A Telegram Alternative Without a Phone Number: What Telegram Really Needs, and 5 Apps That Don't
Part of: Family privacy online: photos, children and quieter networksChecked against Telegram's own pages, each app's website and news reporting, 6 November 2026. Apps change; check the date.
People pick Telegram for its big groups, channels and usernames. Many also assume it is the "private" choice and that the username means the phone number doesn't matter. Both assumptions deserve a closer look before you search for a Telegram alternative without a phone number.
Short answer: Telegram needs a phone number to sign up. The only way around it is a +888 number bought on Fragment with Telegram's TON cryptocurrency. A username hides your number from other users, but not from Telegram. Since September 2024 Telegram's privacy policy says it may give a suspect's IP address and phone number to authorities after a valid court order. Apps that sign you up with no number at all include Threema, Session, SimpleX, Element and Nadeemi.
Does Telegram need a phone number in 2026?
Yes. A normal Telegram account is registered with a mobile number that receives a code. After that, you can set a username and choose who sees your number in privacy settings.
Since December 2022 there is one exception: you can register with a +888 number (Telegram calls it an "anonymous number") bought on Fragment, a blockchain marketplace, paid in TON. Reporting at launch put the starting price around 9 TON (about US$16 to 19 at the time). That number only works for Telegram: it can't receive normal calls or SMS.
Why the phone number matters more since 2024
In September 2024, after its founder's arrest in France, Telegram updated its privacy policy. It now says it may disclose a user's IP address and phone number to the relevant authorities if it receives a valid order confirming the user is a suspect in a case involving criminal activity that breaks Telegram's terms. Before, the wording covered terror suspects only. Telegram says such disclosures go into its transparency reports.
This is a lawful-request policy, not a free-for-all, and other companies answer legal requests too. The practical point is simpler: a phone number is an identifier that exists, so it can be asked for. An app that never collects one can't hand one over.
Encryption: the bigger catch with Telegram
Telegram's normal chats and all group chats are "cloud chats", encrypted between you and Telegram's servers, which Telegram can technically read. Only one-to-one Secret Chats are end-to-end encrypted, and they are off by default. Details in is Telegram encrypted? and are Telegram group chats encrypted?
Telegram alternatives without a phone number (checked 6 Nov 2026)
| App | Sign up with | Big groups or channels | End-to-end encrypted | Ads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Telegram (for reference) | Phone number, or a paid +888 Fragment number | Yes, very large | Only 1-to-1 Secret Chats | Yes, in large public channels |
| Threema | A random Threema ID | Groups, plus broadcast lists | Yes, by default | No (paid app) |
| Session | A random Session ID | Groups and communities | Yes, by default in private chats and groups | No |
| SimpleX Chat | No user ID; invite links and QR codes | Groups | Yes, by default | No |
| Element (Matrix) | A username on a server | Large rooms and spaces | Yes, by default in private chats | No |
| Nadeemi | An email and a password | Public and private groups, pages, group chats up to 50 | Encrypted on the device with MLS; labelled "coming" until an audit | No |
Sources: Telegram FAQ, MobileSyrup on Fragment numbers (7 Dec 2022), Malwarebytes on Telegram's policy change (Sep 2024), Threema, Session, SimpleX, Element.
Threema, Session and SimpleX: privacy first
All three sign you up without a number and encrypt by default. Threema is a paid app with a random ID. Session gives you a random ID and nothing else. SimpleX has no user identifier at all. What you give up compared with Telegram: the giant public channels and the sheer number of people already there.
Element: closest to Telegram's big communities
Element (on the Matrix network) handles large rooms and "spaces" for communities, with a username instead of a number. Choosing a server and verifying devices takes a few extra steps.
Nadeemi: a social network rather than a channel app
Nadeemi is the one we build, so weigh this accordingly. Instead of channels, it has posts and follows (like a feed), pages, public and private groups, events, and group chats of up to 50 people with admins, expiring invite links and disappearing messages, in Arabic and English. You join with an email and a password; there is no phone number to give anyone. There are no ads and no AI features. Private messages, group chats and Circles are encrypted on your device with MLS, labelled "end-to-end encryption coming" until an independent audit is published. Public posts and group posts are not end-to-end encrypted: they are meant to be read, and our server can read them, as what we can and can't see explains. It is a free beta for adults 18+.
How to choose
- You want Telegram's huge public channels: nothing replaces that network today; Element comes closest for communities.
- You want private chats with no identifier: SimpleX or Session.
- You want to pay once for a polished private messenger: Threema.
- You want a feed, groups and chats for your own people in Arabic and English, with no number and no ads: Nadeemi.
FAQ
Can I use Telegram without a phone number? Only with a +888 number bought on Fragment and paid in TON. Otherwise Telegram needs a real mobile number to sign up.
Does a Telegram username hide my phone number? From other users, if your privacy settings say so. Telegram itself still has your number.
Does Telegram share phone numbers with the police? Its privacy policy, updated in September 2024, says it may disclose a suspect's IP address and phone number after a valid order from judicial authorities, and that such cases go into its transparency reports.
Are Telegram groups end-to-end encrypted? No. Group chats are cloud chats that Telegram can technically read. Only one-to-one Secret Chats are end-to-end encrypted.
Which Telegram alternative has no phone number and no ads? Threema, Session, SimpleX, Element and Nadeemi all work without a phone number and show no ads.
Sources (checked 6 November 2026)
- Telegram FAQ (sign-up, usernames, cloud chats vs Secret Chats): https://telegram.org/faq
- MobileSyrup, Telegram sign-ups no longer need a phone number (7 Dec 2022): https://mobilesyrup.com/2022/12/07/telegram-signups-no-longer-need-a-phone-number/
- Malwarebytes, Telegram will hand over user details to law enforcement (Sep 2024): https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2024/09/telegram-will-hand-over-user-details-to-law-enforcement
- Open Terms Archive, Telegram expands cooperation with authorities: https://opentermsarchive.org/en/memos/telegram-expands-forbidden-uses-data-disclosure-authorities/
- Threema: https://threema.ch/en
- Session: https://getsession.org/
- SimpleX Chat: https://simplex.chat/
- Element: https://element.io/
- Nadeemi, what we can and can't see: https://nadeemi.com/what-we-can-see/
Names of other apps are trademarks of their owners, used only for comparison. Nadeemi is not affiliated with any of them.
Drafted with AI help and checked by a person on the date above.