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<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Comparison of Instant Messengers</title>
<meta name="description" content="Comparison of Instant Messengers">
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<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="keywords" content="Technology, Browsers, Firefox, Chrome, Edge, Safari, Brave, Vivaldi, Operating Systems, Desktop Environments, GNOME, KDE, Xfce, Linux, Unix, BSD, Solaris, Windows, macOS, Instant Messengers, Chat, Software, Cloud, Sync, Email, Privacy">
<meta name="author" content="Alphonse Eylenburg">
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<p><a href="index.html">← Sitemap</a></p>
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<h1>Comparison of Instant Messengers</h1>
<p>There are probably a hundred or more different instant messengers out there. But which one respects your privacy, is resistant to censorship attempts by governments and Big Tech, and is easy to use for normies? <br />
I have limited this comparison to only eleven messengers:</p>
<ul>
<li>SimpleX, a private messenger that doesn't need accounts or user ID</li>
<li>XMPP, the pioneer of FOSS and federated instant messengers. XMPP is just a protocol and not an application; in this article it is represented by the Android app Conversations.</li>
<li>Delta Chat, which is based on normal email and hence has the greatest theoretical userbase among all federated messengers.</li>
<li>Matrix, a new and very promising federated protocol, here represented by the leading client Element.</li>
<li>Session: Great privacy, FOSS, using a decentralized blockchain-based network for message transmission. Started as an anonymous fork of Signal.</li>
<li>Signal, the most mainstream end-to-end (E2E) encrypted FOSS messenger.</li>
<li>Telegram, the most mainstream FOSS messenger, and market leader in some countries.</li>
<li>Threema, the most mainstream E2E-encrypted FOSS messenger with the option of anonymous accounts.</li>
<li>Facebook Messenger, the second most popular messenger worldwide.</li>
<li>Line, the most popular messenger in Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand.</li>
<li>Viber, as it is the most popular messenger in some countries.</li>
<li>WhatsApp, the #1 most popular messenger worldwide.</li>
</ul>
<p>Some messengers that are relevant but did not make it on the list:</p>
<ul style="font-size: small;">
<li>iMessage (+FaceTime): not available on Android</li>
<li>RCS (Google Messages): not available on iOS</li>
<li>Anything else made by Google: Google Chat, Google Meet, Google Duo, Google Hangouts, it's hard to follow what they're pushing at the moment. They keep deprecating and reinventing their IM apps. It's too tiresome to follow and they won't ever make a breakthrough anyway. Should have kept Google Talk, which was simply an XMPP client.</li>
<li>Skype: Not market leader in any country (anymore), cannibalized by Microsoft Teams</li>
<li>Briar: Peer-to-peer messenger with the most mindshare, but low adoption, limited functionality (only text messages), not available for iOS</li>
<li>Tox: Another well-known P2P messenger, supports more platforms than Briar, but low adoption.</li>
<li>ICQ: One of the first, and historically very popular, IMs. <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">It's still around but with a small number of active users.</span> Shut down in June 2024 :(</li>
<li>WeChat: The market leader in China, and third most popular IM worldwide, but it's a privacy nightmare and there's no reason to use WeChat if you're not Chinese or living in China.</li>
<li>KakaoTalk: The market leader in South Korea, but low adoption elsewhere.</li>
<li>IRC: A protocol with many clients and server federation. Unlike XMPP for example, IRC focuses mostly on group chats rather than 1:1 instant messaging.</li>
<li>Discord: Quite popular, but mostly focuses on group and voice chats. Privacy nightmare.</li>
<li>Kik: Quite popular, but not #1 anywhere</li>
<li>Snapchat: Quite popular, but more like a social media than pure IM, and not #1 in any country.</li>
<li>QQ: Second most popular messenger in China. But if WeChat doesn't make it on list, QQ won't make it either.</li>
<li>Jami: Great privacy, but low adoption.</li>
<li>Wire, Wickr, Slack, Microsoft Teams, BBMe, Mattermost: Focus on enterprise users.</li>
<li>Instagram, LinkedIn: Mainly social media rather than a messenger.</li>
<li>Mumble, Teamspeak: Voice chat focus.</li>
</ul>
<h2 class="center">Comparison of Instant Messengers</h2>
<p class="center">Source: eylenburg.github.io</p>
<p class="center" style="color: red; font-size: small;">Last updated: 5 December 2024</p>
<table class="comparison">
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<!-- end federated + foss -->
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<col style="border-left: 1px solid lightgrey; width: var(--imwidth);">
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<col style="border-left: 1px solid lightgrey; width: var(--imwidth);">
