Beware of:

• Reddit chat. It is completely unencrypted, and reddit mine the chats for various undisclosed purposes. Assume that anything you say and share there is public.

• SnapChat. Their security is super lax, and they also mine their chats for undisclosed purposes.

• FB Chat. Just don’t.

• Kik. Probably a close second to Reddit chat in terms of no security and data mining. The app itself is a cluster fuck from an engineering perspective. Just don’t use it.

Use with caution

• Telegram. Chats are by default not encrypted. You can start an encrypted chat, but beware that the Telegram owner is known to have some shady connections in dark places. Do not assume that encrypted chats are completely secure.

Secure

• Signal. The most underrated chat app out there. Used by the Ukraine for secure chats. End to end encrypted. Code is completely open source. Supports chats across multiple devices, voice, and video calls. Although it needs your telephone number as your main ID, this does not need to be exposed to other users, and everyone now has unique usernames there that cannot be connected back to your telephone number unless you chose to expose it.

• Session. Slightly less user friendly than Signal, but equally secure. Usernames are randomly generated alphanumeric strings. Supports voice and video calls as far as I remember.

• WhatsApp. Yes, I know they’re owned by Meta, but their chats are properly end to end encrypted by default, and Meta do not have keys to decrypt at all. Only downside is that you have to be willing to use your telephone number as your ID.

So, we’re mostly all adults here, so make your choices wisely. My personal recommendation is Signal, BTW.