Signal vs WhatsApp
Based on our analysis, Signal is the more privacy-respecting choice overall.
BACK →| Category | Signal | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | A · 87/100 | D · 35/100 |
| What they collect | Positive (88) | Concern (30) |
| Who they share it with | Positive (88) | Concern (22) |
| What you can do | Mixed (78) | Concern (38) |
| What they promise | Positive (86) | Mixed (42) |
Signal is a nonprofit that genuinely cannot read your messages or listen to your calls — the encryption is architectural, not a promise — but it requires a real phone number to register, is subject to US law, and its privacy policy is conspicuously sparse: it hasn't been substantively updated since 2018 and lacks the specific retention periods, GDPR rights, or DPO contact that more thorough policies provide.
View full analysis →WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption genuinely protects your message content, but everything around it — who you talk to, when, how often, your contacts, your device — flows to Meta and is used to build ad profiles across Facebook and Instagram. You can't opt out of the Meta data sharing and still use the app.
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