<col style="border-left: 1px solid lightgrey; width: var(--imwidth);">
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<td style="width: var(--imwidth);"></td>
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<td></td>
<td colspan="5">Decentralized/Federated & FOSS</td>
<td colspan="3">Centralized & FOSS</td>
<td colspan="4">Proprietary Market Leaders</td>
</tr>
<tr style="font-size: larger; font-weight: bold;">
<th></th>
<th>SimpleX</th>
<th>Conversations <br />(XMPP)</th>
<th>Delta Chat</th>
<th>Element <br />(Matrix)</th>
<th>Session</th>
<th>Signal</th>
<th>Telegram</th>
<th>Threema</th>
<th>Facebook Messenger</th>
<th>Line</th>
<th>Viber</th>
<th>WhatsApp</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td style="vertical-align: middle;"><img src="pics/logos/messengers/simplex.png" style="height: 30px; max-width: 190px;" /></td>
<td><img src="pics/logos/messengers/conversations.png" style="height: 100px; max-width: 190px;" /></td>
<td><img src="pics/logos/messengers/delta.svg" style="height: 100px; max-width: 190px;" /></td>
<td><img src="pics/logos/messengers/element.svg" style="height: 100px; max-width: 190px;" /></td>
<td><img src="pics/logos/messengers/session.svg" style="height: 100px; max-width: 190px;" /></td>
<td><img src="pics/logos/messengers/signal.png" style="height: 100px; max-width: 190px;" /></td>
<td><img src="pics/logos/messengers/telegram.webp" style="height: 100px; max-width: 190px;" /></td>
<td><img src="pics/logos/messengers/threema.png" style="height: 100px; max-width: 190px;" /></td>
<td><img src="pics/logos/messengers/facebook.png" style="height: 100px; max-width: 190px;" /></td>
<td><img src="pics/logos/messengers/line.png" style="height: 100px; max-width: 190px;" /></td>
<td><img src="pics/logos/messengers/viber.png" style="height: 100px; max-width: 190px;" /></td>
<td><img src="pics/logos/messengers/whatsapp.png" style="height: 100px; max-width: 190px;" /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="semititle"><br />General information</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Year introduced</td>
<td class="line">2021</td>
<td class="line">2014 (XMPP: 1999)</td>
<td class="line">2017</td>
<td class="line">2016 (Matrix: 2014)</td>
<td class="line">2020</td>
<td class="line">2014</td>
<td class="line">2013</td>
<td class="line">2012</td>
<td class="line">2011</td>
<td class="line">2011</td>
<td class="line">2010</td>
<td class="line">2009</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Developer</td>
<td class="line">SimpleX Chat Ltd</td>
<td class="line">mainly Daniel Gultsch</td>
<td class="line">various developers</td>
<td class="line">The Matrix.org Foundation CIC</td>
<td class="line">Session Technology Foundation</td>
<td class="line">Signal Technology Foundation</td>
<td class="line">Telegram FZ LLC</td>
<td class="line">Threema GmbH</td>
<td class="line">Facebook, Inc.</td>
<td class="line">LINE Corporation</td>
<td class="line">Rakuten Group, Inc.</td>
<td class="line">Facebook, Inc.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Domicile of developer</td>
<td class="line">UK</td>
<td class="line">Germany</td>
<td class="line">Germany</td>
<td class="line">UK</td>
<td class="line">Switzerland</td>
<td class="line">USA</td>
<td class="line">UAE</td>
<td class="line">Switzerland</td>
<td class="line">USA</td>
<td class="line">Japan</td>
<td class="line">Japan</td>
<td class="line">USA</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Monthly active users</td>
<td class="mau0">n/a (decentralized)</td>
<td class="mau0">n/a (decentralized)</td>
<td class="mau0">n/a (decentralized)</td>
<td class="mau0">n/a (decentralized)</td>
<td class="mau0">n/a (decentralized)</td>
<td class="mau1">40 million</td>
<td class="mau4">900 million</td>
<td class="mau1">10 million</td>
<td class="mau5">1.3 billion</td>
<td class="mau2">250 million</td>
<td class="mau4">825 million</td>
<td class="mau6">2.0 billion</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Play Store number of installs</td>
<td class="mau1">100,000+</td>
<td class="mau1 tooltip">100,000+<span class="tooltiptext">refers only to the Conversations app, which is only one of many XMPP messengers</span></td>
<td class="mau1">100,000+</td>
<td class="mau2 tooltip">1,000,000+<span class="tooltiptext">refers only to the Element app, which is only one of many XMPP messengers</span></td>
<td class="mau2">1,000,000+</td>
<td class="mau3">100,000,000+</td>
<td class="mau3">500,000,000+</td>
<td class="mau2">5,000,000+</td>
<td class="mau6">5,000,000,000+</td>
<td class="mau4">500,000,000+</td>
<td class="mau5">1,000,000,000+</td>
<td class="mau6">5,000,000,000+</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Protocol used</td>
<td class="line">SimpleX + Signal</td>
<td class="line">XMPP + OMEMO</td>
<td class="line">IMAP/SMTP + OpenPGP</td>
<td class="line">Matrix + Olm/Megolm</td>
<td class="line">Session</td>
<td class="line">Signal</td>
