A free messaging app for services like WhatsApp, Slack, Messenger and many more.
Publisher’s description
What is Franz?
Franz is an open-source chat & messaging program for Windows from Stefan Malzner. It ranks 20th by popularity among chat & messaging in this catalogue. It is written in JavaScript. Besides Windows, it is available for Linux.
Installation and requirements
Official installers exist for 64-bit and 32-bit as EXE (NSIS). It can be installed for the current user only, without administrator rights. The installer supports unattended (silent) installation.
Updates and version history
The current version is 5.11.0, released on April 9, 2025. 8 versions are listed since March 30, 2021, each with links to its own installer files. That is about 2 releases a year. The last update is more than a year old.
Popularity and file types
The Chocolatey package has been downloaded 30,830 times. The source code on GitHub (meetfranz/franz) has 4,728 stars. Similar programs include Signal, Telegram Desktop and Slack.
Project description on GitHub: “Franz is a free messaging app for services like WhatsApp, Slack, Messenger and many more.”
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Open source: the code can be inspected and built by anyone
- Documented silent install
- Installs without administrator rights
- Also runs on Linux
Cons
- No native ARM64 build
- No update for more than a year
In short: Franz is an open-source chat & messaging tool for 64-bit and 32-bit PCs. Updates have slowed down. Administrators can deploy it unattended.
Is Franz safe to download?
- The file is served by github.com, the publisher’s own domain
- The download link uses HTTPS
- A SHA256 hash is published, so you can verify the file:
9DDA43521F1950D0976D74910D7E1513FAA006196E8505B3A2CB2DA3F6120826· Open the VirusTotal report for this hash - The link has not been checked yet
- The source code is public
- ExeAtlas does not host, wrap or modify installers
Related guide: How to check a file’s SHA256 hash on Windows
Security practices (OpenSSF Scorecard)
Automated checks of the meetfranz/franz repository on GitHub by the Open Source Security Foundation, last run on October 19, 2026.
- No dangerous workflows10
- No binaries in the repository10
- Licence declared10
- Actively maintained0
- Code review0
- Restricted token permissions0
- Static code analysis0
- Pinned dependencies0
- OpenSSF Best Practices badge0
- Security policy0
- Fuzzing0
- Signed releases0
The score rates how the project is developed and released, not whether the program is safe to install. scorecard.dev
Recent versions
All 8 versions ›8 versions over 4 years · about 2 a year
| Version | Date | Size | Files |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.11.0Latest | April 9, 2025 | — | 32-bit EXE (NSIS)64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 5.10.0 | September 3, 2023 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 5.9.2 | April 15, 2022 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 5.9.1 | April 4, 2022 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 5.8.0 | February 17, 2022 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 5.7.0 | June 17, 2021 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 5.6.1 | March 30, 2021 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 5.5.0 | March 30, 2021 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
Install from the command line
Silent install ›winget install --id StefanMalzner.Franz -echoco install franz -yscoop install extras/franzFranz-Setup-5.11.0.exe /SRelated guide: How to use winget: install and update apps
Also for other systems
brew install --cask franzflatpak install flathub com.meetfranz.FranzInformation
- Publisher
- Stefan Malzner
- Category
- Chat & messaging
- Licence
- Apache-2.0
- Price
- Free
- Source code
- github.com/meetfranz/franz
- Written in
- JavaScript
- Content rating
- 15+
- Requires
- Windows 11 / 10
- Architecture
- 64-bit, 32-bit
- Installer
- EXE (NSIS)
- Other platforms
- Linux
- Version
- 5.11.0
- Released
- April 9, 2025
- Added to the catalogue
- March 30, 2021
- Versions listed
- 8
- Updates / year
- 2
- Chocolatey downloads
- 30,830
- GitHub stars
- 4,728
- GitHub forks
- 576
- Website
- meetfranz.com
- winget ID
- StefanMalzner.Franz
- Chocolatey package
- franz
- Scoop package
- extras/franz
Ratings and reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate it.
Alternatives to Franz
See all ›-
Open source3.4M ↓ -
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Proprietary9.8M ↓ -
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Rocket.Chat4.18.5Rocket.Chat is the leading open source team chat software solution. Free, unlimited and completely customizable with on-premises and SaaS cloud hosting.Open source973K ↓ -
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Pidgin2.14.14Pidgin is a universal chat client, allowing you to consolidate all your different messaging apps into a single tool.Open source175.4K ↓
Frequently asked questions
Is Franz free?
Yes. Franz is open-source software under the Apache-2.0 licence.
Is Franz safe to download?
The download comes from github.com, which belongs to the publisher; ExeAtlas does not host or change the file. Compare its SHA256 hash with the one shown here, or open the VirusTotal report for that hash.
How do I install Franz with winget?
Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run the winget command shown on this page. winget downloads the official installer and checks its SHA256 hash before running it.
Can Franz be installed silently?
Yes. The silent install page lists the exact command for each installer.
Does Franz run on ARM (Windows on Arm)?
There is no ARM64 build; Windows 11 on Arm can run the 64-bit and 32-bit version through emulation.
Where can I download an older version of Franz?
The versions page lists all 8 versions with links to their official installer files, back to March 30, 2021.
Can I use Franz without administrator rights?
Yes, there is a per-user installer that does not need administrator rights.
What are alternatives to Franz?
Signal, Telegram Desktop, Slack, Discord and Rocket.Chat. The alternatives page compares them.
