Calls, messages and files — on your own server. No surveillance, no corporate platforms. Just your circle.
Works on
Why Circlus
Every message on Telegram, WhatsApp or iMessage is stored on someone else's servers. You have no control over who sees it.
Public messengers mean strangers, ads, and content you never chose. Your child is there — next to everyone.
Scammers impersonate family members. On any open platform, anyone can message your parent and pretend to be you.
E2E encryption is common — but the server still belongs to a corporation. You take their word for it. With Circlus, the server is yours.
How it works
Set it up once and use it with your whole family or team. We guide you through every step.
Pick a VPS provider from our curated list and deploy the Circlus server using our setup wizard — a few clicks, no command line required. Add our TURN server for reliable calls.
VPS from ~$5/mo · TURN from $5/moOn your server, create one or more Circles — "Family", "Work", "Friends" — and invite the people who matter.
Unlimited circlesInvitees install the app — web or mobile. Calls, messages, files, group chats. All end-to-end encrypted.
iOS · Android · WebWho it's for
For the moments when it truly matters who is listening.
A safe space to stay in touch with your kids — no strangers, no ads, full parental control.
In Circlus, contacts are only people you personally added. A scammer simply cannot message them pretending to be you.
For lawyers, journalists, doctors and anyone for whom the content of conversations must never leave a trusted perimeter.
Corporate data shouldn't sit on third-party messenger servers. Circlus gives you team chat on your own infrastructure.
Features
Text, emoji, replies. Familiar chat, nothing extra.
Voice calls with E2E encryption right inside the app.
Send photos, videos and documents in any format.
Multiple independent circles on a single server.
Talk to everyone in a circle at once. Group calls coming soon.
Connect your phone, tablet and browser simultaneously.
The server sees only metadata. Content stays with you.
Web app and native apps for iOS and Android.
For professionals
Guest links give clients access to you — without joining the main circle. You control everything: what's allowed, how you appear, who takes the call.
Create a link and share it with your client. They register and land directly in your chat — with no access to other circle members. The connection is two-way: you can also message or call the client first. Multiple links for different purposes.
Via one link the client sees you as "Sarah, therapist". Via another — "Support team". Control how you appear to each audience.
Each link has its own set of capabilities. Some clients get messages only, others calls too, others files as well.
Add several team members to a link. Switch who is on duty — the client always contacts the same address, you decide who answers.
Why trust us
We don't ask you to take our word for it. All Circlus code is public and available for review.
Any developer can verify the code does exactly what it says. No hidden features.
You deploy the server yourself. Neither Circlus nor anyone else has access to your data.
Follow development, suggest improvements, fork it. The project lives alongside its users.
Questions & answers
We built a setup wizard that walks you through every step. No programming knowledge required — just follow the instructions. If anything goes wrong, detailed documentation and support are available.
A basic VPS is enough for a family of 5–10 people — typically $5–7 a month. We've prepared a list of vetted providers with the best price-to-performance ratio.
While the server is offline, messages won't be delivered — the same as any messenger. Once it's back, everything resumes normally. Major VPS providers guarantee 99.9% uptime, which is under 9 hours of downtime per year.
Even with end-to-end encryption, Signal and WhatsApp servers belong to companies. They see metadata, know who talks to whom, and store your contacts. With Circlus, the server is physically yours. No company has access. And Circlus is a closed environment — outsiders simply cannot enter your circle.
Yes. Invited users simply install the app and accept the invite link. No server configuration, no technical steps. The interface is intentionally kept simple and familiar.
One-to-one calls are fully supported. Group calls are in active development and will arrive in upcoming releases. Group text chats already work completely.
The TURN server enables calls in networks where a direct connection between devices is impossible — which covers most home and mobile networks. Without it, calls won't always work. The messenger itself — chats, files, contacts — works fully without TURN.
We provide a few free test circles at launch so you can try everything. After that, the Circlus TURN server connects for a modest fee — from $5 a month for a family. For teams with intensive video calls the pricing will differ — we'll calculate individually.
You can also configure your own TURN server — free of charge, though we don't provide support for that.
Ready to start?
Choose a provider, deploy the server with our wizard, and invite your people.