Communication
European instant messaging apps
Private messaging from European app makers
Replaces: WhatsApp
An instant messaging app carries text, photos, voice notes and files between people, usually with voice and video calling built in. Group chats, read receipts and cross device sync are standard. This category covers apps for personal and small group conversation; tools built around company workflows, with channels and integrations, are listed separately under team communication services.
Metadata is the part people forget: even where message content is protected, the record of who you write to and when says a great deal. Threema, Olvid and TeleGuard are made by European companies, so that record sits with an operator under EU or EEA rules. Anyone picking a European alternative to WhatsApp should also check whether an account needs a phone number at all.
Olvid
French messenger that works without a phone number
Olvid is an instant messaging app from France that you can use without a phone number, which also means it runs on an Android or iOS tablet with no SIM card. Its end to end encryption covers the metadata as well as the message content, so the app cannot build a picture of who talks to whom, and users stay anonymous.
FranceFree plan
Threema
Encrypted messaging app from Switzerland
Switzerland
TeleGuard
Free messaging app from Switzerland
Switzerland
ginlo Private
Personal messenger from Germany
Germany
ginlo Business
Business messenger from Germany
Germany
SKRED
Encrypted peer to peer messaging from France
FranceFree plan
mssgs
Group chat for teams and communities from the Netherlands
NetherlandsEU hostedFree plan
