Quiet is a free, open-source chat program for teams and organizations that want private messaging without a central server, an email address or a phone number. Instead of routing conversations through a company's servers, as Slack, Discord or Signal do, it syncs messages directly between members' devices over Tor. It is written in JavaScript and TypeScript and built on Tor and IPFS.
The latest desktop build is 11.3.1-alpha.1, an alpha pre-release, so expect rough edges and test before moving important work onto it. The most recent code update is recent, which means the project is not abandoned. This page covers what Quiet does, how to install the Windows app, how it compares with other peer-to-peer tools and what to watch for before you commit a team to it.
Who Is Quiet Built For?
Quiet fits best with small groups that want to run their own private chat space rather than sign up for a hosted service. A startup with a handful of engineers, a volunteer nonprofit, a research group or a local business team can each create a community, set up channels and invite the people who need access.
The program suits people who care about where their messages live. If your team prefers not to route internal conversations through a third-party company's servers, a peer-to-peer model deserves a look. Quiet also works for people who do not want to attach a phone number or email address to every account they use.
It is less of a match for organizations that need polished administration tools, large-scale moderation or guaranteed uptime. Those teams usually need an established platform with support contracts. Quiet is better treated as a focused tool for a defined group rather than a replacement for an enterprise messaging suite.
How Peer-to-Peer Sync Over Tor Works
In a traditional chat app, your messages travel to a company's server, which stores them and forwards them to recipients. Quiet takes a different route. Members' devices exchange messages directly with each other, so the community's conversation is spread across the devices of the people in it rather than sitting in one central place.
Tor sits underneath that exchange. Tor sends traffic through a chain of relays, which makes it harder for an observer to connect a device's network address to the traffic it sends. Combined with encryption between member devices, this approach limits how much information any single intermediary can see.
The trade-off is that peer-to-peer delivery depends on devices being able to reach each other. A message is easiest to deliver when the sender and recipients are online at the same time. Teams that expect constant round-the-clock messaging should test how quickly updates reach everyone during their normal working hours.
Practical Scenarios for Small Teams
Consider a five-person product team that wants to discuss unreleased features without sending drafts through a commercial chat provider. They create a community, set up channels for design, engineering and releases, and invite each member with a link. Each person joins after the owner issues their certificate, and the team keeps working in familiar channel structure.
Another example is a volunteer board that needs to share meeting notes and documents among members who prefer not to give out phone numbers. The board can use Quiet's file sharing for agendas and PDFs, while keeping membership limited to people the owner has approved. The no-phone-number model removes one barrier for volunteers who are wary of handing over personal details.
A third scenario is a small open-source project coordinating across time zones. Desktop notifications let contributors catch urgent threads, while channels keep bug reports separate from general discussion. Projects like this should still keep a backup of important decisions in their regular repository or documentation tools.
Key features
Team Chat Communities
End-to-End Encryption
Channels
Images and Previews
Large File Transfers
Desktop Notifications
Invite Links
Keyboard Navigation and No Phone Number Needed
Supported coins
Quiet is a chat program rather than a wallet, so it does not hold, send or store coins. The project documentation mentions Bitcoin (BTC) and Monero (XMR) as part of its background, but the program's day-to-day function is team messaging. Treat those names as context about the project's design rather than as a list of tools for managing cryptocurrency.
How to install Quiet on Windows
- 1
Download the installer from the official source
Go to the official website at https://tryquiet.org/ or open the Releases page of the project's GitHub repository at https://github.com/TryQuiet/quiet. Download only from the official website or those GitHub Releases, and choose the Windows .exe file from the latest release.
- 2
Verify the file before running it
If the release page publishes a SHA-256 checksum or a signature, compare it with your downloaded file using a standard tool such as PowerShell's Get-FileHash command. Do not run the installer if the values do not match. The Safety section explains this step in more detail.
- 3
Run the installer
Open the .exe and install Quiet the normal way, following the standard Windows prompts. Read any security warning carefully before you continue, and keep your antivirus protection active during installation.
-
Create a community and invite members
Launch Quiet and create a community for your team. Open the community's settings to invite members with an invite link. Each person you invite needs a valid signed certificate from the community owner before they can connect to peers and see messages.
System requirements
- A valid signed certificate from the community owner, which is needed to connect to peers, receive connections from peers and have your messages visible to other members.
How to use Quiet
Quiet works best when you set up the community carefully before inviting anyone. The steps below follow the typical flow from a fresh install to an active team space.
- Open Quiet and create a community, giving it a name that your members will recognize.
- Open the community's settings to review the options and prepare your invitation.
- Create channels for the main topics, such as announcements, general discussion and project work.
