CarrierPony vs Signal
Two answers to "who are you?"
Both apps encrypt end to end. The difference is what identity means. Signal ties an excellent protocol to a phone-number registration; CarrierPony ties a decades-audited standard to no registration at all. Which trade is right depends on what you're protecting.
the short version
Signal for reach and features, CarrierPony for zero identifiers. Signal has calls, groups, disappearing messages, and a cutting-edge ratcheting protocol. CarrierPony has no phone number, no account, no central identity of any kind — just keys the two of you hold.
At a glance.
| CarrierPony | Signal | |
|---|---|---|
| End-to-end encrypted | Yes — OpenPGP | Yes — Signal protocol |
| Sign-up requirement | None — no account exists | Phone number required |
| Identity | Keypair on your device | Account on Signal's servers |
| Forward secrecy | No — OpenPGP model | Yes — double ratchet |
| Voice / video calls | No | Yes |
| Group chats | No — one to one | Yes |
| File transfer | Yes — up to 50 MB, Files tab | Yes |
| Verification | Safety number | Safety number |
| Bring your own key | Yes — import from GnuPG | No |
| Crypto source | PGPonyCore, Apache-2.0 | Open source |
| Operator | One indie developer | Signal Foundation (nonprofit) |
| Price | Free | Free |
Honest tradeoffs.
Where Signal wins
- The protocol. The double ratchet gives forward secrecy and post-compromise security per message. OpenPGP simply doesn't have that property, and pretending otherwise would be dishonest.
- Features. Voice and video calls, group chats, per-chat disappearing-message timers you control. CarrierPony is one-to-one text and files (messages carry a fixed 30-day lifetime rather than configurable timers).
- Scrutiny at scale. Signal is one of the most audited pieces of consumer software on Earth, with a large team behind it.
- Everyone's already there. Network effects are real; your contacts likely have it installed.
Where CarrierPony wins
- No phone number, ever. Signal requires one to register. CarrierPony has no registration — there is no server-side identity to create, subpoena, or leak.
- No central account system. Your identity is a keypair on your phone. Pairing is key-to-key between two people, not account-to-account through a directory.
- A standard, not a silo. OpenPGP is a documented format checkable against GnuPG, and you can import the key you already own.
- Nothing to grow. One developer, no metrics team, no incentive to collect a single byte more than delivery requires.
The verdict.
- Choose Signal if you need calls, groups, or forward secrecy, or you're moving a large social circle to encrypted messaging.
- Choose CarrierPony if the phone-number requirement is itself the problem — you want a conversation that exists only as keys held by two people.
- Use both if that describes different parts of your life. Most privacy-minded people do.
Try CarrierPony
Free. No accounts, no phone numbers, no tracking. Currently in App Review — one email on launch day if you want it.