Privacy Cell vs SimpleX Chat
Side-by-side comparison of two open source alternatives
Privacy Cell
Privacy Cell is a small app that displays the cell phone protocol information. At the time of this writing, many cell phone networks are switching from 4G (4th Generation) to 5G networks. The 5G network protocols were specifically designed to protect against some of the known insecurities of the older protocols, including those that allowed stingrays (IMSI catchers) to perform man-in-the-middle attacks on cell phone networks. To ease deployment and backwards compatibility, 4G and 5G networks can run together in what is known as 5G NR (New Radio) NSA (Non-Standalone) mode. This uses the 4G network for the control channel and the 5G network for the data communication. However, 5G NR NSA does not provide protection against stingrays. Android has access to all the information it needs to know if it is connected to a 5G NR NSA or a 5G NR SA (Standalone) network, but it doesn’t display that information to the user. The purpose of Privacy Cell is to make that information easy to access. Privacy Cell can also warn you when you are connected to antiquated 2G and 3G networks.
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 | Privacy Cell | SimpleX Chat |
|---|---|---|
| License | GPL-3.0-or-later | AGPL-3.0-or-later |
| Install sources | DirectF-Droid | F-DroidGitHub |
| Categories | ProductivitySMSMessaging | SMSMessaging |
| Features | Ad-FreeOpen SourceNo Tracking | Ad-FreeOpen SourceNo Tracking |
| Platforms | Android | Android |
| Website | ||
| Source code |