<td class="line">MTProto</td>
<td class="line">NaCl + Ibex</td>
<td class="line">MQTT + Signal</td>
<td class="line">MQTT + Letter Sealing</td>
<td class="line">Viber</td>
<td class="line">XMPP + Signal</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Price</td>
<td class="line">free</td>
<td class="line tooltip">free<span class="tooltiptext">Free download on F-Droid. Play Store costs €2.99. Alternatively, Quicksy (same developer, almost identical app) is free on the Play Store as well.</span></td>
<td class="line">free</td>
<td class="line">free</td>
<td class="line">free</td>
<td class="line">free</td>
<td class="line">free</td>
<td class="line" style="color: red;">€3.99</td>
<td class="line">free</td>
<td class="line">free</td>
<td class="line">free</td>
<td class="line">free</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="semititle"><br />Sustainability</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>License of client/server</td>
<td class="yes">AGPL</td>
<td class="yes">GPL</td>
<td class="yes">GPL</td>
<td class="yes">Apache</td>
<td class="yes">GPL</td>
<td class="yes">GPL</td>
<td class="mixed">GPL/Proprietary</td>
<td class="mixed">AGPL/Proprietary</td>
<td class="no">Proprietary</td>
<td class="no">Proprietary</td>
<td class="no">Proprietary</td>
<td class="no">Proprietary</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Server architecture</td>
<td class="yes tooltip">Decentralized<span class="tooltiptext">Server just serve as relays and don't save messages once they have reached their recipient</span></td>
<td class="yes">Federated</td>
<td class="yes">Federated</td>
<td class="yes">Federated</td>
<td class="yes tooltip">Decentralized<span class="tooltiptext">Nodes hold onto messages until they are delivered, for up to two weeks.</span></td>
<td class="no">Centralized</td>
<td class="no">Centralized</td>
<td class="no">Centralized</td>
<td class="no">Centralized</td>
<td class="no">Centralized</td>
<td class="no">Centralized</td>
<td class="no">Centralized</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Ability to self-host server</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes tooltip">Yes<span class="tooltiptext">but requires staking cryptocurrency</span></td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Compatibility with other messengers</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="yes tooltip">Via transports if supported by server <span class="tooltiptext">"Transports" to various other protocols and messengers, e.g. IRC, SMS, Email, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, Skype, Discord</span></td>
<td class="yes">Fallback to normal Email; more via <a href="https://github.com/deltachat-bot/matterdelta" target="_blank">bridges</a></td>
<td class="yes tooltip">Via <a href="https://matrix.org/ecosystem/bridges/" target="_blank">bridges</a> if supported by server <span class="tooltiptext">"bridges" to various other protocols and messengers, e.g. IRC, SMS, Email, XMPP, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Apple iMessage, Telegram, Signal, Skype, Discord, WeChat</span></td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No (SMS in earlier versions)</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No (Instagram & SMS in earlier versions)</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="semititle"><br />Compatibility</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td>
</tr>
<!--
<tr>
<td style="text-indent: 10px; text-decoration: underline; font-style: italic;">Smartphones:</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td>
</tr>
-->
<tr>
<td>Android</td>
<td class="yes">Yes<!-- (APK available)--></td>
<td class="yes">Yes<!-- (APK available)--></td>
<td class="yes">Yes<!-- (APK available)--></td>
<td class="yes">Yes<!-- (APK available)--></td>
<td class="yes">Yes<!-- (APK available)--></td>
<td class="yes">Yes<!-- (APK available)--></td>
<td class="yes">Yes<!-- (APK available)--></td>
<td class="yes">Yes<!-- (APK available)--></td>
<td class="mixed">Yes (needs Google Play for push notifications)<!-- (no APK available)--></td>
<td class="mixed">Yes (needs Google Play for push notifications)<!-- (APK available)--></td>
<td class="yes">Yes<!-- (no APK available)--></td>
<td class="yes">Yes<!-- (APK available)--></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>iOS</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="otherclients"><a href="https://xmpp.org/software/clients/" target="_blank" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline; text-decoration-style: dotted;">Other XMPP client(s)</a></td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
</tr>
<!--
<tr>
<td>KaiOS</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="otherclients">Other Matrix client(s)</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="otherclients">Other Telegram client(s)</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="notreally">Older versions of KaiOS</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="notreally">Older versions of KaiOS</td>
