Telegram: Pricing, Features, Pros & Cons (2026)

Cloud-based messenger known for huge groups, public channels, bots and fast multi-device sync.

Verified facts: 5 of 5
Alternatives ranked: 6
Approved reviews: 0
Visits sent from here: 0

About Telegram

Telegram stores your chats in its cloud, so the same conversations appear instantly on your phone, tablet, desktop and the web without your phone needing to be online. It is popular for large communities: groups can hold up to 200,000 members and channels can broadcast to unlimited subscribers. A rich bot platform and mini apps let developers build services inside chats. Files up to 2 GB can be shared for free, and an optional Telegram Premium subscription doubles many limits, raises uploads to 4 GB and adds extras such as voice-to-text. The important caveat is encryption: ordinary cloud chats are encrypted between you and Telegram's servers, but only Secret Chats (one-to-one, single device) and calls are end-to-end encrypted. The client apps are open source with reproducible builds, while the server is not. Apps exist for Android, iPhone, Windows, Mac, Linux and browsers. It suits people who value features and convenience over strict privacy.

Best for: Communities, channel followers and power users who want every chat synced on every device.

What works

Instant sync across phone, desktop and web without the phone online
Very large groups and broadcast channels
Open bot platform and open-source client apps

Why people leave

Regular chats are not end-to-end encrypted
Secret Chats are one-to-one and tied to a single device
Public groups attract spam and scams

Top Telegram alternatives

See all 6

1
Signal
End-to-end encryption for every chat by default, for people who joined Telegram for privacy.
66.5
2
WhatsApp
Encrypted by default and far more widely used for personal chats with family and friends.
62.6
3
Element
Open, federated Matrix rooms and spaces that can be self-hosted, with encryption on by default.
59.6
4
Session
Keeps the no-phone-number style of contact sharing but adds onion routing and full encryption.
55.3
5
SimpleX Chat
Groups and channels without any user identifiers, for privacy-focused communities.
53.6

Why people left Telegram

In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.

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Telegram: common questions

Is Telegram free?

Telegram has a free plan and paid plans.

Is Telegram open source?

No, Telegram is not open source. Open-source alternatives include Signal, Element and Session.

What platforms does Telegram run on?

Telegram is available for Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android.

What are the best alternatives to Telegram?

The highest-ranked Telegram alternatives right now are Signal, WhatsApp and Element. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 6 Telegram alternatives

Telegram facts

5 of 5 verified

Price: Free, with optional Premium; Checked Oct 25, 2026telegram.org(opens source in a new tab); “On top of that, private messaging on Telegram is free and will stay free — no ads, no subscription fees, forever.”
Group size: Up to 200,000 members; Checked Oct 25, 2026telegram.org(opens source in a new tab); “Social Telegram groups can hold up to 200,000 members.”
End-to-end encryption: Secret Chats and calls only; Checked Oct 25, 2026telegram.org(opens source in a new tab); “Secret chats use end-to-end encryption, thanks to which we don't have any data to disclose. To protect the data that is not covered by end-to-end encryption, Telegram uses a distributed”
File size limit: 2 GB (4 GB with Premium); Checked Oct 25, 2026telegram.org(opens source in a new tab); “With Telegram Premium, subscribers will now be able to send 4 GB files – enough space for 4 hours of 1080p video, or 18 days of high-quality audio.”
Open source: Client apps, reproducible builds; Checked Oct 25, 2026telegram.org(opens source in a new tab); “Telegram apps are open source and support reproducible builds .”