Privacy Comparison
Privacy Comparison
Compare Retro Hex Chat with corporate chat platforms across server ownership, message storage, call routing, AI training, source code access, and community control.
Privacy overview
Big Tech Platforms
What they do with your data.
- Messages stored on their servers, mined for ads
- Calls routed through corporate infrastructure
- Your data trains their AI, sold to advertisers
- Closed source — “trust us”
- They can ban your community at any time
- They read your messages — and they do
Their rules
Retro Hex Chat
Your data stays with you. Period.
- Messages stored on your server, never leave
- Private calls go direct P2P; channel conferences stay on your infrastructure
- Your data stays in your database, period
- Open source — verify yourself
- You own the server — nobody can shut you down
- Your server operator controls message access and retention
Your rules
Side-by-side comparison
| Discord / Slack / Telegram | Retro Hex Chat | |
|---|---|---|
| Who owns the server? | A corporation | You |
| Where are messages stored? | Their cloud, their terms | Your server, your database |
| Voice and video calls | Routed through their servers | Private P2P via WebRTC; channel conferences via your self-hosted SFU |
| Can they read your messages? | Yes — and they do | Access is controlled by your own server and policies |
| Data used for AI training? | Often, and without consent | Never. Your data is yours. |
| Can they ban your community? | Yes, at any time | No — you own the server |
| Source code | Closed. Trust them blindly. | Open source. Audit it yourself. |
No tracking. No profiling. No data harvesting. Just a chat server that respects your privacy.
Your data. Your rules.