Why Words Left
Most posthumous message services store your words in plain text on their servers. Words Left was built differently — from the ground up around privacy, consent, and zero-knowledge encryption.
| Feature | Words Left | Most other services |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free forever | Free (with ads) or paid subscription |
| Account required | No account, ever | Registration required |
| Message encryption | Client-side AES-256-GCM — encrypted in your browser before it leaves your device | Server-side or transport-layer only — the service can access your content |
| Who can read your message | Only your recipient, with the passphrase you give them in person | The service operator — and anyone who gains access to their servers |
| Zero-knowledge | Yes — we never hold a key, we cannot decrypt your message even if compelled | No — decryption keys are held server-side |
| Recipient consent | Mandatory — recipients must explicitly agree before the delivery system arms | Not offered — messages are sent without the recipient's prior knowledge |
| Death detection | Multi-layer: inactivity monitoring, social media activity, email confirmations, recipient verification | Single check-in email or basic timer — no fallback layers |
| Links & media sharing | Include links to Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud, YouTube — any URL | Rarely supported; limited sharing options |
| Message deleted after reading | Yes — purged from servers after the recipient decrypts it | Typically stored indefinitely |
| Data sold or used for ads | Never | Varies — free tiers commonly monetise through data |
Price
Words Left
Free forever
Most others
Free (with ads) or paid subscription
Account required
Words Left
No account, ever
Most others
Registration required
Message encryption
Words Left
Client-side AES-256-GCM — encrypted in your browser before it leaves your device
Most others
Server-side or transport-layer only — the service can access your content
Who can read your message
Words Left
Only your recipient, with the passphrase you give them in person
Most others
The service operator — and anyone who gains access to their servers
Zero-knowledge
Words Left
Yes — we never hold a key, we cannot decrypt your message even if compelled
Most others
No — decryption keys are held server-side
Recipient consent
Words Left
Mandatory — recipients must explicitly agree before the delivery system arms
Most others
Not offered — messages are sent without the recipient's prior knowledge
Death detection
Words Left
Multi-layer: inactivity monitoring, social media activity, email confirmations, recipient verification
Most others
Single check-in email or basic timer — no fallback layers
Links & media sharing
Words Left
Include links to Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud, YouTube — any URL
Most others
Rarely supported; limited sharing options
Message deleted after reading
Words Left
Yes — purged from servers after the recipient decrypts it
Most others
Typically stored indefinitely
Data sold or used for ads
Words Left
Never
Most others
Varies — free tiers commonly monetise through data
Comparison based on publicly available documentation of similar services as of 2026. Features may vary across providers. Words Left is open-source and self-hostable — you can verify every claim above by reading the code.