Compare · LastSignal
Dead Man's Switch vs LastSignal
Both wait for you to go quiet, then nudge you, then release what you prepared. LastSignal is free, open source, and lives on your server: messages are encrypted in the browser and recipients decrypt in theirs, with email carrying the workflow. Alcazar's Dead Man's Switch is a hosted service: we run the infrastructure, you pay a subscription, and you can get reminders and deliveries across email, Signal, and Telegram. Pick based on whether you want to be your own admin or buy the ops as part of the product.
What we looked at
We read lastsignal.app, the security model page, and the GitHub README for shipping defaults (check-in cadence, reminders, Docker, SMTP, optional webhook keep-alive). Details change when they ship updates; their site and repo stay the source of truth.
Plain summary
LastSignal is a do-it-yourself kit. You install it, point DNS, plug in transactional email, and keep backups. Check-ins and reminders are email-first for people (with an optional machine webhook for automation on advanced setups). Messages are encrypted before they leave the browser; the server stores blobs it cannot read. Recipients use a passphrase they chose at setup; if they lose it, there is no reset, by design. A "trusted contact" can delay delivery without seeing your vault. You can allowlist which emails may request magic-link login on your instance.
Alcazar sells Dead Man's Switch as a running service. You sign up with a seed phrase, connect channels, write per-contact messages (with optional small attachments), and pay to keep it active. We encrypt stored content until delivery, escalate through grace and reminders, and support email, Signal, and Telegram on the check-in side. You are not patching Rails or rotating SMTP credentials on our behalf; you are trusting us to run the stack.
At a glance
| Alcazar Dead Man's Switch | LastSignal | |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | Alcazar (hosted) | You, on your server |
| Price | Paid plans (list $4.99/mo, $49/yr, or $490 lifetime; code EARLY60 for $2/$20/$200 at checkout) | No vendor fee; you pay hosting, email, and your time |
| Check-ins and nudges | Email, Signal, Telegram; escalating reminders | Email-led flow; optional webhook keep-alive for automation (self-hosted) |
| How delivery reads to the contact | Subject, body, and optional file on the channels you set per contact | Email links into browser decrypt with recipient passphrase (E2EE design) |
| Login style | Seed phrase (no traditional password) | Magic link to email; recovery code to pause delivery without inbox access |
| Encryption story (high level) | Encrypted at rest and in transit; stored encrypted until delivery (per our docs) | Client-side encryption before upload; server stores ciphertext; passphrase strength matters if the DB leaks |
| Source | Commercial product from Alcazar | MIT-licensed on GitHub |
Ops and responsibility
With LastSignal, deliverability is your problem in a concrete way: SPF, DKIM, DMARC, SMTP reputation, backups of SQLite and volumes, TLS at the edge, and watching for failed jobs. Their README treats email as mission-critical, which matches how the product actually works.
With us, you trade that work for a subscription and an account portal. You still need working email or chat endpoints on your side so reminders reach you, but you are not the on-call admin for the application server.
When LastSignal is the better fit
You want MIT code you can self-host, no recurring vendor bill, and a strict browser E2EE story where ciphertext is all the server ever sees. You are fine owning SMTP and infrastructure. You accept that recipients live in email plus a browser flow, not our multi-channel messaging integrations.
When our Dead Man's Switch is the better fit
You want someone else to run the service, Signal or Telegram in the reminder loop, and a hosted dashboard with seed login and billing support. You prefer not to maintain Docker, databases, and mail DNS for this one job.
Using both
A hardened subset of instructions could live in LastSignal's ciphertext while you use us for broader continuity messaging. That is two systems to fund, test, and remember to check in on. Only worth it if the split matches a real threat model, not novelty.
FAQ
Is LastSignal the same kind of product as Alcazar Dead Man's Switch?
Same family: both use missed check-ins and reminders before anything is released. LastSignal is software you install and run. Our product is a hosted service we operate. LastSignal leans on email for the human loop and encrypts message bodies in the browser before upload; we store your prepared messages encrypted until delivery and can remind you on email, Signal, or Telegram.
Does LastSignal offer a cloud account I can sign up for?
No. LastSignal's authors state there is no hosted SaaS, no paid product from them, and no managed instance. You self-host (for example Docker on a VPS), supply SMTP, handle TLS, backups, and updates. We sell subscription access to our hosted switch.
Who can read my messages before they are delivered?
LastSignal's documented model is zero-knowledge for ciphertext on the server: encryption happens in the browser with libsodium (XChaCha20-Poly1305, Argon2id, X25519). They warn that weak recipient passphrases plus a stolen database could enable offline guessing because salts live next to keys. Our docs describe encryption at rest and in transit, content encrypted until delivery, and seed-based login; final delivery goes out on the channels you configured for each contact.
Can recipients get deliveries on Signal or Telegram?
LastSignal's flow is built around email that leads to browser decryption. Our Dead Man's Switch uses email, Signal, and Telegram for check-in reminders; final messages go out through the integrations you attach to each contact row (the in-app docs spell out addresses, delays, and the acknowledge link).
Is either tool a will or legal estate plan?
No. Both are practical continuity tools. Wills, executors, and local law still matter where they apply.
If hosted check-ins, multi-channel reminders, and per-contact delivery match how you think about risk, you can set it up in a few minutes.