How QxChat compares

Six messengers, seven questions that matter for privacy. Each answer comes from the service's own documentation, linked at the bottom.

Checked in October 2026

Question	QxChat	Element	Signal	WhatsApp	Telegram	Discord
Sign up without a phone number	Yes	YesDepends on the server.	NoRequired. Usernames hide it from others.	No	No	YesAsks for an email instead.
Sign up without an email address	Yes	PartlyDepends on the server.	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Messages end-to-end encrypted by default	YesIn private rooms.	YesIn private rooms.	Yes	Yes	NoOnly in "secret chats", one to one, turned on by hand.	NoText is not end-to-end encrypted. Calls are, since 2026.
Run your own server	Yes	Yes	NoThe server code is public, but the apps only talk to Signal.	No	No	No
Server code is open source	YesMIT	Yes	YesAGPL	No	NoTelegram chose not to publish it.	No
App code is open source	YesMIT	Yes	YesAGPL	No	YesGPL, with verifiable builds.	No
Server forgets your messages	PartlyKeeps the last 150 per room, in memory only. Gone on restart.	NoKeeps all history, encrypted in private rooms.	YesHolds them encrypted only until delivered.	YesHolds them encrypted until delivered, at most 30 days.	NoCloud chats are stored on Telegram's servers.	NoKeeps all history, readable by Discord.

Services change. If something here is out of date, tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

Sources