Session
End-to-end encrypted messenger that needs no phone number and runs on a decentralised network.
Free plan available
Our verdict
What it does well
- No phone number or email needed — you sign up with an Account ID
- End-to-end encryption with onion routing across decentralised community-run nodes
- Free, open-source (GPLv3) apps for mobile and desktop, plus disappearing messages and groups
Where it falls short
- Attachments are capped at 10MB on the free tier
- Far fewer people use it than WhatsApp or Signal
- Useful extras like longer messages and unlimited pins sit behind the paid Pro tier
Session is a private messaging app. Conversations are end-to-end encrypted and onion-routed through thousands of nodes run by a community, and accounts need no phone number or email — you get an Account ID instead. It supports disappearing messages, user-controlled encryption keys and group chats.
The apps are free for Android (including F-Droid), iPhone, Windows, macOS and Linux, and the clients are open source under GPLv3. A paid subscription, Session Pro, costs from $2.99 a month and adds power-user features such as messages up to 10,000 characters, unlimited pinned conversations and animated profile pictures; larger attachments and message editing are on its roadmap.
The catches: the free tier limits attachments to 10MB, and Session's user base is much smaller than Signal's or WhatsApp's, so the people you want to talk to may not be on it.
What users say
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Last updated 4 November 2026. Facts checked against the official site on 2 November 2026. How we make money