Telegram is different from other private messaging apps, a feature the company highlights on its website, describing the platform as "SMS and email combined." Its apps are best used for networking with two or more people, rather than private messaging. After all, amid the app's video calls, voice chats, and features that allow you to broadcast to hundreds of thousands of people, not much is meant to be "private" about the platform. That said, it also differs from the competition in other, less positive ways. The company locks key privacy settings behind a paywall, the platform's unmoderated channels could be a minefield, and its chat and file storage are cloud-based by default, so, like other cloud-based options, your deepest secrets could be just a breach away. Telegram is great if you're a fan of its social spin, but if you're looking for a dedicated private messaging app, Signal is our Editors' Choice winner.

Can You Trust Telegram?

Your trust in Telegram depends on whether you use the app as a social media platform or a private messaging app. If you're looking for encrypted messaging, Telegram's Secret Chats are end-to-end encrypted, meaning only you and the intended recipient can read them. No one, not even people who work at Telegram, can decrypt it.

The problem is, not all messages are encrypted the same way on Telegram. You must opt in to enable Secret Chats' end-to-end encryption, which is not necessary when using Briar, Session, Signal, or WhatsApp. Regular private chats, group discussions, and channel chats are stored on Telegram's servers, and the company holds the keys to those messages. In these systems, it is at least technically possible for the company that manages the keys to decrypt and view messages.

The company has its reasons for doing this, but Signal can deliver many of the same features as Telegram without bifurcating encryption. Telegram's approach could put people at risk by offering a false sense of security.

Keep in mind, too, that Telegram is known to comply with law enforcement data requests. In an email, a company spokesperson told me that while Telegram does not divulge message data, the company will Telegram can hand over IP addresses and phone numbers in response to legal requests for data from users who violate the company's terms of service agreement.

Telegram's detractors also point to the app's encryption method—a custom-made protocol called MTProto 2.0. Cryptography experts generally prefer adherence to tried-and-tested standards. Creating your own encryption method when others are well studied, audited, and adopted by other groups is generally not advised. A spokesperson told us that Telegram offers a bug bounty program to invite researchers to test the platform's security systems, and stated, "To date, no viable means of breaching the encryption Telegram uses has ever been found."

Telegram has its fair share of other controversies, too, from users selling deepfake creation apps, "phishing kits," and malware on the platform's unmoderated channels to sharing explicit images and videos, including AI-generated deepfakes. In other words, lax content moderation on Telegram's channels means that the platform attracts and permits a lot of behavior that (generally) doesn't fly elsewhere. If you're looking for a truly private, E2EE messenger experience, stick to Telegram's Secret Chats.

What Do You Get With Telegram Premium?

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Historically, monetizing private messaging has not been a priority for Telegram or other default E2EE messaging platforms. That's changing, though, as WhatsApp has a paid business subscription, and Signal offers a premium subscription for advanced chat backups.

Telegram Premium costs $59.88 annually if you pay the monthly rate, though this price is usually discounted. Here are some of the premium tier highlights: messaging privacy, no ads, AI tools that can change your messages to a different language or style, no sharing for private chats, animated emoji and message effects, infinite message reactions, unlimited Story posts, 4GB shared files, faster media downloads, the ability to follow up to 1,000 channels, access to Telegram Business features (see more on Telegram Business toward the end), voice message transcription, real-time chat translation, and the ability to review everyone's last seen and read times.

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To me, the most valuable Telegram Premium features are ad-free Channels, increased file upload limits, and the ability to restrict people you don't know from sending you messages. Aside from the Premium subscription, Telegram customers can buy cosmetic add-ons, such as interactive emoji and sticker NFTs, which in the app are called "gifts."

Getting Started With Telegram

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Telegram is free to set up and use and only requires a phone number. Unlike most private messenger apps, Telegram lets you create and access multiple identities using a single account, which is helpful.

