secure messaging app · Session Technology Foundation

Session

Open-source messenger that needs no phone number or email and routes messages through an onion network.

63/100

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

Session's FAQ says the Session Technology Foundation, a Swiss foundation, now stewards the project, and the OPTF ended its stewardship in October 2024¹.

In short

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 listed².
Group chats are limited to 100 people¹.
Voice and video calls are a beta feature, turned off by default¹.

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.

Where the points come from

Encryption12 of 20

Source and audits12 of 26

Sign-up and identity16 of 16

Chats and calls1 of 14

Systems14 of 16

Price8 of 8

Encryption 12 of 20 points

Rule	What is published	Points
End-to-end encrypted by default	YesFree tier covers end-to-end encrypted messages and group chats; the FAQ also describes Session as end-to-end encrypted^1,3.	12 / 12
Post-quantum key exchange	NoThe FAQ says post-quantum cryptography is planned for the V2 protocol, which is under development¹.	0 / 4
Encrypted backups	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's FAQ¹; it describes no chat backup, only restoring recent messages with a recovery password.	0 / 4

Source and audits 12 of 26 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Open-source apps	YesDesktop, iOS and Android repositories on GitHub are GPL-3.0⁵.	8 / 8
Independent audit since 2022	NoThe only audit the FAQ links is Quarkslab's, published April 2021, before the 2022 cut-off^1,8.	0 / 10
Public bug bounty	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's FAQ or docs^1,7; its GitHub has no security policy⁶.	0 / 4
Transparency report	YesTransparency report covers 1 January to 31 December 2025⁴.	4 / 4

Sign-up and identity 16 of 16 points

Rule	What is published	Points
No phone number needed	YesFAQ: you do not need a mobile number or an email to make an account¹.	12 / 12
Contacts by username	YesOthers add you by Account ID, or by a Session username if you have one; neither shows a phone number¹.	4 / 4

Chats and calls 1 of 14 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Disappearing messages	Not publishedNot published for group chats. The FAQ describes Disappear after Send and after Read but does not say whether groups can use them¹.	0 / 5
Largest group chat	100FAQ: up to 100 people can take part in a group chat¹.	1 / 4
Encrypted voice and video calls	NoThe FAQ says voice and video calls are a beta feature, turned off by default, so they do not count as generally available¹.	0 / 5

Systems 14 of 16 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Apps	Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, AndroidDownload page lists Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android apps, none marked beta; no web app is listed².	10 / 12
Windows works without the phone	YesAccounts have no phone link; the desktop app restores an Account ID with a recovery password¹.	4 / 4

Price 8 of 8 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Cost for one person	$0FAQ says Session is free to use; Session Pro is an optional extra^1,3.	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	Free^1,3	$0	Encrypted messages, group chats, no phone number
Session Pro1 person	From $2.99/month³	$2.99	Optional extras such as longer messages and pinned chats

Session Pro is optional; core messaging stays on the free tier³.

Strengths

No phone number or email is needed to create an account¹.
Apps for five systems are open source under GPL-3.0⁵.
Publishes transparency reports, including one covering all of 2025⁴.
Disappearing messages can delete after sending or after reading¹.

Limits

The audit it links, by Quarkslab, was published in 2021^1,8.
Group chats are limited to 100 people¹.
Voice and video calls are beta and off by default¹.
The FAQ says forward secrecy is to return in a later protocol version, which is still in development¹.

What Session Technology Foundation says

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

Session says its desktop, Android and iOS clients were audited by Quarkslab¹.

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

Session FAQ, Session. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Download Session, Session. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Session Pro, Session. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Transparency reports, Session Technology Foundation. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
session-foundation on GitHub, GitHub. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
session-desktop security, GitHub. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Session documentation, Session. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Session code audit, Session. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.

Website: getsession.org · Markdown version · We are not affiliated with Session Technology Foundation.