Live and open for registration: Clumsy Messenger runs at clumsymessenger.com. Free, no invite needed.

Clumsy Messenger

Free · Browser, PWA & Windows · Registration open

A buddy list without the data-harvesting costume.

Clumsy Messenger is a privacy-first instant messenger built around the thing that actually worked about instant messaging: a buddy list, a window, and a conversation. Direct messages are end-to-end encrypted in your browser. The server relays ciphertext it cannot read. No ads, no engagement engineering, no quiet campaign to turn your conversations into a growth metric.

Open Clumsy Messenger Get the Windows app Join Discord

Free to use · No account fee · Optional donations on Ko-fi

End-to-end encrypted DMs Buddy list & custom groups Rooms & group chats Two-factor authentication Disappearing & view-once messages No ads, ever Windows app & PWA

What it is

Every modern chat app wants to be a platform. Clumsy Messenger wants to be a messenger. You sign in, your buddies are listed down the side with their status, you double-click one, and you talk. Everything else on this page is in service of that, or it is a privacy guarantee that makes it safe to do.

Encrypted where it counts
Direct messages use an ECDH P-256 key agreement with AES-GCM encryption. The keypair is generated in your browser and the private half never leaves it. The server stores and relays ciphertext — it has no key with which to read a conversation.
A real buddy list
Contacts down the side, sorted by status, organised into your own groups, with per-buddy nicknames and pinned conversations for the people you actually talk to. Not an infinite scroll of channels you muted six months ago.
Rooms when you need them
Multi-channel servers with role-based permissions, channel-level overrides, reaction roles, slow mode, and moderation tooling — for when a conversation genuinely needs more than two people and some structure.
History that expires
Conversation history is capped at 30 days or 100 messages, whichever comes first. Set disappearing messages for shorter, or send a view-once attachment that burns after it is opened. Permanence is opt-in, not the default.
Accounts you control
TOTP two-factor with backup codes, a new-device login email alert, an active-session list, and a block list. Retired usernames are never recycled to someone else, which is a small thing until it is not.
Not a data product
No advertising, no ad-driven ranking, no Nitro-style paywall on basic conversation. Development is funded by donations. If that ever changes it will be a paid tier for extras, announced plainly, not a quiet reversal.

Feature highlights

Encryption

Private by construction, not by policy promise.

  • ECDH P-256 key agreement, AES-GCM message encryption
  • Private key generated and held in your own browser
  • Server relays ciphertext it holds no key for
  • Encrypted attachments, including view-once media

Conversations

The parts of chat that earn their place.

  • Replies and quotes, edits, and sender-side delete
  • Reactions, read receipts, and typing indicators
  • Search across usernames, display names, and bios
  • Saved Messages — a self-DM for notes to yourself

Buddy list

Your people, arranged the way you want them.

  • Custom groups and status-sorted contacts
  • Per-buddy nicknames that override display names
  • Pinned conversations sort to the top of their group
  • Friend requests, block list, and profile pages

Account security

Getting in should be hard for everyone else.

  • TOTP two-factor with single-use backup codes
  • Email alert on login from a new device
  • Session list and rate-limited authentication
  • Usernames are retired, never reissued to a stranger

Rooms and groups

Structure, for when two people is not enough.

  • Multi-channel servers with role-based permissions
  • Per-channel permission overrides and reaction roles
  • Slow mode and moderation queue for room owners
  • Group chats with their own roster and controls

Control over time

Messages that do not outlive their usefulness.

  • 30-day / 100-message rolling history cap
  • Disappearing messages on a timer you choose
  • View-once attachments that burn after opening
  • Quiet hours to silence push without going offline

Everywhere you are

One account, several front doors.

  • Runs in any modern browser, nothing to install
  • Installable as a PWA on desktop and mobile
  • Windows desktop app with its own updater
  • Four themes including a true high-contrast mode

Built to be usable

Accessibility treated as a feature, not a checkbox.

