WhatsApp Vs.

Telegram

Messaging apps are chat applications or platforms we use for instant messaging and connecting. They
have become an integral part of our lives as we use them to connect with our friends and colleagues
most of the time. They are also widely used in the business field as they allow you to connect and
engage your customers in real-time. They are not only limited to our private life but have taken off in
workplaces too. Messaging apps include chatting, groups, photo sharing, voice, and video calling.

When we think of messaging apps, WhatsApp and Telegram automatically come to mind. They are the
most prominent messaging apps today. Since both apps are quite similar, users often debate which is
better. While both have merits and demerits, I will be sharing a brief comparison based on various
aspects like their features, privacy, security, etc. This article will certainly help you to decide which
application you should use.

WhatsApp Vs. Telegram: Background

WhatsApp
WhatsApp was founded in 2009 by Brian Acton and Jan Koum. It was later acquired by Facebook (Meta
Platforms) for US$19 billion in 2014. It is highly popular with 2 billion active users worldwide. More than
100 billion messages are sent each day on WhatsApp. It is very easy to set up, and it's free. You can chat
and share your photos, documents, location, & contacts with this app. You can do video and voice calls
easily using WhatsApp.

It uses advanced security features, and end-to-end encryption for privacy and security. The user
interface is very easy and appealing. It is very comfortable for users as they can use this platform easily
without prior knowledge or experience. Potential revenue for WhatsApp is estimated to be $5 billion.

Telegram
Telegram is a messaging app, just like popular messaging apps WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. It
was established in 2013 by two brothers Nikolai and Pavel Durov. It has 550 million active users
worldwide. It is a messenger app consisting of various features. It is popular for its built-in creative
stickers, emojis, secret chat, bots, cloud storage, Media compression, and multi-platform support.

Users can send any file through Telegram. Users can use Telegram on multiple devices and receive
messages on all devices. It offers a level of security and protection to its users and is widely used both
personally and professionally. ‌ ‌ Telegram does not make a profit from its application and services. As of
2020, there is zero revenue made by this app .

WhatsApp Vs. Telegram: Comparisons

Both Whatsapp and Telegram are instant messaging apps with a list of features. Their basic features like
Voice, Video Calls & Messages are almost common. However, there are some features like group
capacity, file sharing, multi Platform Support, etc. Let's discuss them briefly below, which will help you
find out which app is best for your needs.

Write in points(Group, File Sharing, End-To- End Encryption and Secret Chats, Multi-Platform Support,
Privacy and Security, Revenue)

Group
Both Whatsapp and Telegram have group features.
● Whatsapp allows only up to 256 members. The group member capacity in Telegram is 200,000
members.

● Both WhatsApp and Telegram have ways you can broadcast to a public audience. WhatsApp has
the WhatsApp Broadcast list while in Telegram, you can create channels similar to the Broadcast
list of WhatsApp for broadcasting.

File Sharing
● WhatsApp offers you a limited file sharing capacity, 16MB for media files like video, photo and
100MB for documents. In Telegram, the file size limit is up to 1.5GB, and hence you can send
high-quality images, videos, and files up to which is not possible on WhatsApp.
 ● In WhatsApp, you can share only 30 images at a time. While Telegram has unlimited file-sharing
options.

● In WhatsApp, you have to backup and restore your data in google drive or iCloud Drive to
protect your data for future use. But Telegram provides unlimited cloud storage. It means all
your text messages, images, media files & documents are saved on Telegram's cloud. You can
log out and log in to devices anytime without losing any data.

● In the case of End-To-End Encryption and Secret Chats WhatsApp provides end-to-end
encryption for chats and calls, and it is safer. All messages flowing through the platform are
secured so that only the sender and the recipient can view them. But Telegrams uses end-to-
end encryption only for secret chats. All other general chats and group messages on Telegram
are only encrypted between your device and Telegram's cloud, and your message history is
stored on Telegram's cloud.

Multi-Platform Support
● WhatsApp is more restrictive for multiple device use. But you can log in to Telegram with your
name and password from any device.

● You can operate WhatsApp on up to 4 devices at a time but can only have one mobile connected
to your WhatsApp account at a time. But Telegram allows you to operate on multiple devices at
a time without any constraint.

Privacy and Security

There are a lot of uncertainties among the users regarding the privacy and security of WhatsApp and
Telegram. The recent update on WhatsApp's new privacy policy has created a lot of confusion among
the users.

● WhatsApp uses an end-to-end encryption method just like Apple's iMessage and Signal. Those
you are chatting with can only see the messages, and not even WhatsApp can see your
messages. Telegram uses client-server encryption for its personal and group chats, which means
that Telegram has access to your messages since it handles the encryption and decryption at
their servers. Secret Chat and voice and video calls use the E2E Telegram encryption method.

● WhatsApp collects your metadata – your name and mobile phone number, location history, your
contacts, IP address, and their phone numbers, even your device type while Telegram collects
and keeps your phone number since it is mandatory to verify your account, the username you
choose, and contact information when it comes to user data.

Revenue
There is no comparison in terms of revenue in Whatsapp and Telegram.

● A multi-billion dollar company, Meta, owns Whatsapp, while Telegram is a free app that
currently runs on donations.
 ● Whatsapp earns money through different ways and its estimated potential revenue is $5
billion. The average revenue per user is around $4. T‌ elegram does not make any money from its
applications and services which it offers. It hasn't made any revenue yet.

Which one should you choose?

Telegram and WhatsApp both have their merits and demerits. If you want secure end-to-end encryption
for all chats, you can go for Whatsapp. But if you want to work with many people and need a large
amount of storage to save or download, then Telegram can be a better option for you.

Conclusion
This article has shown you a detailed discussion on major aspects of Whatsapp and Telegram. After all of
this, you can choose the best app per your needs and interests.