- Why Signal can be free
- What's free on Signal and what isn't
- Signal Secure Backups: the only paid feature
- How to start using Signal for free
- Is Signal the right free messenger for a business?
- How Signal's free backups keep your messages private
- Setting up free Signal for a small team
- My advice
- Frequently asked questions
Yes, Signal is free: Signal's own support page says it's free to use and there are no ads, no affiliate marketers and no tracking. The only paid option is Secure Backups, which costs $1.99 (US dollars) a month as of October 2026 if you want your media backed up beyond 45 days.
Signal comes up a lot when clients ask me for a private way to message their team or their customers. People assume there must be a catch, because most free apps pay for themselves with ads or your data. Signal doesn't, and the reason is how it's set up.
Why Signal can be free
Signal is run by the Signal Technology Foundation, which its donate page describes as a nonprofit under section 501c3 of the US Internal Revenue Code. Its support page says development is supported by grants and donations. Donating is optional, and the page adds a detail most people miss: you only get a badge on your Signal account if you donate from inside the app, not on the website.
What's free on Signal and what isn't
| What you want | Free? | Source of the answer |
|---|---|---|
| Messages, voice and video calls | Yes | Signal support: free to use, no ads |
| Backing up all your text messages | Yes, in Secure Backups (100 MiB of message storage) | Signal blog |
| Backing up the last 45 days of media | Yes | Signal blog |
| Backing up media older than 45 days | No: paid plan, up to 100 GB | Signal blog |
| Mobile data or Wi-Fi Signal uses | Not charged by Signal, but your carrier may | Signal support |
Signal Secure Backups: the only paid feature
Signal's blog calls Secure Backups the first time it's offered a paid feature. The reasoning is plain: media takes a lot of storage, and storing and moving large amounts of data costs Signal a lot as a nonprofit that doesn't sell your data.
Here's how the two tiers split, from that announcement:
- Free tier: all your text messages plus the last 45 days of media. Signal says the free tier includes 100 MiB of message storage, which it expects to be enough for even heavy users' text history.
- Paid tier: $1.99 (US dollars) a month as of October 2026, which backs up your media history beyond 45 days, with a storage limit of 100 GB.
Secure Backups is opt-in. If you never switch it on, nothing changes and nothing is charged.
How to start using Signal for free
- Install Signal from your phone's app store.
- Register with your phone number. Signal's support page says you'll get an SMS or a call to register.
- Once you're in, Signal runs over mobile data or Wi-Fi. Signal doesn't charge for this, but your carrier might, so check your data allowance if you make a lot of video calls.
- Decide whether you need Secure Backups. For most people the free tier (all text plus 45 days of media) is plenty.
- If you'd like to support Signal, donate inside the app if you want the badge.
Is Signal the right free messenger for a business?
Signal is built for privacy first. That's brilliant for confidential team chats, client conversations about sensitive work and anyone who wants nothing tracked. It's less suited to broadcast marketing, because it doesn't have the big public channels or business profiles some other apps offer.
If you're weighing it against the alternatives, my Signal vs WhatsApp comparison and Signal vs Telegram breakdown cover where each one wins. For more options, here are other private messaging apps worth a look.
How Signal's free backups keep your messages private
Signal's announcement explains that Secure Backups are built around a 64-character recovery key that's generated on your device and never shared with Signal's servers. That key is the only way to open your backup, so if you lose it, Signal can't get your backup back for you. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe and offline.
Once you switch backups on, your device creates a fresh backup archive every day, replacing the previous day's. Signal's announcement said the feature started in the latest beta version of Signal for Android, with other platforms to follow, so look in your Settings menu to see whether it's on your device yet.
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Setting up free Signal for a small team
- Ask everyone to install Signal and register with the number they'll use for work.
- Create one group for the whole team and separate groups for each client or project, so conversations stay tidy.
- Agree what belongs in Signal and what stays in email or your project tool. Private, quick conversations suit Signal best.
- If you turn on Secure Backups, make sure each person stores their own recovery key safely, because nobody else can recover it.
My advice
Use Signal free and don't overthink it. There's no trial that runs out, no premium tier hiding the basics, and no ads. The only time you'll ever pay is if you choose to back up years of photos and videos, and even then it's a small monthly add-on you can skip. If your business handles anything sensitive, set your team up on Signal for internal chats today.
Frequently asked questions
Is Signal really free?
Yes. Signal's support page says it's free to use, with no ads, no affiliate marketers and no tracking. It's run by a US nonprofit funded by grants and donations.
Does Signal charge for anything?
Only Secure Backups for media older than 45 days, at $1.99 (US dollars) a month as of October 2026. Backing up all your texts and the last 45 days of media is free.
Why does my phone bill go up when I use Signal?
Signal doesn't charge for data, but it runs over mobile data or Wi-Fi, and your carrier may charge for the data it uses.
Do I need to donate to use Signal?
No. Donations are optional. If you'd like the donor badge on your account, you need to donate from inside the Signal app.
What is the Signal recovery key?
It's a 64-character key generated on your device when you turn on Secure Backups. Signal says it's never shared with Signal's servers and is the only way to restore your backup.
Is Signal run by a company that sells ads?
No. Signal is run by the Signal Technology Foundation, a US 501c3 nonprofit. Its support page says there are no ads, no affiliate marketers and no tracking in Signal.
