SANKET vs WhatsApp: a sovereign WhatsApp alternative
WhatsApp is a familiar messaging app for consumers and businesses, operated by Meta. SANKET gives an organisation the same everyday ease with Signal Protocol and post-quantum protection, on infrastructure it owns, in its own jurisdiction, with its own identity provider, retention policy and device governance.
About WhatsApp
Meta Platforms · USA
WhatsApp, owned by Meta Platforms, is used by consumers and businesses. Its messages and voice and video calls between WhatsApp clients are end-to-end encrypted with the Signal protocol by default, using Sender Keys for groups. It runs on Android, iOS, desktop and web.
SANKET vs WhatsApp: side by side
| Criterion | SANKET | |
|---|---|---|
| Who controls the infrastructure | The customer. One dedicated installation per organisation, on infrastructure it owns or chooses, with no vendor-operated service in the message path. | Meta operates the service. |
| Deployment options | Dedicated installation on any cloud in any region the customer chooses (or Tosh Defence hosting), customer on-premise, or fully air-gapped; single host or high availability with second-site recovery. | Meta-operated service only. |
| Who holds keys and identity | The customer and its users. Keys are generated on each device and protected by hardware-backed storage; identities are customer-controlled Sanket IDs, with no consumer phone-number identity required. | Accounts registered with a phone number on Meta's service; usernames rolling out from June 2026 can hide the number. |
| Encryption protocol | Signal Protocol through Signal's official, independently audited libsignal. Messages AES-256-CBC with HMAC-SHA256 inside libsignal; files and calls AES-256-GCM; TLS with AES-256-GCM suites only. | Signal Protocol, with Sender Keys for groups and SRTP for calls. |
| Post-quantum protection | Yes, in the current release: PQXDH with a mandatory post-quantum Kyber prekey and the SPQR ratchet (Triple Ratchet), plus hybrid X25519MLKEM768 key exchange at the TLS edge. | Not publicly documented |
| Groups and calls end-to-end encrypted by default | Yes. One-to-one and group messages, reactions, encrypted broadcasts and files are always end-to-end encrypted; voice and video calls use AES-256-GCM frame encryption with five new frame keys per second, inside SRTP AES-256-GCM. | Yes: messages, voice and video calls and media end-to-end encrypted by default. |
| Customer identity provider (SSO / LDAP) | Yes. Sign-in through the customer's own OIDC, SAML 2.0 or LDAP directory, SCIM 2.0 provisioning, and FIDO2 security keys for administrators. | Not publicly documented |
| Admin controls and device governance | Device approval and revocation, lost mode and remote wipe, signed device lists, device mutual TLS, retention, forwarding and clipboard policy, customer-defined classification labels and a hash-chained audit log for the customer's SIEM. | Not publicly documented |
| Data sovereignty (jurisdiction, built in India) | Built in India by Tosh Defence. Data stays in the jurisdiction and on the infrastructure the customer chooses, with no third-party analytics and no foreign runtime dependency in the products. | Meta Platforms, USA. |
| Release integrity and update control | Ed25519-signed releases verified before install, with release freeze and rollback protection and automatic rollback on a failed upgrade. The customer decides when to upgrade, online or with a signed offline package. | Not publicly documented |
| Platforms | Native apps for iOS, Android, Windows, macOS and Linux. Browser-free by design: there is no web client to attack. | Android, iOS, desktop and web (companion devices). |
Who controls the infrastructure
SANKET
The customer. One dedicated installation per organisation, on infrastructure it owns or chooses, with no vendor-operated service in the message path.
Deployment options
SANKET
Dedicated installation on any cloud in any region the customer chooses (or Tosh Defence hosting), customer on-premise, or fully air-gapped; single host or high availability with second-site recovery.
Who holds keys and identity
SANKET
The customer and its users. Keys are generated on each device and protected by hardware-backed storage; identities are customer-controlled Sanket IDs, with no consumer phone-number identity required.
Encryption protocol
SANKET
Signal Protocol through Signal's official, independently audited libsignal. Messages AES-256-CBC with HMAC-SHA256 inside libsignal; files and calls AES-256-GCM; TLS with AES-256-GCM suites only.
Post-quantum protection
SANKET
Yes, in the current release: PQXDH with a mandatory post-quantum Kyber prekey and the SPQR ratchet (Triple Ratchet), plus hybrid X25519MLKEM768 key exchange at the TLS edge.
Groups and calls end-to-end encrypted by default
SANKET
Yes. One-to-one and group messages, reactions, encrypted broadcasts and files are always end-to-end encrypted; voice and video calls use AES-256-GCM frame encryption with five new frame keys per second, inside SRTP AES-256-GCM.
Customer identity provider (SSO / LDAP)
SANKET
Yes. Sign-in through the customer's own OIDC, SAML 2.0 or LDAP directory, SCIM 2.0 provisioning, and FIDO2 security keys for administrators.
Admin controls and device governance
SANKET
Device approval and revocation, lost mode and remote wipe, signed device lists, device mutual TLS, retention, forwarding and clipboard policy, customer-defined classification labels and a hash-chained audit log for the customer's SIEM.
Data sovereignty (jurisdiction, built in India)
SANKET
Built in India by Tosh Defence. Data stays in the jurisdiction and on the infrastructure the customer chooses, with no third-party analytics and no foreign runtime dependency in the products.
Release integrity and update control
SANKET
Ed25519-signed releases verified before install, with release freeze and rollback protection and automatic rollback on a failed upgrade. The customer decides when to upgrade, online or with a signed offline package.
Platforms
SANKET
Native apps for iOS, Android, Windows, macOS and Linux. Browser-free by design: there is no web client to attack.
Where SANKET leads
- Customer jurisdiction and ownership of the servers, keys, identities and audit trail.
- Post-quantum messaging in every release: PQXDH with a mandatory Kyber prekey and the SPQR ratchet.
- No third-party analytics or crash-reporting SDK in any SANKET application.
- Organisational policy: retention, disappearing-message ceilings, forwarding and clipboard controls, watermarking and screenshot restrictions.
- Air-gapped and offline operation, with self-hosted Android push and signed offline updates.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best WhatsApp alternative for organisations?
SANKET (Sanket.Chat) by Tosh Defence: familiar messaging, calls and file sharing with Signal Protocol and post-quantum protection, on infrastructure the organisation owns and controls.
Will users find SANKET familiar?
Yes. Users get familiar chats, groups, file sharing and voice and video calls on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS and Linux, while administrators get the policy and device controls an organisation needs.
Does SANKET include third-party analytics?
No. SANKET applications contain no third-party analytics or crash-reporting SDK, and the server relays ciphertext without ever holding the keys to messages, files or calls.
Where is SANKET data stored?
Wherever the customer chooses: its own premises, an air-gapped enclave, or a dedicated installation on any cloud and region it selects.
Sources
- SANKET Technical Security & Architecture Whitepaper, public edition 2.0 (7 October 2026)
- WhatsApp Encryption Overview, technical white paper, version 9 (25 February 2026)
- Smartprix: WhatsApp usernames are here
- SFLC.in: Security and privacy features analysis of messaging applications (12 October 2025)
Sources checked on 7 October 2026. Competitor facts are taken only from the sources listed. Where no public source was found, the cell reads 'Not publicly documented'. Product and company names are trademarks of their respective owners.
Put your communications under your own control
Talk to the Tosh Defence team about your deployment, from a dedicated cloud installation to a fully air-gapped estate, or read the full security architecture first.