Signal, WhatsApp and Telegram: which messaging app dominates?
It is fair to say that text messaging has changed the way we communicate. Initially introduced as a gimmick, text messaging on cell phones quickly became one of the most used features. The advent of internet-based messaging apps allowed people to send messages for free, and we’ve never looked back.
But which messaging app should you use? WhatsApp is the app of choice for many, but in recent years people have begun to abandon the use of WhatsApp due to privacy concerns.Signal and Telegram are two of the most popular alternatives, but which of these three apps is better?
Messaging
Some of the biggest issues affecting your decision when choosing the right messaging app for your needs are security and privacy, so it’s easy to lose sight of how well each app works as a messaging app in its own right.
First, we’ll take a look at how each messaging app handles the core functionality that each messaging app should provide.
Signal
Signal allows you to create one-on-one chats with other Signal users to send text or voice messages. You can also add photos and videos, GIFs and contact cards, and share your location in the chat. You can also send documents with a maximum file size of 100 MB or add stickers to your messages.
Signal has the option to use disappearing messages, which are automatically deleted after a set period of time. The default option is as low as 30 seconds, or you can set a customized time between one second and four weeks.
WhatsApp
WhatsApp offers very similar features to Signal, including voice and text messaging, sending photos and videos, contact information, location sharing within messages, and stickers. You can send GIFs, but they are more difficult to access than in Signal.
The maximum file size for documents is 2 GB, which is significantly larger than Signal. Another feature not included in Signal is the ability to create polls in any chat.
WhatsApp offers the fewest options when it comes to messages disappearing. The only settings are 24 hours, 7 days, or 90 days, and there is no way to set a custom time.
Telegram
Telegram offers similar features, including voice and text messaging. You can add photos and videos and send contact information and your location in the message. Polls are available, but only in group chats, and you can add GIFs, although these are more difficult to access than in Signal.
Telegram also offers disappearing messages, but the minimum self-destruct time is one day. You can set a customized time, from one day to a whole year.
Like WhatsApp, Telegram allows you to share files up to 2 GB. If you subscribe to Telegram Premium, it goes a step further and offers up to 4 GB of storage. This makes Telegram the best choice if you want to share large files.
Winner: Telegram
Group Chat
In addition to one-to-one messaging, each app allows you to communicate with multiple people at once.
Signal
Signal allows you to create group chats with up to 1000 participants. For group voice or video calls, the limit is reduced to 40.
WhatsApp
WhatsApp’s group chat limit is 1024 participants, which is very similar to what Signal offers. For group voice and video calls, the limit is 32.
Telegram
Telegram allows groups of up to 200,00 members. Yes, you read that right. You can even create broadcast groups where only administrators can send messages, but you can have an unlimited number of members. For group voice and video calls, there are up to 30 participants, but up to 1,000 people can view the call.
Winner: Telegraph
Security
If you’re using a chat app, you need to make sure that your messages are only visible to the people you want to read them. That’s why security is a key factor when choosing a messaging app.
Signal
Signal provides end-to-end encryption for your chats, voice and video calls by default. This means that only the person receiving the message can see your messages; even Signal can’t access them. Signal uses the Signal protocol for encryption, which, as the name suggests, was developed by the same company.
This is an open source protocol with a reputation for secure encryption.
In addition, Signal uses a feature called Sealed Sender. This means that not only is the message itself encrypted, but the sender metadata is encrypted as well. The only sender who can see the message is the recipient; once again, even Signal can’t see who the sender is.
WhatsApp
WhatsApp also offers end-to-end encryption by default. In fact, WhatsApp uses the exact same Signal protocol as the Signal application. However, there is no equivalent of Sealed Sender functionality in Signal; the metadata attached to your message is unencrypted and therefore much less secure.
Telegram
Telegram fares the worst in this regard. Messages are encrypted, but only between you and the server and from the server to the recipient. This means that your private messages are not encrypted on Telegram’s servers. Telegram itself and anyone with access to its servers, including law enforcement agencies, may be able to see your messages.
