Telegram vs Signal: Which WhatsApp Alternative Is Better?

WhatsApp’s new privacy policy has caused quite a stir. This is why most people look to Signal and Telegram as alternatives. You can find out which one is a better alternative to WhatsApp in this article.

Both Telegram and Signal use empathy to protect user privacy and security. Their approach is different. Let’s understand the difference between Telegram and Signal based on how they process user data and protect their privacy.

Security and Privacy

Telegram’s distinguishing feature is security. It claims all its activities are encrypted, including chats, groups, and media shared between participants. This means that they will not appear without first being deciphered.

Telegram provides end-to-end encryption using its own proprietary messaging protocol called MTProto. It is not completely open source and lacks scrutiny by outside cryptographers.

Unlike Signal, Telegram keeps encryption keys with itself. That is, if relevantly requested or pressured by the government, the company may consider distributing user encryption keys.

The app allows you to set self-destruct timers, which can range from two seconds to a week, on messages and media you share via its built-in feature ‘Secret Chat’. It also offers end-to-end encryption, leaving no traces on Telegram’s servers.

By default, Signal uses the Open Whisper System to encrypt all conversations with E2E (end-to-end). It is an open source encryption algorithm. Encryption keys are not stored on any server, but on users’ phones and computers, thus eliminating any potential for leaks.

Signal’s verification method surpasses all other messaging apps. Users can verify each other’s profiles and mark the profile as verified by verifying their Security Number or scanning QR codes containing this unique set of numbers.

As for voice calls, Signal provides ‘Always forward calls’ option so all calls go through Signal server and prevent your IP address from being disclosed to your contact.

The service is designed to minimize data held about Signal users. Signal collects as little metadata as possible and does not store metadata, logs, or information about its users.

WhatsApp claims to be end-to-end encrypted but closely guards the company code. So far there are no reports of the code being compromised. However, this may or may not change in the future.

Messaging and Features

The basic chat experience remains more or less the same between Signal and Telegram, with text, emoji, GIFs, stickers, and media files. However, there are some minor observations in our tests.

Overall, Telegram felt fluid, responsive and more equipped compared to Signal. Telegram also offers interactive stickers, live emojis and themes, wallpapers, etc. It offers more customization options such as

With Telegram, you can create groups of up to 200,000 members and allow you to share media files up to 1.5GB.

Signal is relatively new to the IM (Instant Messaging) space. But it covers the basics here. The service supports self-destructing messages and offers a Self Note plugin to collect thoughts and ideas. In terms of customization, Signal has recently added the ability to change themes and wallpapers to its service.

Backup and restore

Telegram surpasses all other competitors with its superior backup solution. This is one of the reasons why many of us at GuidingTech prefer Telegram over WhatsApp.

Telegram is a truly cloud-based cross-platform solution. You don’t need your phone to use Telegram on desktop. Available on all platforms, including iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Linux and Web. Just sign in using your mobile number and all your chat, media and files are right there without any transfers.

On iOS, Signal uses QR code to transfer user data from one device to another. On Android, you can manually move the backup file from your old device to the new one and restore the data. If you lost your old phone, there is no way to restore Signal data on the new device.

WhatsApp uses third-party cloud services like Google Drive or iCloud to backup/restore chat data. However, there is no direct way to transfer chat history from Android to iPhone or vice versa.

When it comes to backup and restore, I would put Telegram at the top, followed by WhatsApp and Signal respectively.

Cross-Platform Availability

Telegram is available on all platforms, including iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Web and even Linux. Signal is also accessible on mobile and desktop platforms. But once again, we found that Telegram apps on Windows and Mac build better than Signal.

Which One Is Right For You

This is a difficult question to answer. Let me elaborate. No matter how many features and security add-ons a company has in its IM offering, it all depends on how many people in your address book are using the service in the first place. Telegram recently crossed the 500 million milestone, so there’s a good chance your friends and family are already on the platform.

Signal’s security features are class-leading, but it’s a new kid around the corner, and it’ll take some effort to get people involved in the platform of choice for Edward Snowden and Elon Musk.