# Signal Desktop (open-source chat app)

> Signal Desktop is a free, open-source chat app for Windows, macOS and Linux. A private messenger for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It has 16,565 GitHub stars and is released under the AGPL-3.0 license, and people use it instead of WhatsApp.

Signal Desktop links with Signal on Android or iOS and lets you message from your Windows, macOS, and Linux computers. You can find answers to a number of frequently asked questions on our support site. The community forum is another good place for questions.

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Repository | https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-Desktop |
| Platforms | Linux, macOS, Windows |
| Interface | desktop GUI |
| GitHub stars | 16,565 |
| License | AGPL-3.0 (open source) |
| Replaces | WhatsApp |
| Language | TypeScript |
| Website | https://signal.org/download |
| Official | yes (published by the project behind the app) |
| Category | Chat & communication |
| Latest release | v8.30.0 (Oct 7, 2026) |
| Last commit | Oct 7, 2026 |

## Install

Download a build for your system from the project's releases (https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-Desktop/releases) or website, or build it from source by following the README.

## Similar desktop apps

- [Tdesktop](https://appsgit.com/desktop-apps/tdesktop): Telegram Desktop messaging app. (33,131 stars, GPL-3.0)
- [Zulip](https://appsgit.com/desktop-apps/zulip): Zulip server and web application. Open-source team chat that helps teams stay productive and focused. (26,012 stars, Apache-2.0, official)
- [Hammerspoon](https://appsgit.com/desktop-apps/hammerspoon): Staggeringly powerful macOS desktop automation with Lua. (16,240 stars, MIT, official)
- [Solaar](https://appsgit.com/desktop-apps/solaar): Linux device manager for Logitech devices. (9,459 stars, GPL-2.0)
- [BetterDiscord](https://appsgit.com/desktop-apps/betterdiscord): Better Discord enhances Discord desktop app with new features. (9,272 stars, Apache-2.0, official)
- [Vesktop](https://appsgit.com/desktop-apps/vesktop): Vesktop is a custom Discord App aiming to give you better performance and improve linux support. (8,471 stars, GPL-3.0)

---

Canonical page: https://appsgit.com/desktop-apps/signal-desktop
Source: appsgit (https://appsgit.com), the app store for github. Data from the GitHub API, refreshed nightly.
Machine access: JSON API https://appsgit.com/api/v1/apps (OpenAPI: https://appsgit.com/openapi.json), MCP server https://mcp.appsgit.com/mcp, full index https://appsgit.com/llms-full.txt.