RetroShare is a free, open-source, decentralized platform for encrypted chat, file sharing, forums, and calls between trusted friend-to-friend nodes. See…
Category
Team Chat
Pricing
Free and open source, from Free
Verified
Not yet
Last updated
July 19, 2026
Founded
2006
WindowsAndroidOpen SourceSelf-HostedMac
Overview
RetroShare is an open-source, decentralized communication platform founded in 2006 by a developer known as drbob, designed to let people communicate and share files securely and privately with friends they explicitly trust, without routing traffic through centralized servers.
The project is entirely community-maintained and free, distributed for Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android, with development coordinated publicly on GitHub.
Key Features
RetroShare combines encrypted chat (including distant chat to friends-of-friends), decentralized forums and boards that sync offline, a store-and-forward private messaging system, BitTorrent-style swarming file sharing for large files, and an optional VoIP plugin for encrypted voice and video calls.
All connections are secured using OpenPGP and OpenSSL, and traffic beyond a user's direct friends is routed through anonymous tunnels, so only direct friends can see what a user shares or downloads.
Pricing
RetroShare is completely free and open source, with no subscription fees, in-app purchases, advertising, or hidden costs of any kind.
Because it is a volunteer-maintained project rather than a commercial product, there are no paid tiers, enterprise plans, or support contracts; users rely on community documentation and forums for help.
Key Features
Friend-to-friend encrypted network — Builds direct encrypted connections only with explicitly trusted friends, secured with OpenPGP and OpenSSL.
Decentralized forums and boards — Censorship-resistant forums sync automatically between friends and can be read and written offline.
Distant chat via anonymous tunnels — Lets users securely message friends-of-friends through the network using anonymous routing.
Store-and-forward messaging — Private messages are stored on friends' nodes so they can still be delivered when a recipient comes back online.
Swarming file sharing — Uses BitTorrent-like swarming to speed up transfers of large files between friends or the wider network.
Optional VoIP plugin — Adds encrypted voice and video calling between connected peers.
Cross-platform availability — Available on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android.
No central server — Fully decentralized architecture means there is no company-run server that can be shut down or subpoenaed for user data.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Completely free with no subscription or hidden costs
Strong privacy model based on friend-to-friend encryption rather than centralized servers
Censorship-resistant forums and messaging with offline sync
Open-source codebase that anyone can audit
Supports large file sharing through swarming technology
Cons
Requires manually adding and verifying friends, which limits network reach compared to open platforms
No official company support; help comes only from community documentation and forums
Interface and setup are more technical than mainstream chat apps
Network effects are weaker since you can only reach people through friend connections
Development pace and updates depend entirely on volunteer contributors
Pricing
Open Source Free N/A
Frequently Asked Questions
Is RetroShare really free?
Yes, RetroShare is fully free and open source with no subscription fees, ads, or hidden costs.
How is RetroShare different from Tor or VPNs?
RetroShare builds encrypted connections directly between trusted friends rather than anonymizing traffic through a shared relay network, forming a friend-to-friend rather than fully anonymous network.
Who created RetroShare?
RetroShare was founded in 2006 by a developer known by the handle drbob, with later contributions from other developers including one known as Crypton, who built the Qt graphical interface.
What platforms does RetroShare support?
RetroShare is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android.
Can I share files with people I'm not directly connected to?
Yes, RetroShare uses anonymous tunnels so users can reach friends-of-friends for chat and content, while still protecting the identity of who is sharing what.
Does RetroShare have a company behind it?
No, RetroShare is a volunteer-maintained open-source project with no corporate entity, headquarters, or formal support contracts.
Is RetroShare good for large file transfers?
Yes, it uses swarming techniques similar to BitTorrent, which is well suited to sharing large files efficiently among friends.