You may be hesitating when choosing instant messaging app and that you have decided to leave WhatsApp out, then the fight remains in a Signal vs. Telegram, basically. That is why we are going to bring you here an article in which we are going to compare the two instant messaging applications. Most likely, you have realized that WhatsApp has many privacy problems and that is why you are looking for an alternative and you do well if what you are looking for is that, privacy.
Both instant messaging services are much more secure than the app of Mark Zuckerberg, owner of Facebook who in turn owns WhatsApp. In fact, in January of this year it was notified by WhatsApp that many, if not all, of the user data that until now had been kept private with its sister company, Facebook, had been shared. This sparked a barrage of criticism of the company. And as a consequence, all users began to look for alternatives, hence this comparison since the two best-positioned apps are Signal and Telegram.
Signal vs Telegram which one to choose? What do they have in common?
To start doing the Signal vs Telegram is quite complex because both are good options, but you have to try to get what they have in common and then opt for one. To begin with, a great advantage is that none of them belongs to a Facebook, so to speak, to any large company that is interested in our private data. Actually see if this is so Signal is owned by a non-profit company. Telegram is not like that, if it belongs to a company that seeks profit but to date there is no known scandal about privacy, in fact that is its strength.
Both apps have all the basic functionalities that we can expect, that is, send messages, send stickers, send photos, files, make audio and video calls and everything you already know so far. In addition, both are also totally free. You will only have to associate your phone number with the app to be able to use it once it is downloaded from the respective store. Which by the way, the two apps are both in the Apple Store and in the Google Play Store, and also available for iPad and tablets with also their desktop versions for Windows, Linux and for MacOS.
Which of the two apps is the best in terms of privacy?
This is very simple and that is why we are going to get straight to the point. If we talk about privacy, in Signal each and every communication you make in the app will be end-to-end encrypted between the mobile devices or tablets that are using the app. Therefore the company that owns Signal, that is, Signal Foundation, cannot access any of your messages even if I wanted. It is as simple as that Signal cannot know anything. Now we go with Telegram.
In Telegram it is something different and you probably think that he has already lost the battle after what we just told you about Signal. And it is so, although it adds some functionality that we will now tell you about. The application as such It does not offer you the encryption of communications that Signal has, but it does offer you its "secret chat" mode that will allow sending end-to-end encrypted messages to another user between both devices and without them remaining in the Telegram cloud. That is, it has the Signal base but only applies it if you want and open a new chat with that person.
Each and every message from Telegram can be seen by the owner company because they go through its cloud server. In addition to this in Telegram you will not find the option of "secret group" does not exist as such, you will only be able to have that full encryption between devices with a conversation between two people, never in a group. Have you forgotten to include this option? Curious.
As you are thinking, in Signal yes, the groups are also encrypted, therefore all your group conversations will always remain a secret and they cannot be read by the Signal Foundation company. Of course, keep in mind that the messages will be stored on your mobile device and on that of your friends, clients, family or people with whom you speak.
Another pro in Signal's favor in this Signal vs Telegram war for privacy is that Signal is an open source app, both the code for your clients and the code they use with the Signal server can be viewed and used on GitHub. Obviously and as you are expecting, the Telegram server software is not open source, although the app itself is. Nor does this tell us much, but it is Another point in favor that Signal takes in combat. And it seems that he is gaining points.
Which one should I keep?
In short, Signal does not have many details in terms of messaging app that the other two apps on the market do, but it is that the differentiating factor of Signal with respect to Telegram and WhatsApp is privacy. Every detail of Signal goes through there and it is an app conceived by a foundation to safeguard our privacy. It is not that it has many differences with respect to Telegram, but what also happens here is that Telegram is more massive and more people use it, therefore, you will find family, friends, or clients who only use Telegram or WhatsApp and not Signal.
It is something personal but if something has become clear to you, it is that if you are looking for privacy, Signal is your app. While if you are looking for something less privacy, but more than WhatsApp, and also more standard messaging functionalities and more users, Telegram is your app.
We hope this article has been helpful to you and that from now on you are clear about who wins the Signal vs Telegram war. If you have any questions about Telegram or Signal you can leave it in the comment box. And as we always tell you, see you in the following Mobile Forum article.