Telegram is a popular messaging service with a privacy and security focus It's also open source, so the developers' claims are available for anyone to check at any time. There's no data scraping and everything is encrypted to keep your conversations secret. Telegram is a popular messaging service with a privacy and security focus. Works with: An app for Android, iPad/iPhone, a web browser for computers, and a desktop app for macOS (Mac users can also use the web browser version).Video calls: One-on-one (group calls are planned for late 2021).VoIP (voice) calls: Up to a few thousand participants.

So if you're uncomfortable with companies snooping on your activity, you might want to look elsewhere. And it's end-to-end encrypted, for security.īut where WhatsApp was originally dedicated to privacy, Facebook has recently started using it to collate information for advertising. You can easily share photos, videos and files as large as 100MB, but there's no built-in GIF gallery. WhatsApp was originally dedicated to privacy, but Facebook has recently started using it to collate information

But because it relies on a phone number, it's difficult to use on more than one phone at a time unless you're swapping your SIM card. And its popularity means it's likely you'll already have contacts using it. WhatsApp is owned by Facebook, but you don't need a Facebook account to sign up – just a phone number. You can't use the browser version unless you sync it to the account you made with your phone number. Works with: An app for Android, iPhone/iPad, and for desktop there's a web browser plugin.There's an option to create a Secret Conversation, which is encrypted and which deletes messages after a certain time, but only one-on-one. And your messages aren't end-to-end encrypted, so they aren't secure if anyone manages to intercept or steal them. Facebook records your Messenger activity to improve targeted advertising. The normal limit for group voice and video calls is eight, but a separate feature called 'Messenger Rooms' allows up to 50 people, albeit with different features. It also lets you exchange videos, pictures and files, send GIFs from its vast library, and easily share content from Facebook into your Messenger chats. Facebook records your Messenger activity to improve targeted advertising

This is the core strength of the platform – it's easy to send a message to a Facebook friend, companies use it to contact customers, group pages can have associated group discussions, and it's useful for selling products on Facebook Marketplace, among other things. If you have a Facebook account, you have a Messenger account.

Works with: Phones and tablets (Android, iPhone, iPad) use an app, and for computers you can either click the Messenger icon in the top right of your web browser's Facebook page to use chat windows, or visit the Messenger web page directly for a larger view with more options.

Video calls: Up to eight Messenger Rooms up to 50 people.

VoIP (voice) calls: Up to eight Messenger Rooms up to 50 people.

Encrypted text messaging apps