Five secure chat apps that don’t cost a dime

Introduction

Sometimes you need to chat about a subject and you can’t\r\nchance the information getting into the wrong hands. Maybe you’re sending\r\npersonal data or discussing sensitive company details. Regardless of why you need to ensure a secure\r\nconversation, the bigger question is “How do you go about it?”

Fortunately, you don’t have to install an encryption engine,\r\ntype your text, encrypt it, and copy and paste the encrypted message into the\r\nchat app (although you could do that).\r\nInstead, you can take advantage of one of the many secure chat apps available.\r\nDesktop apps, web-based apps, and mobile apps — you’re covered on all\r\nplatforms. Let’s dive in and look at some of the best free apps for securely\r\nchatting with your friends, family, staff, and clients.

Note: This gallery is also available as an article.

Cryptocat

One interesting Cryptocat feature is the ability to join\r\nwhat is called the “lobby.” Within the lobby you can chat with any\r\nother Cryptocat users who happen to be hanging out. To start a chat, you enter\r\na name for the chat, create a username, and click Connect. Once you’re in, tell\r\nthe other users the name of the chat room and have them join. Cryptocat is a\r\nbit of a nod to old school IRC chats, but it gets the job done quickly and\r\neasily.

Surespot Encrypted Messenger

When you first run Surespot, you create a username and\r\npassword. It is important that you not forget this password, as there is no way to recover it. You’ll also want to\r\nback up your Surespot identity once created. If you don’t do this, and you need\r\nto re-install the app, you won’t be able to log back into your Surespot\r\naccount. With this locked down system, it’s nearly impossible for someone to\r\nsteal your Surespot identity. One nice touch is that you can’t even take a\r\nscreenshot of an in-progress chat.

Surespot is free, but you can purchase an encrypted voice\r\nmessaging feature. (It’s free to receive and play messages; it costs only to\r\nrecord and send voice). The cost for the voice is $1.99 USD and is an in-app\r\npurchase. Surespot is available for both Android and iOS.

Tox

Tox is somewhat new to the world of secure chatting. It was created as a\r\nreaction to concerns of Skype’s privacy (or lack thereof). Tox uses dispersed\r\nnetworking and strong cryptography to create a secure (using NaCl crypto\r\nlibrary) messaging system for everyone. Users are assigned a private and public\r\nkey and connect to one another directly — no middleman or third party involved.

ChatCrypt

The system works by utilizing the AES-256 algorithm in CTR\r\nmode. So long as the secret (strong \u2500 hint, hint) password created for the chat\r\ndoesn’t end up in the hands of the wrong people, the chat will go off securely\r\nand no information will be leaked. The only caveat with ChatCrypt, is that you\r\nget text chatting only. But at least you can invite as many people as necessary\r\ninto the chat.