Signal then requires you to create a PIN. You'll be asked whether you want to enable app permissions, such as access to your contacts. You can use an alias or, with Signal, an emoji. (In some cases, Telegram will call you with the code instead.)īoth platforms require a first name to finalize your profile, but neither require that name to be your real name. The installation process for both apps is relatively simple: Download the software for your preferred platform, register using your phone number, and enter the verification code received via SMS. Linux ( Debian-based distros for Signal (opens in new tab), 32-bit (opens in new tab) and 64-bit (opens in new tab) versions for Telegram) Signal vs. Windows ( Signal (opens in new tab), Telegram (opens in new tab)) MacOS ( Signal (opens in new tab), Telegram (opens in new tab))Īndroid ( Signal (opens in new tab), Telegram (opens in new tab)) IOS ( Signal (opens in new tab), Telegram (opens in new tab)) Both Signal and Telegram are available on the following platforms:

Telegram has a slight edge in this category, with support for Windows Phone (opens in new tab) as well as a Chrome browser extension (opens in new tab) and a fully web-based option (opens in new tab). The brothers no longer live in Russia and even though their company is based in London, many of its central operations are in Dubai. While Signal is owned by a non-profit foundation, Telegram was founded by the Russian billionaires Pavel and Nikolai Durov who also created the country’s largest social network, VK. For those who are concerned about big tech snooping on their private conversations, Signal once again proves to be the better choice. That matters when the authorities show up at Telegram’s facilities with a search warrant.Īlthough you can start Signal chats by typing in another person’s phone number, Telegram requires access to your contacts before you can message anyone. In contrast, Telegram’s metadata may include your IP address (which can give away your location) as well as who you are talking to and when. Signal generally only stores the date on which you created your account as well as the last time you connected. Signal also collects far less data on users than Telegram does. Still though, the paper added that “further investigation” is needed “in order to deem this protocol suite definitely secure”. However, the consensus seems to be that the latest version is more secure than MTProto 1.0 (opens in new tab) (PDF).Īccording to an academic research paper (opens in new tab) published in 2020, Telegram’s MTProto 2.0 protocol is fundamentally sound. Many security experts have stated that Telegram’s ' homegrown encryption technology (opens in new tab)' has a limited track record compared to Signal's.

For its encrypted Secret Chats, Telegram uses its own MTProto 2.0 protocol which is open source on the client side.

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