Krypton Ø (Krypton zero) is an invite-only, end-to-end encrypted social network for adults who want to share posts, photos and chats only with people they actually know.
The short answer
Yes, if “more social” means posts and profiles rather than only chats. Signal is a messenger: chats, calls, and Stories that disappear after 24 hours. Krypton Ø keeps what people choose Signal for, end-to-end encryption that’s on by default, and adds a feed of posts and a profile that only your Fam can open. Fam is what Krypton Ø calls the people you’re connected with.
What Krypton Ø does
- Posts and photos for your Fam. Post text, photos or videos. Each post goes to all your Fam, to people you pick, or to no one but you, and you can stop it from being passed on.
- Replies become private chats. Replying to a post starts a chat between you and the writer. Anyone in it can invite their own Fam, and people who join see only the replies from then on.
- Encrypted by default. Posts, replies, photos, profiles and chats are encrypted on the writer’s device and opened on the reader’s. The server holds only ciphertext, and it doesn’t know who your Fam are.
- No phone number or email. You sign up without either.
- Invite-only. You join through a member who knows you, so there are no strangers, ads or spam accounts.
How it differs from WhatsApp, Threema and Session
| Threema | Session | Krypton Ø | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phone number to sign up | Yes | No (optional) | No | No |
| Chats end-to-end encrypted by default | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Posts beyond chats | Status (gone after 24 hours) and Channels | No | No | A feed of posts for your Fam |
| Who can join | Anyone | Anyone | Anyone | Only through a member who knows you |
| Price | Free | One-time purchase | Free | Free, optional KryptonØ+ |
WhatsApp encrypts chats, calls and Status updates end to end, and Status updates disappear after 24 hours. Its Channels, the one-to-many broadcasts in the same Updates tab, aren’t end-to-end encrypted, according to WhatsApp. You sign up with a phone number, and anyone who has your number can message you.
Threema
Threema works without a phone number: the app gives you a random Threema ID, and linking a number or email is optional. It’s a one-time purchase. It’s a messenger, with chats, groups and calls, and it has no feed of posts.
Session
Session also needs no phone number: you get a random Session ID. It sends messages through an onion-routing network so the network has a harder time seeing who talks to whom. Like Threema, it’s a messenger without posts or profiles.
Where Krypton Ø fits, honestly
If you want to message anyone at all, any of these does that well, and Signal and WhatsApp have far more people on them. Krypton Ø is new and small, it’s on Google Play for Android now with the iPhone app in App Store review, it’s for adults only (18 and over), and you can only join through someone who’s already a member. It makes sense when what you’re missing is a private place for posts and photos among the people you know, not another messenger.
What it costs
Posts, replies, chats and every safety feature are free. KryptonØ+ adds voice calls with your Fam, up to 10 photos or videos per post, 5-minute videos, larger files and bigger chats. It’s $49.99 a year or $199 once on the web, or $56.99 a year or $229 once in the app. See KryptonØ+.
FAQ
Is there a Signal alternative that’s more social?
Yes. Krypton Ø is an end-to-end encrypted alternative to Signal with posts, photos and profiles for the people you know, not only chats. You sign up without a phone number, and you join through a member who knows you.
Is Krypton Ø as private as Signal?
Both end-to-end encrypt by default, so the server can’t read your messages. Krypton Ø also encrypts posts, photos and profiles, and its server doesn’t keep your Fam list. Signal is older and far more widely used and reviewed. How Krypton Ø’s encryption works is in How can a social network work if its server can’t read your posts?.
Does this Signal alternative need a phone number?
No. Krypton Ø needs no phone number or email to sign up.
Can I use it with friends who are on Signal?
Not across apps. Each person needs their own Krypton Ø account, and you can bring them in with your invitation link.