Message, send files and make calls from your browser, Android or macOS. Messages are encrypted on your device with OpenPGP (Curve25519), so the server stores ciphertext, not readable messages. The threat model explains the limits.
No email. No phone number. About two minutes. Downloads
Illustrative product preview. Names and messages are fictional.
Everything sensitive happens on your device. The server is a courier that can't open the envelopes it carries.
When you sign up, your browser generates an OpenPGP (Curve25519) keypair. Your private key is encrypted with a client-only key-wrap secret, which is itself encrypted with your password. The server stores only the encrypted private key and the encrypted key-wrap secret; neither is usable without your password. The login TOTP secret is separate and never unlocks the private key.
TOTP two-factor authentication is optional and strongly recommended. You can skip it at signup and enable it later in settings. With 2FA enabled, signing in needs your password plus a code from your authenticator app, and recovery codes are provided as a backup.
Photos, voice messages and documents up to 15 MB are encrypted before upload and decrypted only on the recipient's device. The file contents are never stored in plaintext.
Clearnet session records store a coarsened network prefix (/24 for IPv4, /48 for IPv6) and the user agent for abuse prevention and device management; they expire after 7 days, or 3 days of inactivity. Onion sessions store “tor” instead of an address. Exact addresses are used transiently for rate limiting, with keyed counters rather than raw values. Application request logs exclude client IP addresses, request paths and user agents and are kept for up to 4 days. We do not use them for advertising or profiling. Full storage details are in the security documentation.
Most messaging apps are "encrypted in transit" — the message is protected while travelling, but readable by the company that runs the server. End-to-end encryption is different.
Messages are locked on your device with a key only you and the recipient have. The server stores ciphertext and encrypted key material; it does not hold a readable message archive.
Because we do not store plaintext messages, passwords or usable private keys, there is no readable message archive to hand over. A malicious server could capture your password at login, so zero-access is a property of what is stored at rest, not a defence against a malicious operator. The threat model explains this limit.
Most messengers tie your account to your phone number, which is linked to your identity. Markero only asks for a username, so your conversations can't be tied to your real-world identity.
How Markero compares on the things that matter for privacy.
| Markero | Signal | Telegram | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| End-to-end encrypted by default | Yes | Yes | Yes | No (opt-in) |
| Requires email or phone number | No | Phone | Phone | Phone |
| Server cannot read message content at rest | Yes | Yes | Yes | Secret chats only |
| Two-factor auth | Optional, recommended | Optional | Optional | Optional |
| EU hosted (GDPR) | Yes | US | US | Various |
| Free to use | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
See the full comparison and trade-offs
You want username-only signup, no email or phone number, EU hosting, Tor access and invite-only private channels.
You need a mature, independently audited messenger with a larger ecosystem. Signal is the safer default for many high-risk threat models.
If any of these sound like you, Markero was built with you in mind.
Communicate with sources without a phone number connecting the thread to you. Your private key is encrypted before it leaves your device.
Share photos, voice notes and everyday messages without handing the service provider a readable copy.
Group chats with end-to-end encryption, optional message requests to stop spam, and full session control across devices.
Run invite-only private channels for announcements. Owners and admins post, followers read, and every post stays end-to-end encrypted.
The messenger now works over Tor for journalists, activists, human-rights defenders, researchers, and people in politically repressive environments — including families and supporters of political prisoners — who need to reach Markero without exposing their network location.
Tor hides your network origin, not your identity. Your username, what you share and your device still matter. Tor Browser is required. If the button does not open, copy the address and paste it into Tor Browser. This is the only official onion address — ignore copies from other sites.
Read the announcement Tor access page Press and journalist accessyl3gb7w3yej6y2mdeqdxx6rtztgvjlxnwqrk77same5sejlqygcb63qd.onion
You don't need to be technical to use Markero. The encryption happens automatically.
Pick a username and a password. No email, no phone number. Your browser generates your encryption keypair on the spot.
Scan the QR code to enable two-factor authentication now, or skip it and turn it on later in settings. It is strongly recommended, but not required.
Message anyone on Markero, create a group, or start an invite-only private channel. Everything is encrypted automatically — no settings to configure, no keys to manage.
If you enable 2FA: you'll need an authenticator app — Google Authenticator, Aegis, 1Password or similar. They're free and take a minute to set up. You can also skip this step and enable it later.
Markero has not completed a third-party security audit. The threat model explains what is encrypted, what the server can see, and what it does not protect against.
Threat model, privacy policy, release hashes, security.txt, status page and changelog.
No independent audit yet and no public source code. We do not claim anonymity or that the service has no metadata.
Independently benchmarked 94/100 by Legit.Show for production readiness, not as a security audit.
The core messenger is free. Premium is a one-time purchase from $4, with no auto-renew.
No email. No phone number. About two minutes. Works in your browser, on Android and on macOS.
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