European alternatives to WhatsApp
Discover European-built tools you can use instead of WhatsApp.
WhatsApp carries the messages of billions of people. The message contents are end-to-end encrypted, but it's owned by Meta, and the metadata around your conversations, such as who you talk to and how often, feeds a US advertising company. The European alternatives below offer encrypted messaging without the Meta connection. Several are open source and self-hostable, and some use open, federated protocols so no single company controls the network. You can move a group or a whole circle of contacts across, and your conversation patterns stop being data points for an ad business.
Olvid
FranceFreemium
FranceFrench end-to-end encrypted messenger that requires no phone number or central directory to work.
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Threema
SwitzerlandPaid
SwitzerlandPay-once Swiss messenger that needs no phone number or email.
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Wire
SwitzerlandFreemiumSwiss-made encrypted messaging app with end-to-end encryption for both personal chats and business teams.
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