These days, it feels like everyone’s reading over your shoulder: from tech giants to hackers and even governments. The apps we trust for private chats often track us, show ads, or share data without asking. That’s why more and more people are turning to open-source, privacy-first messengers built by communities, not corporations. In fact, about 80% of American users worry about how companies and the government itself handle their personal data [Pew Research], and data breaches in several apps have exposed billions of accounts and passwords in recent years. That’s not only inconvenient, but dangerous. Pew Research Pew Research billions of accounts billions of accounts So, if you care about keeping your conversations (and your data) truly private, let’s check out some great free and open-source apps designed to protect your privacy. And if you like what you find, you can even support their developers by sending crypto donations via Kivach, an Obyte-based platform to send funds to any GitHub project, even if they don’t know it yet!\ Kivach Kivach Session Session is a messenger designed to keep your conversations private and anonymous. It was released in February 2020 by the Session Technology Foundation, a non-profit group based in Switzerland. Unlike most messaging apps, Session doesn’t ask for your phone number or email when you sign up: you just get a random ID and start chatting. Its main goal is to help you communicate without giving away your identity or personal data. Unlike most messaging apps, Session doesn’t ask for your phone number or email when you sign up: you just get a random ID and start chatting. What makes Session special is how it works under the hood. Your messages are fully encrypted and sent through a decentralized network of servers, so no single company can snoop or block them. Originally built on the Oxen Network, Session switched in 2025 to its own Session Network, which simplified things and opened the door to better crypto-based privacy features. It even uses onion routing (similar to Tor) to keep your paths hidden from prying eyes, and the app doesn’t collect data. Therefore, no data leaks. Session Session Session Network Session Network Looking ahead, Session plans to grow its network and introduce optional premium features, powered by the Session Token. You can support its development and infrastructure through donations (either in traditional currencies or crypto) directly to the foundation that keeps it running. That is also possible via Kivach. via Kivach via Kivach Delta Chat This is a messenger that cleverly turns email into a secure, instant chat experience. It was first released in 2019 by a group of developers including Bjoern Petersen, Angelo Fuchs, Daniel Boehrsi, and others, with the project now coordinated by merlinux GmbH in Germany. Delta Chat lets you send encrypted messages using customizable email servers, so you don’t need to rely on centralized chat platforms that track your data. And yes, you can also use it to receive emails. first released first released Delta Chat lets you send encrypted messages using customizable email servers, so you don’t need to rely on centralized chat platforms that track your data. You don’t even need to use your personal email —you can set up anonymous profiles on special “chatmail” servers designed for speed and security. Messages are end-to-end encrypted using Autocrypt, and even sensitive details like subject lines, images, and group names are hidden from servers. It also supports multi-device use, interactive web apps inside chats, and “green-checkmarked” chats to guarantee encryption. chatmail chatmail Funding for Delta Chat comes entirely from public grants and community donations, so no venture capital, and no selling data. It’s been supported by EU projects, the Open Technology Fund, the NLnet Foundation, and individual donors. Many passionate contributors also volunteer their time to keep improving it, making it a truly community-driven effort to keep messaging private and open to everyone. You could also donate via Kivach. donate via Kivach. donate via Kivach. Ricochet Refresh Released in 2022 as a modernized version of the original Ricochet from 2014, it’s maintained by Blueprint for Free Speech, a non-profit founded by Australian cypherpunk Suelette Dreyfus, which advocates globally for freedom of expression. This app helps journalists, whistleblowers, activists, and anyone else communicate privately without exposing their identity or location. Suelette Dreyfus Suelette Dreyfus This app helps journalists, whistleblowers, activists, and anyone else communicate privately without exposing their identity or location. Unlike typical messengers, Ricochet Refresh doesn’t rely on central servers. Instead, it uses the Tor network to create a hidden