Summary
Users must share their data with Facebook or use a different app in response to Facebook’s most recent decision concerning Whatsapp and data-sharing. With that said, users have expressed concern about the safety of using WhatsApp or switching to Telegram.
Users have been striving to find the best messaging app that protects their privacy in recent years. Generally, there are two options, Whatsapp and Telegram.
On January 13, 2021, Telegram announced that 25 million new downloads had occurred in 72 hours. Following the uproar over Whatsapp’s new privacy policy, Telegram has quickly surpassed the milestone of 500 million active users.
Since Whatsapp has made it clear that it will share users’ data with Facebook, many privacy-conscious mobile users choose Telegram instead.
This helped me realize that users have concerns about the basic features of instant messaging apps and the security and privacy of their data when using these apps. So, to help you determine which apps are safer overall—from their accessibility to their features and much more—I’ll compare WhatsApp and Telegram in this article.
WhatsApp Overview
WhatsApp is the world’s most popular free instant messaging app, with billions of users worldwide. In fact, Facebook’s parent company, Meta, owns the app.
Contrary to Telegram, WhatsApp users only send end-to-end encrypted messages. However, users have begun to doubt WhatsApp’s privacy policies in light of an announcement allowing it to share user data with Meta.
The platform has no ads, and the app is entirely free. However, because Meta owns the company, users are unsure of the information gathered, shared, and used by Facebook. To allay concerns about privacy, WhatsApp started its first marketing campaign in 2021.
Telegram Overview
Instant messaging service Telegram prioritizes user privacy across all platforms. In 2013, brothers Pavel and Nikolai Durov established it.
It’s good news for privacy-conscious people that the company is registered in the British Virgin Islands. Additionally, it is open-source, allowing security professionals and the public to examine and verify all of the associated code.
Users can download the private messaging app for free, thanks to financing from its CEO, Pavel Durov. This is in line with Telegram’s mission to maintain its independence from other major tech companies.
Telegram also launched Telegram Premium in 2020 to increase revenue. The app’s premium version, which costs money, has more features. Among them are, but not restricted to, the following:
- No ads
- Faster download speed
- One-of-a-kind stickers
- Icons and badges
- Upload limit of 4 GB
- Profile pictures and animated stickers
Availability on Devices
Telegram has iOS, macOS, Android, and desktop apps that can be downloaded on smartphones, tablets, and PCs. Telegram Web also offers an online login option.
Additionally, since the Telegram API is available to developers, you can find unofficial apps created for platforms other than those listed above, like Xbox.
With iOS, Android, and Windows-based mobile devices, WhatsApp is accessible on tablets, PCs, and smartphones. Although a macOS app is in the works, you can still use WhatsApp Web to log in.
App Pricing
Both WhatsApp and Telegram are cost-free messaging apps. Although Telegram does have a $4.99/£4.99 Premium membership, it is not required to use the app.
Similarly, WhatsApp recently introduced a Premium tier for business users, including features like a website and multi-agent support for customer communication. However, regular users are unaffected by either of these plans and can still access all the essential functions of each app without paying a monthly subscription fee.
WhatsApp vs. Telegram: Messaging Features
All the necessary messaging features, such as text and voice options, are available on WhatsApp and Telegram.
WhatsApp also offers some fun messaging features, such as personalizing your stickers. Additionally, you can produce a custom collection of stickers, publish them, and allow others to download them.
Continue reading to go over the messaging features of WhatsApp and Telegram in more detail.
Size of Files
Since Telegram and WhatsApp let you upload files up to 2GB in size at once, there is little difference between the file types you can upload. 2GB is equal to roughly 120 minutes of 1080p video content.
Before the update, WhatsApp only allowed you to upload media files up to 100MB in size, which was small in comparison to Telegram’s file size restrictions.
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Remember that WhatsApp videos can only be 16MB in size, which on most phones translates to about 90 seconds to 3 minutes of content. So, even though WhatsApp allows you to send big files up to 2GB, you can currently only send videos up to 16MB.
Length of A Message
Unlike Telegram, where each message can have up to 4,096 characters, WhatsApp has a maximum character limit of 6553.
Duration of Videos
You can send video messages on WhatsApp for up to 30 seconds, but you can send video messages on Telegram for up to one minute.
File Limit
Each message on Telegram is limited to 10 items. However, WhatsApp enables the simultaneous sending of 30 video or image bundles.
