Bitmessage was a fascinating experiment in decentralized anonymous messaging. The idea: broadcast every message to all nodes in the network, but only the intended recipient can decrypt it. This made traffic analysis useless — an observer sees only an encrypted stream with no visible recipients.
The problem is that Bitmessage has not been actively developed for years, has a tiny user base, and is rarely used in real-world privacy scenarios today.
What to use instead
The anonymous messaging landscape has changed significantly. Here are the current options depending on your threat model:
Signal — best for most people
Signal is the gold standard for secure messaging. Key properties:
open source, independently audited
minimal metadata collection (Signal doesn't know who you're talking to)
works without Google/Apple account
supports disappearing messages
Main limitation: requires a phone number to register. If you need full anonymity, use a temporary number or consider the options below.
Session — no phone number
Session is a Signal fork with no phone number requirement. Uses a random Session ID instead. Runs on the decentralized Lokinet.
no phone or email required to register
decentralized network with no central server
open source
SimpleX — new standard for anonymity
SimpleX Chat has no user identifiers at all. No phone number, no username, no public key — the server knows nothing about participants.
no user identifiers on servers
E2E encryption
open source, audited by Signal Foundation
available on iOS and Android
Briar — P2P, works without internet
Briar works through Bluetooth and Wi-Fi mesh networks without internet. Uses Tor by default when online. Android only.
Summary
Protect messages from interception — Signal
Anonymity without phone number — Session or SimpleX
Works without internet / extreme conditions — Briar