It sounds like an interesting duel. These 2 instant messaging apps are very similar but, at the same time, very different. The first (Whatsapp) needs no introduction as it can be considered the forerunner of the genre, while the second (Telegram) is less known but is quickly gaining market share worldwide. In this article we will compare the two applications to provide a yardstick for all those who must choose between the two alternatives. This comparison will take place on 5 basic features of each app, starting from the price, through the privacy and security up to the popularity in terms of users. Also it will be analyzed aspects concerning the sending of files and availability of these services on various types of devices, desktop and mobile. Let’s start from the price.
PRICE
WhatsApp was born as a free application, and this is one of the reasons that made it the most famous software between the instant messaging programs. From 2013, however, WhatsApp has become to charge an annual fee after free 12 months for which you will have to buy the annual subscription. The purchase price is not excessive as it costs just $1 cents for all mobile operating systems, except for iPhone which costs $1.2 cents. Instead Telegram is completely free, at least for the moment, despite offering a service very similar to WhatsApp.
PRIVACY
Telegram uses a type of encryption based on the concept of end-to-end, which makes it particularly safe for conversations, especially with regard to the aspect of privacy and hacker attacks. This technology makes sure that the messages of conversations are saved directly on the phones and not on a server and this offers a better data security guarantee. Also a special function allows you to set a timer that automatically deletes all data from a conversation after a certain time. WhatsApp do not have this type of technology, but all data is stored on the servers of the company, making it especially vulnerable to attack by hackers.
SENDING FILES
As for sending files, there are several difference between the two products. Telegram supports sending extremely large files that can be up to 1.5GB while his antagonist WhatsApp can send messages only up to 160 Mb. This ratio of one to ten, is quite embarrassing! Among other things, the reason for the success of this type of application lies in the possibility to send messages with audio files, and video images in real time. Again, while Telegram can send any type of file, WhatsApp, at the moment we write, can send only media files.
COMPATIBILITY
If we take into account the compatibility of the devices we have once again a point in favor of Telegram, as the latter is also available for PC and Mac as well as smartphones and tablets. WhatsApp instead took the opposite policy making its product available only for mobile devices, or more recently with its web platform, also for PC but with several limitations. Not even on a tablet, without a SIM card, you can install WhatsApp as a phone number is required for its operation.
POPULARITY
Despite the many advantages of Telegram compared to Whatsapp, we must admit that, the spread of Telegram has not yet reached the size of WhatsApp with the result that the number of contacts available in the list of friends is definitely lower . We should, however, give a little ‘time to Telegram before giving a final say on this matter. But at the moment WhatsApp is still the winner!