Beeper is Back

A year after WordPress.com owner Automattic acquired Beeper, it’s relaunching the free universal messaging app with new capabilities and a paid tier called Beeper Plus with additional features.

“Messaging should be open, seamless, and distraction-free, and that’s exactly what the next chapter in Beeper’s evolution delivers,” the Automattic announcement explains. “While this milestone includes new features, it’s focused on a larger goal: shaping the future of communication.”

Automattic acquired Beeper in April 2024 for $125 million and set out to integrate it with Texts, a similar universal messaging service it acquired a year earlier for $50 million. The result is the new Beeper, which addresses a major issue with the original version: Instead of relying on Beeper Cloud as a middleman of sorts between the app on your device and the services it connects to, Beeper can now connect directly to compatible messaging networks.

This is smart from a business perspective, as it should prevent the shutdowns that plagued the old Beeper. But it’s also better for security: The connections between Beeper and the messaging services can happen on-device, without Beeper cloud, and they preserve end-to-end encryption.

Beeper supports WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, Google Messages, Google Chat, Facebook Messenger, Signal, LinkedIn, X/Twitter, Discord, and Slack. You can read and reply to messages on multiple devices, and there are apps for Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, and Android. It supports all core chat features, like Send/receive messages, Add a contact, Group chats, Images/videos, Emoji reactions, and so on.

Beeper supports connecting to 5 messaging services for free. Those who need more can optionally subscribe to Beeper Plus for $9.99 per month and up. Beeper Plus also supports up to 10 messaging accounts, connecting to up to three accounts from the same service, Send Later, Reminders, Incognito Mode, Voice Note Transcription, and Custom App Icon. A Beeper Plus Plus service, which sounds like an April Fools joke, costs $49.99 per month and is unlimited.

Automattic is also giving existing Beeper users a nice gift: 12 total accounts at no cost. And “super early” Beeper users who paid to skip the waitlist will get all Beeper Plus features indefinitely.

You can learn more at the Beeper website.