Ranking
Safest Messaging Apps 2026
Every app we cover whose main use is chatting and calling with people you know, one to one or in groups. That includes Snapchat and Discord, but not work tools such as Slack and Teams or social networks with a message inbox. Each score weighs how much data the app collects, encryption and breaches, user control, scams and harmful content, and fines.
Updated · Scores update with each page
The ranking
Signal
Signal is the most private mainstream messenger we score. Everything is end-to-end encrypted by default and the company can hand over almost nothing to police. The main risk is phishing that tricks you into giving away your account.
Score 92, grade AThreema
Threema is one of the most private messengers available. You can use it without a phone number or email, all chats and calls are end-to-end encrypted, and the apps are open source and audited. The trade-offs are a one-off price, a smaller user base and new private equity owners since 2026.
Score 90, grade AWhatsApp
WhatsApp protects what you say with strong end-to-end encryption, but Meta collects a lot about who you are, who you talk to and how you use the app. Scam messages and account hijacking are the risks most users will actually meet.
Score 67, grade CViber
Viber encrypts one-to-one chats, group chats and one-to-one calls end to end by default and deletes messages from its servers once delivered. The catch is advertising, which uses tracking and inferred traits such as income, and public Communities and Channels, which are not end-to-end encrypted and attract scammers.
Score 58, grade CDiscord
Discord is a middling choice. It collects less for advertising than most social apps, but text messages are not end-to-end encrypted, a vendor breach exposed about 70,000 government ID photos in 2025, and open servers expose children to adults and harmful content.
Score 56, grade CTelegram
Telegram is not the private messenger many people think it is. Only optional one-to-one secret chats are end-to-end encrypted, public groups are full of scams, and the company now shares IP addresses and phone numbers with police on valid requests.
Score 52, grade DSnapchat
Snapchat's disappearing messages and encrypted Snaps give it a better privacy design than most social apps, but it tracks users for advertising and faces a growing number of state lawsuits that accuse it of failing to protect children from sextortion and drug dealers.
Score 50, grade DFacebook Messenger
Messenger now encrypts personal chats and calls end to end, so Meta cannot read them. Everything around the messages is another matter. Apple's label lists precise location, contacts and browsing history linked to you for advertising, and Meta has a long record of privacy fines.
Score 47, grade DLINE
LINE encrypts most one-to-one and small group chats end to end by default, but Open Chat, official accounts and group calls are not covered. A 2023 breach via NAVER-linked systems exposed over 500,000 records, Japan's communications ministry has issued four rounds of guidance since 2024, and scammers use it heavily.
Score 44, grade DKakaoTalk
KakaoTalk is hard to avoid in South Korea and works well for everyday chat, but it is a weak choice for anything private. Normal chats are not end-to-end encrypted, an open chat data leak led to a record ₩15.1 billion privacy fine that a court upheld in 2026, and the app leans heavily on advertising.
Score 43, grade DWeChat
WeChat is hard to avoid if you deal with people or businesses in China, but it is a weak choice for anything private. Chats are not end-to-end encrypted, researchers found its encryption below modern standards, and files sent between accounts outside China were scanned to build its censorship lists.
Score 36, grade F
Which apps are on this list
The rule is the app's main use. An app is here when most people use it to send messages and make calls to people they choose, one to one or in groups. That covers the classic messengers, from Signal and WhatsApp to the regional giants LINE, KakaoTalk and WeChat. We also include Snapchat, built around photo messages between friends, and Discord, where most activity is text and voice chat in servers and direct messages. Work tools and social networks that have a message inbox, such as Instagram or X, are left out.
How the order is built
Each app is scored on five factors. Privacy and security count for 30% each: what data the app collects and shares, and how well it protects messages and accounts, including End-to-end encryptionEncryption in which only the sender and the recipient can read a message. The company running the service cannot see its content.More in the glossary and breaches. Transparency and control count for 15%, scams and harmful content for 15%, and the regulatory record for 10%. Full rubrics are on how we score apps.
The list is those scores sorted from the highest down. When we update a page, its place moves here too, so this text does not quote scores.
What the top messengers have in common
The apps near the top encrypt everything end to end by default and have little else to collect. Signal can hand police almost nothing. Threema needs no phone number or email, and its apps are open source and audited.
Why some score lower
Strong encryption alone does not lift an app to the top. WhatsApp, Viber and Facebook Messenger all encrypt personal chats end to end by default, but all three collect a lot about who you are and who you talk to. Viber and Messenger use data for advertising, and Meta has a long record of privacy fines, which pulls Messenger well down the list.
Encryption that is missing or optional is the other main reason. Telegram encrypts only secret chats end to end. KakaoTalk and WeChat do not encrypt normal chats end to end at all; researchers found WeChat's encryption below modern standards, and a KakaoTalk open chat leak led to a record ₩15.1 billion privacy fine. Open groups and servers bring scams and, on Discord and Snapchat, risks to children, and Snapchat faces a growing number of US state lawsuits over child safety.
What the score does not tell you
The best app is the one the people you talk to will use. A high score cannot protect you from a scam message or from someone who takes over your account through phishing, which is the main risk even on Signal. Turn on a PIN or Two-factor authenticationSigning in with a second proof of identity on top of your password, such as a code from an app, a security key or a passkey.More in the glossary, never share a login code, and treat any message asking for money or a code as suspect until you have checked by phone.
Questions
What is the most private messaging app?
The app at the top of this list has the highest score we give a messenger right now. The apps near the top encrypt every chat and call end to end by default and collect very little about you. Signal and Threema both do, and Threema can be used without a phone number or email address.
Is WhatsApp safe?
Your messages are protected by strong End-to-end encryptionEncryption in which only the sender and the recipient can read a message. The company running the service cannot see its content.More in the glossary, so Meta cannot read them. Meta does collect a lot about who you are, who you talk to and how you use the app. Scam messages and account hijacking are the risks most users will actually meet, so turn on Two-factor authenticationSigning in with a second proof of identity on top of your password, such as a code from an app, a security key or a passkey.More in the glossary.
Is Telegram end-to-end encrypted?
Not by default. Only optional one-to-one secret chats are End-to-end encryptionEncryption in which only the sender and the recipient can read a message. The company running the service cannot see its content.More in the glossary; normal chats and all groups are not. Telegram's public groups are also full of scams, and the company now shares IP addresses and phone numbers with police on valid requests.
Which messaging apps are not end-to-end encrypted?
Among the apps on this list, normal chats on WeChat, KakaoTalk and Telegram are not End-to-end encryptionEncryption in which only the sender and the recipient can read a message. The company running the service cannot see its content.More in the glossary, and neither are text messages on Discord. LINE encrypts most one-to-one and small group chats but not Open Chat or group calls. Viber's public Communities and Channels are not covered either.
Why are Slack and Microsoft Teams not on this list?
They are work tools, where your employer controls the workspace and can read and keep your messages, so they answer a different question. Both have their own pages, [Slack](/apps/slack) and [Microsoft Teams](/apps/microsoft-teams).