Threema

Paid Swiss messenger with no phone number or email required.

threema.com

Visit Website View source
PaidOpen SourceE2E EncryptedAccepts CryptoWindowsmacOSLinuxAndroidiOSWebSwitzerland

Pricing One-time purchase of around $3.49 on Google Play or the App Store. No subscription. Pay through the store, with Bitcoin or with cash.

Paying for Threema is the point of it. A few dollars up front buys a messenger with no ads and no data harvesting from a company that answers to Swiss law. You get a random Threema ID rather than registering a phone number or email. You can buy the app anonymously with Bitcoin or cash. The apps themselves are open source. The cost is reach since everyone you message has to buy in too, which keeps the network smaller than the free options. The upside is a messenger with no reason to monetize you because you have already paid.

Strengths

  • No phone number or email, just a random Threema ID
  • One-time purchase, no ads or data harvesting
  • Open-source apps
  • Can be bought anonymously with Bitcoin or cash

Considerations

  • Costs money, and your contacts must buy it too
  • Smaller network than the free messengers

Listed in Messaging

Threema alternatives

SimpleX ChatMessaging with no user identifiers at all, not even a random number.SignalThe mainstream secure messenger, trusted and easy to use.SessionOnion-routed messaging with no phone number and no central servers.ElementOpen, federated chat on the Matrix network, no phone number needed.