SimpleX is a highly secure IM app, so does WireMin, but it is more than just a secure IM app.
First of all, they are in commons with some of their privacy-focused characteristics:
But why I would say that WireMin is more than just a secure messaging tool?
Here are some WireMin’s unique features that I discovered so far:
- Available on desktop device (Windows, MacOS, Linux), because decentralized network may cause high amount of cellular data usage when connecting with nodes.
- Boasting a Discovery section to connect with all WireMin users.
- Feed space for* blog posting*, sharing anonymously.
- Public Chat space with unlimited members
- Web 3 aspect: ‘D-payment’ for crypto transfer while chatting with your friends
- Fast & Unlimited file transfer
All in all, if you are only looking for secure messaing tool, both SimpleX and WireMin can meet your need, but SimpleX is only a messanging tool, WireMin is a completely decentralized social network, as described on their web page “A new era of social network – Freedom”, basically it is more fun and useful than SimpleX.
Personally thinks that WireMin can replace Twitter, Facebook, and other big tech social media, these web2 platforms has override on users for too long, stealing and spying on their data. WireMin structuring everything differently through decentralization, which means data ownership and privacy right is 100% on user’s hand.
1con for SimpleX: It is not 100% decentralized, this is its disadvantage.
1 con for WireMin: Not open sourced, but it is on Alchemy dapp store. I have asked their dev team, responded as: “We are working on it.”
Yeah, I asked the WireMin team, and they said they are working on open source.
D-payment is not their own coin; it’s just a tool for WireMin users to transfer Bitcoin or Ether within the chat. It’s like sending out invoices (check out the picture; it was an airdrop within their official chat room).
I would say both of them did not do much on marketing probably? Even though they are not as famous as Signal or Elements, what I see from them is that they are using a decentralized structure to enhance the security of private messaging tools. For example, Signal requires a phone number to register, whereas SimpleX and WireMin do not require any personal information to create an ID, making them 100% anonymous. Plus, Signal is a centralized platform, which means all data is kept in one place, potentially resulting in data leaks. However, this is not the case with decentralized platforms.
I’d like Signal to not require a phone number but is pretty much a feature that it uses them. I only chat with people I know and those people sometimes want to call me. Having the phone number as the single identifier is great, else I’d have to maintain more.
Obviously it’s not good to use a phone number for many other use cases. And centralization etc isn’t great either, except for ease of onboarding etc.
What I can say is that I’d never use any more private messaging platforms that aren’t foss and federated. There’s too many closed and proprietary systems already on my phone.