Owla vs NOX Chat

Owla is a modern messenger built on the open Matrix protocol. Connect to your homeserver, chat securely, and stay in sync across your devices — with a familiar, WhatsApp-inspired interface. PRIVATE BY DESIGN • End-to-end encryption (E2EE) for protected conversations • Your messages live on standard Matrix homeservers — not a proprietary Owla backend • Read receipts, typing indicators, and online presence MESSAGING THAT FEELS RIGHT • Direct messages and group chats • Threads for focused side conversations • Replies, edits, reactions, forwards, and pinned messages • Photos, videos, files, voice notes, and custom sticker packs • @mentions with member picker • Link previews, message search, and jump-to-message STAY ORGANIZED • Pin, archive, mute, and mark chats unread • Saved Messages for your personal notes • Activity feed for mentions, threads, and updates • Optional Google Calendar events & Tasks (read-only) WORKS GREAT ON DESKTOP & MOBILE • Two-pane layout on tablet and Mac • Drag-and-drop files, keyboard shortcuts, swipe-to-reply • Resizable sidebar on desktop AI ASSISTANT (OPTIONAL) • Bring your own API key (Claude, OpenAI, or Gemini) • Suggest replies, rewrite drafts, summarize chats, and extract action items FOR TEAMS & DIRECTORIES • Directory-aware discovery for managed Owla deployments • Admin tools for organizations using a compatible homeserver Owla is for people and teams who want secure, federated messaging without sacrificing everyday chat UX. Note: You need access to a Matrix homeserver to sign in. Some organization features require a compatible server setup.

NOX is community chat: servers with organised text channels and voice rooms, direct messages with friends, and voice and video calls with screen sharing, in one fast app. FEATURES - Servers and channels: build a community with text channels, categories, roles and moderation tools. - Voice rooms and calls: drop into a voice channel, or call a friend with voice, video and screen sharing. - Direct messages: one-on-one and group conversations, with files, voice notes, reactions and replies. - Profiles: avatars, banners, bios and themes. - Works across iPhone, iPad, the web and desktop with one account. PRIVACY - End-to-end encrypted calls: voice, video and screen share are encrypted on your device. Calls are never recorded. - End-to-end encrypted 1:1 and group direct messages, files included. - Encrypted servers: the owner of a private server (up to 100 members by default) can turn on end-to-end encryption for all its text channels. New members don't see earlier messages, and bots, search and AutoMod are off there. - Not end-to-end encrypted: public servers, servers without encryption, profiles, and metadata such as who talks to whom and when. A server's owner or NOX can turn its encryption off for new messages; members are always shown a notice. - No phone number or email needed to sign up. No ads, no tracking SDKs, no data sold. - Crash reports and analytics are off unless you turn them on. - Delete your account any time in Settings. SAFETY NOX has zero tolerance for objectionable content and abusive users. Report any message or profile and block anyone from inside the app; reports are reviewed within 24 hours. Contact: support@nox-chat.com.