Private team chat apps

11 apps, each with a privacy passport

Team chat holds a lot of company or community history, so the main choice is who keeps that data. Self-hosted tools like Nextcloud Talk, Mattermost and Zulip put it on your own server; Element, Wire and Threema encrypt messages end to end; Stoat offers a familiar community feel without the big platform.

Leaving one of these?

If you only try three

Privacy passport
Nextcloud Talk
Team chat
Our pick
No tracking
Yes
Open source
Yes
Only you can read it
Your server
No account
Needed
Free
Yes
4 of 5 checks
- Android
- iPhone
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Web
Chat and calls on your own server
Privacy passport
Zulip
Team chat
Our pick
No tracking
Not stated
Open source
Yes
Only you can read it
No
No account
Needed
Free
Free plan
2 of 5 checks
- Android
- iPhone
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Web
Fully open source, cloud or self-hosted
Privacy passport
Stoat
Team chat
Our pick
No tracking
Yes
Open source
Yes
Only you can read it
No
No account
Needed
Free
Yes
3 of 5 checks
- Android
- iPhone
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Web
Feels like Discord, open source

All 11 team chat apps

Passes

Works on

11 of 11 apps

Nextcloud TalkPick

Self-hosted2.2k

Chat, calls and screen sharing built into Nextcloud, running on a server you or your organisation control.

No tracking
Open source
On your server
Account needed
Free

Android
iPhone
Mac
Windows
Linux
Web

ZulipPick

Service26.1k

Team chat organised by topic threads, fully open source, hosted for you or on your own server.

Tracking not stated
Open source
Provider can read it
Account needed
Free plan

Android
iPhone
Mac
Windows
Linux
Web

StoatPick

Service768

Open-source community chat with servers, voice and video channels, formerly known as Revolt.

No tracking
Open source
Provider can read it
Account needed
Free

Android
iPhone
Mac
Windows
Linux
Web

ThreemaAudited

App1k

Swiss messenger you buy once; it works with a random Threema ID, no phone number or email required.

No tracking
Partly open
End-to-end encrypted
No account
Paid

Android
iPhone
Mac
Windows
Linux
Web

ElementAudited

App13.6k

Chat app for the open Matrix network: encrypted private chats and rooms, and you can pick or run your own server.

Minimal tracking
Open source
Partly encrypted
Account needed
Free plan

Android
iPhone
Mac
Windows
Linux
Web

WireAudited

App1.2k

Encrypted messenger and team workspace with calls and file sharing, built on the MLS standard for group encryption.

Minimal tracking
Open source
End-to-end encrypted
Account needed
Free plan

Android
iPhone
Mac
Windows
Linux
Web

Mumble

App8.4k

Low-latency, encrypted voice chat popular with gaming groups; join any server or run your own.

No tracking
Open source
On your server
No account
Free

Android
iPhone
Mac
Windows
Linux

Mattermost

Self-hosted39.4k

Slack-style workspace with channels, threads and integrations that companies run on their own servers.

Minimal tracking
Partly open
On your server
Account needed
Free plan

Android
iPhone
Mac
Windows
Linux
Web

Rocket.Chat

Self-hosted46.3k

Open-source team chat you can host yourself, with optional end-to-end encrypted rooms and guest access.

Has trackers
Partly open
On your server
Account needed
Free plan

Android
iPhone
Mac
Windows
Linux
Web

Twake Chat

Service172

French team and family chat built on Matrix, with end-to-end encryption and the option to self-host.

Tracking not stated
Open source
End-to-end encrypted
Account needed
Free plan

Android
iPhone
Mac
Windows
Linux
Web

Campfire

Self-hosted4.8k

Simple group chat with rooms and direct messages from 37signals, free to install on your own server.

No tracking
Open source
On your server
Account needed
Free

What to check in team chat apps

1 Whether messages are end-to-end encrypted, or readable by whoever runs the server
2 Whether you can host it yourself and export your history
3 Whether the apps send usage data, and if you can turn it off