Signal vs Telegram: Which App Actually Keeps Your Messages Private?

Fact-checked by the Snapmessages editorial team

When comparing Signal vs Telegram for privacy, Signal wins by a significant margin — its end-to-end encryption is always on, for every message, with no exceptions. As of July 2025, Signal encrypts 100% of user messages by default, while Telegram’s default cloud chats are stored on its servers in a format that company employees can access. That distinction is not a minor technical detail; it is the central difference between the two apps.

According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s secure messaging scorecard, Signal consistently outperforms most messaging applications on core privacy criteria, including independently verified security, open-source code, and forward secrecy. A 2022 audit conducted by cybersecurity firm Cure53 confirmed no critical vulnerabilities in Signal’s core cryptographic implementation, reinforcing its standing as the gold standard in private messaging.

In this guide, you will get a precise, data-backed breakdown of how Signal and Telegram handle encryption, metadata, data storage, and government data requests — so you can make an informed decision about which app belongs on your device.

What Is End-to-End Encryption and Why Does It Matter?

End-to-end encryption (E2EE) means that a message is scrambled on your device before it leaves, and can only be unscrambled on the recipient’s device — nobody in between, including the app company, can read it. Without E2EE, a messaging provider that stores your chats on its servers could hand them over to law enforcement, advertisers, or hackers who breach those servers.

The significance of this cannot be overstated. If a messaging service stores readable message data, every data breach or legal subpoena becomes a direct threat to your privacy. In 2023, the Federal Trade Commission published guidance noting that consumers frequently overestimate the privacy protections built into popular apps.

The Difference Between Transport Encryption and End-to-End Encryption

Transport encryption (such as TLS/HTTPS) only protects your message while it travels to the server — once it arrives, the server can read and store it in plain text. End-to-end encryption ensures the server itself never receives a readable version of your message. This is the critical distinction between most cloud messaging services and truly private apps.

For a deeper look at how modern messaging security works at the protocol level, our guide on what message metadata is and who can see it explains the layers of data that exist beyond message content — and why even encrypted messages can leak personal information.

How Does Signal’s Encryption Actually Work?

Signal uses the Signal Protocol, a cryptographic framework that provides end-to-end encryption by default on every message, call, and file transfer — no settings to toggle, no opt-in required. The protocol was developed by cryptographer Moxie Marlinspike and is now maintained by the Signal Foundation, a non-profit based in the United States.

The Signal Protocol uses a combination of the Double Ratchet Algorithm and the X3DH (Extended Triple Diffie-Hellman) key agreement protocol. This design ensures forward secrecy — meaning even if an attacker obtained your encryption keys today, they could not decrypt past messages.

Independent Audits of the Signal Protocol

The Signal Protocol has been independently reviewed multiple times. A foundational academic analysis was published by the Cryptography Engineering Research Group in 2016, which found the protocol to be cryptographically sound. Cybersecurity firm Cure53 conducted a further audit in 2022 and found no critical vulnerabilities in Signal’s implementation.

Signal’s full codebase — including its server code — is open source and available for public inspection on Signal’s official GitHub repository. Open-source code means any researcher worldwide can audit it for security flaws, which dramatically increases accountability compared to closed, proprietary systems.

Signal also introduced Sealed Sender technology, which hides the sender’s identity even from Signal’s own servers in many communication scenarios, reducing metadata exposure further. It later added phone number privacy features that allow users to communicate without revealing their registered phone number to contacts.

How Does Telegram’s Encryption Work — and Where Does It Fall Short?

Telegram does NOT use end-to-end encryption by default. Standard Telegram chats — including all group chats and channels — are stored on Telegram’s cloud servers in a format that Telegram can access. Only the app’s “Secret Chats” feature enables E2EE, and users must manually activate it.

This is the most important fact in the Signal vs Telegram debate: the vast majority of Telegram users never activate Secret Chats, meaning their message history is stored on servers that Telegram controls. If those servers were breached, or if Telegram were compelled by a court to disclose data, that content could be exposed.

Telegram’s MTProto Encryption Protocol

Telegram built its own proprietary encryption protocol called MTProto, currently on version 2.0. The company argues that MTProto is highly secure, and independent analyses have not identified catastrophic flaws in version 2.0. However, MTProto has received significantly fewer independent audits than the Signal Protocol, and its server-side code is not open source.

A 2015 paper published in the IACR Cryptology ePrint Archive identified theoretical weaknesses in the original MTProto design. While Telegram updated the protocol, the closed-source nature of its server infrastructure makes it impossible for external researchers to fully verify the security of cloud-stored messages.