service right on your device, which acts as your anonymous identity. When you add someone’s hidden address and start a chat, your messages travel through several Tor nodes, making it almost impossible for anyone to trace who is talking to whom. It also avoids leaking metadata, so nobody can tell when or how often you communicate, and it even includes a secure file transfer feature. Ricochet Refresh Ricochet Refresh Funding for the project comes from public grants and community support. Specifically, it’s backed by Blueprint for Free Speech and has received funding from the NGI Assure Fund through the European Commission’s Next Generation Internet program. Volunteers and contributors also help improve it, keeping this unique privacy tool alive for everyone who needs it. If you want to support the project with crypto, Kivach is also available. Blueprint for Free Speech Blueprint for Free Speech Kivach is also available Kivach is also available Simplex Chat Evgeny Poberezkin, founder of this handy app, said about the motivations for it: "Every messenger app that knows who you are can end up sharing all of your connections with undesirable third parties, either as a result of a court order or as a result of attack (...) I hope our messenger can help people living in the oppressive regimes to express their opinions without fear and risk of prosecution,” —and that’s how Simplex Chat was born in 2022. was born was born https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZeVhsv_JAY&embedable=true https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZeVhsv_JAY&embedable=true What makes SimpleX unique is how it works without IDs. Instead of assigning you a profile or tracking your connections, it creates one-time, temporary links between you and your contact for each conversation —no permanent identifiers. Messages travel through relay servers but are fully encrypted twice and split into anonymous queues, so no one can map your social circle. You simply share a QR code or link with your contact, and you’re good to go. It also supports video calls, group chats, and even voice notes, all wrapped in strong privacy protections. SimpleX SimpleX Instead of assigning you a profile or tracking your connections, it creates one-time, temporary links between you and your contact for each conversation —no permanent identifiers SimpleX is still growing, with exciting plans like better group management, message mixing for extra anonymity, and more user-friendly features on the way. The project is funded largely by user donations and support from the privacy community. If you chip in (even just the cost of a coffee), you help keep this privacy-first platform alive and evolving. Remember that you can support them with crypto via Kivach. support them with crypto via Kivach support them with crypto via Kivach CoyIM CoyIM appeared in 2015, created by the STRIKE team at ThoughtWorks in Ecuador, with later contributions from other teams and organizations from Canada, Brazil, and Germany. It’s now maintained by the Digital Autonomy Center in Ecuador. Its main goal is to make private, secure chatting possible for everyone, even those in high-risk situations, without needing to fiddle with complicated settings. appeared appeared Digital Autonomy Center Digital Autonomy Center It uses the XMPP protocol, which is like a universal language for chat apps, and adds OTR (Off-the-Record) encryption, which keeps your conversations private and secure while making them feel ephemeral, like a whispered secret that leaves no trace. CoyIM also runs all your connections through Tor automatically if you have it installed, adding another layer of anonymity. You don’t need to worry about setting it all up yourself; it comes with these protections already baked in, which is rare for open-source privacy software. You don’t need to worry about setting it all up yourself; it comes with these protections already baked in, which is rare for open-source privacy software. Looking ahead, the developers still have plans to improve CoyIM, including adding more languages and polishing the design. But they also warn that the software as a whole hasn’t yet gone through a full security audit, even though its OTR encryption component has been reviewed and improved after an initial audit. That’s something to keep in mind if you’re dealing with very sensitive situations. Funding and contributions come from the open-source community. You’re welcome to pitch in, whether it’s coding, translating, or donating crypto via Kivach to support development. donating crypto via Kivach donating crypto via Kivach Send donations via Kivach! If you ever want to support your favorite open-source project on GitHub with crypto, Kivach makes it a breeze. You just need an Obyte wallet loaded with some