The chat app three billion people can't easily leave.
Benchmark review. Giants are reviewed rarely, to show what the tools in the directory are measured against. This one is not listed in the directory, and it is an example, not a recommendation. Scores are our opinion on the six questions, based on public sources and dated October 2026.
Image from www.whatsapp.com, taken 2026-10-23, shown to help you recognise the tool. It belongs to its maker. Ask us to remove it.
Most families have one group chat that nobody dares to leave, and for about three billion people that chat lives in WhatsApp. That scale is both its strength and its trap. Messages are end-to-end encrypted with the Signal protocol, which is a real protection, but you need a phone number to join, the app is run by Meta, and what Meta can see about who talks to whom is a long-running worry. Backups are encrypted only if you switch that on, and Meta's AI assistant now sits inside the app.
Leaving costs you your whole circle, because taking your conversations with you is hard and the company has pursued unofficial clients in the past. In the EU the Digital Markets Act requires it to let other services connect, so that grip may loosen. For nearly everyone it simply works, and Delivery is its one top score.
- Used by about three billion people
- End-to-end encrypted, but you need a phone number and Meta runs it
- Leaving costs you your whole circle
What stands out
Side by side. Delta Chat vs WhatsApp · Signal vs WhatsApp
Compare with tools in Chat
Delta ChatA chat app that runs on ordinary email, with no phone number needed.
SignalA private messenger run by a nonprofit, with end-to-end encryption by default.
ElementA messenger built on the open Matrix standard, which you can host yourself.
BriarA messenger that works with no internet, through Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or Tor.- SimpleX ChatA messenger with no user IDs, not even a phone number.