Secret Chats: Telegram’s E2EE Option

Telegram’s Secret Chats do provide device-to-device end-to-end encryption and include a self-destruct timer. However, Secret Chats have significant limitations: they are device-specific (you cannot access them from multiple devices), they do not support group chats, and most Telegram users are simply unaware they exist.

If you want to learn how to set up an encrypted one-on-one conversation manually, our guide on how to set up a secret chat on your phone walks through the process step by step on both iOS and Android.

What Data Does Each App Actually Collect About You?

Signal collects the absolute minimum data required to operate: your phone number and the date and time you registered. It does not store message content, contact lists, group memberships, profile photos, or any behavioral metadata on its servers. According to Signal’s official privacy policy, the company is technically incapable of handing over message content because it does not possess it.

Telegram collects significantly more data. According to Telegram’s privacy policy, the app stores your phone number, contacts, IP address, device information, and all non-Secret Chat message history on its servers. This data is retained for at least 12 months.

App Store Privacy Labels: A Side-by-Side Look

Apple’s App Store privacy nutrition labels offer a clear visual comparison. Signal’s label shows data linked to the user includes only phone number. Telegram’s label shows data linked to the user includes contact info, user content (messages), identifiers, usage data, and device ID. This difference is stark and reflects the fundamental architectural choices each company has made.

This data collection gap is the reason privacy researchers and security professionals consistently recommend Signal over Telegram for sensitive communications. The data Telegram holds on its servers creates a legal and security liability that Signal’s architecture eliminates by design.

How Do Signal and Telegram Respond to Government Data Requests?

Signal’s response to government data requests is the clearest evidence of its privacy-first architecture: it has almost nothing to hand over. In a documented 2021 federal subpoena filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Signal was compelled to provide user data — and could only produce the account creation date and the date of last connection. No messages, no contacts, no metadata.

Telegram’s situation is more complex. For years, the company claimed it had never provided user data to any government. However, following the 2024 arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France, Telegram announced a policy change. The company confirmed it would begin sharing user IP addresses and phone numbers with law enforcement agencies in response to valid legal requests related to criminal investigations.

Telegram’s 2024 Policy Shift

Before September 2024, Telegram’s transparency reports listed exactly zero data disclosures to governments. After Durov’s arrest, Telegram updated its privacy policy to explicitly state that it may disclose IP addresses and phone numbers of users suspected of violating its terms of service in response to legal requests. This was a significant departure from its previous stance and alarmed many privacy advocates who had relied on Telegram’s prior policy.

Signal, by contrast, has no similar data to disclose regardless of legal pressure. The company has published all government data requests it has received on its Signal legal process transparency page, demonstrating consistent inability to provide substantive user data.

How Do Signal and Telegram Compare on Features and Usability?

Telegram wins on features and usability by a wide margin. It supports channels with unlimited subscribers, bots, file sharing up to 4 GB per file, group chats with up to 200,000 members, and extensive customization. Signal’s feature set is deliberately minimal, prioritizing security over convenience.

For users who need a robust communication platform for communities, content distribution, or team coordination, Telegram’s feature set is genuinely superior. Signal is designed for private one-on-one and small group conversations, not mass broadcasting.

For teams considering messaging apps for collaboration purposes, our comparison of Telegram vs WhatsApp covers how Telegram performs as a team communication tool against another mainstream competitor.

Signal’s Note-to-Self and Payment Features

Signal has expanded cautiously beyond basic messaging. It offers a Note to Self feature for encrypted personal reminders and storage, and a payments feature (available in select regions) using the MobileCoin cryptocurrency. These additions keep Signal’s footprint small while adding practical utility without compromising its privacy model.

Who Should Use Signal — and Who Might Prefer Telegram?

Signal is the right choice for anyone whose primary concern is keeping message content private — including journalists, lawyers, healthcare workers, activists, and anyone communicating sensitive personal or professional information. Its architecture guarantees that even a court order cannot extract message content from Signal’s servers.

Telegram is better suited for users who prioritize community building, content distribution, large group coordination, and access to rich media features. If privacy is secondary to functionality — and you understand that standard Telegram chats are not end-to-end encrypted — Telegram is a powerful platform.

Professional and High-Risk Use Cases

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) explicitly recommends Signal for source communications. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has similarly recommended Signal in guidance for protesters and activists. These endorsements from civil liberties organizations reflect a consensus among security professionals that Signal’s privacy guarantees are uniquely reliable.