</tr>
-->
<!--
<tr>
<td class="tooltip">Mobile GNU/Linux<span class="tooltiptext">Mobile distributions such as Sailfish OS, Ubuntu Touch, postmarketOS etc.</span></td>
<td class="otherclients"><a href="https://xmpp.org/software/clients/" target="_blank" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline; text-decoration-style: dotted;">Other XMPP client(s)</a></td>
<td class="otherclients">Other Delta Chat client(s)</td>
<td class="otherclients">Other Matrix client(s)</td>
<td class="otherclients">Other Signal client(s)</td>
<td class="otherclients">Other Telegram client(s)</td>
<td class="notreally tooltip">Can run Android version<span class="tooltiptext">using Anbox (most distributions) or Sailfish X Android App support</span></td>
<td class="notreally tooltip">Can run Android version<span class="tooltiptext">using Anbox (most distributions) or Sailfish X Android App support</span></td>
<td class="notreally tooltip">Can run Android version<span class="tooltiptext">using Anbox (most distributions) or Sailfish X Android App support</span></td>
<td class="notreally tooltip">Can run Android version<span class="tooltiptext">using Anbox (most distributions) or Sailfish X Android App support</span></td>
<td class="notreally tooltip">Can run Android version<span class="tooltiptext">using Anbox (most distributions) or Sailfish X Android App support</span></td>
</tr>
-->
<!--
<tr>
<td>Sailfish OS</td>
<td class="mixed">Other XMPP client(s)</td>
<td class="notreally tooltip">Can run Android version<span class="tooltiptext">using Sailfish X Android App support</span></td>
<td class="mixed">Other Matrix client(s)</td>
<td class="mixed">Other Signal client(s)</td>
<td class="mixed">Other Telegram client(s)</td>
<td class="notreally tooltip">Can run Android version<span class="tooltiptext">using Sailfish X Android App support</span></td>
<td class="notreally tooltip">Can run Android version<span class="tooltiptext">using Sailfish X Android App support</span></td>
<td class="notreally tooltip">Can run Android version<span class="tooltiptext">using Sailfish X Android App support</span></td>
<td class="notreally tooltip">Can run Android version<span class="tooltiptext">using Sailfish X Android App support</span></td>
<td class="notreally tooltip">Can run Android version<span class="tooltiptext">using Sailfish X Android App support</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Ubuntu Touch</td>
<td class="mixed">Other XMPP client(s)</td>
<td class="notreally tooltip">Can run Android version<span class="tooltiptext">using Anbox</span></td>
<td class="mixed">Other Matrix client(s)</td>
<td class="mixed">Other Signal client(s)</td>
<td class="mixed">Other Telegram client(s)</td>
<td class="notreally tooltip">Can run Android version<span class="tooltiptext">using Anbox</span></td>
<td class="mixed">Messenger.com web app</td>
<td class="notreally tooltip">Can run Android version<span class="tooltiptext">using Anbox</span></td>
<td class="notreally tooltip">Can run Android version<span class="tooltiptext">using Anbox</span></td>
<td class="notreally tooltip">Can run Android version<span class="tooltiptext">using Anbox</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>postmarketOS</td>
<td class="mixed">Other XMPP client(s)</td>
<td class="mixed">Other Delta Chat client(s)</td>
<td class="mixed">Other Matrix client(s)</td>
<td class="mixed">Other Signal client(s)</td>
<td class="almost tooltip">Yes<span class="tooltiptext">Desktop Linux version of the official Telegram app works well with few adjustments needed</span></td>
<td class="notreally tooltip">Can run Android version<span class="tooltiptext">using Anbox</span></td>
<td class="notreally tooltip">Can run Android version<span class="tooltiptext">using Anbox</span></td>
<td class="notreally tooltip">Can run Android version<span class="tooltiptext">using Anbox</span></td>
<td class="notreally tooltip">Can run Android version<span class="tooltiptext">using Anbox</span></td>
<td class="notreally tooltip">Can run Android version<span class="tooltiptext">using Anbox</span></td>
</tr>
-->
<!--
<tr>
<td style="text-indent: 10px; text-decoration: underline; font-style: italic;">Desktops:</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td>
</tr> -->
<tr>
