privden

Your den. Your rules.

Privden is a free Windows app that turns your PC into a private chat server, compatible with Matrix. Your messages, your data, your control.

Coming soon Read the vision

Windows first; macOS planned. Built on the open Matrix protocol. Powered by Tuwunel.

Goals

Three things we refuse to compromise on.

Privacy by default

Messages live on your computer, where they belong. No central server holds everything. Matrix end-to-end encryption across every conversation.

Simple enough for anyone

Install, create an account, chat. Five minutes, no IT skills. No port forwarding, no config files, no DNS knowledge required.

Data sovereignty

Your chats, files, and keys stay on your machine. You can back them up, move them, delete them. Nobody else needs the key.

Vision

A quiet space on the internet, and the key is yours.

A den is a small, comfortable, private room — the place where you are with people you trust. That is the feeling privden is built around: a private messenger tucked into your own computer, for your family, your friends, or your team.

The software is free and always will be. It turns a normal Windows PC into a chat server that works on your home network out of the box — no subscriptions, no telemetry, no ads. privden itself is proprietary; the Matrix homeserver it runs on, Tuwunel, is open source, and the protocol is open — so your data is never locked to us.

The paid part is infrastructure, and what it buys is specific: your server answers to its own name in any Matrix app, it works even on networks you don't control, everything is encrypted in transit rather than just the message text, and your home address stays private from the people you chat with.

Free forever

  • Windows installer
  • Local Matrix server
  • Admin panel and backup tools
  • Chat on your home network, end-to-end encrypted
  • Your name yourname.privden.chat, reserved for good

privden Connect planned

  • Your name goes live: yourname.privden.chat
  • Works on networks you don't control, no router config
  • Encrypted in transit, not just message text
  • One-click invites with QR codes
  • Reliable mobile push notifications
Roadmap

What's next.

A rough order, not a schedule. We ship when it's solid.

  1. Now

    Windows MVP

    Installer, local server, admin panel, DM and rooms, files, full end-to-end encryption. The product works offline on a LAN.

  2. Next

    Your name, reserved

    Every install claims a permanent yourname.privden.chat at setup — yours from day one, whether or not you ever pay. Matrix identities can never be renamed, so the name has to come first.

  3. Then

    Connect: the name goes live

    Your reserved name starts working in any Matrix app, on networks you don't control and even behind carrier-grade NAT — nothing to configure on your router. Everything encrypted in transit. QR-code invites that set up the client app for you, and mobile notifications that arrive even when your PC sleeps.

  4. Later

    privden Network

    Private federation for teams and organizations with multiple locations. Central dashboard, managed certificates, one-click server enrollment and revocation.

  5. Later

    Cloud backup & hosted version

    Encrypted backups for your chat history and keys. For users who want 24/7 availability without leaving their PC on, a hosted privden with one-click migration.

We're being honest about where we are.

The first release focuses on text, rooms, and files. No voice or video yet — that comes later. We'd rather ship something that actually works than a pile of half-features.

On the free tier your apps reach the server by its address on your home network, and that connection is not itself encrypted — your messages are, by Matrix end-to-end encryption, but the link is plain HTTP inside your own network. Transport encryption is one of the things Connect adds. Setup also needs to be online once, to reserve your permanent name so nobody else can take it.