Briar

1.5.17

Briar Project

3.42

4,435 reviews

1,000,000+
Downloads

Free

Secure messaging, anywhere.

3.42 · 4,435 reviews · 1,000,000+ downloads

Pros & Cons

Privacy-focused by design with decentralized, server-free messaging
Offline-first syncing via Bluetooth, Wi‑Fi, or memory cards enhances resilience
Tor integration adds an extra layer of privacy for network routing
Open source with auditable, reproducible builds ensures transparency and trust

Decentralized design may be less familiar or convenient for users accustomed to centralized, always-on messaging
Tor-based privacy can introduce latency and a steeper learning curve for new users
Requires a broad set of permissions (location, Bluetooth, camera, biometrics, etc.)—review permissions to match your privacy preferences

About Briar

Briar is a communication app developed by Briar Project.

Download Statistics

Briar has been downloaded 4.3 million times. In the last 30 days, the app was downloaded 150 thousand times.

User Ratings

Briar is rated 3.42 out of 5 stars. The rating is based on 4.4 thousand ratings.

App Information

Briar is FREE to download. The APK download size is 48.23 MB. The latest version available is 1.5.17. The last update was on March 2, 2026.

Technical Requirements

Briar requires Android 5.0+ or higher. The app has a content rating of Everyone. The app has been available on Google Play April 2018.

Description

Briar is a messaging app designed for activists, journalists, and anyone else who needs a safe, easy and robust way to communicate.

More data about Briar

Price	Free to download
Total downloads	4.3 million
Recent downloads	150 thousand
Rating	3.42 based on 4.4 thousand ratings
Ranking	Medium ranked
Version	1.5.17
APK size	48.2 MB
Number of libraries	34
Designed for Android	5.0+
Suitable for	Everyone
Ads	NO ads

App Performance Report

Get a detailed PDF report for Briar with download trends, rating history, and key performance statistics — useful for competitive research or tracking your own app. Learn more

Get PDF Report — $29

Alternative downloads for the Briar app

Briar compared with similar apps

Common keywords of similar apps

Briar Users Sync Published Manual App Messaging Tor Source Code Https Messages Network Privacy

Keywords missing from this app

Chat Message Internet Secure Data Private Access Security Features Open End Encrypted Free Send Read Apps Communication Device Darknex Meshcore Online Recent Bluetooth Encryption Stay Cwtch Conversations Works Messenger Chats Orbot Session Server Notifications Protocol Safe Traffic Anonymous Receive Updated Mesh

Google Play Rating history and histogram

2.2K

260

390

440

1.2K

Downloads over time

Briar has been downloaded 4.3 million times. Over the past 30 days, it averaged 4.9 thousand downloads per day.

Changelog of Briar

Show changelog

Developer information for Briar Project

Briar Project

contact@briarproject.org

Website

Legal name:

Address:

Are you the developer of this app? Join us for free to see more information about your app and learn how we can help you promote and earn money with your app.

I'm the developer of this app

Comments on Briar for Android

★★★★★ Dr Manhattan · Dec 14, 2025

Briar is the best secure msg app there is. Trust me I've used them all. Session, Threema,Signal list goes on. This is run over Tor network everything is stored on the phone no backup seeds codes or stored accounts on their platform. Forget password that's it. Delete and start again. Keep up the great work Briar Project,

★★★★★ Manju Kumar · May 4, 2026

Used on a cruise for 4 days. Works great. Great development. Hats off to the developers.

★★★★★ Robert Kromski · May 27, 2026

I approve it I've looked deep in to how briar works. I've used much privacy focussed messengers before and this one ranks the highest for me in terms of privacy. But some customization would be nice. For example a custom wallpaper in a contact's chat

★★★★★ Brooks “Daddio” Walker · Jul 12, 2026

Briar is one of the unique messaging apps I've used. Its focus on privacy, security, and communication without relying entirely on centralized servers makes it stand out from the crowd. The interface is simple, setup is straightforward, and it's reassuring to have a messaging option built with resilience in mind. If privacy matters to you, Briar is absolutely worth checking out.

★★☆☆☆ Devashish Roy · Nov 19, 2025

It accesses my files without asking permission. Permission manager in my phone setting still shows that briar doesn't have permission to acess files or photos and videos. But as soon as I go to briar setting > profile > profile picture. It shows me my pics and videos to put as the profile picture.

