Chat 13 is a private, secure messaging platform designed for people who value their privacy. Unlike mainstream messaging apps, we don't collect your data, track your activity, or sell your information to advertisers.

Every message is end-to-end encrypted, meaning only you and the person you're messaging can read them—not even we can access your conversations.

Yes, Chat 13 is completely free to use. There are no hidden costs, premium tiers, or pay-to-unlock features.

We're funded through voluntary donations and will eventually offer optional premium features for businesses (while keeping all core features free for individuals).

We'll never show you ads or sell your data to make money—that's a promise.

Creating an account is simple:

1. Go to chat13.online
2. Click "Sign Up"
3. Choose a username (no phone number required!)
4. Set a strong password
5. Optionally add an email for account recovery
6. Start chatting privately!

The whole process takes less than 2 minutes.

No! This is one of our key features.

Unlike WhatsApp, Signal, or Telegram, Chat 13 doesn't require your phone number. You can sign up with just a username and password.

This protects your privacy and lets you keep your phone number private—it's yours, not ours to collect.

Chat 13 is currently available as a web application accessible from any modern browser on:

• Desktop computers (Windows, Mac, Linux)
• Laptops
• Tablets (iPad, Android tablets)
• Mobile phones (via web browser)

Native iOS and Android apps are coming soon! You'll be able to sync seamlessly across all your devices.

Chat 13 uses military-grade security:

• End-to-end encryption: All messages encrypted using the Signal Protocol (same as Signal app)
• AES-256 encryption: Military-grade standard for data at rest
• TLS 1.3: Latest transport layer security for all connections
• Perfect Forward Secrecy: Each message has unique encryption keys
• Zero-knowledge architecture: We can't read your messages even if we wanted to

Our code undergoes regular security audits by independent security researchers.

No. Absolutely not.

Your messages are encrypted on your device before they're sent. The encryption keys never leave your device. Even if someone hacked our servers, they'd only find encrypted gibberish.

This isn't marketing speak—it's mathematically guaranteed by end-to-end encryption.

We collect minimal data and NEVER sell it. Period.

What we collect:

• Username (encrypted)
• Email (optional, encrypted)
• Last login time (for security)
• IP address (anonymized after 30 days)

What we DON'T collect:

• Your contacts
• Message content (we literally can't)
• Who you talk to
• Your location
• Device information beyond basics
• Browsing habits

Read our full Privacy Policy for details.

Only temporarily for delivery.

Messages are stored on our servers just long enough to deliver them (usually milliseconds). Once delivered, they're immediately deleted from our servers.

If a message can't be delivered (recipient offline), we'll keep it encrypted for up to 30 days, then delete it.

Your device stores your messages locally if you choose—but that's under your control, not ours.

We can't hand over what we don't have.

Because of end-to-end encryption, we cannot decrypt your messages. If a government agency requests access to your messages, we have nothing to give them.

What we CAN provide (with a valid legal order):

• Account creation date
• Last login time

That's it. No message content, no contacts, no conversation history.

We publish transparency reports annually showing any legal requests we receive.

We're working towards it.

We plan to open-source our client applications so security researchers can audit our code and verify our security claims.

Our backend infrastructure will remain private for security reasons, but our encryption implementation will be fully auditable.

Timeline: We aim to release our client code as open source by Q2 2025.

Yes! All media is fully encrypted.

You can send:

• Photos (up to 25MB each)
• Videos (up to 100MB each)
• Files (up to 2GB each)
• Voice messages
• Documents (PDFs, Word, Excel, etc.)

Everything is end-to-end encrypted and deleted from our servers after delivery.

Yes! Fully encrypted group chats with up to 256 members.

Group features include:

• End-to-end encryption for all members
• Admin controls (add/remove members, change settings)
• Group media sharing
• Custom group names and icons
• Mute notifications
• Leave groups anytime

Disappearing messages automatically delete after they're read.

You can set messages to disappear after:

• Immediately after reading
• 5 seconds
• 30 seconds
• 1 hour
• 24 hours
• 7 days

Perfect for sensitive conversations you don't want permanently stored.

Note: This deletes messages from devices, but recipients can still screenshot. Use responsibly!

Yes! Your account syncs across all devices.

You can use Chat 13 simultaneously on:

• Multiple web browsers
• Desktop app (coming soon)
• Mobile apps (coming soon)
• Tablet

All devices stay synced in real-time while maintaining end-to-end encryption.

No. Never. Not ever.

We don't show ads. We don't track you to sell to advertisers. We don't do "sponsored content."

Our business model is NOT selling your attention or data. Chat 13 is funded through optional donations and will eventually offer premium business features.

But ads? Never.

To change your password:

1. Go to Settings → Account → Security
2. Click "Change Password"
3. Enter your current password
4. Enter and confirm your new password
5. Click "Update Password"

We recommend using a strong, unique password with at least 12 characters including letters, numbers, and symbols.

If you added an email to your account, you can reset your password:

1. Click "Forgot Password" on the login page
2. Enter your username or email
3. Check your email for a reset link
4. Create a new password

Important: If you didn't add an email, we cannot recover your account. This is by design—we don't have enough information to identify you, protecting your privacy.

Not currently, but we're working on it!

Right now, usernames are permanent once created. We're developing username change functionality that will be available in a future update.

For now, if you need a different username, you'll need to create a new account.

We make it easy to leave:

1. Go to Settings → Account → Delete Account
2. Click "Delete My Account"
3. Confirm by entering your password
4. Click "Permanently Delete"

What happens:

• Your account is immediately deactivated
• All your data is deleted within 30 days
• Your username becomes available after 90 days
• Other users will see "Account Deleted" in their chats with you

This action is permanent and cannot be undone.

Chat 13 works best on modern browsers:

• Chrome/Chromium: Version 90+
• Firefox: Version 88+
• Safari: Version 14+
• Edge: Version 90+
• Brave: Version 1.24+

For the best experience and security, please keep your browser updated to the latest version.

Slowness can be caused by:

• Your internet connection: Check your network speed
• Server maintenance: We announce scheduled maintenance in advance
• Encryption overhead: Encrypting large files takes time, but it's worth it for security
• Browser cache: Try clearing your cache or using a different browser

If issues persist, contact us at support@chat13.online with details about your device and browser.

Coming soon!

We're developing a public API that will allow developers to:

• Build bots and automation
• Integrate Chat 13 into other applications
• Create custom clients

Expected release: Q3 2025

Want to be notified? Email us at developers@chat13.online to join the waitlist.