The instant messaging market has reached a kind of equilibrium, and it is very difficult to see a service permanently steal users from another. Beyond the natural resistance each person has to theoretically replacing a service, this also implies a certain similarity between all offerings. Several parallel projects appeal to issues such as privacy and transparency to capture users' interest, and Matrix is one of them.
When publishing our software recommendations for video calls on Android, we noticed something: All applications tend to offer more or less the same thing. This conveys the idea of a thoroughly studied market with nearly zero margin for error, or else users will find what they need in any direct competitor. If we take these parameters into account, how can a new messenger enter the fight? At first glance, the feeling is that it cannot. Some available services report hundreds of millions of users, and many alternative projects bit the dust prematurely. On the other hand, there are two elements that most messengers do not fully respect: Privacy and anonymity.
That is what the Matrix messenger aims for. Free, open source, no cost, and based on recognized protocols, Matrix promises solid performance even on the weakest connections, complete decentralization of sessions, good audio and video quality, an open API, and high web integration, among other things. Matrix can be used directly from its official page without downloading software, through its apps for Android and iOS, or with the help of a plugin compatible with Weechat. Another very interesting option is that Matrix lets you create your own local server, for greater control and security over your chat sessions.
Matrix's web client is in beta, and the apps are still in alpha territory, so we must consider the messenger a work in progress and be patient with any bug or connectivity issue. However, the underlying question remains: Do we need another messenger? I still vividly remember things like Hemlis, and its promises were similar to Matrix's... but I also remember its spectacular failure, and all the crowdfunding money that vanished into thin air. I'm not saying Matrix will end the same way, but at least we need to think about it a bit...
