I need a chat app that supports end-to-end encryption and does not store metadata.

If your priority is end-to-end encryption (E2EE) plus minimal or no metadata retention, you’ll want to look beyond mainstream messengers. No service can honestly guarantee “zero metadata” in every circumstance (servers, networks, push notifications, and abuse prevention often require some operational data), but these are among the strongest options:

Best choices

1. Signal Technology Foundation’s Signal — best balance of security and usability

• Strong E2EE by default for messages, calls, and groups.
• Designed to minimize stored user data; Signal states it does not store message contents and has worked on reducing metadata exposure.
• Pros: - Easy for nontechnical users
• Open-source clients
• Excellent cryptographic reputation
• Reliable voice/video calls
• Tradeoff: - Account creation traditionally relies on a phone number, which is an identifier.

Best for: most people who want strong privacy without sacrificing convenience.

2. SimpleX Chat — strongest metadata privacy approach

• Designed specifically to avoid user identifiers; it does not use phone numbers, usernames, or persistent public IDs for messaging.
• Uses E2EE and relay servers that are designed not to know your contact graph.
• Pros: - Better protection against revealing who communicates with whom
• No permanent account identity
• Open protocol
• Tradeoff: - Smaller user base
• Slightly less convenient onboarding

Best for: people who care most about hiding metadata and identity relationships.

3. Session — anonymous-style messaging

• Uses E2EE and is designed around minimizing metadata, including avoiding phone-number-based accounts.
• Pros: - No phone number required
• Privacy-focused design
• Tradeoff: - Different trust model and architecture than Signal
• Smaller ecosystem

Best for: privacy enthusiasts who accept a less mainstream experience.

My recommendation by priority

• Daily messaging with friends/family: Signal
• Maximum metadata privacy: SimpleX Chat
• No phone number and anonymity-focused use: Session

If your threat model includes government-level surveillance, targeted attackers, or protecting activist/journalist communications, I’d lean toward SimpleX Chat or Signal with careful device security practices rather than just choosing an app. Device compromise can defeat even excellent encryption.

When you need a chat application that goes beyond standard end-to-end encryption (E2EE) to actively minimize or eliminate metadata, traditional apps like WhatsApp or Signal fall short—because while they encrypt message content, they still collect metadata like who you are talking to, when, and from what IP address (Signal requires a phone number , and WhatsApp logs extensive connection metadata).

To truly eliminate or hide metadata, you have to look at decentralized and identifier-free architectures. Here are the top options that fit this strict threat model:

• SimpleX Chat : Widely considered the gold standard for metadata concealment. It does not use any user identifiers at all—not even random account numbers or phone numbers. Instead, it uses isolated, unidirectional message queues for each conversation, meaning the servers relaying the messages cannot see who is sending to whom or build a social graph.
• Session : An anonymous messenger that requires no phone number or email to sign up; you just generate a random alphanumeric Session ID. It routes messages through an onion-routed decentralized node network (the Oxen Service Node Network), meaning no single server ever logs your IP address or knows both who is talking and who is listening.
• Matrix / Element : A federated open standard where you can host your own server (or join a private homeserver). While metadata exists on the specific server you choose, federation and self-hosting allow you to completely control who sees your network traffic and metadata, keeping it out of the hands of commercial third parties.
• Threema : A paid, privacy-first Swiss messenger that requires no phone number and is designed to generate as little metadata as possible. Contacts are verified via QR codes, and metadata on servers is aggressively wiped once delivered. (Note: It is centralized, unlike Session or SimpleX, but maintains a strict zero-metadata commercial policy).

If you want to narrow this down, tell me:

• Do you prefer a completely serverless/decentralized network (like Session or SimpleX) or the ability to self-host your own server (like Matrix)?
• Is ease of use for non-technical contacts a priority, or is this for a high-threat environment?

If your priority is end-to-end encryption (E2EE) plus minimizing or eliminating stored metadata, the strongest candidates are:

Best fit: SimpleX Chat

• Uses E2EE and is designed around not having user identifiers (no phone number, email, username, or persistent account ID).
• Its servers act mainly as message relays; the design aims to avoid storing user profiles, contact graphs, and delivered messages.
• Good choice if your main concern is metadata privacy (who talks to whom, contact relationships, etc.).
• Tradeoff: smaller user base and a less familiar onboarding model (you connect through invitation links/QR codes rather than searching by phone number).

Strong alternative: Session

• E2EE messaging with no phone number required.
• Uses a decentralized network and onion-routing style message paths to reduce exposure of identifying information.
• Tradeoff: its architecture differs from SimpleX, and you should review whether its threat model matches yours.

Common choice: Signal

• Excellent E2EE with a strong security reputation.
• Tradeoff: it requires a phone number for registration, so it does not aim for the same level of metadata minimization as SimpleX.

