WhatsApp vs. Telegram. This is one of the most common comparisons or battles between users on Android and iOS. These two messaging applications are possibly the best known and most popular on the market, with millions of users each. When choosing one of these apps, many users want to know which of them is the best.
Below we tell you more about these two messaging applications, so you know which one is better. There are certain aspects that help determine which is better, in this battle of WhatsApp vs Telegram, but in many cases it will also depend on what each one looks for in these apps to choose the best one.
Privacy & Security
One of the most important aspects in this WhatsApp vs Telegram comparison is privacy and security. The two applications have end-to-end encryption in chats. In the case of WhatsApp it is something present in all chats, while in Telegram it is something available only in secret chats, normal chats are encrypted, just not end-to-end. In fact, those secret chats are one of the keys in this category.
Telegram adds an extra layer of security and privacy with these secret chats. These in-app chats do not allow screenshots, so everything that is said in that chat remains in that chat. In addition, the keyboard is also activated in incognito mode, so that suggestions are not generated or what has been written is saved. One of the star features of these secret chats is that they self-destruct. We can choose how long it takes for the messages to be deleted. So everything is deleted and no one has access to those messages.
Both WhatsApp and Telegram also allow lock chats using password or fingerprint, another way to protect your chats. In addition, in the case of Telegram you can use the app without a phone number, something that we have already shown you. So it is another way to use the application in a more private way at all times. WhatsApp is an app where the account is associated with the phone number and you can only talk to people saved in your phonebook. In general, Telegram is the one that gives us more options in privacy, making it more complete.
Functions in chats
The second part in WhatsApp vs Telegram refers to the chats themselves. In both cases we find two messaging apps, that give us identical functions in the chats. It becomes possible to have individual and group chats and send text messages in both. In addition, both have support for sending audio notes and we can make both calls and video calls (individual and group).
Telegram has made stickers one of its hallmarks, with many packs of animated stickers available. This is something that WhatsApp has copied as well and we are seeing more and more in the Facebook-owned app. Both allow us to also send normal emojis, as well as GIFS. The sending of links works in a similar way and in both we can see videos in PiP format.
When it comes to sending files, Telegram is an app that gives us more options. The app allows you to send large files, up to 2GB in weight. This makes the app ideal if we have to send videos or photos in RAW format, for example. In addition, in the app we have the Saved Messages chat, which we can use as our agenda or notes site or simply to save photos that we do not want to lose.
Calls and video calls
Both applications support voice calls and video calls, both individual and in groups. WhatsApp allows us to Group video calls with up to eight participants in total. If you want to make one with more people, we can use the Messenger Rooms, which can be integrated into the app. But it is not something native to the application itself, so for many users it is something that could be seen as a limitation.
Telegram introduced video calling last year, a feature that users have been waiting for a long time with interest. Initially these video calls were limited only to individual ones, but for a few months there has finally been support for group video calls. In addition, the application has surpassed WhatsApp in the number of participants, with support for video calls of up to 30 participants. You can have more, but in that case it will be just a voice chat, without a camera.
Although they have taken longer to arrive, in this comparison of WhatsApp vs Telegram it seems clear that it is the second that has known how to do it better. It gives us video calls with support for more people, something that makes groups of large friends can use it. In addition to being able to be used in an educational or work environment, when you have to discuss something in a group, for example.
Multiplatform support
Both WhatsApp and Telegram can be used on the computer, something that undoubtedly makes them especially comfortable. Although the way they work is different. WhatsApp has its version in the browser, call WhatsApp Web. As of today, pending the launch of the multiplatform support that will arrive, this version in the browser depends on the phone. The first time we enter we have to scan a QR code. In addition, when we want to use WhatsApp Web we have to make sure that the phone has Internet, otherwise it is not possible to use the app.
Telegram also allows us to use it on the PC, although in your case it is through an app. We can download the version of Telegram for our computer (compatible with Windows or Mac). In this application we will be able to access with the same account that we have on our mobile, thus linking both in a simple way. We can use the application on PC without depending on the one we have on the mobile. So we can chat whenever we want in this version, even if we have forgotten our mobile at home or at work, for example.
The fact that the desktop version does not depend on the phone is something very comfortable, that gives a lot of freedom to the user. So in this section in this comparison of WhatsApp vs Telegram, it is again the second that takes the point. Although this is something that will surely change or improve for WhatsApp when they finally launch their new multi-device support, which will allow this version on the computer not to depend on the mobile. This is something that users have been looking forward to for a long time.
Customization
Personalization is another aspect to take into account in this comparison of WhatsApp vs Telegram. Android and iOS users appreciate being able to customize various aspects of the app. Telegram gives us many options in this regard, since we can download themes to change the overall appearance of the application. In addition, the selection of themes that we can download is very wide, so you can always choose a theme that suits your taste at all times.
We can also customize the appearance of the chats, choosing the funds that we want to have in it. This is something that we can also do in WhatsApp, which has had a series of options available for some time to change the background of the conversations in the app. It's all about solid colors, so it is not revolutionary at all, but at least it is a form of personalization that we can use on the mobile.
Both applications have support for dark mode, something that is certainly important on Android. So if this is something that worries you, because it is more comfortable for you in this way to use that app on your mobile, in both applications it is possible. In general, we can see that it is Telegram that gives us more customization options, so this point is taken.
WhatsApp vs Telegram: which is the best messaging app
If you do the count between the various sections that we have mentioned in this article, you can see that It is Telegram that stands out as the best messaging application in this comparison. The reality is that in this battle of WhatsApp vs Telegram, it is the best Russian messaging app. It gives us more options in its chats, it is very customizable, it is a secure and private app and it has a desktop version that does not depend on the mobile app, something that undoubtedly makes it especially comfortable to use.
WhatsApp is hands down the most popular messaging app around the world, but is seeing how Telegram gains ground. Its falls make Telegram gain millions of users. In addition, the many criticisms of its privacy policies outside the EU have caused it to lose users as well. For this reason, despite the fact that it is currently the app with the most users, little by little we see how Telegram is gaining ground in the market and is reinforcing itself as the best alternative to WhatsApp.