  • Screen-reader announcements for incoming messages
  • Full keyboard navigation with focus trapping in dialogs
  • High contrast theme well past WCAG AAA contrast
  • Reduced-motion support across the whole interface

How the privacy actually works

"Private messenger" is a phrase anyone can print. Here is the specific mechanism, so it can be checked rather than believed.

Keys are yours
When an account is created, the browser generates an ECDH P-256 keypair. The public half is published so people can message you. The private half is written to your own browser storage and is never transmitted. A server operator who wanted to read your messages would have to first obtain a key they have never been sent.
The server sees envelopes
Direct message content arrives at the server already encrypted and leaves the same way. Routing metadata — who is talking to whom, and when — is necessarily visible to deliver a message at all, and saying otherwise would be a lie. Sealed sender is on the roadmap as a real architectural change, not a marketing line.
No advertising model
There is nothing to gain from profiling a conversation because nothing is sold against it. No ad network, no third-party analytics on the chat surface, no engagement optimisation. The published Terms and Privacy Policy say the same thing in the language lawyers prefer.
Moderation that stays honest
End-to-end encryption means direct messages cannot be proactively scanned, and Clumsy Messenger does not pretend otherwise. Reports, blocks, and a moderation queue exist for the cases users raise themselves. Optional AI moderation in rooms is bring-your-own-key and operator-enabled, never silently on.

Full terms: Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Ways to run it

In the browser
Nothing to install and nothing to update. Open clumsymessenger.com, register a username, and you are in. This is the full application, not a cut-down preview.
As a PWA
Use your browser's install option to add Clumsy Messenger to your dock, taskbar, or home screen. It gets its own window and icon and behaves like an installed app, on desktop and mobile alike.
Windows desktop app
A real Windows application with its own window, tray presence, and built-in updater. Download the v1.0.1 installer. It is not code-signed yet, so Windows SmartScreen will warn on first run — choose More info, then Run anyway.
macOS — test build only
Unsigned Intel and Apple Silicon test builds exist and are linked from the login page. They are genuinely experimental, not a supported release: macOS will block them at first launch and you will need to allow them manually. Treat them as an experiment, not a product.

Questions people actually ask

Is it really free?
Yes. Registration is open, there is no trial, no seat cost, and no advertising. Development is funded by optional donations at ko-fi.com/clumsyslab. A paid tier for extras may exist one day; basic conversation is not the thing that would get charged for.
Is this a clone of AIM?
No. It is an homage to a layout, written from scratch. Clumsy Messenger is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to AOL, AIM, Time Warner, Verizon, Yahoo, ICQ, or anyone else. Every line of code, every pixel of artwork, and every notification sound is original work.
What happens to my messages?
They are stored encrypted and expire after 30 days or 100 messages per conversation, whichever comes first. You can shorten that with disappearing messages, or delete a conversation for both sides. Deleting for both sides is a genuine mutual delete, separate from clearing your own local copy.
Who runs the server?
Clumsy's Lab LLC, a Missouri company, operating it directly. It is small, independent infrastructure rather than a hyperscaler tenancy, and the roadmap is public inside the app. That is a trade-off worth stating plainly: fewer resources, and also fewer parties with an interest in your conversations.
Can I build against it?
Yes. There is a Bot API, and bots use exactly the same message endpoints and authentication flow that every human client uses, so the encryption pipeline is unchanged. Bot accounts get a real server-generated keypair, shown exactly once at creation.
Is there a mobile app?
Not a native one yet — it is on the roadmap. In the meantime the web app is mobile-responsive and installs as a PWA from your phone's browser, which covers most of what a native app would do, including push notifications.

Open Clumsy Messenger

Registration is open and free. Pick a username, add a buddy, and see whether a chat app that is not trying to become a platform is a relief or a disappointment. Both are useful feedback, and the Discord is where it gets heard.

Open the app Join Discord  ·  Email support