Chitchatter Review, Pricing & Features

Chitchatter is a free, open-source, peer-to-peer chat app with no servers, no accounts, and no message history. See how it works and its features.

Category
Team Chat
Pricing
Free, from Free
Verified
Not yet
Last updated
July 18, 2026
Free PlanWeb AppOpen SourceSelf-Hosted

Overview

Chitchatter is a free, open-source, peer-to-peer chat application created by developer Jeremy Kahn and hosted publicly at chitchatter.im, with source available on GitHub under the GPL v2 license. It is described as serverless, decentralized, and ephemeral: there is no dedicated Chitchatter backend server, no accounts, and no persisted message history.

Peer connections are established via WebRTC, using public WebTorrent trackers for peer discovery and STUN/TURN relay servers only as a fallback when a direct connection isn't possible, keeping the architecture lightweight and largely serverless.

Key Features

Within a chat room, Chitchatter supports text messaging, audio and video calls, and screen sharing between multiple peers. File transfers of unlimited size are supported, with files encrypted client-side before being sent over the peer-to-peer connection.

Rooms use random, client-generated UUIDs as names by default and can be shared privately via URL or left open as public rooms. Since nothing is stored server-side, there is no analytics, tracking, or telemetry, and messages are cleared from memory the moment a user leaves a room.

Pricing

Chitchatter is completely free to use at chitchatter.im, with no accounts, subscriptions, or paid tiers. Because it's open source and largely serverless, anyone can also self-host their own instance of the client-side application at no licensing cost.

There is no commercial entity monetizing Chitchatter, so all functionality, including video calls and unlimited-size file transfer, is available without payment.

Key Features

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Strong privacy design: no server-side storage, no accounts, no tracking
  • Completely free and open source under GPL v2
  • No sign-up friction; join a room and start chatting immediately
  • Supports rich media including video calls, screen sharing, and unlimited file size transfers

Cons

  • Peer-to-peer connection reliability depends on network conditions and NAT/firewall traversal
  • No message history or persistence by design, so nothing can be recovered after leaving a room
  • No built-in user directory, workspace, or admin/moderation controls
  • Not intended as a replacement for persistent team chat or enterprise messaging tools

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Chitchatter free?

Yes, Chitchatter is completely free, open source, and requires no account or subscription to use.

Does Chitchatter store my messages?

No, messages are never persisted to disk and are cleared from memory as soon as you leave a chat room.

Does Chitchatter require a server?

Chitchatter has no dedicated backend chat server; it relies on WebRTC peer-to-peer connections, using public WebTorrent trackers for discovery and STUN/TURN servers only as a fallback.

Can Chitchatter be self-hosted?

Yes, since Chitchatter is a client-side, largely serverless open-source application, anyone can host their own instance of it.

Does Chitchatter support video calls?

Yes, Chitchatter supports audio and video calling as well as screen sharing between multiple peers in a room.

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