# Signal or Telegram for privacy? Encryption defaults, metadata and features compared URL: https://webvpn.org/encryption/signal-vs-telegram/ Updated: 2026-09-11 Signal vs Telegram compared on encryption, metadata, backups, open source and features: why Signal is end-to-end encrypted by default and Telegram mostly is not. Signal end-to-end encrypts every message, group chat and call by default, publishes its protocol and code, and is designed to store almost no metadata, which makes it the more private messenger. Telegram stores regular chats, groups and channels on its servers in a form Telegram can read, and offers end-to-end encryption only in optional one-to-one secret chats that most users never start. Telegram offers far more features and scale; Signal offers confidentiality that does not depend on a setting. Which to use depends on whether the provider being able to read your messages matters for the conversation. The two apps are constantly compared because both position themselves as the private alternative to the mainstream, and the comparison usually misses the one difference that decides everything. This guide sets the encryption defaults side by side, explains Telegram's secret chats and their limits, compares metadata, backups, openness and features, and gives a straightforward rule for choosing. ## The defining difference: encryption by default Signal encrypts end to end everything that passes through it: one-to-one messages, groups, voice and video calls, attachments, stickers, reactions and profile data. There is no unencrypted mode. Signal's servers relay ciphertext and hold as little as the design allows. The end-to-end encryption guide on this site describes the mechanism, and Signal's protocol is the one most other secure messengers adopted. Telegram encrypts regular chats between your device and its servers, then stores them on those servers so that your full history appears on every device you log into. This is client-server encryption, and it means Telegram can decrypt everything in cloud chats, which is all groups, all channels and every one-to-one chat that is not a secret chat. Telegram states it splits keys across jurisdictions and has never handed over chat content, which are policy protections; the technical fact remains that the company holds the keys. ## Telegram's secret chats and their limits Telegram does offer end-to-end encryption through secret chats. They must be started deliberately for a specific contact; they exist only between the two devices that started them, so they do not sync to other phones or to desktop; they are not available for groups or channels; and they use Telegram's own protocol rather than the widely analysed one Signal uses. Secret chats support self-destruct timers and screenshot notifications. They are genuinely end to end, and they cover a small fraction of what happens on Telegram because most conversations are groups, channels or ordinary chats where the option does not exist or is not used. ## Metadata Content encryption aside, the two services know very different amounts about you. Signal's design avoids storing contact lists, group memberships or message timing on its servers in usable form, and its published responses to legal demands show it can produce only the date an account was created and the date it last connected. Telegram necessarily stores your contacts, groups, channels, full message history for cloud chats, and activity, because its features depend on that data living on the server. Telegram's privacy policy describes what it can disclose, and it has disclosed user data such as IP addresses and phone numbers under legal process. For someone whose concern is who they talk to rather than what they say, this gap matters as much as encryption. ## Backups and multi-device Signal keeps message history on the device, with optional encrypted local backups on Android and a linked-device model where each device receives messages independently and history transfer is device to device. Losing the phone without a backup means losing history, which is the cost of Signal storing nothing. Telegram's cloud chats are their own backup: log in anywhere and everything is there, because Telegram has it. Secret chats are the exception and vanish with the device. The convenience is real and it is exactly the property that makes cloud chats readable by the provider. ## Openness and audits Signal's client and server code are open source, its protocol is published and has been formally analysed by academic cryptographers, and it is run by a non-profit foundation funded by donations. Telegram's client apps are open source and its server code is not, its custom protocol has been criticised and revised over the years, and it is a privately held company funded by its founder and paid subscriptions. Both have had vulnerabilities disclosed and fixed; the difference is in how much outsiders can independently verify. ## Features and scale Telegram wins on features by a wide margin: groups of hundreds of thousands, public channels reaching millions, bots, polls, large file uploads, folders, full multi-device sync, and a polished media experience. Signal supports groups of up to a limited size, has stories, calls, stickers and reactions, and adds features slowly because every feature must work with end-to-end encryption and minimal server data. Telegram is a social platform with messaging; Signal is a messenger. Neither is wrong about what it is; they are different products. ## Registration and identity Both require a phone number to register. Signal lets you set a username and hide your number so contacts need not see it, and offers a registration lock PIN. Telegram lets you hide your number from non-contacts and use a username publicly, and offers two-step verification. The anonymous phone number guide on this site covers registering without linking your everyday number. In both cases the provider knows the number. ## Side by side Aspect Signal Telegram End-to-end by default Yes, everything No, secret chats only Groups end-to-end Yes No Calls end-to-end Yes Yes Server can read messages No Yes, for cloud chats Metadata stored Minimal Extensive History on new device Transfer from old device Instant from cloud Desktop Linked device, E2EE Full client, cloud chats only Protocol Published, formally analysed Custom, client code open Organisation Non-profit Private company Large communities and channels Limited Core feature ## A simple rule for choosing - If the conversation would harm you if the provider, a hacker who breached the provider, or a government that compelled the provider could read it, use Signal. - If the conversation is a public channel, a large community, or content you would be comfortable posting semi-publicly, Telegram's features may serve you better. - If you use Telegram for anything sensitive one to one, start a secret chat and understand it will not appear on your other devices. - Whatever you use, lock the device, enable the registration or two-step lock, and turn off content in lock-screen notifications, since neither app protects an unlocked phone. - Using both is a reasonable arrangement: Signal for private, Telegram for public. ## What security researchers and the companies themselves say The comparison above follows the apps' own documentation and outside evaluation. Signal documents that all communication is end-to-end encrypted by default, publishes its protocol specifications and source code, and has published the minimal records it was able to provide in response to legal demands. Telegram's own documentation distinguishes cloud chats, which use client-server encryption and are stored on its servers, from secret chats, which are end-to-end encrypted and device-specific, and describes the data it may disclose under its privacy policy. Cryptographers and digital-rights organisations consistently recommend Signal for confidential communication and describe Telegram as a feature-rich platform whose default chats should not be considered private from the company, while acknowledging its secret chats as end to end. ## Decide what the conversation needs Ask whether it matters that someone other than the recipient could read it. If yes, Signal, without exceptions and without needing to remember a setting. If no, Telegram is a capable platform for what it does well. Knowing which question you are answering is the whole comparison. ## FAQ Q: Is Signal more secure than Telegram? A: For confidentiality, yes. Signal end-to-end encrypts every message, group and call by default with a protocol that has been formally analysed, and stores almost no metadata. Telegram end-to-end encrypts only optional secret chats; everything else is stored on Telegram's servers in a form Telegram can read. Q: Is Telegram end-to-end encrypted? A: Only secret chats, which must be started deliberately, work one to one, are tied to a single device and are not available on desktop. Regular chats, all groups and all channels use client-server encryption, which protects against outside eavesdroppers but not against Telegram itself. Q: Why do people say Telegram is secure? A: Telegram markets itself on privacy, resists some government requests, offers secret chats and self-destruct timers, and its cloud model feels private because it is not Meta or Google. Its default encryption model, however, leaves message content accessible to the company, which most security researchers consider the deciding factor. Q: What does Telegram do better than Signal? A: Features and scale. Telegram supports enormous groups and public channels, multi-device cloud sync with full history, bots, large file sharing and a rich media experience. Signal deliberately limits these to preserve encryption and minimise server-side data. Q: Can I use both Signal and Telegram? A: Yes, and many people do. Use Signal for conversations that need to be confidential and Telegram for public channels, large communities and content where the provider being able to read it does not matter. Just do not treat Telegram's regular chats as private.