List of the best encrypted chatroom services

When your access to secure communication tools is limited in a shared environment or your are on the go, the services below can be used to set up a makeshift secure chat without any technical knowledge

These websites can create an encrypted chatroom with minimal registration details and they can be accessed by anybody with a web browser in their computer or mobile device, but the websites also require you to trust the server operator, hence, you should not use them for high security unless you host the chat software.

I have used a few of the sites below with a VPN proxy to hide my computer IP and I didn’t have any kind of problem to do this, the only condition is that javascript always has to be enabled since this is what is used to encrypt the messages in your browser.

Cyph: With no registration needed, Cyph creates the encryption keys in your browser and generates a unique link to a secure chatroom that you have to send to the people you would like to chat with. Cyph uses Off the Record Messaging (AES128 bit) for text encryption and the Socialist Millionaire Protocol for message authentication.

In this chatroom you can send photos, the developers are working on adding video and being able to send money with Bitcoins as well as creating a Tor hidden site to access the chatroom.

Encrypted chatroom Cyph.com

Volafile.io: Encrypted communications platform without registration needed, it allows live chat and file sharing. Anybody can create a chatroom with files and set them to expire (deleted) after a few hours or days, chat guests can add their own files, they can be uploaded using a proxy. If anything illegal is uploaded it can be easily reported to the administrators. Volafile makes it really easy to share files with others, the only limit is size.

Unseen.is: A full communications suite hosted in Iceland, you have to open an account before being assigned an inbox with a username where other users on the same platform can find you. Unseen can be used for encrypted text, audio and video calls, as well as email, however, not all features are free but if you have a premium account you will be able to communicate with others regardless of what kind of account they have so that they are not forced to pay to chat with you.

Unseen chat is similar to the small chat windows you find in Facebook and other social media where your friends can contact you when you are online, with the difference that everything is encrypted with xAES and NTRU for key exchange and a much better privacy policy.

encrypted group chat Unseen.is

EchoPlexus: Open source encrypted web suite with chat, VoIP calls, whiteboard for drawings and code exchange. There is PGP integration to encrypt text messages and it will embed links, like Youtube videos or photos so that you don’t have to leave the chatroom if somebody is sharing media content. You can use EchoPlexus as a bridge to IRC networks, chat operators are able to read all messages, any others wire-tapping on your Internet connection will only see encrypted data.

Private chatrooms with encryption can be created but you have to be technical advanced, EchoPlexus requires you to own a server where to install and host the chat software.

ChatStep: Chatroom that can be set up open or password protected, content is encrypted in your browser with javascript. There are smilies and basic text formatting options, like bold and italics. Group chats are possible, limited to 50 people, you can exchange photos with other people dragging and dropping the pictures inside the window chat, settings are simple, pictures, sound and timestamps can all be turned on and off.

There is one tab that if clicked on automatically downloads an HTML copy of the chat to your hard drive and another tab labelled “Report” lets users report chat rooms breaking the law to the developers.

encrypted online chat ChatStep

CryptoCat: It can only be used installing a browser extension, after that you will be able to chat with those invited to the private chatroom, conversations and files are encrypted with standard open source algorithms, you can use Cryptocat to connect to Facebook Messenger and securely chat with other friends that have the same extension installed.

Cryptocat is one of the few websites with a warning about not trusting your life to their encryption and about you not being anonymous in the chat as your computer IP is visible.

ChatCrypt: It allows you to create an encrypted chatroom entering a name for the room, a username and a password. People who want to join in will have to visit ChatCrypt and enter the room name and password you have given them. ChatCrypt rooms are not listed anywhere, they can only be found if you let other people know that they have been created. All messages are encrypted in your browser with AES256 bit in CTR mode before transmission.

ChatCrypt is funded with advertising and you will see a banner on top of the chatroom, Google and their NSA friends, perhaps can’t read the messages but they should still be able to track the IP of people in the chatroom using the advertising banner.