Session: The Private Messaging App PCMag Calls “Excellent”

By Serine Melikyan

Session has been gaining attention in the privacy world. PCMag recently gave Session an “Excellent” rating; a major achievement and a clear sign of its rising credibility. It’s now ranked higher than both Telegram and Briar in their secure messaging app rankings. Session’s motto is “Send messages, not metadata,” emphasizing that it keeps user identity and data private. In simple terms, Session is a secure chat app that’s designed to leave no trace of your data or identity.

Session is open-source and end-to-end encrypted by default. That means only you and the person you’re chatting with can read your messages. Session stands out because it doesn’t ask for a phone number or email to sign up. You get an anonymous “Account ID” instead, so your chats stay separate from your real-world identity. In short, Session is built for people who want absolute privacy and freedom from surveillance.

What Is Session and How Does It Work?

Session is an end-to-end encrypted messaging app, much like Signal. All your messages, texts, voice notes, images, etc. – are encrypted on your device before they’re sent, so nobody except the person you’re messaging can read them. But Session goes beyond encryption. It uses a decentralized onion-routing network, similar to Tor, to hide who is talking to whom.

Here’s a simple way to think about it: when you send a message, it jumps through a series of volunteer run servers called “Service Nodes” before reaching your friend. Each step adds a layer of encryption and changes the path, so no single server ever sees both the sender and receiver. This means even your IP address (your digital location) is hidden from the person on the other end. In practice, it’s like sending a letter through several secret post offices; each one only knows a piece of the journey. The result is that no one can track who you are or what you’re saying.

Because Session is decentralized, there’s no hyperscaler storing your data. Other apps (like Signal or Telegram) have central servers that could be hacked or forced to hand over metadata. Session’s network has thousands of independent nodes around the world, and the app is still usable even if some nodes go offline. In tech terms, Session has “no single point of failure,” which makes it very hard for anyone (government or hacker) to shut it down or spy on it.

How Session Stands Out

Session is aimed at privacy-minded users who want an easy, trustworthy alternative to big-name apps. Here’s how it compares:

Compared to WhatsApp or Signal: Unlike WhatsApp or Signal, Session does not tie your account to a phone number. This means you can use Session on tablets or desktop without having to link a mobile number. Signal, for example, requires a phone number (though you can later set up a username). Session also hides metadata more thoroughly; WhatsApp and Signal still have some metadata (like who you talk to and when). In Session, no one has those logs.

Compared to Telegram: Telegram’s “Secret Chats” are encrypted, but normal chats are not fully private, and it still stores user metadata.

Anonymity: Session goes a step further than most secure apps by being fully anonymous. There’s no profile, no phone, no email, just a cryptographic key-pair that you control. This makes it ideal for whistleblowers, activists, or anyone who needs strong anonymity. In fact, Session’s founders moved the project to Switzerland to avoid laws that might force them to break encryption (even though they would have nothing to give). The team behind Session is known for valuing privacy over compliance.

Features: Session supports most features you’d expect: one-on-one chats, group chats (up to 100 people), voice and video calls, voice messages, and file sharing. It doesn’t currently have all the bells and whistles (like disappearing stories or a huge sticker library), but it covers the essentials. Their focus is on simplicity and security.

Who Is Session Best For?

Session is best suited for privacy-conscious users. It’s ideal for journalists, activists, whistleblowers, or anyone who needs an extra layer of anonymity. Even if you just want to keep your personal life truly personal, Session gives peace of mind that few mainstream apps can match.

It’s also good for tech-savvy users who like open-source software. Because Session is free and open, you can even run your own Session nodes to help decentralize the network and you get paid to do so unlike running Bitcoin or Monero nodes.

That said, Session might feel a bit different at first. Without a phone number sign-up, some people might find it unusual. Group chats and calls work a bit differently. But many users report that Session’s chat experience is clean and straightforward. And with updates rolling out regularly, it’s getting even more user-friendly.