Cwtch vs Jami

Cwtch is a free decentralized messaging app for Android, Linux, macOS, and Windows. Direct conversations use Tor v3 onion services to create anonymous peer-to-peer connections between profiles, and Cwtch says communication is end-to-end encrypted over those services. Both participants must be online for peer-to-peer chat. Group conversations and offline delivery use a third-party server designed to learn as little as possible about message contents or metadata. Group messaging is experimental: users must enable the Experiments and Group Experiment settings, and the project calls metadata-resistant group communication an active research area. Conversation history is not preserved between sessions by default, though it can be enabled for an individual conversation. The protocol is open, allowing bots, services, and interfaces to integrate with Cwtch; core library, Go bindings, and interface code are linked as open source. There is no global display-name registry, which the security handbook says increases impersonation risk. The project recommends version 1.17.2, released October 2, 2026, for security fixes. The plan costs nothing.

Jami is free/libre software for private messaging and calls, with end-to-end encrypted communications and peer-to-peer connections. It offers instant messaging, audio and video calls, group chats, and recorded audio and video messages. Users can hold video conferences and create rendezvous points without third-party hosting, as well as share files or screens and stream media. Jami says it does not require a server to relay data between users; it also states that communications use perfect forward secrecy and comply with the X.509 standard. One account can link multiple devices, and account creation does not require personal information. Jami can also function as a regular SIP client. Optional extensions include green screen, watermark, auto answer, local AI transcription, audio filter, and video segmentation. These extensions are unavailable to iOS users, and features vary by client. Platforms listed include Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, web, and Windows, along with API and extension access. Jami also provides an OpenClaw channel plugin; bot accounts and API access are supported on desktop Linux, macOS, and Windows. The project is led by Savoir-faire Linux Inc. and supported by a global community of free software contributors.