# deltachat/deltachat-desktop

Decentralized private messenger with chat-shared tools and games for Desktop

Repository: https://github.com/deltachat/deltachat-desktop
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/deltachat-desktop
Language: TypeScript
License: GPL-3.0
License Family: copyleft
Topics: chat, autocrypt, e2ee, imap, smtp, electron, typescript, deltachat-desktop, email, federated, instant-messaging, messenger
Last push: 2026-08-24T16:31:48+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 99/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 99, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2935, "days_push": 9, "days_rel": 10, "gap_med": 14.0, "n_releases_24m": 37}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1600, forks 244 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:09.545863+00:00)

## What it is
Delta Chat Desktop is the Electron-based desktop client for Delta Chat, a decentralized private messenger that runs on top of email infrastructure (IMAP/SMTP) with end-to-end encryption via Autocrypt. It also offers an experimental browser edition and shares its frontend with a Tauri-based client.

## Use cases
- private messaging without phone numbers
- chat over existing email accounts
- end-to-end encrypted group chats
- decentralized messenger alternative to WhatsApp
- desktop chat client for Delta Chat
- federated messaging using email servers

## When to choose
- you want a private, decentralized messenger that works over email
- you need a cross-platform desktop chat app with E2EE
- you want to reuse existing email infrastructure for messaging

## When to avoid
- you need real-time low-latency messaging with push notifications
- you want a messenger tied to phone numbers or a centralized service
- you need rich video calling features

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: chat-interface, e2e-testing, email
- domain: messaging-platforms, privacy, cross-platform, self-hosted
- platform: cross-platform, browser
- tags: messenger, e2ee, autocrypt, email-based-chat, decentralized, instant-messaging, typescript, desktop, electron

## Member repositories
- deltachat/deltachat-desktop (main) score 99

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:09.545863+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T03:53:11.490796+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/deltachat/deltachat-desktop (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:09.545863+00:00, sha 61883ab51240)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.