--- title: Session canonical: https://saasranked.com/software/session/ category: Secure Messaging Apps points: 63 rank: 7 of 12 facts_checked: 2026-10-08 --- # Session Open-source messenger that needs no phone number or email and routes messages through an onion network. 63 points out of 100. #7 of 12 secure messaging apps. Vendor: Session Technology Foundation. Website: https://getsession.org/ - Accounts need no phone number or email; the free tier includes encrypted messages and group chats [1][3]. - Session is free to use; the optional Session Pro starts at $2.99 a month [1][3]. - Apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android; no web app is listed [2]. - Group chats are limited to 100 people [1]. - Voice and video calls are a beta feature, turned off by default [1]. Verdict: Session suits people who want an account with no phone number or email, and open-source apps on desktop and mobile [1][2][5]. Core messaging is free [1][3]. The catch: the only audit it links is from 2021, groups top out at 100 people, there is no web app, and calls are beta [1][2][8]. Best for: People who want an anonymous account and open-source desktop and mobile apps. Status: Session's FAQ says the Session Technology Foundation, a Swiss foundation, now stewards the project, and the OPTF ended its stewardship in October 2024 [1]. ## Points | Criterion | Line | Value | Points | Note | |---|---|---|---|---| | Encryption | End-to-end encrypted by default | Yes | 12/12 | Free tier covers end-to-end encrypted messages and group chats; the FAQ also describes Session as end-to-end encrypted [1][3]. | | Encryption | Post-quantum key exchange | No | 0/4 | The FAQ says post-quantum cryptography is planned for the V2 protocol, which is under development [1]. | | Encryption | Encrypted backups | Not published | 0/4 | Not published on the vendor's FAQ [1]; it describes no chat backup, only restoring recent messages with a recovery password. | | Source and audits | Open-source apps | Yes | 8/8 | Desktop, iOS and Android repositories on GitHub are GPL-3.0 [5]. | | Source and audits | Independent audit since 2022 | No | 0/10 | The only audit the FAQ links is Quarkslab's, published April 2021, before the 2022 cut-off [1][8]. | | Source and audits | Public bug bounty | Not published | 0/4 | Not published on the vendor's FAQ or docs [1][7]; its GitHub has no security policy [6]. | | Source and audits | Transparency report | Yes | 4/4 | Transparency report covers 1 January to 31 December 2025 [4]. | | Sign-up and identity | No phone number needed | Yes | 12/12 | FAQ: you do not need a mobile number or an email to make an account [1]. | | Sign-up and identity | Contacts by username | Yes | 4/4 | Others add you by Account ID, or by a Session username if you have one; neither shows a phone number [1]. | | Chats and calls | Disappearing messages | Not published | 0/5 | Not published for group chats. The FAQ describes Disappear after Send and after Read but does not say whether groups can use them [1]. | | Chats and calls | Largest group chat | 100 | 1/4 | FAQ: up to 100 people can take part in a group chat [1]. | | Chats and calls | Encrypted voice and video calls | No | 0/5 | The FAQ says voice and video calls are a beta feature, turned off by default, so they do not count as generally available [1]. | | Systems | Apps | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | 10/12 | Download page lists Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android apps, none marked beta; no web app is listed [2]. | | Systems | Windows works without the phone | Yes | 4/4 | Accounts have no phone link; the desktop app restores an Account ID with a recovery password [1]. | | Price | Cost for one person | $0 | 8/8 | FAQ says Session is free to use; Session Pro is an optional extra [1][3]. | ## Plans | Plan | Price | Per month (USD) | |---|---|---| | Free | Free [1][3] | $0 | | Session Pro | From $2.99/month [3] | $2.99 | Session Pro is optional; core messaging stays on the free tier [3]. ## Strengths - No phone number or email is needed to create an account [1]. - Apps for five systems are open source under GPL-3.0 [5]. - Publishes transparency reports, including one covering all of 2025 [4]. - Disappearing messages can delete after sending or after reading [1]. ## Limits - The audit it links, by Quarkslab, was published in 2021 [1][8]. - Group chats are limited to 100 people [1]. - Voice and video calls are beta and off by default [1]. - The FAQ says forward secrecy is to return in a later protocol version, which is still in development [1]. ## Vendor claims (not scored) - Session says its desktop, Android and iOS clients were audited by Quarkslab [1]. ## Sources 1. [Session FAQ](https://getsession.org/faq), Session, accessed 2026-10-08 2. [Download Session](https://getsession.org/download), Session, accessed 2026-10-08 3. [Session Pro](https://getsession.org/pro), Session, accessed 2026-10-08 4. [Transparency reports](https://session.foundation/transparency-reports), Session Technology Foundation, accessed 2026-10-08 5. [session-foundation on GitHub](https://github.com/session-foundation), GitHub, accessed 2026-10-08 6. [session-desktop security](https://github.com/session-foundation/session-desktop/security), GitHub, accessed 2026-10-08 7. [Session documentation](https://docs.getsession.org), Session, accessed 2026-10-08 8. [Session code audit](https://getsession.org/blog/session-code-audit), Session, accessed 2026-10-08