Guide
WhatsApp alternatives for private conversations
WhatsApp is where most conversations happen, and for many people it works well. Others look for an alternative: because the account is tied to a phone number, because it is owned by Meta, or because they want a separate place for the conversations that matter. This guide compares the main alternatives, and explains why we built Morse Messenger to be the one that asks the least of you.
Get Morse MessengerWhy people look for a WhatsApp alternative
WhatsApp encrypts messages and calls end to end. For the content of your messages, that is strong protection.
The reasons people look elsewhere are usually about what surrounds the content.
A WhatsApp account is tied to a phone number, and people who have your number can find you in the app.
WhatsApp is owned by Meta, a company whose business is advertising.
And for some people, one app for family, work, school groups and everything else is simply too much in one place.
An alternative does not have to replace WhatsApp. Many people use a second messenger next to it.
What to compare
Four questions separate one messenger from another.
Does it need your phone number? Is everything end-to-end encrypted by default, or only some chats? Who pays for it? And does it have the features you actually use?
The answers for the best-known alternatives follow below, starting with our own.
Morse Messenger: no phone number, no SIM card
Morse is our answer to the question this guide asks, so we will be direct about why we think it is the best alternative for private conversations.
You need no phone number, no email address and no SIM card. You create an account, receive a Morse ID, and Morse works on Wi-Fi alone.
Everything is end-to-end encrypted by default: messages, photos, videos and voice messages, group chats and voice and video calls.
The encryption is based on the Signal Protocol and already includes post-quantum key exchange.
There is no address-book upload, no public user directory and no advertising. Morse is funded by a user subscription.
Morse is available for iPhone, with Android coming soon.
Try Morse next to WhatsApp
No phone number, no SIM card, no address book. Set up in a minute.
Phone number required
Signal
Signal is the best-known private messenger. It is run by a nonprofit and funded by donations.
Messages and calls are end-to-end encrypted with the Signal Protocol, the same foundation Morse builds on, and the apps are open source.
The difference is the phone number. Signal requires one to create an account. You can hide it from other people and use a username, but the account stays registered to your number.
If you want that kind of encryption without giving a phone number, that is what Morse is for.
Threema
Threema is a paid messenger from Switzerland that also works without a phone number. You pay once for the app.
Messages and calls are end-to-end encrypted, and the apps are open source.
Compared with Morse, two things are missing: Threema does not offer disappearing messages, and its published cryptography does not include post-quantum key exchange.
Linking a phone number or uploading your address book is optional in Threema. In Morse those options do not exist.
Session
Session is a free, open-source messenger that needs no phone number or email.
Its distinguishing feature is the network: messages travel through a decentralized onion-routing network, similar to Tor.
For everyday use there are gaps. Voice and video calls are an opt-in beta in which your IP address is shared with the person you call, and Session says its protocol does not yet provide forward secrecy.
In Morse, encrypted calls are a standard part of the app.
Telegram
Telegram is often named as a WhatsApp alternative, but it is a different kind of product.
It is a large platform with public channels, groups and bots, and it requires a phone number to sign up.
Regular chats, including all group chats, are not end-to-end encrypted. End-to-end encryption exists only in optional Secret Chats.
In Morse, every chat is end-to-end encrypted without you having to switch anything on.
Verdict
The short version
The apps in this guide make different choices, and they are not equal.
No phone number or email needed: Morse, Threema and Session. Not Signal, Telegram or WhatsApp.
Everything end-to-end encrypted by default, with calls as a standard feature: Morse, Signal and Threema.
Disappearing messages and post-quantum key exchange: Morse and Signal. Not Threema.
All three together: Morse.
That is why we recommend Morse for the conversations you want to keep private.
You do not have to leave WhatsApp to start. Download Morse and add the people who matter most.
Summary
Start with one private conversation
Leaving WhatsApp completely is hard, because everyone is there.
Adding Morse for the conversations that matter takes a minute: no phone number, no SIM card, no address book.
Download Morse Messenger and share your Morse ID with the first person you want to talk to privately.
FAQ
Common questions about WhatsApp alternatives
Related
Related guides
These pages go deeper into the topics above.
Start a conversation that stays between you and the people you trust.
Simple. Private. Independent.