Signal
2 comparisons available
About Signal
Signal is a privacy-focused messaging application developed by the Signal Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded by cryptographer Moxie Marlinspike and WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton (who contributed $50 million). Signal is widely regarded as the gold standard for private communication — it uses the Signal Protocol for end-to-end encryption, collects virtually no metadata (only your phone number and last connection date), and is fully open source. Signal offers text messaging, voice/video calls, group chats, disappearing messages, note-to-self, and Stories. The app is free and has approximately 40-50 million monthly active users — significantly smaller than WhatsApp (2B+) or Telegram (900M+) but favored by privacy advocates, journalists, activists, and security professionals. Signal generates no revenue from ads and is funded by donations and grants. The Signal Protocol is used by WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Google Messages for their encrypted modes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Signal really more private than WhatsApp?
Yes, significantly. Both use the Signal Protocol for message encryption. The critical difference is metadata: Signal collects only your phone number and last connection date. WhatsApp collects who you message, how often, your IP, device info, location, and more — this metadata is shared with Meta. For investigators and law enforcement, metadata can reveal patterns even without message content. Signal is the clear winner for true privacy.
Why doesn't everyone use Signal?
Network effects — messaging apps are only useful if your contacts use them. WhatsApp has 2 billion users; Signal has ~40-50 million. Most people use WhatsApp because their family and friends do. Signal is gaining adoption among privacy-conscious users, journalists, and tech workers, but the mainstream shift requires critical mass that hasn't happened in the US/Europe. In the US, iMessage dominates Apple users and SMS fills the gap.