<td>Windows</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="otherclients"><a href="https://xmpp.org/software/clients/" target="_blank" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline; text-decoration-style: dotted;">Other XMPP client(s)</a></td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>macOS</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="otherclients"><a href="https://xmpp.org/software/clients/" target="_blank" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline; text-decoration-style: dotted;">Other XMPP client(s)</a></td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>GNU/Linux</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="otherclients"><a href="https://xmpp.org/software/clients/" target="_blank" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline; text-decoration-style: dotted;">Other XMPP client(s)</a></td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tooltip">Unix & BSD<span class="tooltiptext">e.g. FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD, DragonFlyBSD, Illumos, and Solaris</span></td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="otherclients"><a href="https://xmpp.org/software/clients/" target="_blank" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline; text-decoration-style: dotted;">Other XMPP client(s)</a></td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="otherclients"><a href="https://matrix.org/clients/" target="_blank" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline; text-decoration-style: dotted;">Other Matrix client(s)</a></td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="almost" style="font-size: 85%;"><span class="tooltip">FreeBSD <span class="tooltiptext">FreeBSD has a port of the standard Telegram app</span></span> / <span class="otherclients tooltip"><a href="https://telegram.org/apps" target="_blank" style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">other client(s)</a><span class="tooltiptext">For other Unix operating systems</span></span></td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
</tr>
<!--
<tr>
<td class="tooltip">*BSD <span class="tooltiptext">FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD; DragonFlyBSD can run most FreeBSD applications</span></td>
<td class="otherclients"><a href="https://xmpp.org/software/clients/" target="_blank" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline; text-decoration-style: dotted;">Other XMPP client(s)</a></td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="mixed"><a href="https://matrix.org/clients/" target="_blank" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline; text-decoration-style: dotted;">Other Matrix client(s)</a></td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="almost"><span class="tooltip">Yes <span class="tooltiptext">FreeBSD has a port of the standard Telegram app</span></span> / <span class="mixed tooltip"><a href="https://telegram.org/apps" target="_blank" style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">other client(s)</a><span class="tooltiptext">Only option for NetBSD and OpenSBD</span></span></td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tooltip">Illumos <span class="tooltiptext">specifically OpenIndiana (Illumos distribution for PCs); should also run on Solaris</span></td>
<td class="no tooltip">Unclear<span class="tooltiptext">not supported by any of the client(s) listed on xmpp.org/software/clients/ but it might be possible to compile a Linux/BSD app</span></td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="mixed"><a href="https://matrix.org/clients/" target="_blank" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline; text-decoration-style: dotted;">Other Matrix client(s)</a></td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no tooltip">Unclear<span class="tooltiptext">not supported by any of the client(s) listed on telegram.org/clients/ but it might be possible to compile a Linux/BSD app</span></td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
</tr>
-->
<!--
<tr>
<td>Haiku</td>
<td class="otherclients"><a href="https://xmpp.org/software/clients/" target="_blank" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline; text-decoration-style: dotted;">Other XMPP client(s)</a></td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="mixed"><a href="https://matrix.org/clients/" target="_blank" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline; text-decoration-style: dotted;">Other Matrix client(s)</a></td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="almost tooltip">Yes<span class="tooltiptext">Inofficial port of the standard Telegram app</span></td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
</tr>
-->
<tr>
<td>Web browser</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="otherclients"><a href="https://xmpp.org/software/clients/" target="_blank" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline; text-decoration-style: dotted;">Other XMPP client(s)</a></td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="almost">Chrome extension</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="semititle"><br />Capability</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Offline messages (if recipient is offline)</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Group chats</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Voice messages</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Voice and video calls</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes tooltip">Yes<span class="tooltiptext">but disabled by default</span></td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Send photos, video and other files</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Screensharing</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="almost">Yes (not on mobile)</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="almost">Yes (not on mobile)</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="almost">Yes (not on mobile)</td>