Although built for mobile, Telegram offers apps for Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, and Windows, as well as web apps. The desktop apps are useful, but you need to create your account with one of the mobile apps. Your messages will sync across your devices, so you can seamlessly answer texts on your mobile devices and your desktop. After signing up for an account, Telegram asks for access to your phone's Contact list to find other people on Telegram.

I tested Telegram using an Android device and an iPhone. The Android app was redesigned recently, and I was impressed by the changes to the user interface. It looks more modern and clean.

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Within the settings menus of the Android and iOS apps, Telegram offers a dizzying array of chat window customizations, including wallpapers, specialized themes, alternative app designs, reduced animation settings, and a toggle to hide 18+ media in messages. Telegram also has plenty of "fun" options baked into the app. For example, you can create a sticker from any photo posted in a chat window, thus creating instant memes for the group chat to run into the ground, forever.

Settings Menu

One of Telegram's best features is its extensive Settings menu. Telegram gives you a lot of options, like changing the app's appearance, registering your account on a desktop or a new mobile device, and setting up multi-factor authentication (MFA) to protect your account.

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You can lock the app with a passcode, or you can create a password and enter it when you login, in addition to an SMS code. I recommend choosing the passcode option, though I don't love that these are the only MFA options available for Telegram customers. There are lots of reasons not to use SMS as your verification factor, but amid those nebulous threats is the real barrier: Telegram's paywall. The company is charging customers in some countries to receive one-time passcodes via SMS, and Telegram customers on Reddit allege that paying the fee does not guarantee access to the app.

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Telegram lets you create a username for people to find you on the platform instead of your phone number, and you can hide your phone number from view, which is great. That said, Signal takes hiding your identity a step further by giving you the option to keep even your phone's contacts from finding and messaging you on the platform.

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Telegram offers options to change who can interact with you and your posts in the Privacy and Security settings menu, but the most important spam-fighting features are behind a paywall. You cannot opt out of receiving messages from everyone on the platform unless you pay for a Telegram Premium subscription, which isn't great. Don't lose hope! You can still fend off Telegram spammers by hiding your phone number and setting your settings to allow only existing phone contacts to find you using your phone number.

Below the profile section, you can access your saved chats, a log of recent calls, and any chat folders you create. Other interesting inclusions in Telegram's Settings are power-saving features that let you turn off resource-intensive app features like auto-playing GIFs and videos.

Notably, you can choose how long your Telegram account self-destructs after inactivity, from one month to two years. You can also choose the instant delete option.

Chatting on Telegram

If you've ever sent someone a text message, you're familiar with this process. Your messages appear on the right side of the screen in little speech bubbles, and your friends' messages appear on the left.

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Along with text, you can send attachments such as files, photos, videos, and audio recordings directly from within the app. Telegram offers some nice photo editing tools, letting you quickly enhance images before sending them. The app's voice-to-text feature works well, too.

Unlike Signal and WhatsApp, with Telegram, you can delete the chat history for both sides of a one-on-one conversation since everything is stored in the cloud, not on someone's device. Signal and WhatsApp only allow deletion on your end.

Telegram customers can forward messages (except for Secret Chats) to each other. Ensure that no one who reads one of your forwarded messages can trace it back to you by enabling Anonymous Forwarding in Settings > Privacy and Security > Forwarded Messages.

I like that you can share your location with individuals or in group chats and set alerts for when you arrive at a certain location. Remember to turn off location sharing when you're done, though.

Secret Chats

Secret Chats are just like regular chats, except they use end-to-end encryption so that not even Telegram can read the content. The company also says that there are no logs of Secret Chats, so Telegram doesn't even know when these messages are being exchanged.

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Telegram sends you an alert if your Secret Chat partner attempts to screenshot your conversation, which is excellent. Screenshots and screen recordings taken with an iPhone did not record the content of the Secret Chat window, which is impressive. That said, Telegram's documentation warns that it's still possible to take photos of a screen with a separate camera. It's a good idea to only share private information with people you know and trust.

