WhatsApp is Meta's phone-number-based messenger with end-to-end encryption but extensive metadata collection. Self-hosted or federated messengers let you choose who runs the server, avoid tying identity to a phone number, and keep conversation metadata out of an ad company.
8 open-source alternatives to WhatsApp you can host yourself, ranked by GitHub stars and updated daily.
| # | App | Category | Stars | Language | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
simplex-chat/simplex-chat
|
Chat & Messaging | 19,682 | Haskell | today |
| 2 |
element-hq/element-web
|
Chat & Messaging | 13,654 | TypeScript | today |
| 3 |
tinode/chat
|
Chat & Messaging | 13,565 | Go | 17d |
| 4 |
processone/ejabberd
|
Chat & Messaging | 6,750 | Erlang | 1d |
| 5 |
element-hq/synapse
|
Chat & Messaging | 4,786 | Python | today |
| 6 |
jeremyckahn/chitchatter
|
Chat & Messaging | 2,342 | TypeScript | today |
| 7 |
balzack/databag
|
Chat & Messaging | 1,512 | TypeScript | 5mo |
| 8 |
snikket-im/snikket-server
|
Chat & Messaging | 476 | Lua | 10d |