My recommendation by use case

• Maximum metadata privacy: SimpleX Chat
• Private messenger with a more conventional account model: Session
• Best balance of security, usability, and broad adoption: Signal

A caveat: no chat app can guarantee “zero metadata” in an absolute sense. Even privacy-focused systems may expose some operational data (for example, network-level information such as IP addresses unless additional protections like Tor/VPN are used). SimpleX specifically focuses on reducing what the messaging service itself can learn.

If you need this for a small private group, a business, journalism/activism, or everyday personal use, the best choice may differ.

Session is an open-source, end-to-end encrypted messenger that Session Private Messenger builds specifically to hide your identity and avoid storing connection or user metadata.

No mainstream app is completely free of all data traces, but decentralized and anonymous-ID platforms minimize metadata retention far beyond traditional apps.

Top Privacy-First Messaging Apps

How Metadata-Resistant Apps Work

• No Phone Numbers: Instead of tying your account to a telecom identity, apps like Session Private Messenger give you a cryptographic public key or ID string.
• Onion Routing: Messages bounce through a decentralized cluster of community-operated nodes using Session Network routing, meaning no single server ever sees both your IP address and the recipient's IP address at the same time.
• Decentralization: Without a central corporate server logging traffic data, user graphs (who talks to whom and when) cannot be easily compiled or subpoenaed.

If you want to narrow this down, let me know:

• Do you need phone/video call support?
• Is a phone number registration an absolute dealbreaker for you?

If you need a chat application that provides true end-to-end encryption (E2EE) while aggressively eliminating or anonymizing metadata (such as who is talking to whom, when, and from what IP address), mainstream options like WhatsApp or Telegram fall short.

Instead, look to platforms built from the ground up for metadata minimization and anonymity:

1. SimpleX Chat
   • The Setup: Completely free, open-source, and requires no user identifiers whatsoever—no phone number, username, email, or even a permanent random account ID.
   • Metadata Protection: It uses independent, unidirectional message queues for each conversation. The servers only relay encrypted data temporarily without knowing who owns the queues or linking senders and recipients.
   • Get it: Download or inspect the code via the SimpleX Chat Official Site.
2. Session
   • The Setup: Decentralized, open-source, and non-profit. Registration requires no phone number or personal info; your device simply generates a random 66-character alphanumeric Session ID.
   • Metadata Protection: It routes messages through an onion-routing network (similar to Tor) so that the service nodes handling the traffic cannot see your IP address or connect a sender to a receiver.
   • Get it: Learn more or download the client on the Session Private Messenger Site.
3. Briar
   • The Setup: An open-source peer-to-peer messenger designed for maximum resistance against surveillance.
   • Metadata Protection: Rather than relying on central cloud servers that can log traffic graphs, Briar can route messages directly via Bluetooth, local Wi-Fi, or through the Tor network, hiding metadata and preventing interception.
   • Get it: Find out how it works on the Briar Project Site.

Would you prefer an app that relies on onion routing / internet relays (like Session or SimpleX), or one that can function entirely off-grid via peer-to-peer / local mesh networks (like Briar)?

If your requirement is end-to-end encryption + minimal/no server-side metadata, I’d shortlist these:

🥇 SimpleX Chat

This is the closest match to what you're asking for. SimpleX doesn't assign users persistent IDs—not even usernames, phone numbers, or random identifiers. Its relay servers are designed so they can't determine who is communicating with whom, and messages are E2EE.

One important qualification: “does not store metadata” shouldn't be interpreted literally as “no technical data ever exists.” SimpleX says servers can temporarily process/store things such as authentication tokens, push tokens and, in some circumstances, IP/network information needed to operate the service.

🥈 Session

Session is also designed around minimizing metadata. It uses no phone number or email, employs onion routing, and uses decentralized infrastructure.

🥉 Signal

Signal is probably the best choice if you want something polished that friends and family are more likely to already use. Messages and calls are always E2EE, and Signal says it doesn't collect/store sensitive information.

However, it doesn't meet your “no metadata” requirement as strictly as SimpleX: Signal accounts use phone numbers, and Signal's privacy policy acknowledges that some technical information is retained to operate the service.

Bottom line: If metadata privacy is your #1 priority, I'd choose SimpleX. If you need something that is extremely private but easier to get everyone else onto, choose Signal.

If you want an app that combines end-to-end encryption (E2EE) with maximum metadata resistance (meaning it hides who is talking to whom, when , and from where ), you have to look beyond mainstream apps like WhatsApp or standard Telegram.

True "no metadata" or "zero-knowledge/anonymous" messaging requires architectural choices like decentralization, onion routing, or completely eliminating user IDs.

