Safe Chatting: Five Alternatives to WhatsApp | Free Antivirus

If you have lost your appetite for WhatsApp given increased security gaps or insecure use of your own data, we can help. A large number of free alternatives are now available on the app market. Users who want to place more value on security and data protection for messenger services in the future should take a closer look at these five alternatives to WhatsApp.

 

hike messenger

The hike is available for the Android, iOS, and Windows operating systems and can be used free of charge. As with WhatsApp, all types of media (text, voice messages, pictures, and videos) can be sent. Telephone calls and group chats are free. In terms of security, hike uses 128-bit SSL encryption via WiFi connections and is more secure than WhatsApp.

 

Hoccer

Hoccer attaches great importance to security and data protection. Instead of sending the e-mail address or telephone number to the messenger during the registration process, a randomly generated client ID is assigned to each user. The app is completely free to use. Like WhatsApp, Hoccer relies on end-to-end encryption and furthermore guarantees that the data is transmitted encrypted at all times. Last but not least, all servers used by Hoccer are located in Germany and are therefore subject to German data protection law.

 

Telegram

From a purely visual point of view, Telegram could pass as a copy of WhatsApp. Thanks to the consistent 265-AES standard encryption, Telegram WhatsApp is more than a step ahead in terms of security. The user himself decides which message should be encrypted. The app goes one step further with "Secure Chat". To be able to read the message in the secret chat, the interlocutor is asked to enter a certain code. If that's not enough for you in terms of security, you can also send self-destructive messages. Telegram is completely free. Another usability advantage over other WhatsApp alternatives is cloud-based use, which means that the app can also be used on the desktop or tablet.

 

Threema

One of the safest applications compared to WhatsApp is Threema. However, the app is chargeable and currently costs just over 2 euros a year. End-to-end encryption is also used here, which offers the highest level of security thanks to additional levels of trust. At the highest security level, friends can be verified using a QR code or comparing their fingerprints, for example. Contact lists are not managed on servers. Messages are deleted immediately after delivery and no metadata is collected, which prevents the collection and misuse of personal information and data. As with Hoccer, users do not need an email address or telephone number to register. By assigning a Threema ID, the app can be used completely anonymously. 

Wickr

Another app that is characterized by high safety regulations is Wickr. Registration takes place without providing personal data. To encrypt the messages sent and received, the app uses techniques that are also used by the military. The algorithms AES256, ECDH521, RSA4096, and TLS with key lengths of up to 265 bits can hardly be cracked. Also, security standards that are used when exchanging health data are used. Messages and data are not stored on servers and can be destroyed after a self-selected period of time.  

Conclusion: There are more than enough alternatives to WhatsApp. The apps presented here all place much more emphasis on security, data protection, and privacy. Almost all of them are free. But: WhatsApp remains unrivaled in terms of distribution and popularity. It is hard work to convince a large number of friends to switch.

Find free antivirus to enhance security, data protection, and privacy.