Features

A complete messenger, fully in your control

Everything your team expects from a modern chat app — delivered privately on your own server, with nothing sent to outside services.

Real-time messaging

Fast, reliable conversations for individuals and groups, powered by WebSockets.

  • 1:1 and group chats
  • Typing indicators, presence & read receipts
  • Reply, forward, edit and delete
  • Built-in emoji picker & emoji reactions
  • Full-text search across conversations

Voice & video calls

Talk face to face without a third-party calling service.

  • 1:1 voice and video over WebRTC
  • Peer-to-peer connection
  • Works on any modern browser
  • No external SFU or gateway required

Files, images & voice notes

Share anything, find it later.

  • Documents and images with instant thumbnails
  • Record and send voice messages
  • In-app file download (works on any certificate)
  • Clickable links in messages

Powerful admin panel

Run your workspace with confidence.

  • Create, activate, deactivate and delete users
  • Manage groups and members
  • Usage stats, message charts and disk usage
  • Full audit log of security actions
  • Content review for compliance

Security & privacy

Secure by default, private by design.

  • Runs as a locked-down non-root user
  • Per-install secrets generated automatically
  • Passwords hashed (bcrypt) with a strong policy
  • Captcha + rate limiting on registration
  • No trackers, analytics or third-party calls

White-label branding

Make it unmistakably yours.

  • Set your workspace name, logo and app icon
  • Changes apply instantly
  • PWA manifest updates automatically
  • No code changes needed

Android app included

A real app in your team’s pocket — no app store, no Firebase.

  • Signed APK ships in the download, ready to install
  • One app for any server: each user types their own address
  • Notifications keep arriving after the app is closed — a background service holds the connection to your server, so no push provider is involved
  • Photos, files (saved to Downloads), voice messages, voice & video calls
  • Add to Home Screen (PWA) on phone & desktop as the no-install alternative
  • The Android project is included, so you can rebuild it under your own name and icon

Easy to run

Built to install once and forget.

  • One-command Ubuntu installer
  • Automatic HTTPS via Let’s Encrypt
  • Docker option included
  • Daily backup script
  • Auto-restart on crash or reboot
Screenshots

See Chatstead in action

The real interface — exactly what you get on your own server.

Direct messaging
demo.chatstead.com
YYusuf
Search messages…
M
Maya Chen 09:42
Sharing the report now
A
Acme Design 08:15
New logo drafts ✨ 3
D
DevOps Tue
You: deploy is green ✅
M
Maya Chen
● online
Today
Morning! Did the deploy finish?
Yep — zero downtime 09:41 ✓✓
Nice 🎉 sharing the report now
🎉 2
Perfect, thanks Maya 09:42 ✓✓
Built-in emoji picker
demo.chatstead.com
YYusuf
Search messages…
D
DevOps 16:20
Release is live 🚀
M
Maya Chen 09:42
Sharing the report now
A
Acme Design 08:15
New logo drafts ✨
D
DevOps
● online
Today
Release is live 🚀
Great work everyone 16:19 ✓✓
Time to celebrate
🎉 4👍 2
😀👍🐶🍔🚗💡❤️
😀😃😄😁😆😅🤣😂 🙂🙃😉😊😇🥰😍🤩 😘😗😚😙😋😛😜🤪 😝🤗🤭🤫🤔😐😑😶
😊
Time to celebrate 🎉
Group chat
demo.chatstead.com
YYusuf
Search messages…
P
Product Team 14:05
Deniz: I’ll bring the mockups
M
Maya Chen 09:42
Sharing the report now
P
Product Team
5 members
Today
Maya Chen
Design review at 3pm?
Works for me 14:02 ✓✓
Deniz Yıldız
I’ll bring the mockups
👍 3🔥 1
Omar Ali
Perfect, see you there
Admin panel
demo.chatstead.com/admin
Overview
128
Users
34
Online now
24.6k
Messages
1,204
Files shared
UserEmailRoleStatus
MMaya Chenmaya@acme.comadminonline
DDeniz Yıldızdeniz@acme.comuseronline
OOmar Aliomar@acme.comuseroffline
SSara Kayasara@acme.comuseroffline
White-label branding
demo.chatstead.com/admin

Branding

Workspace name
Acme Team
Logo
A Drag an image or click to upload
Accent colour
Sign in
demo.chatstead.com
Mobile app (PWA) — dark mode
M
Maya Chen
● online
Morning! Did the deploy finish?
Yep — zero downtime ✅
Nice 🎉 sharing the report now
Perfect, thanks Maya
Q3-report.pdf 📄

Try every feature right now

A live copy is running for you to explore.

The Android app

The real app, on a real phone

Not mock-ups — screenshots taken on an Android phone signed in to a Chatstead server.

Chat list in the Chatstead Android app, dark theme
Your conversations
A conversation in the Chatstead Android app with gradient outgoing bubbles, an emoji reaction and read receipts
Reactions, read receipts, voice notes
Chatstead notification in the Android notification shade: connected, you will receive messages
Connected in the background

A foreground service keeps the connection alive while the app is closed — that is how the notification arrives. No Firebase, no push provider in between: the phone talks straight to your server.