Telegram is a free digital messaging app which was founded in 2013 and with headquarters in the United Arab Emirates. It was founded by Pavel Durov who is also the co-founder of VKontakte, the Russian version of LinkedIn, and who’s one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world.
Thanks to its synchronization and adaptability, it allows users to share and communicate across different devices simultaneously, regardless of the platform and operating system. It holds today over 950 million users, which makes it one of the biggest messaging platforms in the industry. Its speed and security standards help users communicate and share files without any safety concerns.
What Features Does Telegram Offer?
Once a user decides to download Telegram, a wide spectrum of functionalities and features become available. For instance, its infrastructure based in the cloud enables instant and constant synchronization. Due to this, users can share messages and files from any device in real time with as little as 100 MB of free storage.
Telegram focuses on being fast and secure: it has constructed a multi-data-center infrastructure and offers end-to-end encryption. As you might know, its open-source code and API welcome developers to create and share custom applications and bots to run within the app so that other users can integrate services, accept payments, and more. Telegram also includes AI-powered functionalities for a better user experience by achieving more efficient communication. AI is also present in message moderation, allowing users to report activities that they find violate the app’s terms and conditions.
Telegram enables chat groups of up to 200,000 members which makes it a useful tool for commercial or professional use and facilitates communications between users and organizations. As a plus, you can also personalize and customize the app thanks to third-party compatibility features that skyrocket imagination and creativity. Another useful feature for commercial use is the fact that there are no limits to multimedia sharing, so files and other important documents can be safely shared the second after individuals download Telegram.
Which Operating Systems Support Telegram?
Telegram is available both for mobile and desktop devices, and it supports multiple operating systems across platforms. If you’re an Android user, you can run the app with a minimum operating system requirement of 4.0 or later. Apple devices require iOS 12.0 and iPadOS 12.0 or later.
The desktop version of Telegram supports Windows, Mac, and Linux so that users can send and receive messages almost from any laptops. Furthermore, if users do not want to download any desktop software, they can opt to use the web version by accessing through their preferred browser.
Is Telegram Free?
Telegram charges no fees or includes any ads to send and receive messages. Many of its functionalities are included for free, so users can just download the app and start right away without registering any credit cards or other payment methods. However, its free version is limited as to the features users can access and enjoy.
Telegram’s Premium version offers additional features. By subscribing to this plan, users can send files of up to 4 GB in size, which doubles the limits in the free version. Exclusive tools such as voice-.to-text conversion, animated profile photos, and advanced chat management functionalities are also included in the Premium version. Additionally, Premium users can also access real-time chat and channel translations.
What Are the Alternatives to Telegram?
If you don’t want to download Telegram, there are several alternatives that may do the trick for you. For instance, Signal offers safe and secure communication features with end-to-end encryption. Its free plan includes high-quality video calls and does not interrupt your activities with ads or pop-ups. Signal is the social network which is used by some of the most famous whistleblowers, like Edward Snowden.
There is also WhatsApp which is the leading messaging app platform with over 2 billion unique users. While it ensures regular security and functionality updates, many fear security issues while sharing sensitive information. Nevertheless, it keeps up to date by adding new features regularly to offer different and entertaining ways to connect with other users.
Like WhatsApp, Messenger is another alternative which belongs to Meta (which owns Facebook as well). It stands out as a good Telegram alternative that users can access without an account on its social media platform. With fast and secure communication features, it offers different ways to connect with your family and friends. However, its lack of popularity restricts the number of people you can contact without asking them to download the messaging app.