compatible tokens (like ETH, USDC, or BNB). Then head over to the Kivach site, paste the GitHub repo link, pick the network and token you want to use, set the amount, and send your donation. Even if the developer hasn’t signed up on Kivach yet, your funds are kept safely reserved until they claim them. Kivach Kivach Obyte wallet Obyte wallet The best part? You don’t need to ask the developer’s permission or wait for them to set anything up. Anyone can donate to any public GitHub repository. You’ll need to tell them so they can claim, though. Once the developer links their Obyte wallet to their GitHub through a quick attestation, they can take the funds you sent. It’s an easy and secure way to show appreciation for their work. The best part? You don’t need to ask the developer’s permission or wait for them to set anything up. Anyone can donate to any public GitHub repository On top of that, remember that Kivach supports something called cascading donations. This means that when you donate to a project, a portion of your gift can also trickle down to other projects it depends on, spreading the love to even more developers who helped make it all possible. You can also check our previous episodes in this series! 5 Open-Source Projects You Can Donate to via Kivach, Episode IV: Privacy Tools 5 Open-source Blogging and Writing Tools to Donate to via Kivach (Ep V) 5 Open-Source Tools You Can Donate to via Kivach, Episode VI: Decentralized Services 5 Open-Source Projects to Donate via Kivach, Episode VII: Games to Play for Free! 5 Cybersecurity Tools to Use for Free and Donate to Via Kivach 5 Free Data Recovery and Backup Projects to Donate to Via Kivach 5 Open-Source Learning Software Projects to Donate Via Kivach 5 Open-Source Software for Global Teams To Donate via Kivach Author Your Own Adventure With These 5 Must-Try Free Tools 5 Open-Source Crypto Tools You Can Use for Free —and Support with Kivach 5 Open-Source Projects You Can Donate to via Kivach, Episode IV: Privacy Tools 5 Open-Source Projects You Can Donate to via Kivach, Episode IV: Privacy Tools 5 Open-Source Projects You Can Donate to via Kivach, Episode IV: Privacy Tools 5 Open-Source Projects You Can Donate to via Kivach, Episode IV: Privacy Tools 5 Open-source Blogging and Writing Tools to Donate to via Kivach (Ep V) 5 Open-source Blogging and Writing Tools to Donate to via Kivach (Ep V) 5 Open-source Blogging and Writing Tools to Donate to via Kivach (Ep V) 5 Open-source Blogging and Writing Tools to Donate to via Kivach (Ep V) 5 Open-Source Tools You Can Donate to via Kivach, Episode VI: Decentralized Services 5 Open-Source Tools You Can Donate to via Kivach, Episode VI: Decentralized Services 5 Open-Source Tools You Can Donate to via Kivach, Episode VI: Decentralized Services 5 Open-Source Tools You Can Donate to via Kivach, Episode VI: Decentralized Services 5 Open-Source Projects to Donate via Kivach, Episode VII: Games to Play for Free! 5 Open-Source Projects to Donate via Kivach, Episode VII: Games to Play for Free! 5 Open-Source Projects to Donate via Kivach, Episode VII: Games to Play for Free! 5 Open-Source Projects to Donate via Kivach, Episode VII: Games to Play for Free! 5 Cybersecurity Tools to Use for Free and Donate to Via Kivach 5 Cybersecurity Tools to Use for Free and Donate to Via Kivach 5 Cybersecurity Tools to Use for Free and Donate to Via Kivach 5 Cybersecurity Tools to Use for Free and Donate to Via Kivach 5 Free Data Recovery and Backup Projects to Donate to Via Kivach 5 Free Data Recovery and Backup Projects to Donate to Via Kivach 5 Free Data Recovery and Backup Projects to Donate to Via Kivach 5 Free Data Recovery and Backup Projects to Donate to Via Kivach 5 Open-Source Learning Software Projects to Donate Via Kivach 5 Open-Source Learning Software Projects to Donate Via Kivach 5 Open-Source Learning Software Projects to Donate Via Kivach 5 Open-Source Learning Software Projects to Donate Via Kivach 5 Open-Source Software for Global Teams To Donate via Kivach 5 Open-Source Software for Global Teams To Donate via Kivach 5 Open-Source Software for Global Teams To Donate via Kivach 5 Open-Source Software for Global Teams To Donate via Kivach Author Your Own Adventure With These 5 Must-Try Free Tools Author Your Own Adventure With These 5 Must-Try Free Tools Author Your Own Adventure With These 5 Must-Try Free Tools Author Your Own Adventure With These 5 Must-Try Free Tools 5 Open-Source Crypto Tools You Can Use for Free —and Support with Kivach 5 Open-Source Crypto Tools You Can Use for Free —and Support with Kivach 5 Open-Source Crypto Tools You Can Use for Free —and Support with Kivach 5 Open-Source Crypto Tools You Can Use for Free —and Support with Kivach Featured Vector Image by Freepik Featured Vector Image by Freepik Freepik Freepik
