You own your community. See how that compares.
A clear look at what Orbitr does differently — and where it's still growing. We'll lay out the trade-offs so you can decide what actually matters to you.
Two ways to run a community
The same chat and voice you know — built on a completely different deal.
The usual deal
- •Your account lives on a company's servers
- •An email or phone number is required to sign up
- •Your activity feeds ads, analytics, and data mining
- •The best features sit behind a subscription
- •One company can suspend you and the data goes with it
The Orbitr way
- ✓Your identity is an encrypted file on your device
- ✓No email, no phone, no sign-up — ever
- ✓No ads, no tracking, no data mining
- ✓The self-hosted core is free, with nothing locked away
- ✓You run the server — no one can lock you out of it
Feature comparison
Orbitr against the typical community platform, point by point.
| Feature | Orbitr | Typical platform |
|---|---|---|
| Ownership & data | ||
| Self-hosted Runs on hardware your group controls | Yes | Rarely |
| Source-available core Audit every line yourself | Yes | Sometimes |
| Where your data lives | Your group's hardware | Their servers |
| Operator sets retention You decide how long data is kept | Yes | No |
| Identity & privacy | ||
| File-based identity | Yes | No |
| No email or phone required | Yes | No |
| No ads or data mining | Yes | No |
| No tracking or telemetry | None | Common |
| Communication & voice | ||
| Low-latency voice Selective forwarding unit | SFU | Varies |
| Screen sharing | Yes | Yes |
| On-device noise suppression Audio never leaves your machine | Yes | Rarely |
| Per-user volume control | Yes | Yes |
| Hosting & cost | ||
| Guided GUI setup No Docker or terminal required | Yes | No |
| One app for client and hosting | Yes | No |
| Free self-hosted core | Yes | Freemium |
| Features behind a subscription | None | Common |
"Typical platform" reflects the common experience across popular community apps. Some alternatives do one or two of these — Orbitr is built to do all of them at once.
Where Orbitr stands apart
Three things that, together, no mainstream platform offers.
No account needed
Your identity is an encrypted file on your device. No email, no phone number, no sign-up — and nothing for us to lose in a breach.
Data on your hardware
Messages, files, and voice run on the server your group controls — not ours. The operator sets the retention policy, not a distant company.
Guided GUI hosting
Install the desktop app and the wizard handles the database, certificates, voice relay, and connectivity. No Docker, no terminal, no DevOps.
Is Orbitr right for you?
Including where we're not quite there yet.
A great fit if…
- ✓You want to truly own your community's data
- ✓Privacy matters — no email, phone, or tracking
- ✓You'll host your own server, or join one you trust
- ✓You want chat and low-latency voice in one app
- ✓You like source-available software you can audit
Worth knowing first
- •Mobile apps are coming soon. Desktop and web are ready to use today.
- •You run your own server. The desktop app guides you through it — fully managed cloud hosting is on the roadmap.
- •It's early and moving fast. Expect frequent updates and new features as we grow.
- •Your identity file is yours to protect. There's no company to reset your password if you lose it — recovery phrases exist, but the responsibility is real.
We'd rather you arrive knowing the trade-offs than feel oversold. Read the security model and how it works to go deeper.
Ready to see for yourself?
Orbitr is free, source-available, and yours to keep. No email, no sign-up, no catch.