Session alternatives

12 Windows apps in the same category as Session, ranked by what they have in common and by popularity.

• 
  Signal

  Signal is an encrypted communications application.

  Open source 8.32.0 3.4M ↓ ★ 16.6K chat, encryption, privacy
• 
  Slack

  Slack brings the team together, wherever you are.

  Proprietary 4.52.182 9.8M ↓ chat, collaborate, collaboration
• 
  Discord

  Your Place to Talk and Hang Out

  Proprietary 1.0.9266 882.4K ↓ chat, talk, admin
• 
  Telegram Desktop

  A cloud-based mobile and desktop messaging app with a focus on security and speed.

  Open source 7.3.3 1M ↓ ★ 33.3K chat, messenger, network
• 
  Viber

  Free and secure calls and messages to anyone, anywhere.

  Proprietary 29.1.0.0 259.3K ↓ chat, instant-messaging, send
• 
  Rocket.Chat

  Rocket.Chat is the leading open source team chat software solution. Free, unlimited and completely customizable with on-premises and SaaS cloud hosting.

  Open source 4.18.5 973K ↓ ★ 1.7K chat, collaboration, admin
• 
  Pidgin

  Pidgin is a universal chat client, allowing you to consolidate all your different messaging apps into a single tool.

  Open source 2.14.14 175.4K ↓ chat, talk, admin
• 
  Zulip

  Desktop client for Zulip, an open source team chat application.

  Open source 5.13.2 97.4K ↓ ★ 992 chat, collaborate, collaboration
• 
  Caprine

  Caprine is an elegant Facebook Messenger desktop app

  Open source 2.61.0 18.1K ↓ ★ 7.4K chat, messenger, network
• 
  Franz

  A free messaging app for services like WhatsApp, Slack, Messenger and many more.

  Open source 5.11.0 30.8K ↓ ★ 4.7K chat, instant-messaging, message
• 
  Mumble (client)

  Low-latency and high quality voice chat primarily intended for use while gaming.

  Open source 1.5.939 49.9K ↓ ★ 8.4K chat, admin, network
• 
  Ferdium

  Messaging app for WhatsApp, Slack, Telegram, HipChat, Hangouts and many many more.

  Open source 7.2.3 44.8K ↓ ★ 4.7K network, instantmessaging

Comparison

App	Licence	Version	Updated	GitHub stars	Chocolatey downloads
Session	Open source	1.18.3	October 26, 2026	596	17.3K
Signal	Open source	8.32.0	October 20, 2026	16.6K	3.4M
Slack	Proprietary	4.52.182	October 20, 2026	—	9.8M
Discord	Proprietary	1.0.9266	October 26, 2026	—	882.4K
Telegram Desktop	Open source	7.3.3	October 22, 2026	33.3K	1M
Viber	Proprietary	29.1.0.0	October 14, 2026	—	259.3K
Rocket.Chat	Open source	4.18.5	October 23, 2026	1.7K	973K
Pidgin	Open source	2.14.14	January 23, 2025	—	175.4K
Zulip	Open source	5.13.2	September 27, 2026	992	97.4K
Caprine	Open source	2.61.0	January 13, 2026	7.4K	18.1K
Franz	Open source	5.11.0	April 22, 2025	4.7K	30.8K
Mumble (client)	Open source	1.5.939	October 26, 2026	8.4K	49.9K
Ferdium	Open source	7.2.3	September 8, 2026	4.7K	44.8K