Comm is an encrypted messaging app for communities
We extend Signal’s model of E2E encryption with personal servers to enable richer functionality.
See how Comm is different
Backup
Comm backs up all of your encrypted user data via our backup service.
Signal does not back up your data. Data is stored locally on your device.
Read more
Communities
Comm supports communities with features including channels, roles, threads, and more.
Signal does not support communities with channels à la Discord or Slack.
Read more
Identity
Comm accounts are associated with a username or an Ethereum wallet.
Most identities on Signal are linked to phone numbers.
Read more
Key resets
Comm backs up user keys, and facilitates account recovery by recovering those original keys.
Signal’s servers can reset anybody’s public keys in order to facilitate account recovery.
Read more
Notifications
Comm allows you to manage notif alerts separately from notif badging.
Signal has a single function to mute notifs from a chat.
Read more
Own your data with keyservers
Comm’s core innovation is the idea of the keyserver: a personal, private server.
E2E-encrypted apps today are limited because they have to do everything locally, on the user’s device. In contrast, unencrypted apps are able to rely on servers in the cloud to handle queries and background processing, in turn allowing these apps to support more sophisticated functionality.
But what if people had their own servers? Keyservers enable Comm to offer the best of both worlds: Signal-level privacy with a Slack-level feature set.
Learn more about keyservers
Our story and vision
Comm was founded by Ashoat after his experiences trying to implement E2E encryption for his app exposed the limits of contemporary cryptographic approaches. He realized why E2E apps were so limited in functionality: the lack of a server layer meant that everything had to be done on a phone.
Comm’s vision is a world where people own their own data. We believe that in the future, everybody will have a server.
Learn more about our story