Last March c’t tested some alternatives https://www.heise.de/select/ct/2021/8/2106310351115657652

    App        Security    #users    ease    Functio-   Price
              & privacy    Germany  of use    nality     
    Element      o           -        -         o        Free
    Signal       +           o        +         +        Free
    Telegram     -           +        ++        ++       Free
    Threema      +           o        o         o        $3-$4
    Whatsapp     o           ++       +         +        Free
    Wire         +           o        -         -        Free
    
    ++ very good     + good    o good enough    - bad

You should test Briar.

it’s only on one platform: android.

you should test AirSend.

I like to reference this table, although I wish it were hosted in some sort of wiki somewhere instead...

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-UlA4-tslROBDS9IqHal...

Great question. This is pretty unfortunate, data mining secure communications removes much of the value. Signal sold out a long time ago, not sure of another 'verified secure' platform.

Signal is entirely independent and hasn't been acquired by Amazon or any other big tech company. It remains the gold standard for security/privacy technology (whether it's packaged acceptably for everyone on HN is a different question, and I'm not saying you have to use it).

Matrix protocol, or Element app for iOS

Signal sold out? How so?

Metadata stuff? They still require phone numbers(unlike wickr)

Signal is moving away from phone numbers, developing the components needed to securely provide service via user IDs.

My understanding is that their intended audience is the general public, not crypto-security geeks, and as part of that they wanted integration with existing address books. With a small team, developing all the security and usability was more important than eliminating the phone number piece.

They apparently don't retain any data but the phone number, and I think the registration date and last logon date.

At some point we should be forced to decentralize

xmmp, period.