RetroShare

Secure, decentralized communication with chat, mail and file sharing

About RetroShare

RetroShare is a secured, decentralized communication platform that lets you chat, message and share files with friends without a central server. It offers decentralized chat rooms, encrypted mail stored on friends' nodes for offline delivery, forums and boards that sync when reconnected, publishing channels, BitTorrent-style swarming file transfer with anonymous tunnels, optional Tor and I2P routing to protect your IP, and experimental voice and video calls.

RetroShare website preview

Live preview of retroshare.cc via the WordPress mShots service — it can take a few seconds to generate on a first visit.

RetroShare: strengths & things to check

Strengths

Completely free to use — this directory lists no paid plan for it.
Covers decentralized, encrypted chat, file sharing, open source — see the focus areas listed in its key facts.
Has 6 close alternatives in the same category on this page, so switching or comparing is easy.

Things to check

Free tools can change their model or shut down — avoid locking critical work into it without an export path.
Current plan prices are not listed here (they change too often to print reliably) — confirm the exact price on the official site.
It is one of 565 tools in the Communication & Collaboration category here — compare it against the alternatives below before you commit.

Derived from this listing's own data (pricing model, focus areas and category) — not a hands-on review score.

RetroShare pricing

Pricing model	Free — listed in this directory as a free tool, with no paid plan required to use it.
Free access	Yes — fully free
Current plan prices	Listed on the official site — prices change, so this directory links out instead of printing a number that may already be stale.
Official site	retroshare.cc

RetroShare key facts

Category: Communication & Collaboration
Pricing: Free — listed in this directory as a free tool, with no paid plan required to use it.
Focus areas: decentralized, encrypted chat, file sharing, open source
Official site: retroshare.cc

RetroShare FAQ

How much does RetroShare cost?

Free — listed in this directory as a free tool, with no paid plan required to use it. Current plans and prices are listed on the official site (retroshare.cc).

What is RetroShare used for?

Secure, decentralized communication with chat, mail and file sharing Its focus areas in the Communication & Collaboration category: decentralized, encrypted chat, file sharing, open source.

Where can I try RetroShare?

On its official site, retroshare.cc — the Visit Official Site button above goes straight there.

RetroShare vs alternatives

	RetroShare	diaspora*	Hyphanet	Yarn.social
Pricing	Free — listed in this directory as a free tool, with no paid plan required to use it.	Free — listed in this directory as a free tool, with no paid plan required to use it.	Free — listed in this directory as a free tool, with no paid plan required to use it.	Free — listed in this directory as a free tool, with no paid plan required to use it.
Focus areas	decentralized, encrypted chat, file sharing, open source	social network, decentralized, fediverse, open source	peer to peer, anonymity, file sharing, open source	social, decentralized, microblogging, open source, self hosted
Official site	retroshare.cc	diasporafoundation.org	hyphanet.org	yarn.social
Directory status	Listed	Listed	Listed	Listed

Side-by-side from each listing's own directory data. Full alternative cards are below.

About the Communication & Collaboration category

Chat, video meetings, and messaging apps that keep teams connected. The Communication & Collaboration category on Tools Hub currently lists 565 tools. Alongside RetroShare, it includes Spectrum 2, Sympa, DialLink, MyBB.

FreeCommunication & Collaborationdecentralizedencrypted-chatfile-sharingopen-source

Alternatives to RetroShare

Tools in the same Communication & Collaboration category that share focus areas with RetroShare — worth comparing before you commit:

Communication & Collaboration

diaspora*

Decentralized social network where you own your data.

Freesocial-networkdecentralizedfediverseopen-source

Communication & Collaboration

Hyphanet

Peer-to-peer platform for censorship-resistant, anonymous communication

Freepeer-to-peeranonymityfile-sharingopen-source

Communication & Collaboration

Yarn.social

The decentralised social web, woven from plain text

Freesocialdecentralizedmicrobloggingopen-source

Communication & Collaboration

Akkoma

Magically expressive federated social media server software

Freefediverseactivitypubmicrobloggingself-hosted

Communication & Collaboration

Apache OpenMeetings

Open-source video conferencing, whiteboard and groupware from Apache

Freevideo-conferencingwhiteboardgroupwareself-hosted

Communication & Collaboration

Asterisk

Open-source IP PBX, VoIP gateway and conference server framework

Freevoippbxsiptelephony

More in Communication & Collaboration

Comparing tools in the Communication & Collaboration category? These related listings are worth a look: Spectrum 2 — Open-source instant messaging transport across different IM networks; Sympa — Mailing list management software for large lists; DialLink — Cloud business phone system with AI voice agents and messaging.