secure messaging app · Savoir-faire Linux

Jami

Free, open-source peer-to-peer messenger with no server relaying messages and no personal details needed.

63/100

#6 of 12 secure messaging apps
Facts checked 8 Oct 2026

In short

Jami is free and says there will never be advertising¹.
No email, address or phone number is required to create an account³.
Apps are listed for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android^1,2.
The code is licensed under GPLv3 or later^1,5.
The vendor says communications are peer to peer and end-to-end encrypted¹.

Jami suits people who want a free, open-source messenger that needs no phone number and needs no server to relay messages^1,3. It scores on openness, platforms and price^1,2,5. The catch: the vendor pages do not publish an outside audit, a bug bounty, a transparency report, a group size limit or disappearing messages^1,3.

Best for: People who want a free, serverless messenger with no phone number.

Where the points come from

Encryption12 of 20

Source and audits8 of 26

Sign-up and identity16 of 16

Chats and calls5 of 14

Systems14 of 16

Price8 of 8

Encryption 12 of 20 points

Rule	What is published	Points
End-to-end encrypted by default	YesHomepage says all communications are end-to-end encrypted with perfect forward secrecy¹.	12 / 12
Post-quantum key exchange	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's homepage or FAQ^1,3.	0 / 4
Encrypted backups	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's setup guide, which does not say what a backup holds or how it is encrypted⁶.	0 / 4

Source and audits 8 of 26 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Open-source apps	YesHomepage says GNU GPLv3 or later; the desktop client repository is GPL-3.0^1,5.	8 / 8
Independent audit since 2022	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's homepage or FAQ^1,3.	0 / 10
Public bug bounty	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's homepage or FAQ^1,3.	0 / 4
Transparency report	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's homepage or FAQ^1,3.	0 / 4

Sign-up and identity 16 of 16 points

Rule	What is published	Points
No phone number needed	YesFAQ says a new account needs no email address, address or phone number³.	12 / 12
Contacts by username	YesContacts use a 40-character Jami ID or an optional registered username; neither reveals a phone number³.	4 / 4

Chats and calls 5 of 14 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Disappearing messages	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's FAQ³.	0 / 5
Largest group chat	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's FAQ or swarm design page, which give no member limit^3,4.	0 / 4
Encrypted voice and video calls	YesHomepage says all communications are end-to-end encrypted; FAQ says calls use TLS 1.3 with perfect forward secrecy^1,3.	5 / 5

Systems 14 of 16 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Apps	Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, AndroidDownload page links Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS and Android apps; no web app and no beta label².	10 / 12
Windows works without the phone	YesConversation histories sync between all of an account's linked devices; a new account needs no phone number³.	4 / 4

Price 8 of 8 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Cost for one person	$0Homepage describes Jami as free, with no advertising¹.	8 / 8

The rule behind each line: how we score secure messaging apps.

Plans and prices

As the vendor lists them, before tax. Prices are in US dollars unless the plan shows euros; the points use US dollars, with euros converted at the ECB rate.

Plan	Price as listed	Per month	Notes
Free1 person	Free¹	$0	All features; no advertising

Strengths

Free, with no advertising¹.
No phone number, email or address needed to create an account³.
Open source under GPLv3 or later^1,5.
Apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android^1,2.
The vendor says no server is needed to relay data between users¹.

Limits

No independent audit is published on the vendor's homepage or FAQ^1,3.
Registered usernames cannot be changed or removed on the default name server³.
The vendor's pages do not describe disappearing messages or a group size limit³.
An account with no backup is lost if it is removed from every linked device⁶.
No web app is listed on the download page².

What Savoir-faire Linux says

Vendor claims. We show them, but they earn no points.

Jami says it is completely peer to peer and needs no server to relay data between users¹.

Other secure messaging apps

1
SimpleX ChatPeople who want a messenger that holds no account identifier or phone number
86/100
$0cost for one person
2
ThreemaPeople who want a messenger with no phone number and no subscription
79/100
$6/yrcost for one person
3
WirePeople who want default encryption and open-source apps without handing over a phone number
78/100
$0cost for one person
4
ElementPeople who want open-source apps on every platform and no phone number
69/100
$0cost for one person

All 12 secure messaging apps

Sources

Jami, Jami. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Download Jami, Jami. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Jami FAQ, Jami. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Swarm, Jami. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
jami-client-qt, GitHub. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Set up Jami, Jami. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.

Website: jami.net · Markdown version · We are not affiliated with Savoir-faire Linux.