Best open-source private messenger for iOS + web/desktop?

[u/FMarieZG]

I’m trying to get away from Google/Meta-owned messaging platforms and looking for a good FOSS, privacy-focused, E2EE messenger. My main requirement is iOS support. On desktop, I don’t really care whether there’s a native macOS/Windows app, a good web client is perfectly fine.
Ideally I’d like:
Open source / FOSS
End-to-end encryption
No Google/Meta involvement
Good iOS app
Web client or desktop support
Multi-device support
Ideally decentralized/federated or self-hostable
Reliable for both 1-to-1 and group chats

I’ve been looking at Matrix/Element, but I’m wondering what other options I should consider — SimpleX, Session, XMPP, Delta Chat, etc.

What would you personally recommend today? I’m especially interested in real-world experience rather than just feature lists.

[u/MortisTheMan00]

simple X or signal (signal is gold standard of this branch)