Messaging
Conversations that keep their context.
Direct messages, group chats and Space conversations share one fast surface, with replies, reactions, mentions, media and polls built in.
Optional end-to-end encryption for 1:1 text DMs. Group chats, Space messages, media uploads and voice or video calls are not end-to-end encrypted.
What you can do
01
DMs & group chats
Private conversations next to your communities.
02
Replies & threads
Answers stay attached to what they answer.
03
Polls, media & files
Decide, share and attach without leaving the chat.
04
Edit & pin
Fix a typo, keep the important message on top.
In practice
A launch, coordinated in one thread
The launch crew group chat runs the day: a checklist message gets replies, the release time is settled with a poll, the benchmark file is attached, and the final plan is pinned.
Direct messages and group chats
Messaging on Ballastra is direct and group conversation running on the same surface as Nexus conversation. If you are talking in a Space and need to move to a private thread with one person, you do not switch apps — the same surface carries both, and the context survives the move.
Group chats behave like small private communities of their own: the same replies, reactions, mentions and media work there, and live presence shows who is around. For builders this is the pattern that replaces "chat app + call app + announcements app" with one place where every conversation has a home.
Replies, reactions and mentions
The mechanics that keep busy conversations usable are built into every message: replies stay threaded so related messages stay together, mentions pull the right people into a conversation, and reactions let people acknowledge without posting. Media attachments and message editing round out the basics. Mentions, replies and reactions are also what drive notifications, so nothing that needs attention gets lost.
These are exactly the tools a community needs to stay fast as it grows. Without them, a 200-person community becomes 200 people talking past each other in one stream. With them, an active Space reads like an actual discussion.
One surface, not three apps
The reason Ballastra puts messaging, voice and announcements in one product is that communities live across the seams between apps. A conversation that starts in a Space, moves to a DM and ends in a voice room keeps its context because it never left the community.
For a small team or a side project, that removes real overhead: no deciding which tool a question belongs in, no re-explaining context at every hop, no profile for each app. The community has a home, and the home contains the work.
Common questions
Yes. Direct messages and group chats sit alongside Nexus conversation on the same surface, so moving between a community discussion and a private thread does not mean switching apps.
Yes — replies, reactions, mentions, editing, pinning and media attachments are all built in, along with polls for quick decisions.
Every message is encrypted in transit and at rest. 1:1 direct messages can also be end-to-end encrypted: either participant can turn it on, and from then on Ballastra stores only ciphertext for that conversation’s text. Group chats, Space messages, media and calls are not end-to-end encrypted. The security page has the details.
Start a conversation.