Delta Chat review (2026): is it any good?
Free decentralized messenger with end-to-end encryption
Delta Chat report card
Very good · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for encrypted chat over ordinary email servers
Delta Chat is a free messenger that sends encrypted chats over email-style relays, with apps for phones and desktops. There is no team workspace, no admin console and no paid support, only donations.
Who Delta Chat is for
- Fits if you want a free private messenger that works across phones and desktops
- Works for friends or families who would rather not use a phone number
Who Delta Chat is not for
- Not for you if you want team channels or an admin console, as there are none
- Skip it if you want paid support, since funding is by donations
- Watch out: minimum systems apply, including Android 5.0, iOS 15.6, macOS 12 and Windows 10
- Too light for workplace chat, with no workspace structure
Why Delta Chat gets a 3.2
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- AValue for moneyFree and open source, with the apps and relays at no charge.
- AFree plan and trialFree outright for every app, funded by donations.
- CFeaturesChats, groups, multiple profiles and devices, and small web apps. A messenger with no channels or admin tools.
- BEase of useNo rating on record, but chatmail relays let you start without setting up a server.
- BPlatforms and integrationsiPhone, Android, Mac, Windows and Linux. No API or integrations are listed.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Delta Chat's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/delta-chat#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/delta-chat.svg" alt="Delta Chat: 3.2 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Delta Chat stands among team communication apps
Delta Chat's GPA of 3.2 is higher than 67 of the 75 other team communication apps we grade, and level with 5.
It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 60 of 75) and worst on features (C, above 1).
Delta Chat has no paid plan.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 76 team communication apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Delta Chat’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 58 of 75, level with 17
- AFree plan and trialAbove 60 of 75, level with 15
- CFeaturesAbove 1 of 75, level with 61
- BEase of useAbove 58 of 75, level with 11
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 9 of 75, level with 41
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 66 team communication apps. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Keep Delta Chat, or make your own?
Keep it
Delta Chat is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.2 is higher than 67 of the 75 other team communication apps we grade.
What you could not
- Chat that a whole team counts on staying up.
- Apps for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.
- End-to-end encryption done properly.
- Sharing with other people, which means accounts and invitations.
What this rests on. Delta Chat’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Delta Chat?
Delta Chat is a free, open-source messenger built on internet standards. Chat profiles are created instantly on chatmail relays, or on an ordinary email address, so there is no central company server. It has multi-device support, group chats and web apps that run inside chats.
Worth knowing
- There is no team workspace, channel structure or admin console; it is a messenger with group chats.
- Minimum systems named on the download page include Android 5.0, iOS 15.6, macOS 12 and Windows 10.
- Funding is by donations, so there is no paid support plan on the site.
Key features
- Chatmail relays
- Sign up to a chatmail relay for an instant chat profile, or use a classic email address as the relay.
- Audited encryption
- The site describes audited end-to-end encryption designed to hold up against network and server attacks.
- Multiple profiles and devices
- Run several chat profiles and use the same one on more than one device. The desktop apps do not need a phone install.
- Interactive web apps
- Small web apps open inside a chat for games and collaboration.
- Interoperability
- Built on internet standards, so users on different relays and clients can message each other.
- Open-source apps
- Android, iOS, macOS, Windows and Linux apps are published with source code, along with alternative third-party clients.
Delta Chat pricing
As of Nov 13, 2026, Delta Chat is free to use.
- Starts at
- Free
- Free plan
- The apps and the relay servers are free and open source; the project accepts donations.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | All apps for phones and desktops at no charge. The project is funded partly by donations. |
Read from delta.chat on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Delta Chat before you buy.
Delta Chat alternatives
- Delta Chat vs Element
Free plan
Common questions
Is Delta Chat open source?
Yes. Delta Chat is open source, according to its own site.
Is Delta Chat end-to-end encrypted?
Delta Chat describes itself as end-to-end encrypted on its own site. Nobody here has audited that.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026.