Polymorph
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What sets Polymorph apart from other private messengers.

Polymorph is a private messenger and team workspace in one app, end-to-end encrypted and free to start. You sign up without a phone number or email, on any device, and our servers are in the EU.

What you get with Polymorph.

Sign up with a handle

Free, without a phone number or email. You choose a handle and save two keys. Any device can be your first: a phone or a computer.

Personas

A different name, photo and privacy settings for each group of people, like friends, work or your gaming crew, on one account. Two on Free, unlimited with Premium.

Spaces

An end-to-end encrypted team workspace in the same app: channels, voice rooms with screen sharing, task boards, logs and files. With Premium. About Spaces

Encrypted Files

End-to-end encrypted cloud storage, built in: 2 GB on Free, and 100 GB, 500 GB, 1 TB or 2 TB with Premium, from €5.99 a month.

A Dutch company

Polymorph Technologies B.V. is based in Amsterdam, so EU privacy law (the GDPR) applies. There's little for it to cover: we don't ask for a phone number or an email address, and we can't read your messages, calls or files. What we can see. Our servers are in the EU, in Germany.

Organize

Lists, notes, reminders and shared expenses, right next to your chats.

Get Polymorph All features

Side by side

As of October 2026 · Polymorph is in an invite-only beta

Polymorph next to Signal, WhatsApp, Telegram and Threema, on the points where they differ most. Each entry about another app comes from that app's own website or documentation, listed under the table.

Feature Polymorph (beta) SignalWhatsAppTelegramThreema
Free sign-up without a phone number or email YesA handle you choose and two keys, on the free plan. Phone numberSign-up without a number has been in an Android beta since September 2026, for a one-time fee (US$3; differs per country). [1][2] Phone numberA mobile phone number is required. [6] Phone numberOr an anonymous number bought on Fragment. [10][11] Paid appNo number or email needed. A one-time price of 6.00 (CHF, EUR or USD), depending on the store and country. [12][13]
Desktop app works without a phone YesAny device can be the first. Sign up on Windows, macOS or Linux. Phone firstSignal must first be installed on a phone. [5] Phone firstThe primary phone registers the account and links new devices. [9] Phone numberLog-in uses the account's phone number; the code may go to Telegram on another device instead of by SMS. [10] Phone firstThe desktop app needs the Threema app on a smartphone. [15]
End-to-end encrypted by default, groups included YesChats, groups, calls and files. Yes [3][4] Yes [7] Secret chats onlyOther chats, groups included, use server-client encryption. [10] Yes [14]
Chat history backed up, end-to-end encrypted, by default YesAutomatic and continuous, with no setup and no separate backup password. Opt-inSecure Backups, end-to-end encrypted, made once a day. [16] Opt-in encryptionBackups go to Google Drive or iCloud; end-to-end encryption is an optional extra. [17] Not end-to-endCloud chats are stored with server-client encryption. Secret chats aren't backed up. [18] ManualThreema Safe doesn't include chats. A manual data backup moves them, within the same operating system. [19][20]
Company and where it's based Polymorph Technologies B.V., Amsterdam, the Netherlands (EU). Servers in the EU, in Germany. Signal Messenger LLC, United States [1] WhatsApp Ireland Limited for users in Europe, one of the Meta companies [6][8] Development team based in Dubai [10] Threema AG, Switzerland [14]

Encrypted backup, on by default.

Your chat history is backed up end-to-end encrypted, automatically, with no setup and no separate backup password. It's encrypted on your device with your account key, which only your devices have, so we can't read it.

The backup keeps up as you chat: changes are saved within seconds while you're online, not once a day. On a new device, log in with your two keys or approve it from a device you're already logged in on, and your chats come back up to date. Recent messages load first; older ones load as you scroll back.

Photos, videos and files from your chats get an encrypted copy in Files, in the Messenger folder, once they're on one of your devices. This is on by default and counts toward your storage: 2 GB on Free, 100 GB or more with Premium. You can turn it off under Settings, Storage & data, Back up to cloud. If your storage is full, new media waits until there's room again.

How other apps back up chats

As of 27 October 2026

Signal

Secure Backups are opt-in and end-to-end encrypted, unlocked with a 64-character recovery key. Your device makes a new backup once a day. Free: all text messages plus the last 45 days of media; full media up to 100 GB is paid.

