Sendant vs Signal

Q: Does Signal work without a phone number?

No. Signal added usernames in 2024 so you can hide your phone number from other people, but you still cannot register for Signal without one. Sendant registers with no phone number, email, or account.

Q: Does Signal have a web or browser version?

No. Signal Desktop is an installed application that must be linked to a phone that already runs Signal, and Signal's team has explicitly declined to build a browser version. Sendant runs in the browser with no install.

Q: Is Sendant as secure as Signal?

Sendant is built on X3DH and the Double Ratchet — the same cryptographic primitives Signal uses — but Signal has years of independent audits, a post-quantum key-agreement upgrade (PQXDH), and unmatched public scrutiny. Sendant has not yet had an independent audit; one is planned. If audited maturity is your top requirement, Signal is the safer pick today.

Q: Is Sendant a fork of Signal?

No. Sendant is an independent implementation that uses the same cryptographic primitives (X3DH key agreement and the Double Ratchet) but removes the phone-number requirement and adds a persistent no-install browser client.

Signal is the most mature, most audited private messenger in the world — and it requires a phone number and an installed app. Sendant requires neither. That single difference decides which one fits you.

Short answer: choose Signal if you want years of independent audits and a mature native-app ecosystem. Choose Sendant if you can't or won't hand over a phone number, or you need private messaging on a device where you can't install anything — a work laptop, a library computer, an iPhone without another app.

Last updated July 2, 2026. Living page — corrections welcome.

Side by side

Teal edge marks the stronger side of each row. No messenger wins every row, including ours.

Dimension	Sendant	Signal
Sign-up requirements	None — no phone number, no email, no account. Identity is a cryptographic key generated on your device.	Phone number required to register. Usernames (added 2024) can hide your number from other people, but registration still demands one.
Browser / no-install use	Yes — persistent, full-featured client at app.sendant.io. Open a link, start messaging.	No. Signal Desktop is an installed app that must be linked to a phone already running Signal; Signal's team has explicitly declined to build a browser client.
Native apps	Android app. No native iOS app yet — iPhone users use the browser client.	Mature native apps for Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Independent audits	Not yet audited. An independent audit is planned; limitations are documented rather than hidden.	Extensively and repeatedly audited; the Signal Protocol has received formal academic analysis for nearly a decade.
Encryption	X3DH + Double Ratchet — the same cryptographic primitives Signal uses — compiled to WASM so the browser runs the same crypto path as the native app.	Signal Protocol, upgraded to PQXDH post-quantum key agreement. The reference implementation everyone else is measured against.
Metadata & identifiers	No identifier to subpoena or leak: the service never learns a phone number or email. Servers see only ciphertext content.	Sealed Sender reduces sender metadata, but the phone-number anchor ties your account to a real-world, government-registered identifier.
Bad-network behavior	Built for throttled, restricted, or intermittent networks: messages wait in an encrypted store-and-forward mailbox and deliver when your contact reconnects. Peer-to-peer and relay delivery paths are on the roadmap.	Centralized service; generally requires a working connection to Signal's servers.
Group & ecosystem maturity	Young product. Smaller feature surface and a much smaller user network.	Huge user base, polished group chats, calls, stories, years of production hardening.
Price & funding	Free. Funded by optional paid tiers — no ads, no token, no data monetization.	Free. Nonprofit foundation funded by donations.

Fact-check us: every row above is meant to survive scrutiny. If a row is wrong or goes stale, tell us and we'll correct it — this is a living page.

Choose Sendant if…

A phone number is the dealbreaker

You want to message someone — including a stranger — without either of you revealing a phone number, email, or any account identifier.

You can't install apps

Work laptop, library or school computer, or an iPhone where another app isn't happening. Sendant runs in the browser you already have.

Your network is hostile

Throttled, restricted, or intermittent connectivity — messages wait as encrypted ciphertext in a store-and-forward mailbox and deliver when your contact reconnects. Peer-to-peer and relay delivery paths are on the roadmap.

Choose Signal if…

You want audited maturity

Signal has the strongest public security track record in messaging, formal protocol analysis, and a post-quantum upgrade already deployed. Sendant hasn't been independently audited yet.

Your contacts are already there

Signal's network effect is real. If everyone you talk to has Signal installed, the phone-number cost is already paid.

You need polished native apps

Native iOS, desktop apps, mature calls and groups. Sendant's iPhone story is the browser, not the App Store.

Common questions

Does Signal work without a phone number?

No. Signal's usernames (2024) hide your number from other users, but you still cannot register without a phone number. Sendant has no phone-number, email, or account requirement at all. More context: why does Signal need my phone number?

Does Signal have a web or browser version?

No — and Signal's team has explicitly said it won't build one, because serving crypto code to a browser raises trust questions they've chosen not to take on. Full explainer: does Signal have a web version?

Is Sendant as secure as Signal?

Sendant uses the same cryptographic primitives (X3DH + Double Ratchet), but Signal has years of independent audits and public scrutiny that Sendant doesn't have yet — plus post-quantum key agreement. We say this plainly: if audited maturity is your top requirement, use Signal. Sendant's independent audit is planned, and known limitations are documented.

Is Sendant a fork of Signal?

No. Sendant is an independent implementation built on the same primitives, designed from the start for identifier-free registration and a persistent browser client — the two things Signal's architecture rules out.

Try the difference in 30 seconds

No phone number, no email, no install. Open the web app and see it for yourself — or read the full no-phone-number comparison.

Open web app Read FAQ