WhatsApp is owned by Meta (Facebook). If you want more privacy, these alternatives are worth considering.
๐ฅ Signal
Gold standard for private messaging. End-to-end encrypted by default for everything โ messages, calls, voice notes, even metadata. Non-profit organization.
โ
Freeโ
Best Privacyโ
Open Source
Details โ๐ฅ Telegram
More features than WhatsApp: channels, bots, large file sharing, 200,000-member groups. Regular chats are NOT end-to-end encrypted by default โ use Secret Chats.
โ
Freeโ
Feature-richโ ๏ธ E2E optional
Details โSession
No phone number required. Fully decentralized. Extreme privacy but smaller user base. Good for sensitive communications.
โ
Freeโ
No phone neededโ
Decentralized
Threema
Swiss-based, no phone number required for account creation. One-time purchase (~$5). Very strong privacy track record.
๐ฐ ~$5 one-timeโ
No phone