Top-tier options tailored to this standard include:

• SimpleX Chat — Best for zero user identifiers. SimpleX does not use user IDs of any kind—not even random numbers or alphanumeric strings. It routes messages through temporary, isolated unidirectional queues. The server knows a message passed through, but it cannot link the sender to the recipient or build a social graph. It features end-to-end encryption by default and requires no phone number or email.
• Session — Best for onion-routed anonymity. Operating on the decentralized Oxen Service Node Network, Session uses onion-routing (similar to Tor) so that message routing nodes only know the immediately previous and next hops, completely hiding sender-receiver metadata. It requires no phone number or personal info to sign up—just a 66-character alphanumeric Session ID.
• Threema — Best for Swiss-backed metadata minimization. Threema requires no phone number or email for anonymous use, generates an 8-digit Threema ID, and deletes messages from its servers immediately upon delivery. Contacts are verified locally via QR codes. Note: Threema is a paid app.
• Signal — The gold standard for mainstream privacy. While not completely metadata-free, Signal goes further than almost any other mainstream app by using Sealed Sender technology (so even Signal doesn't know who is messaging whom) and allowing phone number privacy via usernames. However, it still requires a phone number to register, which leaves a minor registration footprint compared to SimpleX or Session.

To help narrow down the best fit, let me know:

• Do you prefer a completely independent/decentralized app (like SimpleX or Session) or a more mainstream app your contacts might already have (like Signal)?
• Is it crucial that you avoid using a phone number entirely?

If “does not store metadata” is a hard requirement, I’d look at these:

1. SimpleX Chat — best fit

• End-to-end encrypted messaging.
• No user IDs at all—not even random persistent IDs.
• Designed specifically to hide who communicates with whom and when from network servers.
• Messages are held on relay servers only temporarily, until delivered.
• Supports iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, and Linux.
• Can use private routing/Tor for additional IP-address protection.

SimpleX is the closest match to your requirement. Its documentation does acknowledge that a minimal amount of metadata necessary for network operation can exist, so “zero metadata under every conceivable circumstance” isn't a realistic claim.

2. Session — very strong alternative

Session uses end-to-end encryption, onion routing, randomized IDs rather than phone numbers, and decentralized message storage. Its current documentation says it minimizes metadata, while its app listing specifically says it doesn't store, track, or log private messaging metadata.

3. Signal — best mainstream choice, but not zero-metadata

Signal is arguably the strongest mainstream encrypted messenger, and its messages/calls are always E2EE. It deliberately minimizes server-side data and doesn't have access to message contents.

However, I wouldn't choose Signal if your specific requirement is “no metadata.” Signal traditionally uses phone numbers as account identifiers and, despite substantial metadata protections, it isn't designed around eliminating persistent identifiers and connection metadata to the same degree as SimpleX.

My pick: SimpleX. If your priority order is metadata privacy → E2EE → anonymity, it's the strongest match of the three.

SimpleX download/get started 

If your priority is end-to-end encryption (E2EE) plus minimizing or avoiding metadata storage, the strongest options are:

My pick based on your exact requirement:
SimpleX Chat is the closest match. It is specifically built around avoiding user identifiers and reducing metadata leakage, while still providing encrypted messaging, files, groups, and calls.

A few caveats:

• No consumer chat app can realistically guarantee zero metadata in all circumstances. Network providers, device operating systems, timing patterns, and IP addresses can still reveal information depending on your threat model.
• For the highest privacy, also consider:
  • using a privacy-focused operating system/device setup,
  • disabling cloud backups,
  • verifying contact security codes,
  • using disappearing messages when appropriate.

If you need maximum anonymity against a powerful observer, I would look at SimpleX + self-hosted relays + careful device/network hygiene. If you need something your non-technical contacts will actually install, Signal is usually the practical choice.

When you want a chat app that provides end-to-end encryption (E2EE) and actively minimizes or eliminates metadata , standard consumer apps like WhatsApp or Telegram fall short (WhatsApp stores heavy connection metadata, and standard Telegram isn't even E2EE by default).

True metadata resistance requires decentralized routing, onion-routing, or zero permanent user identifiers. The top options designed specifically to solve the metadata problem include:

• Session — An anonymous, decentralized messenger operated by the Oxen Service Node Network. It requires no phone number or email to sign up (you just generate a alphanumeric Session ID). Messages are routed via an onion-style network of nodes, meaning no single server ever knows both who is sending a message and who is receiving it, effectively stripping away traffic metadata.
• SimpleX Chat — Goes a step further than most by having no user identifiers at all —not even a random account number or ID. Communication happens over isolated unidirectional queues rather than global IDs, completely preventing intermediate servers from linking senders and receivers or tracking metadata history.
• Threema — A paid, open-source app based in Switzerland. It requires no phone number or email for individual use, and it is engineered to store zero logs on its servers. Metadata (like contact lists or connection timestamps) is kept strictly local to your device and wiped immediately upon message delivery.
• Signal — While it still requires a phone number to register, Signal is the gold standard for mainstream secure communication. It uses Sealed Sender technology to ensure that even Signal's servers cannot see who is sending a message to whom , drastically reducing active metadata logging compared to traditional services.
• Briar — A peer-to-peer messenger designed for high-risk environments. It doesn't rely on a central server at all; if necessary, it can route messages locally over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi , making internet-based metadata tracking virtually impossible during critical outages or active surveillance.

If you'd like to narrow this down, tell me:

• Do you need phone number registration or complete anonymity (no phone/email)?
• Are you looking for something for mobile-only or cross-platform (desktop + mobile) use?