Messenger

Meta's standalone messaging app for Facebook, with end to end encryption on by default since 2023

As of 1 September 2026, Messenger is free to use. Meta's messaging app, split out from the main Facebook app for most users since 2014, handling text, voice and video chat, group chats and Marketplace messages. Softwr lists it under Communication. Messenger is made by Meta Platforms, Inc., available on iOS, Android, Web.

Visit siteVisit Messenger

Overview

What Messenger does

Messenger is Meta's dedicated chat app, used for one-to-one and group messaging, voice and video calls, disappearing messages and integration with Facebook Marketplace and Pages. It can be used somewhat independently of a Facebook account via a phone number in some markets, though most functionality assumes a linked Facebook identity. The fact worth stating precisely: Meta completed rolling out default end-to-end encryption for personal chats and calls in December 2023, a change from the earlier opt-in Secret Conversations mode. With default encryption on, Meta states it cannot read message content, but metadata, meaning who is messaging whom, when, and group membership, is not encrypted and remains visible to Meta for purposes including safety enforcement, spam detection and its advertising-adjacent systems. Meta has documented this distinction itself; it is not solely third-party interpretation of the change. Buyers are effectively Facebook and Instagram users who need chat functionality, since it is bundled and often required to message on Facebook at all following the 2014 split. The trade-off is a free, widely used chat app whose parent company's revenue model is built on user data and targeting even where message content itself is now encrypted by default.

What people use it for

Messaging friends and family who primarily use Facebook rather than a phone number based app
Coordinating a buy or sell exchange through Facebook Marketplace messaging
Making free video or voice calls to contacts without needing their phone number
Messaging a business through its Facebook Page for customer service

Where it falls short

Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about Messenger.

While message content is end-to-end encrypted by default since December 2023, metadata such as who messaged whom and when is not encrypted and remains visible to Meta.
Full functionality generally assumes a linked Facebook account, which ties messaging to a broader social profile many users would rather keep separate.
Cloud chat backups, if enabled, are protected by a PIN the user sets, and losing that PIN without a recovery key can mean losing access to backed-up chat history.
As a Meta product, its business model depends on the surrounding Meta advertising ecosystem, and account-level data outside message content still feeds that system.
Group chat and calling features have historically launched later or with more limitations on Messenger than on some competing apps built encryption-first from the start.

Cross-shopped

What people choose instead of Messenger

Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.

Messengervs
Facebook
Facebook: If you want the main social network rather than the standalone chat app

Pricing

What Messenger costs

Taken from the vendor's own pricing page. Prices move, so check before you buy.

Free

Unlimited messaging, calling and group chats
No subscription tier

Capabilities

Features

End-to-end encrypted chats
Personal one-to-one and group chats and calls are end-to-end encrypted by default since December 2023
Voice and video calling
One-to-one and group calls, including with screen sharing
Marketplace messaging
Direct messaging tied to Facebook Marketplace buying and selling
Disappearing messages
Optional messages that delete after being viewed
Cross-app chat with Instagram
Some chat interoperability with Instagram direct messages
Business messaging
Messenger used by businesses via Facebook Pages for customer service and automated replies

Answered, with sources

Questions people ask

Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.

Is Messenger encrypted by default now?

Yes, since December 2023 personal chats and calls are end-to-end encrypted by default, moving on from the earlier opt-in Secret Conversations mode.

What can Meta still see if chats are encrypted?

Metadata such as who is messaging whom, when, and group membership is not encrypted and remains visible to Meta, even though message content is.

Do I need a Facebook account to use Messenger?

In some markets Messenger can be used with just a phone number, but most features assume a linked Facebook account.

Keep looking

Where to go from Messenger

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Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for Messenger, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.

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