<td class="almost">Yes (not on mobile)</td>
<td class="almost">Yes (not on mobile)</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Public/searchable groups</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes tooltip">Yes<span class="tooltiptext">but external at <a href="https://session.directory/" target="_blank">https://session.directory/</a> and <a href="https://sessioncommunities.online/" target="_blank">https://sessioncommunities.online/</a></span></td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Ephemeral (self-destructing) messages</td>
<td class="yes tooltip">Yes<span class="tooltiptext">Please note that this doesn't truly protect messages from being saved or read by other parties. See: <a href="https://www.freie-messenger.de/en/begriffe/pseudosicherheit/" target="_blank" style="color: white;">https://www.freie-messenger.de/en/begriffe/pseudosicherheit/</a></span></td>
<td class="mixed tooltip">Only on local device<span class="tooltiptext">Automatic message deletion on local device, but no remote deletion on other people's devices</span></td>
<td class="yes tooltip">Yes<span class="tooltiptext">Please note that this doesn't truly protect messages from being saved or read by other parties. See: <a href="https://www.freie-messenger.de/en/begriffe/pseudosicherheit/" target="_blank" style="color: white;">https://www.freie-messenger.de/en/begriffe/pseudosicherheit/</a></span></td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="yes tooltip">Yes<span class="tooltiptext">Please note that this doesn't truly protect messages from being saved or read by other parties. See: <a href="https://www.freie-messenger.de/en/begriffe/pseudosicherheit/" target="_blank" style="color: white;">https://www.freie-messenger.de/en/begriffe/pseudosicherheit/</a></span></td>
<td class="yes tooltip">Yes<span class="tooltiptext">Please note that this doesn't truly protect messages from being saved or read by other parties. See: <a href="https://www.freie-messenger.de/en/begriffe/pseudosicherheit/" target="_blank" style="color: white;">https://www.freie-messenger.de/en/begriffe/pseudosicherheit/</a></span></td>
<td class="yes tooltip">Yes<span class="tooltiptext">Please note that this doesn't truly protect messages from being saved or read by other parties. See: <a href="https://www.freie-messenger.de/en/begriffe/pseudosicherheit/" target="_blank" style="color: white;">https://www.freie-messenger.de/en/begriffe/pseudosicherheit/</a></span></td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="yes tooltip">Yes<span class="tooltiptext">Please note that this doesn't truly protect messages from being saved or read by other parties. See: <a href="https://www.freie-messenger.de/en/begriffe/pseudosicherheit/" target="_blank" style="color: white;">https://www.freie-messenger.de/en/begriffe/pseudosicherheit/</a></span></td>
<td class="yes tooltip">Yes<span class="tooltiptext">Please note that this doesn't truly protect messages from being saved or read by other parties. See: <a href="https://www.freie-messenger.de/en/begriffe/pseudosicherheit/" target="_blank" style="color: white;">https://www.freie-messenger.de/en/begriffe/pseudosicherheit/</a></span></td>
<td class="yes tooltip">Yes<span class="tooltiptext">Please note that this doesn't truly protect messages from being saved or read by other parties. See: <a href="https://www.freie-messenger.de/en/begriffe/pseudosicherheit/" target="_blank" style="color: white;">https://www.freie-messenger.de/en/begriffe/pseudosicherheit/</a></span></td>
<td class="yes tooltip">Yes<span class="tooltiptext">Please note that this doesn't truly protect messages from being saved or read by other parties. See: <a href="https://www.freie-messenger.de/en/begriffe/pseudosicherheit/" target="_blank" style="color: white;">https://www.freie-messenger.de/en/begriffe/pseudosicherheit/</a></span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Delete messages on device of recipients</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Use with multiple accounts/profiles</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="otherclients">Other Matrix client(s)</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="semititle"><br />Usability</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Find contacts from device address book</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="otherclients tooltip"><a href="https://xmpp.org/software/clients/" target="_blank" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline; text-decoration-style: dotted;">other XMPP clients</a> <span class="tooltiptext">e.g. Quicksy, from the same developer as Conversations and mostly identical</span></td>
<td class="yes">Email</td>
