Databag
Databag is a free, open-source messaging app for Android and iOS. A federated chat client designed for privacy and selfhosting. It has 1,499 GitHub stars and is released under the Apache-2.0 license, and you can install it from F-Droid, Google Play and the App Store.
About Databag
Notable features of Databag include: - Decentralized (direct communication between app and selfhosted server) - Federated (accounts on different nodes can communicate) - Public-Private key based identity (not bound to any blockchain or hosting domain) - End-to-End encryption (the hosting admin cannot view sealed topics, default unsealed) - Audio and Video Calls (nat traversal requires separate relay server) - Topic based threads (messages organized by topic not contacts) - Lightweight (server can run on a raspberry pi zero v1.3) - Low latency (use of websockets for push events to avoid polling) - Unlimited accounts per node (host for your whole family) - Mobile alerts for new contacts,…
Privacy and F-Droid
F-Droid builds Databag from its published source code and flags anti-features such as ads, tracking or reliance on non-free services.
No anti-features flagged on the latest F-Droid build.
Screenshots
Screenshots from the app's F-Droid listing.
Similar apps
More open-source messaging apps
Jitsi Meet
jitsi/jitsi-meet
Instant video conferences efficiently adapting to your scale.
Messaging & chatAndroidiOSTelegram for Android
DrKLO/Telegram
Telegram is a messaging app with a focus on speed and security.
OfficialMessaging & chatAndroidSignal for Android
signalapp/Signal-Android
A private messenger for Android.
OfficialMessaging & chatAndroid
SimpleX Chat
simplex-chat/simplex-chat
SimpleX Chat - e2e encrypted messenger without any user IDs - private by design!
OfficialMessaging & chatAndroidiOSSignal for iOS
signalapp/Signal-iOS
Signal is a free and open source messaging app for simple private communication with friends.
OfficialMessaging & chatiOS
Element Classic
element-hq/element-android
Previous generation Element.
OfficialMessaging & chatAndroid
What is Databag?
Databag is a free, open-source messaging app for Android and iOS. A federated chat client designed for privacy and selfhosting. It has 1,499 GitHub stars and is released under the Apache-2.0 license, and you can install it from F-Droid, Google Play and the App Store.
Is Databag free and open source?
Yes. Databag's source code is public on GitHub under the Apache-2.0 license, which is OSI-approved or FSF-free. F-Droid, which builds it from source, flags no anti-features such as ads or tracking on its latest build.
How do I install Databag?
You can install Databag from F-Droid (package com.databag), from Google Play and from the App Store; the links are on this page. Its GitHub repository also publishes releases (latest: v1.1.1021).
Is Databag still maintained?
The repository's most recent commit was on Jun 14, 2026. Its F-Droid listing was last updated on Jun 24, 2024. appsgit only lists apps whose repository had a commit in the last six months.