Session

Open-source encrypted messenger that needs no phone number and routes messages through an onion network.

Free plan + paidOpen sourceMessaging apps

Verified facts: 5 of 5
Alternatives ranked: 5
Approved reviews: 0
Visits sent from here: 0

About Session

Session is a privacy messenger that removes the phone number entirely: creating an account generates a random Account ID and recovery password, with no email or number attached. Messages travel through a decentralised network of community-run nodes using onion routing, similar to Tor, so no single server sees both who sent a message and who received it. Chats, voice messages, attachments, groups and calls are end-to-end encrypted. The project is stewarded by the Session Technology Foundation and the apps are open source and have been audited. The core app is free; Session Pro, a paid subscription, adds longer messages, more pinned chats and other extras. It runs on Android, iPhone, Windows, Mac and Linux. The anonymity has costs: delivery can be slower than mainstream apps, calls are less reliable, and if you lose your recovery password there is no way to get the account back. Its link to a cryptocurrency-funded network also puts some people off.

Best for: People who want an anonymous messenger with no phone number and minimal metadata.

What works

No phone number or email needed
Onion routing hides who talks to whom
Open source and audited

Why people leave

Slower delivery and less reliable calls
Lost recovery password means a lost account
Network is tied to a cryptocurrency token

Top Session alternatives

See all 5

1
Signal
Faster and more reliable with a bigger network, if a phone number at sign-up is acceptable.
66.5
2
SimpleX Chat
Goes further by having no account ID at all, with self-hostable relays.
62.6
3
Threema
Anonymous IDs and a polished app, paid once with a Swiss company behind it.
59.6
4
Briar
Peer-to-peer over Tor, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, for situations where the internet is cut off.
57.2
5
Cwtch
Tor-based, metadata-resistant messaging without any central servers.
55.3

Why people left Session

In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.

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Session: common questions

Is Session free?

Session has a free plan and paid plans.

Is Session open source?

Yes. The source code is on GitHub at session-foundation/session-android.

What platforms does Session run on?

Session is available for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android.

What are the best alternatives to Session?

The highest-ranked Session alternatives right now are Signal, SimpleX Chat and Threema. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 5 Session alternatives

Session facts

5 of 5 verified

License: GPL-3.0; Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab); “License: GPL-3.0 (GNU General Public License v3.0).”
Phone number: Not required; Checked Oct 25, 2026getsession.org(opens source in a new tab); “You don’t need a mobile number or an email to make an account with Session.”
Routing: Onion routing network; Checked Oct 25, 2026getsession.org(opens source in a new tab); “When using Session, your messages are sent to their destinations through a decentralised onion routing network”
Session Pro price: From $2.99/month; Checked Oct 25, 2026getsession.org(opens source in a new tab); “Pro From $2.99 USD/Month”
Steward: Session Technology Foundation; Checked Oct 25, 2026getsession.org(opens source in a new tab); “Session is stewarded by the Session Technology Foundation , whose mission is to to promote digital rights and innovation .”