5 Best Open Source Telegram Alternatives
A curated collection of the 5 best open source and self-hosted alternatives to Telegram in 2026.
Looking for a free, privacy-friendly, or self-hosted replacement for Telegram in 2026? The top open-source alternative is Signal — Secure messaging app with state-of-the-art encryption, voice/video calls, group chats, and file sharing. No ads, trackers, or data collection..
Other highly rated open-source Telegram alternatives include Cinny, Stoat and Quiet.
Secure messaging app with state-of-the-art encryption, voice/video calls, group chats, and file sharing. No ads, trackers, or data collection.
Secure messaging app with state-of-the-art encryption, voice/video calls, group chats, and file sharing. No ads, trackers, or data collection.
Cinny offers a simple, elegant, and secure interface for Matrix-based conversations, protected by end-to-end encryption.
Cinny offers a simple, elegant, and secure interface for Matrix-based conversations, protected by end-to-end encryption.
Self-hostable group chat with servers, channels, voice, and moderation tools. No ads, no data mining, built under EU privacy law.
Self-hostable group chat with servers, channels, voice, and moderation tools. No ads, no data mining, built under EU privacy law.
Quiet is a peer-to-peer messaging app that syncs messages directly between devices over Tor, with no central server, no phone number required, and no metadata leaks.
Quiet is a peer-to-peer messaging app that syncs messages directly between devices over Tor, with no central server, no phone number required, and no metadata leaks.
Free Matrix-based messenger with end-to-end encryption, multi-platform bridges, and on-premise deployment. Connect across 30+ networks securely.
Free Matrix-based messenger with end-to-end encryption, multi-platform bridges, and on-premise deployment. Connect across 30+ networks securely.
About Telegram
A cloud-based messaging app with a focus on speed and security.