If you are also concerned about account security beyond messaging privacy, pairing Signal with strong authentication practices matters. Our guide on what two-factor authentication is and whether you should use it covers how to add another layer of protection to your accounts.

How Do Signal vs Telegram Handle Group Chats and Large Communities?

Signal group chats support up to 1,000 members and apply end-to-end encryption to every message in the group. Telegram group chats support up to 200,000 members but have no end-to-end encryption in standard groups — all messages are stored on Telegram’s servers.

For large-scale community management, Telegram is incomparably more capable. It supports pinned messages, admin roles, moderation tools, anonymous group administration, and integrated bots that can automate tasks, run polls, and manage memberships. Signal has none of these advanced group management features.

Signal’s Approach to Group Privacy

Signal uses a sophisticated cryptographic system for group messaging called Private Group System (PGS), introduced in 2020. Under this system, Signal’s servers handle group membership requests without ever learning who is in the group or what messages are being sent. This is a technically difficult problem, and Signal’s solution remains one of the most privacy-preserving group messaging architectures available in any consumer app.

Users who want to explore other options for private group conversations may also be interested in our roundup of the best apps for private conversations without phone numbers, which covers additional tools beyond Signal and Telegram.

Have Signal or Telegram Ever Been Hacked or Breached?

Signal has never experienced a breach that exposed message content, which is the most important measure of security performance. Because Signal’s servers do not store readable message data, even a successful server breach would yield nothing of conversational value to an attacker. The app did experience a limited SIM-swap-related incident in 2022 involving its SMS verification provider Twilio, which affected approximately 1,900 user phone numbers — but no message content was compromised.

Telegram has experienced more significant security incidents. In 2019, a data breach exposed the phone numbers of approximately 15 million Iranian Telegram users, including phone numbers linked to accounts in government and security services, according to reporting by Reuters. The breach occurred because of weaknesses in Telegram’s contact-syncing infrastructure, not its encryption.

Spyware and Client-Side Vulnerabilities

Both Signal and Telegram face threats from client-side attacks — malware and spyware that intercept messages after they are decrypted on your device. No encryption system protects against a compromised device. Tools like Pegasus spyware, developed by the NSO Group, have been documented exploiting both iOS and Android vulnerabilities to read messages directly from the screen, bypassing all app-level encryption.

This is why device security matters as much as app choice. If you are concerned that your phone may already be compromised, our guide on how to tell if your phone has been hacked covers the warning signs and steps to investigate.

Telegram was also identified as a vector for malware distribution in multiple threat intelligence reports from Kaspersky Lab and Group-IB between 2021 and 2023, as its large public channels were exploited to spread malicious files. Signal’s more restricted file-sharing environment makes it a less attractive distribution channel for malware.

What Is the Final Verdict on Signal vs Telegram for Privacy?

Signal is definitively the more private and secure application for message confidentiality. Its default end-to-end encryption, minimal data collection, open-source architecture, and multiple independent audits place it well ahead of Telegram on every measurable privacy criterion. Telegram is a powerful communication platform, but it is not — and has never claimed to be — a privacy-first messaging app.

The right choice depends on what you need. If protecting message content is your top priority, use Signal. If you need a feature-rich platform for communities, channels, and large groups — and you understand the privacy trade-offs — Telegram serves that purpose well. Many users find it practical to run both apps simultaneously, using each for its intended purpose.

For users interested in apps that offer timed message deletion as an additional privacy layer, our guide to the top messaging apps with self-destructing messages in 2026 covers how disappearing message features compare across multiple platforms.

Your Action Plan

1. Download Signal from the official source

   Install Signal only from the official Signal website, the Apple App Store, or Google Play Store. Verify the publisher is “Signal Foundation” to avoid counterfeit apps. Signal is free with no premium tier.

2. Enable a Registration Lock PIN in Signal

   Go to Signal Settings, then Account, then Registration Lock, and set a PIN of at least 8 digits. This prevents anyone who gains access to your phone number from re-registering your Signal account — a critical defense against SIM swap attacks. Our guide on SIM swap attacks and how to protect yourself explains why this step matters.

3. Enable disappearing messages as your default

   In Signal’s settings, navigate to Privacy, then Default Timer, and set messages to disappear after a timeframe that fits your needs (7 days is a practical default for most users). This ensures that even if a device is seized, older message history is automatically deleted.

