Delta Chat
A chat app that runs on ordinary email, with no phone number needed.
Instead of WhatsApp, Telegram
Screenshot from delta.chat, taken 2026-10-23, shown to help you recognise the tool. It belongs to its maker. Ask us to remove it.
Email is the oldest messaging network there is, and nobody has ever had to ask a friend which email app they use. Delta Chat borrows it for chat. It works with any email account, or with a simple chat relay, so there is no central company to close it down or sell your contact list, and messages are end-to-end encrypted. The developers are based in Germany, and the apps are free and open source for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS.
Delta Chat scores a 5 on power, a 4 on footprint, lock-in, self-direction and longevity and a 3 on delivery.
The catch is the one every chat app has: it only works if your friends are on it too, and Delivery is a 3. Privacy also depends on the mail server carrying the messages, so a modern relay is better than an old inbox.
- Chat that runs on ordinary email, with no phone number needed
- Messages are end-to-end encrypted
- Only works if your friends are on it too
What stands out
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Side by side. Delta Chat vs WhatsApp
For comparison, we also reviewed WhatsApp (14/30) as a benchmark.
Other tools for “chat with people”
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.