BurnPony vs Signal disappearing messages
A conversation, or a note.
Signal's disappearing messages are excellent, and if both people already have Signal, they answer most ephemerality needs. The comparison matters at the edges: what happens when the other person doesn't have Signal, shouldn't need an account, or only ever needs to receive one thing.
the short version
Signal for relationships; BurnPony for handoffs. Signal encrypts ongoing conversations with the best protocol in consumer messaging and can make whole threads disappear on a timer — but both ends need the app and a phone number. BurnPony is one sealed note to anyone with a browser: no app, no number, no account, burned after the views you allowed.
At a glance.
| BurnPony | Signal disappearing messages | |
|---|---|---|
| End-to-end encrypted | Yes — AES-256-GCM, key in the fragment | Yes — the Signal protocol |
| Recipient needs | Any modern browser | Signal installed + registered |
| Registration | None for anyone | Phone number required |
| Forward secrecy | No — one-shot note model | Yes — double ratchet, per message |
| Conversations | No — one-way notes | Yes — the whole point |
| Disappearing granularity | Per note: 1–100 views, 1 hour–30 days | Per chat timer, applies to the thread |
| Deletion enforcement | Server-side: ciphertext deleted on last view | Both apps delete on the timer |
| Read receipts | Opt-in and disclosed before reveal | Optional, app-wide setting |
| Sender status + early burn | Yes — live Sent tab | Delete-for-everyone within its window |
| Calls, groups, media | No | Yes |
| Scrutiny | Cross-verified vectors; source release planned | Audited to death, open source |
| Price | Free | Free |
Honest tradeoffs.
Where Signal disappearing messages wins
- The protocol. The double ratchet's forward secrecy and post-compromise security are properties BurnPony's one-shot model simply doesn't have. For ongoing conversations there is no better widely available cryptography.
- Everything a relationship needs. Voice, video, groups, media, and disappearing timers on entire threads — BurnPony does exactly none of that, on purpose.
- Deletion at both ends. When a Signal timer fires, both apps delete the message. BurnPony controls the server copy absolutely, but what a browser displayed is outside anyone's reach.
- Scrutiny at scale. Signal is among the most audited consumer software on Earth.
Where BurnPony wins
- The recipient needs nothing. No install, no registration, no phone number — a browser and the link. For the plumber, the client, or the relative who will never install a messenger, this is the entire ballgame.
- No identifier joins you. Sending someone a Signal message ties your numbers together in a registration system. A BurnPony note creates no pairing, no contact entry, no account anywhere.
- Precision ephemerality. Views and expiry are per note, chosen at creation, enforced by the server in the same transaction that serves the last read — not a client-side timer both parties must honor.
- Nothing to confirm afterwards. Once burned or expired, the link is indistinguishable from one that never existed.
The verdict.
- Choose Signal if you talk to this person more than once — its disappearing messages inside a properly ratcheted conversation are the right tool for relationships.
- Choose BurnPony if this is a handoff, not a relationship: one secret, to someone who may have no messenger, no account, and no reason to register anywhere.
- Use both if you're most people — Signal for the people in your life, BurnPony for the one-offs outside it.
Try BurnPony
Free. No accounts, no tracking. In development — one email on launch day if you want it.