No phone number required for sign-up
The account model is being built around a Sheltr ID instead of forcing phone-number identity to be the center of the product.
Sheltr
A Light weight Privacy-Focused Discord Alternative
Staging today: friend adds, DMs, encrypted attachments, typing, unread states, retention, and owned-file inventory.
Media is encrypted before it leaves the device
Profile media and DM attachments are pushed through client-side encryption paths before storage and sharing.
Storage and retention are part of the product
Owned-file inventory, retention windows, and cleanup are user-visible features instead of hidden backend behavior.
How Sheltr compares
Focused on identity, encryption defaults, and how inspectable the trust model is.
Based on public product docs and currently shipped user-facing behavior as of March 23, 2026. This table focuses on privacy basics for direct messaging, not every feature each product offers.
| Feature | Sheltr | Signal | Telegram | iMessage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sign up without a phone number | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
| Direct messages are end-to-end encrypted by default | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| You can chat without giving the other person your phone number | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Public code or architecture is inspectable | Yes | Yes | No | Partial | No |
Telegram end-to-end encryption applies to Secret Chats, not standard chats. iMessage can use an Apple Account or a phone number, and that identifier is shown to the people you contact.
Get access
Use the web beta now, or go deeper through downloads and docs.
The browser build is live for staging access today. Linux desktop is still the deepest current path for the full friend and DM workflow.