Keybase vs Signal vs Threema: Which Is Better For You?[2024]

Keybase vs Signal vs Threema – Looking for a more reliable contact option than email? Which of Keybase, Signal, and Threema is the best?

Why is it important to use safe messaging? You might think that when you talk with someone online, only you and the other individual are privy to the conversation. However, as we have discovered over the years, there are several organizations that are putting in significant effort to spy on your computer.

Unless you use a secure messaging app, any or more of the parties will be able to easily decrypt the communications if they so desire. So, here we have three on the line which are Keybase vs Signal vs Threema.

Keybase vs Signal vs Threema: Which is better?

That is why there is been a surge in new messaging apps that claim to be private, safe, anonymous, or all of the above. However, the majority of them struggle to complete the task for various reasons.

Some just shield the communications when they are in transit, making them open to the service's employees. Others are operated by corporations with a poor track record when it comes to securing your personal information. Some may have been compromised by the National Security Agency (NSA) or other national intelligence services. All hope, though, is not lost.

Keybase

Keybase was created with the aim of making public key cryptography more available to the general public. When used correctly, public key cryptography will solve the most of the issues we have with hackers and government monitoring of the Internet. However, all but the most dedicated privacy enthusiasts would find the methods for using this kind of encryption to be too difficult. The aim of Keybase is to get rid of as many bugs as possible.

Keybase is designed to take care of the majority of the technical aspects of using public key cryptography. This Keybase analysis will give you an idea of how effective they have been.

While Keybase can do anything from encrypted chats to offering a huge amount of free cloud storage to storing your cryptocurrency, we will focus on the service's position as a safe messaging service.

+ Advantages

PGP encryption from end to end (E2E) for messaging and file sharing
XSalsa20, Poly1305, Ed25519, and SHA512 are some of the encryption algorithms used.
Apps that are open source
Messages that self-destruct (explode)
Users will log in on several devices at the same time.
250GB of password-protected cloud storage
To guard against tampering, the system is built on the blockchain.
It is completely free to use.

– Drawbacks

Zoom, which has strong ties to China, now owns the company (privacy concerns)
Installing and configuring it is a pain.
For existing users, this may be perplexing.
Chat is not as user-friendly or feature-rich as the competition.
The coding for the server is not open source.
450,000 users is a small user base.

Signal

In January 2021, Signal was one of two chat applications that suffered greatly from WhatsApp's privacy issues. During the situation, a tweet suggestion from Elon Musk did not harm. Signal has received a lot of coverage since then.

Signal is widely regarded as the most reliable messaging app available. Their encryption algorithm (the Signal Protocol), which was first released by Open Whisper Systems, is so strong that it has been adopted by many other providers (including giants including WhatsApp). Signal is totally secure, end-to-end encrypted, and open source.

It helps you to generate vanishing messages (a.k.a. self-destructing messages), has effectively performed third-party investigations, and even releases Transparency Reports.

As if that wasn’t plenty, it has advice from top privacy activists like Bruce Schneier and Edward Snowden.

Signal, on the other hand, has a few flaws. The fact that it needs a phone number for registration is also the most troublesome aspect. This, of course, connects your Signal activity to your identification through your phone number, which could be a deal-breaker for others. There are several alternative solutions for the Signal phone number registration problem, thankfully.

+ Advantages

Encryption from end to end (E2E)
For text messages, voice messages, and video calls, the Signal protocol of Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS) is used.
Source code is freely available.
Messages that vanish (aka self-destructing messages)
Transparency records and security investigations have been made public.
Logs the bare minimum of information.
IP addresses are not logged.
Can be used to replace the SMS messaging software on your tablet.
The focus is solely on individual consumers.
Both Signal goods are available for free.

– Drawbacks

To sign up, you must have a phone number.
Does not allow two-factor authentication (Two-Factor Authentication)

Threema

Threema is a Greek word that means three times. Threema is a stable and private messaging service that is less well-known. It is a mature, powerful app with about 5 million users and over 8 years on the market that has never achieved the huge popularity of Telegram or universal renown of Signal. All of this is not to say that Threema is not a good option.

To begin with, Threema is fully anonymous. The only way to identify a user is by a randomly generated ID that has no links to any user-identifiable details unless you want to attach the app to an email address or phone number.

Similarly, each user's private key is saved on their computer, which means that only the user of the device in question can read messages sent to it.

Threema has a business/education version of the product, as well as add-ons for official marketing to Threema communities and an API for integrating the Threema message network into your own applications.

In certain cases, Threema's relative anonymity will work to her benefit. Those attempting to spy on, hack, or interfere with a chat app are far more likely to threaten those with bigger user bases or more notoriety. There are some benefits of being underestimated.

Although there is no free edition of Threema available right now, you can still buy it from the Threema website for $0.99.

+ Advantages

Encryption from end to end (E2E)
NaCl is an accessible encryption system.
No phone number or email address is required for encrypted messaging.
Text and voice messaging, voice and video calls, file sharing, polling, parties, and delivery lists are only a few of the features available.
Mobile apps as well as a stable, browser-based desktop chat
The switch to open source has been completed.
There is no logging of IP addresses or metadata.
For greater protection and anonymity, they own all of their servers.
Security investigations and transparency assessments are conducted on a regular basis.
GDPR complied with