Sources: [16]

WhatsApp

Chat backups go to Google Drive or iCloud. End-to-end encryption of the backup is an optional extra you turn on, protected by a password or a 64-digit key.

Sources: [17]

Telegram

Cloud chats are stored on Telegram's servers with server-client encryption, not end-to-end. Secret chats are end-to-end encrypted, but stay on the device they started on and aren't backed up.

Sources: [18]

Threema

Threema Safe backs up your ID, contacts, groups and settings, but not your chats. Chats move only with a manual data backup, between devices with the same operating system.

Sources: [19], [20]

Sources

Checked on 26 October 2026; sources 16 to 20 on 27 October 2026. Apps change; if something here is out of date, tell us at info@polymorph.pm.

  1. Signal, Terms of Service and Privacy Policy (signal.org/legal): “To create an account you must register for our Services using your phone number.” Services provided by Signal Messenger LLC, Mountain View, California, United States.
  2. Signal, “Beta feedback for the upcoming Android 8.28 release”, Signal community forum (community.signalusers.org), 16 September 2026: sign-up without a phone number, with “a one-time fee of $3 USD (per country prices can differ)”.
  3. Signal, home page (signal.org): “Privacy isn't an optional mode — it's just the way that Signal works. Every message, every call, every time.”
  4. Signal, blog post “Technology Preview: Signal Private Group System” (signal.org/blog): groups use the same encrypted channels as one-on-one conversations.
  5. Signal, download page (signal.org/download): “To use the Signal desktop app, Signal must first be installed on your phone.”
  6. WhatsApp, Terms of Service for the European Region (whatsapp.com/legal): “provide your current mobile phone number”; services provided by WhatsApp Ireland Limited.
  7. WhatsApp, blog post “End-to-end encryption” (blog.whatsapp.com), 5 April 2016: end-to-end encrypted “by default, including group chats”.
  8. WhatsApp, Privacy Policy for the European Region (whatsapp.com/legal): “We are one of the Meta Companies.”
  9. WhatsApp, desktop download page (whatsapp.com/download): “You'll still need your primary phone to register your WhatsApp account and link new devices.”
  10. Telegram, FAQ (telegram.org/faq): accounts use a phone number; a log-in code may be sent “via Telegram instead of SMS” to another device; “Server-client encryption is used in Cloud Chats (private and group chats)”; “The Telegram development team is based in Dubai.”
  11. Telegram, blog post on Ultimate Privacy and Topics 2.0 (telegram.org/blog), 6 December 2022: an account “without a SIM card”, using anonymous numbers bought on Fragment.
  12. Threema, home page (threema.com): “Threema does not require a phone number or email address.”
  13. Threema, pricing page (threema.com/en/pricing): the private app costs 6.00 (CHF, EUR or USD), one-time; the price depends on the app store and country.
  14. Threema, FAQ (threema.com/en/faq): random Threema ID; group chats end-to-end encrypted; services provided by Threema AG in Switzerland.
  15. Threema, Threema private download page (threema.com/en/download): “Threema 2.0 for desktop (beta) requires the Threema app to be installed on your smartphone.”
  16. Signal, blog post “Introducing Signal Secure Backups” (signal.org/blog), 8 September 2025: “Secure backups are opt-in and, of course, end-to-end encrypted”; a 64-character recovery key; free: all text messages plus “the last 45 days' worth of media”; US$1.99 a month for up to 100 GB; “Your device will automatically create a fresh secure backup archive every day”.
  17. WhatsApp, blog post “End-to-end encrypted backups on WhatsApp” (blog.whatsapp.com): backups are stored on Google Drive or iCloud; end-to-end encryption is an “extra, optional layer of security”, protected by “either a password of your choice or a 64-digit encryption key”.
  18. Telegram, FAQ (telegram.org/faq): Cloud Chats “sync seamlessly across any number of your phones, tablets or computers”, with server-client encryption; “All secret chats in Telegram are device-specific and are not part of the Telegram cloud.”
  19. Threema, FAQ “What does a Threema Safe backup contain?” (threema.com/en/faq): “Threema Safe backups don't include chats, media files, and profile pictures of contacts and groups.”
  20. Threema, FAQ “Move your Threema data to a new phone (backup)” (threema.com/en/faq): a data backup moves “your chats, groups, contacts […] and ID”; “Moving data backups between devices is only possible within the same operating system.”