There's no guarantee that everything on this roadmap will be done by December 31. It's what we're working toward in 2026, and some of it may move to the roadmap for 2027.
#1: Release the mobile apps on app stores
You can use the native apps today, through TestFlight on iOS or by installing the APK on Android from our download page. We're working on stabilizing them further so they're ready to launch on the app stores.
#2: Self-hosting
Self-hosting work happens in the public repository. Prebuilt images are available, and the operator documentation walks you through setting up an instance.
The desktop app is also getting proper support for self-hosted instances. When you first open it, it asks which instance to use, and you can sign in to accounts on as many instances as you like and switch between them instantly. Every account stays connected in the background, so push notifications and unread mentions come through from all of them, and the Quick Switcher puts accounts with unread mentions first. Accounts you aren't looking at keep their data in a small on-disk cache instead of memory, so staying signed in to several doesn't slow the app down.
The Operator Pass will be a one-time $199 or €199 purchase that pays towards infrastructure and developer costs. Here's what it will include.
- The #operators channel in Fluxer Labs, with a direct line to the team for help and feedback.
- The Operator role in Fluxer Labs, with its own color and icon.
- The first look at unreleased branches and feature flags.
- Your avatar and name on this website, if you want them there.
One payment will cover you for life, and you'll be able to set up a recurring donation alongside it if you want to do more.
#3: A new voice and video system
We're replacing LiveKit with our own voice and video system, built around how Fluxer works.
- In our benchmarks it's faster and uses less memory than the LiveKit setup. It can also rate limit and throttle traffic fairly between users, which keeps CPU usage predictable and makes voice servers easier to plan and scale.
- Calls are end-to-end encrypted with DAVE, the protocol Discord designed and published. Our implementation hasn't been audited yet, but it follows the DAVE whitepaper and builds on its audited libraries.
- It drops WebRTC for our own protocol over UDP, using QUIC for encryption and connection management. There's no slow setup every time you join a call, everything behaves the same in every client, and we can see what's happening at every step.
- Streams are separate from calls. Each stream gets its own connection and its own process on the server, so it's more fault tolerant and can handle far more viewers without slowing down the call.
- Clients share one native core written in Rust, running through WebAssembly in the browser, directly in the desktop app, and in the mobile apps.
- The gateway syncs voice state to the voice servers directly, which prevents the mismatches that came from reconciling state with LiveKit.
Adding a voice server to a self-hosted instance also gets much simpler. You set a registration token when you set up the machine, and your instance picks the server up automatically, shows its health and load in the admin panel, and never routes calls to a server that's unhealthy.
#4: A new push notification system
We're building a new push notification backend for the mobile apps, and it will let self-hosted instances send push notifications to their users on iOS and Android too.
On Android, decentralized options for push notifications exist, but they're not as convenient to set up and use. On iOS, there are no real decentralized options at all. So we're taking the approach many other apps use. We'll run a push relay that your instance connects to, and the relay delivers your instance's notifications to your users' phones.
The relay won't know what your notifications say. Each notification is only an opaque identifier. When your phone receives it, the app asks the instance it came from for the details, using your account's credentials for that instance, and builds the notification on the device. Neither Fluxer, Apple, nor Google will be able to see usernames, message contents, or anything else.
The new backend will also fix long-standing problems with the current system, like notifications that arrive late or not at all, and notifications that stay on your phone after you've already read the messages on desktop.
#5: Federation and multiple backends
Federation is coming, but exactly how it will work is still up for debate. Federation is notoriously tricky to get right, so we're working through it together in the Fluxer Labs community, and you're welcome to join us!
In the meantime, we're making it as seamless as possible to connect to multiple self-hosted instances at once from the mobile and desktop clients. For most people, that may mean server-side federation isn't needed right away. Client-side federation is one possible path forward. For those who want it, we'd blur the line between instances and bring everything together in a single workspace.
We're still working out what full server-side federation would look like and how Fluxer could best get there. Until then, we're keeping things simple and focusing on getting you 90% of the way there.
#6: Threads, forums, and publishing to the web
Fluxer will support threads and forums. Forum channels will also have an optional public web mode. If a community turns it on, anyone can read those posts without an account, find them through search engines, archive them, and follow them with RSS or Atom feeds. Communities choose what to publish, and private chats stay private.
#7: Slash commands, UI kit, and integrations
Fluxer needs first-class bots and integrations: slash commands, modals, components, and interactions.
#8: Emoji and sticker packs
On many chat platforms, people join communities just to use their emojis and stickers everywhere else. Fluxer could remove that step by letting anyone create emoji and sticker packs that other users can add straight to their account.
#9: E2EE where it makes sense
Matrix does offer E2EE, but the complexity of the protocol and its client implementations often comes at the expense of what people actually want.
Most people want a Discord alternative they can use day to day: fast clients, search, profiles and statuses, custom emoji, roles and permissions, voice and video, and moderation tools. That's where Fluxer's priorities lie. Adding E2EE to text messaging adds real complexity, especially around search, moderation, history, recovery, and multi-device sync.
Optional E2EE still belongs in the roadmap for personal notes, calendar data, DMs, and small groups. E2EE for large communities is out of scope.
Voice and video are a different story. End-to-end encryption is already in testing for communities that have opted in, and we plan to roll it out to everyone soon. Once all supported clients can handle it, it will be required.
#10: Creator payments
Fluxer can let fans pay to unlock roles and access to a creator's exclusive community content. That access can be permanent or time-limited, billed as a one-off purchase or a recurring subscription. Creators can also sell event tickets for time-boxed sessions, where a ticket or temporary role unlocks specific text and voice channels for the duration of the event.
This likely won't happen in 2026, but with this in place, on Fluxer.app, creators could run their community and accept payments from supporters in one place. Fluxer handles the payments and takes a small fee, likely between 5 and 10%. That fee pays for hosting and for the people who work on both Fluxer.app and the open source project.
Patreon and Discord have each tried to combine community chat with paid memberships, with mixed results. If Fluxer gets it right, the fee helps keep the free tier generous, funds improvements that also reach self-hosted instances, and gives Fluxer more financial freedom to continue working on open source software development.
Mia Sato
And more!
Polls and scheduled events, profile connections, a theme marketplace, stage channels, activity sharing, streamer mode, DM folders, popping calls out into their own desktop windows, soundboard clips, community templates, public profile URLs, and better tools for instance operators and safety work. Fluxer will keep adding features.
You can help shape the roadmap by joining Fluxer Labs or submitting issues in the GitHub repository. You can also support Fluxer directly:
- Donate any amount, as an individual or a business.
- Purchase Plutonium on the hosted Fluxer.app instance.
- Spread the word about Fluxer with friends and on social media.
Closing thoughts
See you in the Fluxerverse!
