Signal

A private messenger with end-to-end encrypted texts, voice calls and video calls. It is run by a nonprofit and asks only for a phone number to sign up.

Get it

Free Enough

This app has paid upgrades — but its free tier is the complete product. Most people who use it never feel the need to pay.

The only in-app purchase is Signal Secure Backups at $1.99, an optional paid tier for larger and longer message backups. Messaging, calls and groups are complete and free without it.

Something wrong?

Reports go to a human review queue. No timeline promised — this is a small pilot, but every report gets read.