You can use end-to-end encryption for Telegram messages, but it is not enabled by default. You need to enable “Secret Chat” to get this level of protection.
Telegram also uses its own encryption protocol called MTProto instead of the Signal protocol used by Signal and WhatsApp. Earlier versions of this protocol were found to have some security flaws, but these appear to have been addressed in MTProto 2.0.
Winner: Signal
Privacy.
Privacy is one of the main reasons why people are leaving WhatsApp for alternatives like Signal and Telegram in droves. When WhatsApp updated its privacy policy, there were concerns that the app would share data with its parent company, Meta, the company behind Facebook.
By that time, millions of people had signed up for Signal and Telegram, despite Meta’s claims that nothing had changed in terms of sharing data.How do Signal, WhatsApp and Telegram compare in terms of privacy?
Signal
Signal advertises itself as being privacy-conscious, and it is. As we’ve learned, Signal’s encryption ensures that even sender metadata is encrypted end-to-end and inaccessible, even to the company itself.
In the 2021 FBI report, security services confirmed that even with subpoenas and court orders, the only information they could obtain from Signal was the date of account registration and the time of last use.
No other information could be accessed for the simple reason that, due to encryption, Signal simply did not have it.
Another useful privacy measure is the information on the Apple App Store about the data collected by each application. For the Signal app, the only data collected is contact information, and that information is not related to your identity.
WhatsApp
WhatsApp does use end-to-end encryption, but metadata is not encrypted.
The FBI report shows that the security services obtained various types of information. These include basic subscriber records, address book contacts, details of blocked users, and users with targets in their contacts.
In addition, the report mentions that the service obtained data about the source and destination of each message, as well as limited message content.
The WhatsApp application can collect a large amount of information, all of which may be associated with your identity. This includes purchases, location information, contacts, identifiers, diagnostics, financial information, contact information, user content and usage data.
Telegraph
In the FBI’s report, Telegram is somewhere in between, with no access to message content, but it says that Telegram may disclose IP addresses and phone numbers to authorities as part of a confirmed terrorist investigation.
Because Telegram does not use end-to-end encryption, it also has a large amount of information that could be accessed in the event of a data breach.
Telegram is also in the middle of the pack in terms of the data collected by the application. This data may be associated with your identity, including purchases, location, contacts, identifiers, financial information, contact information and user content.
Winner: Signal
Signal, WhatsApp, Telegram: conclusion
When choosing a messaging app, there are a number of factors that will influence your decision. Privacy and security are key decisions, but other features also come into play if you’re looking for apps that can perform specific actions. Another key factor is the apps your friends are using, as it doesn’t make sense to use an app that no one you know is using.
So, your final choices may differ from ours, but our rankings are below:
Winner: Signal
Signal drew millions of people in after the WhatsApp privacy update, and for good reason. It’s an app that really cares about the privacy of your private messages. Not only does it offer end-to-end encryption, it even encrypts your metadata.
The only data companies have access to is the account creation date and last use date. With all the key features you’d expect from a good messaging app, Signal is the best choice if you want to keep your information secure.
Second place: Telegram
Telegram doesn’t offer anywhere near the level of security and privacy that Signal does, and by default it doesn’t even offer end-to-end encryption. However, this allows it to offer important features that no other app can match.
Telegram allows for large group chats, unlimited broadcast channels, and other useful features such as bot integration and voice chat rooms.
If you’re willing to sacrifice the strong security offered by Signal, then Telegram can offer features that other messaging apps can’t.
Third place: WhatsApp
The updated privacy policy may not grant WhatsApp any new powers to share your data with Meta. That said, these three apps are still the ones that collect the most information about you. It may also be forced to share a lot of information with law enforcement.
WhatsApp’s privacy policy recognizes that it can collect a great deal of information about you, including your IP address, device identifier, browser information, mobile network information, the groups you are in, and even your battery level.
WhatsApp offers great messaging features, but if privacy is important to you, there are better options.