be downloaded at least somehow, there is only a version for iOS.

 

[Матушкин Андрей Николаевич]