Messengers
SimpleX privacy rating
End-to-end encrypted messenger that has no user identifiers of any kind, not even random ones. Messages pass through relay servers that anyone can run.
Summary
SimpleX scores 94 out of 100 (grade A) on the messengers criteria. It meets 7 of 8 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales, end-to-end encrypted by default, no phone number needed, metadata protection and decentralized. It partly meets independent audit. It is based in the United Kingdom: Five Eyes member; GDPR-style data protection law; CLOUD Act data access agreement with the US.
Score 94 out of 100. How scoring works
Criteria
- Yes
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Yes
No trackers or telemetry Weight 3 of 3
Are the website and apps free of third-party trackers, with any analytics anonymous and any telemetry off by default?
The privacy policy states client apps contain no tracking or analytics code.
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Yes
No ads or data sales Weight 2 of 3
Is the product funded without advertising, ad targeting or selling user data?
Funded by venture investment and donations, with no ads; the privacy policy states user data is not sold or monetized.
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Partial
Independent audit Weight 2 of 3
Has an independent security or privacy audit been published within the last three years?
Trail of Bits reviewed the protocol design, but only a summary report is public; the earlier full audit is older than three years.
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Yes
End-to-end encrypted by default Weight 3 of 3
Are all chats, including groups, end-to-end encrypted by default?
All direct and group messages and files are end-to-end encrypted with a quantum-resistant double ratchet.
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Yes
No phone number needed Weight 2 of 3
Can an account be created without a phone number?
No phone number, email or user ID is needed.
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Yes
Metadata protection Weight 2 of 3
Does the service minimize who-talks-to-whom metadata (for example sealed sender or no user identifiers)?
There are no user identifiers; each contact uses separate pairwise message queues, and private routing hides the sender IP from the recipient's server.
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Yes
Decentralized Weight 1 of 3
Can people run their own server or talk peer to peer?
Anyone can run SMP and XFTP relay servers, and users on different servers can message each other.