Deleting Features
As humans, many are used to typos and wrong-sent messages. Telegram and WhatsApp allow you to delete conversions through the Delete option. However, WhatsApp leaves a “This message is deleted” mark on deleted messages.
Telegram gives you the option to delete messages permanently. In addition, messages that have already been set can be edited.
Dual Accounts
WhatsApp prohibits the use of multiple accounts on the same device. On the other hand, with Telegram, a single phone can be used to create up to three accounts.
Additionally, you can use a maximum of four devices (and a phone) with WhatsApp, but you can use as many devices as you want to access your Telegram account.
Group Chat Features
Telegram and WhatsApp know how boring apps are without a group chat feature. So, here’s what you need to know about WhatsApp and Telegram group chat features.
Voice and Video Calls
You may easily transition from a phone call to a video call while using WhatsApp and Telegram. WhatsApp, however, has a 32-member maximum for group video or audio conversations, meaning that only a group of 32 people can initiate a call.
In contrast, Telegram is far more adaptable and supports audio and video conversations with up to 100 participants.
Polls
On Telegram, you can create quiz-like questions as well as polls with numerous choices and visible votes. Sadly, WhatsApp does not offer any such functions.
Limit in Members
WhatsApp recently disclosed that it had expanded the number of people per group to 512. However, with a “Supergroup” feature restriction of two hundred thousand members, Telegram is still considerably superior to WhatsApp.
Which App is More Secure?
Almost 500 million people use Telegram, the app founded by Russian-born Pavel Durov. However, Durov hasn’t been afraid to play down WhatsApp’s and other competitors’ security, even asserting that WhatsApp is risky to utilize and that Telegram provides superior privacy.
Yet, most users are unaware that Telegram only offers end-to-end encryption for two individuals, unlike WhatsApp. This is known as “Secret Chats.” As a result, you could believe that messages are private when in fact, there’s a chance that someone could read them.
Generally, this is because your messages are solely encrypted between your device and Telegram’s servers, where anyone attempting to read them will see nothing but gibberish. Yet, on such servers, they are not encrypted.
The likelihood of someone breaking into those systems and reading your communications is minimal, but it exists.
Comparatively, WhatsApp provides end-to-end encryption for private conversations, group conversations, and, most recently, chat backups. So you shouldn’t limit your considerations beyond encryption.
There is also the information that each app gathers and keeps track of about you specifically. For example, according to Telegram’s privacy statement, it saves information, including your IP address, devices, and the history of username changes, for a year, collecting fewer data than WhatsApp.
Which App is Better?
When it comes to security, WhatsApp utilizes the most advanced security measures and applies end-to-end encryption to every communication.
WhatsApp’s lack of encryption for conversation backups and the fact that it “mines” your messages’ information continue to raise questions about the data it exchanges with Facebook and Meta.
Privacy-conscious individuals may be concerned about how their data is utilized even while it is safe.
While Telegram conducts some user metadata collection, it doesn’t go as far as WhatsApp. Your IP address, the people on your contact list who also use Telegram, as well as the record of user changes are the specific pieces of information that Telegram gathers.
Since WhatsApp has a larger user base overall, you will likely encounter many individuals who use it. Not to mention that WhatsApp is expected to be the platform of choice for colleagues, family, and other close contacts.
You cannot discount how much more convenient it is than other platforms. But, if you want to keep your privacy while conversing with others, use Telegram with the abovementioned features.
Choose the Messaging App That’s Best for You!
When determining which messaging app is superior, various people may have different needs and respond appropriately. Whatsapp isn’t necessarily superior just because it has more users than Telegram.
People frequently go along with the crowd rather than choose between the two applications they prefer on their own.
In my experience, Telegram loads page considerably quicker than WhatsApp. Also, Telegram has a secure chat function for confidential conversations.
As previously indicated, it provides security and many more sophisticated features than Whatsapp. Telegram is, therefore, far more suitable for me.
In the end, everything boils down to personal taste, security, privacy, and convenience. Are you enjoying this post? Check out other pieces about communication apps!
- How Does Whatsapp Make Money?
- Top 5 Live Chat Software To Download For Small Businesses
- Your Guide To Using Discord As A Marketer
- Zoom Vs. Google Meet: Which Is Better?
Your opinion matters! I would love to hear your thoughts about Whatsapp and Telegram in the comment section below.
