Conversations is the Android XMPP client that shows the old federated protocol still works: end-to-end encryption, voice notes and video calls, on any server you choose or the developer’s own. XMPP’s openness means you can always switch servers or apps. It is Android-only, and XMPP’s encryption between different server users has historically been patchier than […]
Fairphone, from the Netherlands, builds modular phones designed to be opened and repaired with a screwdriver, with long software support and fairer supply chains than the industry norm. It ships with normal Android, and de-Googled builds like /e/OS are available for it. Performance is mid-range and the price is not, which is what ethical manufacturing […]
Murena sells phones with /e/OS pre-installed, from refurbished Pixels to its own Fairphone models: no Google account, no Google apps, and an optional cloud that is not reading over your shoulder. The setup requires zero flashing skills. You accept /e/OS’s slower Android updates and a smaller app ecosystem in exchange for the cleanest out-of-box experience […]
Bluesky built the AT Protocol around the idea that your identity and data should be portable, with custom feeds you choose yourself. It feels like early Twitter without the ads, and the protocol vision is genuinely interesting. Today one company runs the main infrastructure and the monetization story is still being written, so the independence […]
Mastodon is decentralized social networking: thousands of independently run servers federate into one shared timeline, with chronological feeds, no ad targeting and no single company deciding what you see. You pick a server, and you can move with your followers if you outgrow it. Choosing an instance is a real decision, the network is smaller […]
Pixelfed is what Instagram would look like without Meta: federated, chronological, no ads, no engagement metrics unless you want them, and open source top to bottom. Your photo archive can live on a server you trust. The network is young and smaller, mobile apps are maturing, and instance choice matters here too. A genuinely pleasant […]
SimpleX has no user account at all. No phone number, no username, no address book on a server. You connect by a one-time link or a QR code. Relays pass messages and are not supposed to learn who is talking. The apps are open source. The network is small. Delivery can be slower than Signal. […]
Session gives you a random Session ID instead of a phone number. Messages go through an onion-routed network of community nodes, so there is no central account database of who messaged whom. Clients are open source. There are phone and desktop apps. Onion routing costs time. Big files are limited. Calls exist and they are […]
Threema sells a messenger for a one-time fee. A random Threema ID replaces your phone number. Chats are end-to-end encrypted. The company is in Switzerland and has published outside audits. You can use it without handing over a number or an email. The apps are open source. The server is not. You are trusting Threema […]
Element is the main app for Matrix, a federated chat protocol. You can use Element’s server or run your own and still talk to people on other servers. Private rooms can be end-to-end encrypted. Bridges can mirror Slack, Telegram, and other networks into a room. The homeserver sees metadata. Public rooms are often unencrypted. Encryption […]
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