You can set a self-destruct timer for individual photos and messages. Secret Chat mode doesn't allow message forwarding, and the conversations can only be accessed on the device of origin.

Group Chats

Far from a messy SMS or email thread, Telegram groups come with fine-grained control to help you keep order. There are public and private Groups with customizable options for how people can find them. The Group's creator can designate other Admins or create different roles, each with their own set of permissions, as well as set global permissions for members. This makes it easy to manage everything from a chatty collection of friends to a massive fan club. Signal also boasts similar admin controls for its Groups.

Signal and Telegram also adopted elements from social media platforms. The apps both support Stories, which are temporary images, livestreams, or videos that are accessible by people in your Contact list or people you've deemed to be close friends

Group chats support up to 200,000 participants. Moderation tools include the ability to mass-delete messages, control Group membership, and let moderators pin important messages to the chat window—as seen in Signal's group chats. You can also adjust your app's notification settings to receive alerts only when you're mentioned or when someone replies to your messages. Free users can share and receive files up to 2GB in group chats, and Premium subscribers can share and receive files up to 4 GB.

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Channels and Moderation

In the app's documentation, Telegram suggests that group chats are best for chatting with family and friends or collaborating with work colleagues. If you're looking to reach a wider audience, consider starting a Channel. Channels are essentially one-way chat rooms where one person broadcasts to many users. Channels are a bit like the communities found on Discord, which boasts many niche events and gatherings. While Telegram is definitely easier to understand and use, I've found that Discord has far more options and controls.

Channels support an unlimited number of people on voice calls, along with additional participation tools such as adding speakers or letting participants raise a virtual hand. There's no limit on the number of subscribers a Telegram Channel can have, and each Channel message has a view counter.

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The search bar at the top of the screen is the primary way to find Groups and Channels to join. Share links and QR codes let you discover new social groups in a number of different ways. Channels can optionally publish online with a permanent URL in a more blog-like format that's accessible to non-Telegram users. You can go local and enable the optional Nearby mode to find users and Groups in your neck of the woods. 

In testing, I found that identifying active, high-quality channels or groups on the platform was challenging. Searches for news, sports, and technology turned up channels with large follower counts but little real-time engagement. It seems that the best way to find active groups on Telegram is via trial and error or word of mouth.

Be aware that moderation policies vary from group to group, and not all channels are for all ages. For example, the search term "kpop" produced a fair number of channels, but all of the top results were for content that was safe for work but definitely suggestive. It's probably best to keep a close eye on your kids if they use this platform.

Telegram offers tools for reporting groups and accounts, but the company's public statements clearly indicate it prefers a hands-off approach. According to a Telegram spokesperson, "Moderators proactively monitor public parts of the platform. While no encrypted service can proactively monitor private parts of their platform, moderators accept reports in order to enforce the terms of service." 

Video and Voice Calls on Telegram

With Telegram, any one-on-one Chat can be made into a video or voice call. To test the video and voice capabilities, I made calls using Telegram. The audio quality was acceptable on my end, but my call partner's video was a little grainy. You can send and receive chat messages and participate in group chats during calls. I was impressed by the feature that lets you create a link to a call and send it to friends, so they can join the call in progress at any time.

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Groups support video calls with up to 1,000 participants, but only the first 30 participants can share their video. Everyone else is restricted to voice only, so this won't be a go-to for replacing Zoom. Channels and Groups also have a livestream option, which you can record and share afterward.

Telegram Business

Telegram's Business tier allows you to create a page for your business. There, you can display your business location and office hours and correspond with your existing and potential customers. This service is free with a premium account or $59.88 annually (often discounted).

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I did not test Telegram Business, but according to documentation on the website, Business users get access to the Quick Reply function mentioned above. They can also create chatbots to interface with customers, customize greeting and away messages, and design business landing pages. WhatsApp's Business app features similar one-on-one engagement tools for small business owners.