<td class="yes">Phone number & Email</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="yes">Phone number</td>
<td class="yes">Phone number</td>
<td class="yes">Phone number & Email</td>
<td class="yes tooltip">Phone number & Email<span class="tooltiptext">Can upload address book to Facebook to check if contacts have a Facebook account</span></td>
<td class="yes">Phone number</td>
<td class="yes">Phone number</td>
<td class="yes">Phone number</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Automatic backups of chat history</td>
<td class="no">No, need to manually export chat database for backups.</td>
<td class="otherclients">Chat history is saved on the XMPP server, but useless without decryption keys, which some <a href="https://xmpp.org/software/clients/" target="_blank" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline; text-decoration-style: dotted;">other XMPP clients</a> can back up automatically (Con­ver­sations: only <em>manual</em> backups to local device).</td>
<td class="notreally">Local backups of chat history are possible but not automatic. Chat history is saved on the Email server, but useless without decryption keys, which need to be <em>manually</em> backed up to local device.</td>
<td class="yes">Chat history is saved on the Matrix server, but useless without decryption keys, which can be automatically backed up to local device or Matrix homeserver</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="almost">Backup on local device only (no cloud backup which would protect against loss of device)</td>
<td class="mixed">All data is saved on Telegram servers, except for "secret chats"</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="yes">Yes (All data is saved on Facebook servers)</td> <!-- <td class="mixed">All data is saved on Facebook servers, except for "secret chats"</td> -->
<td class="mixed">Backup to cloud only (Google Drive/iCloud), and text messages only</td>
<td class="almost">Backup to cloud only (Google Drive/iCloud)</td>
<td class="almost tooltip">Backup to cloud only (Google Drive/iCloud)<span class="tooltiptext"><a hfref="https://faq.whatsapp.com/6181521285295518/?cms_platform=android" target="_blank" style="color: white;">On old devices running Android 9 or below, local backup was also supported.</a></span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Data can be transferred to new device</td>
<td class="yes">Yes (export/import database)</td>
<td class="yes">Yes (at least to new installation of Conversations)</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="mixed">Yes, but only Android ↔ Android or iOS ↔ iOS, not supported on Desktop</td>
<td class="mixed">Yes, except for secret chats</td>
<td class="mixed">Yes, but only Android ↔ Android or iOS ↔ iOS, not supported on Desktop</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="mixed">Text messages only, and only Android ↔ Android or iOS ↔ iOS, not supported on Desktop</td>
<td class="mixed">Yes, but only Android ↔ Android or iOS ↔ iOS, not supported on Desktop</td>
<td class="mixed">Yes, also between Android and iOS using "Move to iOS" and "Switch to Android" apps</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Use on multiple devices</td>
<td class="mixed">Can link desktop & mobile app, but <span class="tooltip">mobile app must be running and be on the same local network.<span class="tooltiptext">If it is an Android app, you can move the app to background, but the iOS app has to remain open. In both cases, while you are using mobile profiles from desktop, you won't be able to use mobile app.</span></span></td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td>
<td class="mixed">Yes, but only one Android*/iOS device (but: can have linked iPad)<br /><span class="otherclients">*possible with <a href="https://github.com/mollyim/mollyim-android/pull/157" target="_blank">Molly</a></span></td>
<td class="mixed">Yes, except for "secret chats"</td>
<td class="mixed">Yes, but only one Android/iOS device</td>
<td class="yes">Yes</td> <!-- <td class="mixed">Yes, but "secret chats" are unavailable on desktop/web</td> -->
<td class="mixed">Yes, but only one Android/iOS device</td>
<td class="mixed">Yes, but only one Android/iOS device</td>
<td class="yes">Yes (needs a "primary device" running Android or iOS)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Import chat history from other messengers</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No (from other XMPP clients only)</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No (from other Matrix clients only)</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No (SMS import possible in earlier versions)</td>
<td class="yes">Yes (KakaoTalk, Line, WhatsApp)</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No (SMS import possible in earlier versions)</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
<td class="no">No</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="semititle"><br />Privacy</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td>
</tr>
<tr>