# Signal review (2026): is it any good? > Nonprofit messenger with end-to-end encrypted chats and calls Checked Nov 12, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. Signal is a free messaging and calling app run by a US nonprofit, the Signal Technology Foundation. It covers text, voice messages, files, group chats and voice and video calls, with end-to-end encryption on every message and call. It is built for personal privacy and has no team admin tools. - **Category:** Team Communication - **Made by:** Signal Technology Foundation - **Website:** https://signal.org - **Runs on:** iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you need a workplace tool, as it has no channels, roles or admin console. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 12, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 12, 2026, Signal is free to use. - **Pricing model:** Free - **Free plan:** None. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Free | $0 | The whole app is free, with no ads or trackers; development is funded by grants and donations. | Read from https://signal.org/ on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Signal before buying. ## Key features - **End-to-end encryption by default:** Signal says every message and call is end-to-end encrypted using the open source Signal Protocol, with no optional secure mode. - **Text, voice and files:** Send text, voice messages, photos, videos, GIFs and files over the phone's data connection instead of SMS or MMS. - **Voice and video calls:** Make voice and video calls to other Signal users with no long-distance charges. - **Group chats:** Group chats keep family, friends or coworkers in one conversation. - **Desktop apps:** Apps for Mac, Windows and Linux; Signal must first be installed on a phone before a desktop app can be used. - **No ads or tracking:** Signal says it carries no ads, no affiliate marketers and no tracking, and cannot be acquired by a major tech company. ## Good for - Small groups that want private chats at no cost - Teams that treat message privacy as the first requirement - Anyone who wants calls and chat in one free app ## Worth knowing - Built as a personal messenger: the pages describe no admin console, roles, channels or workspace controls. - The desktop apps work only after Signal is installed and linked from a phone. - No paid plan or business support tier is listed; the app is funded by donations. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 3.2 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. Signal is a free messaging and calling app from a US nonprofit, with end-to-end encryption on every message and call and no ads. It's a personal messenger, not a workplace one: no admin console, roles or channels, and the desktop apps only work once linked to a phone. - **Value for money: A.** Free outright with no ads or trackers, paid for by grants and donations. - **Free plan and trial: A.** The whole app is free, with no cap and no paid tier to be pushed toward. - **Features: C.** Text, voice, files, group chats and calls. For a team-chat tool it has no channels, roles or admin controls. - **Ease of use: B.** No rating on record, but you install it and start texting with nothing to set up. - **Platforms and integrations: B.** iOS, Android, Windows, Mac and Linux. No web app, and desktop depends on a linked phone. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Signal's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among team communication apps - Signal's GPA of 3.2 is higher than 45 of the 50 other team communication apps we grade, and level with 2. - It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 43 of 50) and worst on features (C, above 0). - Signal 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.** Signal 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 45 of the 50 other team communication apps we grade. - You could not: Chat that a whole team counts on staying up. - You could not: Video calls. - 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. 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, End-to-end encrypted, Video calls ## Alternatives - [Telegram](https://toolgpa.com/tools/telegram): Cloud-based messenger with large groups, channels and bots. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/signal-vs-telegram) - [Wire](https://toolgpa.com/tools/wire): End-to-end encrypted messaging and calls for organizations. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/signal-vs-wire) - [Element](https://toolgpa.com/tools/element): End-to-end encrypted chat and calls on the Matrix standard. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/element-vs-signal) - [Threema Work](https://toolgpa.com/tools/threema-work): Encrypted business messenger from Switzerland. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/signal-vs-threema-work) - [Matrix](https://toolgpa.com/tools/matrix): Open, decentralized network for chat and calls. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/matrix-vs-signal) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026: - https://signal.org/ - https://signal.org/download/ - https://signal.org/donate/ Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/signal Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).