Sotvo is our app. Here is how we compare it — and where the others are better.
The five WhatsApp alternatives worth considering in 2026 are Signal, Threema, Session, SimpleX Chat, and Sotvo. Which one fits depends on why you are leaving: the phone number, the metadata, or the group chats. The reason decides the pick, so this page is sorted by reason instead of by rank. The bar for the list is end-to-end encryption on by default.
Why people leave WhatsApp
People leave WhatsApp for three reasons: the phone number it requires, the metadata it collects, and the group chats that pile up inside it.
The number comes first. WhatsApp does not work without one, and anyone you message gets to keep it. Metadata is quieter. Chats are end-to-end encrypted with the Signal protocol, yet WhatsApp’s own privacy policy lists what is collected around them: device identifiers, usage and log information, and, with permission, your address book. The encryption covers what you said. It does not cover who you talked to and when. The third reason is plain exhaustion. A family group, a building group, two work groups, and a carpool group can turn messaging into a second inbox.
Each reason points to a different replacement, so the three sections below follow the same order.
If the phone number is the problem
Threema, Session, and SimpleX Chat replace WhatsApp without asking for a phone number.
Threema identifies you with a generated eight-character ID, runs its servers in Switzerland, and costs about $6, once. The company sells the app, so it does not need to sell anything else. Choose Threema if paying once to keep your number out of the system sounds like a fair trade.
Session generates an Account ID instead of asking who you are, and it onion-routes traffic so the network learns less about where you are. The ID is permanent, though: one identifier still follows you between conversations. Choose Session if you want a familiar messenger layout with nothing tied to your SIM.
SimpleX Chat goes furthest of the three. Its developers describe it as the first messenger without user IDs, and the protocol really does hold no identifier for you at all. The trade is a steeper learning curve. Choose SimpleX Chat if “no user IDs” settles the question for you.
Sotvo also skips the number, using a one-time room code in place of any lasting ID, and it appears in the third section because a two-person room answers a different need. For the wider field, we keep a separate page on apps that work without your number.
If metadata is the problem
Signal is the closest like-for-like replacement, and it keeps the least metadata of the five apps here.
Signal encrypts everything by default, and its published subpoena responses show what it can hand to a court: the date an account was created and the date it last connected. Nothing else. Meta’s business model is advertising, and WhatsApp’s policy allows account information to be shared across Meta companies; that is legal, disclosed, and exactly what some people want out of. Groups, calls, stickers, and desktop apps carry over from WhatsApp, so the people in your life need little convincing beyond the install. Choose Signal if you want your old habits with almost nothing recorded around them.
One honest note: Signal still registers with your phone number, which is why it sits in this section and not the one above. Threema belongs in both. Choose Threema if you want low metadata and no number in a single app.
If group chats are the problem
Group fatigue has a smaller answer: one channel, one person. A partner, or an old friend three time zones away. For that, a do-everything messenger is the wrong shape.
Sotvo is a private, end-to-end encrypted room for exactly two people who already know each other. One person creates the room and reads a six-character code to the other; that code is the whole invitation. There is no account and no phone number. Messages are never written to disk: they live in memory only, and the fast-vanish timer clears them after 2 minutes. Encryption pairs the Double Ratchet with post-quantum hybrid key exchange. On the server side, we see that a room exists, never what’s inside.
Screenshots can’t be prevented, and Sotvo never pretends they can. The other person is notified every time.
On the July 2026 pre-release build, opening the app shows a single field for the code. Nothing else asks to be filled in. The unlock will be a one-time $6.99 purchase. Joining rooms is always free.
Choose Sotvo if the point of leaving WhatsApp is one private 1:1 room with one person, and you use an iPhone. It has no groups, no multi-device sync, and no Android version. Those are design decisions, and if any of them reads as a dealbreaker, pick from the sections above.
If you do need groups, this whole section is the wrong one. Signal runs groups of up to 1,000 people, and Telegram runs far larger communities, with the encryption caveat covered in the questions below.
The five alternatives at a glance
| App | What identifies you | Groups | Platforms | Choose it if |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Signal | Your phone number | Up to 1,000 people | iOS, Android, desktop | You want WhatsApp’s features with minimal metadata |
| Threema | A generated Threema ID | Yes | iOS, Android, desktop | You’d pay about $6 once to drop the number |
| Session | A permanent Account ID | Yes | iOS, Android, desktop | You want no number and accept one lasting ID |
| SimpleX Chat | Nothing; it has no user IDs | Yes | iOS, Android, desktop | You want no identifier of any kind |
| Sotvo | A one-time room code | No; two people only | iOS, coming soon | You want one private room with one person you know |
All five encrypt messages end-to-end by default. Telegram is missing from this list because its regular chats are not.
If you’re on Android
Sotvo is iOS-only, so the honest Android shortlist is Signal, Threema, Session, or SimpleX Chat. Every reason on this page except the two-person room is fully served on Android, and Signal is the easiest switch to sell to a whole contact list.
Questions people ask before switching
Is WhatsApp itself end-to-end encrypted?
Yes. WhatsApp chats are end-to-end encrypted by default, using the Signal protocol, and Meta cannot read their content. The encryption does not cover metadata: who you message, when, and from which device. That gap is the reason the metadata section of this page exists.
Is Telegram a good WhatsApp alternative?
Telegram is a strong WhatsApp alternative for large groups and channels, and a weak one for privacy. Regular Telegram chats are not end-to-end encrypted; only secret chats are, they must be started by hand, and they work on one device. Telegram’s own FAQ confirms the default. If privacy pushed you off WhatsApp, Telegram moves you sideways.
Why is Sotvo on this list before it has launched?
Because this is our site, and leaving our own app out would be odder than disclosing it. Sotvo is coming soon to the App Store, initially available in the US, Canada, Australia and most of the EU. Everything written about it here describes the current pre-release build, and the other four apps are available today.
Five apps, one question. If yours is bigger than leaving WhatsApp, the full encrypted messaging comparison goes past these five.