4. Audit your Telegram privacy settings immediately

   If you continue using Telegram, go to Settings, then Privacy and Security. Set “Who can see my phone number” to Nobody, restrict “Who can add me to groups and channels” to My Contacts only, and enable Two-Step Verification under the security section. These settings reduce — but do not eliminate — Telegram’s data exposure.

5. Switch sensitive Telegram conversations to Secret Chats

   For any one-on-one conversation on Telegram involving sensitive information, tap the contact’s name, tap the three-dot menu, and select “Start Secret Chat.” Set a self-destruct timer. Remember that Secret Chats cannot be accessed from other devices and do not support groups. Our step-by-step tutorial on how to set up a secret chat on your phone walks through this in detail.

6. Use a strong, unique password for your Telegram account

   Enable Telegram’s Two-Step Verification under Settings, then Privacy and Security. Choose a password that is at least 12 characters and completely unique to Telegram. For guidance on creating passwords that are both strong and memorable, see our guide on how to set a strong password you can actually remember.

7. Consider your threat model before deciding

   If you are a standard consumer worried about data brokers and app tracking, Signal provides meaningful protection that Telegram does not. If you are a journalist, lawyer, activist, or anyone whose communications carry legal risk, Signal is not optional — it is the professional standard. The Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Surveillance Self-Defense guide offers a free, comprehensive threat modeling framework to help you assess your personal risk level.

8. Keep both apps updated automatically

   Enable automatic updates for both Signal and Telegram in your device’s app store settings. Security vulnerabilities are patched through updates, and running outdated versions of either app eliminates the protection their developers have built in. Signal in particular releases security patches promptly and transparently.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Signal really safer than Telegram?

Yes — Signal is objectively safer than Telegram for message privacy. Signal encrypts every message end-to-end by default, collects no message content, and has proven in federal court proceedings that it possesses virtually no user data. Telegram’s standard chats are not end-to-end encrypted and are stored on company servers.

Can Telegram read my messages?

Telegram can technically read messages sent through its standard cloud chats because those messages are stored in a format accessible to Telegram’s systems. Only messages sent via Telegram’s Secret Chat feature are end-to-end encrypted and therefore unreadable to Telegram. Group chats on Telegram are never end-to-end encrypted.

Has Signal ever given data to law enforcement?

Signal has responded to law enforcement subpoenas but has been able to provide only a user’s account registration date and the date of last connection — nothing more. This was formally documented in a 2021 U.S. federal court proceeding. Signal stores no message content, contact lists, or metadata that could be meaningfully disclosed.

Is Telegram end-to-end encrypted?

Telegram is only end-to-end encrypted in its optional Secret Chats feature, which must be manually activated for each conversation. All standard one-on-one chats, group chats, and channels are encrypted only between your device and Telegram’s servers — meaning Telegram can access that content. Secret Chats are not available for group conversations.

Which app is better for group privacy — Signal or Telegram?

Signal is far better for group privacy. Signal’s group chats support up to 1,000 members with full end-to-end encryption and a cryptographic system that prevents even Signal’s servers from knowing who is in a group. Telegram’s group chats can hold 200,000 members but have no end-to-end encryption, and all group history is stored on Telegram’s servers.

Does Signal sell user data?

No — Signal cannot sell user data because it does not collect enough data to sell. Signal is operated by the Signal Foundation, a non-profit organization funded by donations and grants. It has no advertising revenue model and explicitly states in its privacy policy that user data is never sold or shared for commercial purposes.

What happened to Telegram’s privacy policy after Pavel Durov’s arrest?

Following the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France in August 2024, Telegram updated its privacy policy to state it would disclose user IP addresses and phone numbers to law enforcement in response to valid legal requests related to criminal investigations. This was a significant reversal of Telegram’s prior policy of disclosing zero user data.

Can I use Signal without a phone number?

Signal requires a phone number for registration, but since 2023 it allows users to set a username so contacts can reach them without knowing their phone number. Signal can also be set to not share your phone number with new contacts. However, registration still requires phone number verification, unlike some alternative apps.

Is Telegram safe for personal conversations?

Telegram is safe enough for non-sensitive personal conversations, provided you understand its privacy limitations. For casual chatting, sharing links, or community participation, the risk is generally low. For any conversation involving sensitive personal, financial, legal, or political information, you should use Signal or Telegram’s Secret Chat feature instead.

Which app should journalists and activists use?

Journalists and activists should use Signal. The Committee to Protect Journalists, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the American Civil Liberties Union all recommend Signal for sensitive communications. Signal’s architecture means that even compelled legal disclosure produces no usable message data, offering the strongest available protection against state-level surveillance.