Serval Mesh vs SimpleX Chat
Side-by-side comparison of two open source alternatives
Serval Mesh
The Serval Project is seeking funds to develop a mesh extender which aims to work around the limitations caused by the lack of AdHoc mode in Android. Visit the campaign website to the cause. N.B The app no longer asks for root by default although you can still try it in adhoc mode. Prebuilts are no longer in the source code. This is experimental software: it may not work as advertised. It may lose or alter messages and files that it carries; it may consume a lot of space, speed and battery, and it may crash unexpectedly. Mobile communications are useful, but depend on infrastructure that can be damaged, overwhelmed, or even absent. This app assumes zero infrastructure. The phones talk to each other using WiFi; relaying calls and messages and figuring out how to resolve numbers. In other words, it lets your phone communicate with other Android phones running Serval Mesh within WiFi range. Requires root: No. Basic Android still doesn't allow WiFi in AdHoc mode, so the app will ask for root if you try to enable adhoc mode. The Java/XML part is distributable under the GNU GPLv3 while the serval-dna (distributed number architecture) project is GPLv2.
SimpleX Chat
SimpleX - the first messaging platform that has no user identifiers, not even random numbers! Security assessment was done by Trail of Bits in November 2022. SimpleX Chat features: end-to-end encrypted messages, with editing, replies and deletion of messages. sending end-to-end encrypted images and files. single-use and long-term user addresses. secret chat groups - only group members know it exists and who is the member. end-to-end encrypted audio and video calls. private instant notifications. portable chat profile - you can transfer your chat contacts and history to another device (terminal or mobile). SimpleX Chat advantages: Full privacy of your identity, profile, contacts and metadata: unlike any other existing messaging platform, SimpleX uses no phone numbers or any other identifiers assigned to the users - not even random numbers. This protects the privacy of who you are communicating with, hiding it from SimpleX platform servers and from any observers. Complete protection against spam and abuse: as you have no identifier on SimpleX platform, you cannot be contacted unless you share a one-time invitation link or an optional temporary user address. Full ownership, control and security of your data: SimpleX stores all user data on client devices, the messages are only held temporarily on SimpleX relay servers until they are received. Decentralized network: you can use SimpleX with your own servers and still communicate with people using the servers that are pre-configured in the apps or any other SimpleX servers. You can connect to anybody you know via link or scan QR code (in the video call or in person) and start sending messages instantly - no emails, phone numbers or passwords needed. Your profile and contacts are only stored in the app on your device - our servers do not have access to this information. All messages are end-to-end encrypted using open-source double-ratchet protocol; the messages are routed via our servers using open-source SimpleX Messaging Protocol. Please send us any questions via the app (connect to the team via settings!), email us or submit an issue on GitHub. Follow us on Mastodon (@simplex@mastodon.social), Twitter (@SimpleXChat) and Reddit (r/SimpleXChat) for the latest updates. Once you install SimpleX Chat, join the group of users via this link to share your ideas and feedback.
| Feature | Serval Mesh | SimpleX Chat |
|---|---|---|
| License | GPL-3.0-only | AGPL-3.0-or-later |
| Install sources | F-DroidGitHub | F-DroidGitHub |
| Categories | SMSMessaging | SMSMessaging |
| Features | Ad-FreeOpen SourceNo Tracking | Ad-FreeOpen SourceNo Tracking |
| Platforms | Android | Android |
| Website | ||
| Source code |