Jami is a free, peer-to-peer communication app for encrypted text chat, audio and video calls, group conversations, and screen sharing without a central account server. It suits people and organizations that want private messaging and calls hosted by the participants rather than a cloud vendor.
Jami is a free, end-to-end encrypted communication client that handles text chats, audio and video calls, group conversations, and screen sharing across a distributed peer-to-peer network instead of a company-run cloud. Setting it up takes one step: create an account, which generates a cryptographic identity and a shareable identifier, then exchange that identifier or a QR code with the people you want to reach. Conversations connect directly between devices, so file transfers ride the same link and are not capped by an upload quota. One account can be linked to several devices, syncing contacts and group history, while conference calls run through rendezvous points hosted by participants rather than a third party.
Jami's account model is unusual: identity lives in keys stored on your devices rather than on a login server, so there is no password reset link and no service that can shut your address off. Everything you would expect to pay for elsewhere is uncapped, including file size, number of accounts, and storage, because the network stores almost nothing on your behalf. Organizations can bolt on an account management server that provisions users and a private directory, or connect existing telephone infrastructure through SIP accounts and a dial pad. Anyone migrating from a traditional multi-protocol client such as Pidgin will notice the difference immediately: contacts are added by cryptographic identifier, and messages travel device to device rather than through a relay.
The main benefit of Jami is that privacy is structural rather than a setting you hope the vendor honors. Calls, chats, and files are encrypted end to end with perfect forward secrecy, the network keeps no message archive to subpoena, and no personal information is required to create an identity. Because traffic flows directly between participants, latency drops and transfers run at whatever your connection allows, with no bandwidth caps or per-seat pricing tiers. If you are working on the same local network, the app keeps functioning even when the internet link is down, which is useful on job sites, ships, and off-grid offices. Video messages let you leave a short recorded update instead of typing a long explanation, and screen sharing streams a window or a whole display during a call. An extension platform adds features without waiting on a central roadmap, and SIP support means the softphone you already use for a business number can live in the same window.
Key capabilities and highlights.
Messages, calls, and files travel directly between participants over a distributed network, so no company sits in the middle holding your conversations or metadata. Jami keeps identity on your own devices, which means there is no account database to breach and no message archive sitting in a vendor's storage waiting to be handed over.
Calls are encrypted end to end with perfect forward secrecy, meaning a compromised key cannot unlock earlier sessions, and certificates follow the X.509 model so devices can verify each other. You can start a call from a conversation, switch to an audio-only view to save attention and battery, and use picture-in-picture to keep video visible while working in other windows.
Group conversations use a swarm architecture that lets every member sync the same history, so nobody misses messages sent while offline, and conferences run through rendezvous points hosted by participants instead of a paid bridge service. Teams use them for standups, classrooms, and family calls without buying a conferencing subscription or trusting a third-party host with the room.
Share a full display or a single window during a call, which helps when walking someone through a document, reviewing code, or showing a presentation without exporting it first. The same streaming pathway handles media playback, and the receiving side can follow along full screen, keeping remote troubleshooting inside the conversation instead of parking people in a second app.
Send documents, photos, and archives straight into a conversation and let the peer-to-peer link carry them, so transfer speed follows your connection rather than a plan's monthly allowance. There are no artificial limits on file size, and because data lands on the recipient's device instead of a storage bucket, no vendor copy is left behind.
One identity can be linked to multiple devices by approving a pairing request, after which contacts, conversations, and group history stay synchronized between them. A chat you begin on a desktop can be continued from a phone or tablet without forwarding anything to yourself, and backing up the account keys preserves access if a device is lost.
Jami also works as a SIP client, so an existing softphone account from a business telephony provider can be added alongside peer-to-peer contacts and called from the same dial pad. That lets a small team keep its published phone number while moving internal chat onto an encrypted network, without running two separate applications all day.
An extension platform lets third parties add capabilities such as bots, integrations, and experimental features without waiting for a core release, and dedicated bot accounts can be created for automated replies or notifications. Organizations that need tighter control can run an account management server to provision users, issue certificates, and maintain a private directory.
Browse historical releases and previous builds.
No old versions have been added yet.
Common questions about Jami.
Jami is a free communication app for text chat, audio and video calls, group conversations, file transfers, and screen sharing. Rather than routing everything through a company's servers, it connects participants directly over a distributed network and encrypts each conversation end to end. Accounts are created without personal details, and the same identity can be linked to several devices.
Yes. The software is free and open source, with no ads, no paid tiers, and no limits on file size, transfer speed, bandwidth, storage, or the number of accounts you create. Funding comes from donations, support contracts, and professional services rather than subscriptions, so nothing about the core calling and chat experience sits behind a paywall.
No. Creating an account generates a cryptographic identity on your device and a shareable identifier that you pass along as a text string or QR code. Contacts are added by exchanging those identifiers, so no phone number, email address, or profile data is required, and nothing identifies you to a central directory.
All communications are end to end encrypted with perfect forward secrecy, and the platform complies with the X.509 certificate standard so devices can authenticate one another. Because conversations travel directly between participants, there is no central message archive to breach. The strength of that protection still depends on keeping your device and account keys secure, as with any peer-to-peer tool.
It covers part of that job. Jami supports SIP accounts, so you can register an existing business telephony account and place calls from a built-in dial pad next to encrypted peer-to-peer chats. Organizations that want central provisioning, directory lookup, and managed certificates can deploy an account management server alongside the clients.
On a shared local network, yes. Devices that can see each other on the same network keep chatting and calling even when the internet link is unavailable, which is useful on job sites or in remote offices without reliable connectivity. Reaching someone outside that network still requires a working connection between the two sides.
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