I landed on Matrix a couple years ago. My requirements were: - free - open source - decentralized - good cross-platform support (linux, mac, windows, ios, a

I landed on Matrix a couple years ago. My requirements were: - free - open source - decentralized - good cross-platform support (linux, mac, windows, ios, android) - multi-device synchronization - offline message delivery - group chats - end-to-end encryption - well-understood crypto ciphers & protocols - mature enough for a reasonable expectation of security & privacy - some way to protect metadata (e.g. self-hosting) - anonymous signup - easy enough for most computer users - getting enough traction to seem (eventually) viable as a general-purpose contact channel As far as I know, there is still no other service that satisfies all those needs. It has some rough edges that are less important to me for now, but I think they're on the roadmap: Some bits of metadata, like (IIRC) reactions and avatar images, aren't e2e encrypted yet. Occasional encryption errors and notification failures, but I think those are solved in the beta client code (currently available in Element X) and at least some alternative clients. I suggest introducing a few technical (or patient) friends to Matrix today, and bringing more people in once the new client code graduates from Element X into the main reference clients. Here's where you can explore alternative clients: (I like Nheko's compact mode.) https://matrix.org/ecosystem/clients/ https://matrix.org/ecosystem/clients/ Here's where you can read weekly progress reports: https://matrix.org/blog/ https://matrix.org/blog/ The native group voice/video feature, currently in testing as Element Call, has a design that looks particularly interesting for its ability to scale beyond a few participants without requiring a large/expensive central media server. https://element.io/blog/tag/voip/ https://element.io/blog/tag/voip/ They're actively working toward IETF MIMI and MLS support, which bodes well for future interoperability: https://matrix.org/blog/2023/07/a-giant-leap-with-mls/ https://matrix.org/blog/2023/07/a-giant-leap-with-mls/ The project lead often answers questions here on HN when Matrix-related articles pop up. Searching his past comments (username Arathorn) is worthwhile if you want a deeper view into the project.