# Delta Chat review (2026): is it any good? > Free decentralized messenger with end-to-end encryption Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. 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. - **Category:** Team Communication - **Made by:** Delta Chat contributors - **Website:** https://delta.chat - **Runs on:** iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux - **Who should skip it:** Not for you if you want team channels or an admin console, as there are none. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 13, 2026, Delta Chat is free to use. - **Pricing model:** 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 https://delta.chat/en/help on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Delta Chat before buying. ## 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. ## Good for - People who want a messenger without one company's central servers - Groups that already live on email and want end-to-end encryption - Anyone who wants a free, open-source chat app on every device ## 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 3.2 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. 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. - **Value for money: A.** Free and open source, with the apps and relays at no charge. - **Free plan and trial: A.** Free outright for every app, funded by donations. - **Features: C.** Chats, groups, multiple profiles and devices, and small web apps. A messenger with no channels or admin tools. - **Ease of use: B.** No rating on record, but chatmail relays let you start without setting up a server. - **Platforms and integrations: B.** iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows and Linux. No API or integrations are listed. These are ToolGPA's own grades. 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. ## Where it 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. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/team-chat ## Keep it, 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. - You could not: Chat that a whole team counts on staying up. - You could not: Apps for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other. - You could not: End-to-end encryption done properly. - You could not: Sharing with other people, which means accounts and invitations. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. **Tags:** Team chat, Open source, End-to-end encrypted ## Alternatives - [Signal](https://toolgpa.com/tools/signal): Nonprofit messenger with end-to-end encrypted chats and calls. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/delta-chat-vs-signal) - [SimpleX Chat](https://toolgpa.com/tools/simplex-chat): Private messenger that uses no user identifiers at all. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/delta-chat-vs-simplex-chat) - [Briar](https://toolgpa.com/tools/briar): Serverless encrypted messaging that syncs over Tor, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/briar-vs-delta-chat) - [Matrix](https://toolgpa.com/tools/matrix): Open, decentralized network for chat and calls. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/delta-chat-vs-matrix) - [Element](https://toolgpa.com/tools/element): End-to-end encrypted chat and calls on the Matrix standard. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/delta-chat-vs-element) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://delta.chat/ - https://delta.chat/en/download - https://delta.chat/en/help Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/delta-chat Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).