- Send an invite link to each member you want to add, and confirm that they can reach the community.
- Issue or confirm the signed certificate for each member, since connections and message visibility depend on it.
- Share a short test message in each channel, then check that images and a small file arrive on another device.
- Turn desktop notifications on or off according to how your team wants to be alerted.
- Use keyboard navigation to move between channels quickly once everyone is set up.
Pros & cons
- No email address or phone number is needed to create or join a community.
- Messages sync directly between devices over Tor, without a central server.
- End-to-end encryption applies between member devices.
- Large files can be shared without arbitrary size limits.
- Desktop apps are available for Windows, macOS and Linux, plus a peer-to-peer Android app.
- The latest desktop build is an alpha pre-release, so stability may vary.
- Windows builds come with the normal release process, so confirm the current .exe is available before planning a rollout.
- The iOS app is distributed through TestFlight and does not include notifications.
- iOS notifications rely on a centralized Apple service, which limits how fully the app stays peer-to-peer.
- Every new member needs a signed certificate from the owner, which adds setup steps.
- Delivery depends on devices being able to connect to one another, so timing can matter.
Is Quiet safe?
Download Quiet only from the official website at tryquiet.org or from the Releases page of the official GitHub repository. Avoid mirror sites, file-sharing copies and links sent to you by strangers, because a modified installer could carry malware. When a release includes a SHA-256 checksum or signature, compare it with your download before running the file.
Because the latest build is an alpha, keep backups of anything important and avoid sharing sensitive records until your team has tested the app. Do not disable your antivirus to get the installer to run. If a warning appears, verify the source and checksum instead. Check the latest version on the official website before you install or update.
- Official source only. Download from tryquiet.org. Ignore ads and lookalike domains.
- Check the SHA-256. Compare the installer hash with the value the developer publishes before running it.
- Never share your seed phrase. No developer, support agent or website — including CryptApps — will ever ask for it.
Alternatives
Quiet is a graphical chat app for teams, while most of the similar programs in this catalog serve different purposes. Ipfs Chat is terminal-based and also offers encrypted chatrooms without a broker, which suits users who prefer a command-line workflow. Peergos focuses on end-to-end encrypted, peer-to-peer file storage and sharing, so it is closer to a shared drive than a chat app.
ZeroNet, IPFS Desktop, Kubo and Storj are infrastructure tools for decentralized websites, node operation or storage networks. They solve different problems from Quiet's team communication. Agregore is a browser for the distributed web, and Pinner CLI is a command-line tool for pinning content. If you need a team chat, Quiet is the closest match among these options.
Specifications
- Price
- Free
- Type
- Open source
- License
- —
- Latest version
- @quiet/[email protected]
- Last update
- 27 Oct 2026
- Windows support
- Likely (builds for Windows; check releases)
- Official site
- tryquiet.org
- Source code
- github.com/TryQuiet/quiet
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Quiet is listed as free and open source, so you can download the program without paying a license fee. Check the official website or the GitHub repository for any project terms that apply to how you use the software.
Quiet can be installed safely when you download it from the official website or GitHub Releases and verify the file. It encrypts data between member devices and requires no email address or phone number. Because the latest build is an alpha, avoid relying on it for sensitive records until you have tested it.
No. You do not need an email address or phone number to create or join a community. Access is controlled by a signed certificate from the community owner, which determines who can connect to peers and see messages.
No. Messages sync directly between devices over Tor, so the program does not depend on a company's servers to store or forward conversations. Because the network is peer-to-peer, members need to be able to reach one another for messages to move.
Yes. Quiet supports sending and receiving large files without an arbitrary size limit. Images can be pasted or dragged into the chat and previewed, and transfer speed depends on the devices and connections involved.
Quiet has a fully peer-to-peer Android app with working notifications. The iOS app is distributed through TestFlight and does not include notifications, so confirm its current status before rolling it out to a group that relies on alerts.
Open the community's settings and share an invite link with the person you want to add. They must also receive a valid signed certificate from the community owner before they can connect and see messages.
The right alternative depends on your goal. Ipfs Chat suits terminal users who want encrypted chatrooms, while Peergos fits people who mainly need encrypted peer-to-peer file sharing. Quiet is the closest option in this catalog if you want a graphical team chat.
Verdict
Quiet suits small teams that want private chat without central servers, email addresses or phone numbers, and that are comfortable working with an alpha build. Groups that value encryption and direct device-to-device sync will get the most from it. Teams that need a polished, stable Windows release or iOS notifications should wait or test thoroughly first. Start with a small community, run a pilot with a few members, and only then move real team discussions onto it.