# SimpleX Chat

> Source: https://fuckyc.org/services/simplex-chat/
> Website: https://simplex.chat/
> Categories: Messaging
> KYC: none — No user identifiers at all; connections are made by exchanging one-time invitation links. No phone, no email, no username globally visible.
> Status: active
> Jurisdiction: independent open source
> Fiat on-ramp: no
> Payment methods: donation
> Founded: 2021
> Open source: yes
> Custodial: no
> Last verified: 2026-01-01

## Verdict

SimpleX is the architectural answer to "I do not want any global identifier in my messaging." There is no account, no profile, no phone, no username. The cost is friction: every contact starts with a one-time link. For threat models that explicitly exclude phone-numbered identities, SimpleX is the reference design.

## Strengths

- Architecturally identifier-less: no globally-visible profile, no phone, no email.
- Per-contact unidirectional queue model — different contacts see different identifiers.
- Self-hostable servers (SMP and XFTP).

## Caveats

- Smaller user base than Signal; discovery is by invite-link sharing only, which is the design point.
- Younger project; cryptographic and protocol audits are more recent.
- Facts need re-verification by operator (last seeded 2026-01).

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## What SimpleX is

An end-to-end encrypted messenger with no user identifiers; contacts are established by exchanging one-time invitation links.

## Threat-model fit

When phone-number registration is itself part of the threat.

## Sources

- [SimpleX docs](https://simplex.chat/docs/) — accessed 2026-01-01
- [SimpleX source](https://github.com/simplex-chat/simplex-chat) — accessed 2026-01-01