Sign: How a lot does it price to run the messaging app

In a weblog put up, Sign, which is understood to be information protection-friendly, revealed figures on the prices of working its messaging service. Accordingly, the builders estimate technical infrastructure prices alone at US$14 million for the present 12 months (as of November 2023). For 2025, they count on a rise to US$50 million. These quantities are stated to be a lot decrease than the price of massive profit-oriented messaging companies.
Additionally it is attention-grabbing to see the breakdown of those prices:
- Storage: $1.3 million yearly
- Servers: $2.9 million yearly
- Registration charges: $6 million yearly
- Whole bandwidth: $2.8 million per 12 months.
- Extra companies: $700,000 yearly.
Along with the technical infrastructure, personnel prices for roughly 50 full-time staff should be added, which quantities to roughly US$19 million. Sign’s prices are decrease than these of its foremost competitor WhatsApp, not solely due to the variety of customers, as a result of the latter additionally shops and processes considerably extra person information.
The variety of Sign customers worldwide is estimated to vary from 1 million to double digits. In accordance with a shopper survey carried out by the German Federal Community Company (2023), 92% of all messaging customers in Germany use WhatsApp. At the least 14% (additionally) use Sign. In between are the introductory companies Fb Messenger and Instagram Direct messages. Threema, which can be information safety pleasant, accounts for less than 5%.
Within the weblog put up, every merchandise is damaged down additional with causes given. Builders additionally use the data to attract consideration to the flexibility to donate by way of the Sign web site or app. Anybody focused on studying extra in regards to the prices and constructions of Sign messenger can learn the complete weblog entry.

The C64 marked my entry into the world of non-public computer systems. I spent my pupil internship within the restore division of a pc retailer, and on the finish of the day I used to be allowed to assemble my very own 486 computer systems from “store scraps.” Because of this, I later studied laptop science at Humboldt College in Berlin, whereas additionally including psychology to my research. After my first job as a analysis assistant at college, I went to London for a 12 months and labored for Sega in high quality assurance of laptop recreation translation. This included work on video games similar to Sonic & All-Stars Racing Reworked and Firm of Heroes. I have been writing for Notebookcheck since 2017.

Rising up in regional Australia, I used to be first launched to computer systems in my early teenagers after a damaged leg in a soccer match briefly doomed me to the mainstream indoor way of life. Quickly after that I used to be constructing my very own programs. I now stay in Germany, having moved right here in 2014, the place I examine philosophy and anthropology. I’m notably fascinated by how laptop expertise has radically and dramatically reshaped human tradition, and the way it continues to take action.
(tags for translation)sign