★☆☆☆☆ Md Kuhinur Rahman · Mar 28, 2026

I can only talk to the person when he is in another room I mean the other person!! LoL, did I download it just to talk a person living next to my room😂😂

★☆☆☆☆ G T · May 3, 2026

The main USP here is the Bluetooth. Except Bluetooth doesn't work.

★★☆☆☆ Thi Hoang · Feb 13, 2026

It only works within a single connection mode. If you enable both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, you can chat fine. But, if you disable one of them on one device, the connection is lost. It doesn't automatically switch to the other connection as expected. Even after re-enabling both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, the connection remains broken, so the best approach right now is to enable only Bluetooth

★☆☆☆☆ Eugene Gribov · Mar 20, 2026

Just installed. In a half of the day it uses 30% of my battery. I haven't even used it! Maybe if works as advertised, but with such battery consumption - no way.

Google Play Rankings for Briar

Top rankings

Rank	Country	Category	List
175	Mexico	Communication	Top Free
180	Italy	Communication	Top Free
199	Poland	Communication	Top Free

Show all market rankings

Ranking history in Mexico

AppBrain offers valuable information about your app and those of your competitors. Join AppBrain for free and claim this app to view more ranking data, view history etc.

I'm the developer of this app

Technologies used by Briar

Briar is requesting 22 permissions and is using 34 libraries.

Permissions

Your location

precise (GPS) location

Network communication

view network connections, view Wi-Fi connections, pair with Bluetooth devices, full network access

Hardware controls

take pictures and videos, control vibration

System tools

access Bluetooth settings, connect and disconnect from Wi-Fi, run at startup, prevent phone from sleeping

Extra

android.permission.BLUETOOTH_ADVERTISE, android.permission.BLUETOOTH_CONNECT, android.permission.BLUETOOTH_SCAN, android.permission.FOREGROUND_SERVICE, android.permission.FOREGROUND_SERVICE_CONNECTED_DEVICE, android.permission.HIDE_OVERLAY_WINDOWS, android.permission.NEARBY_WIFI_DEVICES, android.permission.POST_NOTIFICATIONS, android.permission.REQUEST_IGNORE_BATTERY_OPTIMIZATIONS, android.permission.USE_BIOMETRIC, android.permission.USE_FINGERPRINT

Ad network libraries

None found

Social libraries

None found

Development tools

Android Jetpack core

Android Architecture Components

Android Jetpack VersionedParcelable Android Jetpack Annotations Android Library Icon

Android Jetpack Annotations Android Jetpack Widgets Android Library Icon

Android Jetpack Widgets Android Jetpack AppCompat Android Library Icon

Android Jetpack AppCompat AndroidX Activity Android Library Icon

AndroidX Activity Android Activity Saved State Android Library Icon

Android Activity Saved State AndroidX Loader Android Library Icon

AndroidX Loader

Android Transition Support Library Kotlin Android Library Icon

Kotlin

Android Support Library collections

Android Support VectorDrawable AndroidX App Startup Android Library Icon

AndroidX App Startup AndroidX Cursor Adapter Android Library Icon

AndroidX Cursor Adapter AndroidX Widget ViewPager2 Android Library Icon

AndroidX Widget ViewPager2 AndroidX Emoji / Emoji2 Android Library Icon

AndroidX Emoji / Emoji2 Okio Android Library Icon

Okio

AndroidX Concurrent Futures AndroidX Tracing Android Library Icon

AndroidX Tracing Glide Android Library Icon

Glide

AndroidX ProfileInstaller AndroidX ExifInterface Android Library Icon

AndroidX ExifInterface AndroidX DynamicAnimation Android Library Icon

AndroidX DynamicAnimation Google ZXing Android Library Icon

Google ZXing AndroidX Preference Android Library Icon

AndroidX Preference Dagger Android Library Icon

Dagger

Simple Logging Facade for Java (SLF4J) Android Library Icon

Simple Logging Facade for Java (SLF4J) FasterXML Jackson Android Library Icon

FasterXML Jackson CircleImageView Android Library Icon

CircleImageView jsoup: Java HTML Parser Android Library Icon

jsoup: Java HTML Parser

The Legion of the Bouncy Castle NanoHTTPD Android Library Icon

NanoHTTPD

JDOM

AppBrain is a directory focused on discovering great apps and games. We give statistics, rankings and search options that Google Play and the App Store don't have. All trademarks are owned by their respective owners. AppBrain doesn't offer APKs or binaries, and always lets users install the official version from Google Play or the App Store.

More apps