With 500 million users worldwide, Telegram has impressively caught up with industry giant WhatsApp as an alternative to it in a short time. WhatsApp as a messenger service is used by over 2 billion users worldwide every day.
A brief comparison of the popular messenger apps
The range of functions offered by WhatsApp and Telegram is far greater than most users know or need for their daily needs.
The focus is on sending a message quickly. Sending a picture to friends from vacation or quickly transferring data within a group are the most frequently used functions and can be found in both Telegram and WhatsApp.
To find differences between the two popular messaging apps, you need to look not only at the possible functions but also at what you want to achieve by using WhatsApp or Telegram. Especially since their use for business is linked to data protection guidelines.
Decide on WhatsApp or Telegram?
You need to answer the question of whether your customers are users of WhatsApp or Telegram in order to correctly assess your messages and marketing measures.
A first step for your company is to collect not only your customers' email addresses but also their phone numbers and to ask the respective users about their preferences to help you decide in favor of one of the messaging apps.
Customer satisfaction today also comes from the fact that your customers can set the notification option themselves and that their favorite platform is used for this.
What WhatsApp and Telegram have in common
The most important functions for Telegram and WhatsApp users are the same. Even the structure appears very similar at first glance, based on the chats and management options.
The user interface
If you place the two platforms next to each other on one screen, you can easily see that the interface of one platform is similar to the other, except for the color.
The most recent conversations or chats, as well as messages, are displayed at the top of the list and are available to users for quick replies or responses.
You can also take advantage of this chronological order of messages for advertising via WhatsApp or Telegram.
In addition to the app for cell phones, both WhatsApp and Telegram are available as desktop versions.
Data transmission
Both messenger services allow the sending of different files. First and foremost, of course, messages as text. Images, videos, audio files or documents can be attached to messages from users in just a few steps.
The only limitation is the attachment size, which is 100 MB for WhatsApp and 1.3 GB for Telegram.
Configurations for you as a user
The options for visibility, profile picture settings, languages or notifications are the same in WhatsApp as they are in Telegram.
User data can be made accessible to everyone or only to contacts who have already saved their phone number in the contact list of devices because you know the people behind the data personally.
Groups and channels
A comparison of Telegram vs WhatsApp shows that in each app, user data can be divided into groups. At most, there are differences in the permissible number of participants.
Messages can be distributed via channels on WhatsApp as well as on Telegram. For private use, this is not subject to any legally regulated terms of use, since entry into channels is voluntary and the encryption should make your data inaccessible.
Advanced features
Instead of a photo or a specific message, a sticker can now be sent as a signal that the messages from the conversation partner have been received.
Certain emojis are available by default. Further elements can be added via update or download to enrich the variety in sending a short message or reply on WhatsApp and in the Telegram app.
The advantages of the messenger app Telegram
In addition to the discussions about data protection, the following better applications can be found on Telegram:
Groups in Telegram can have up to 200,000 members.
- Chatbots can be easily integrated into Telegram and can significantly reduce the support burden on you as a business owner.
- Telegram also offers the option of sending zip files.
The messages in Telegram are stored in the cloud. This means that if you change your device, you can quickly access your chat histories. According to Telegram, none of your data is stored on Telegram servers.
Telegram offers a so-called self-destruction program for certain content in your chats. This makes them inaccessible to participants and outsiders after a certain period of time.
The “People Near You” function is particularly interesting for private users.
Data protection is said to be better with Telegram because it is not connected to other media, such as Facebook and WhatsApp, for example.
Information on the disadvantages of Telegram
Of course, there are also concerns about using the Telegram app. These are mainly related to the security of chats and files.
By default, Telegram chats are not subject to end-to-end encryption.
Privacy concerns also exist because of the cloud storage.
Hackers are said to have an easier time viewing Telegram chat history.
Telegram is seen by some users as a channel for alternative media, including conspiracy theories.
Reservations are also expressed about Telegram because this messenger app was originally developed in Russia, even though the company now appears to be based in Dubai.
The advantages of the WhatsApp messenger app
According to statistics, WhatsApp is also one of the most widely used messaging services in our language area. For you as a business owner, this means that you don't have to convince your customers to use the messenger. They are already using it privately because of the following advantages:
WhatsApp is already pre-installed on many devices and 2 billion customers worldwide mean that your target group is also among them.
WhatsApp has been offering end-to-end encryption of its chat messages for years.
Specifically, the use of the WhatsApp Business API is a tool that complies with the GDPR guidelines.This is one of the most important advantages for entrepreneurs in particular and the reason why choose WhatsApp has been able to establish itself so widely as a means of communication.
The integration of WhatsApp Business with Chatarmin
The possibility of integrating WhatsApp through Chatarmin opens up new possibilities for you in support, in notifying your customers and in marketing.
We will be happy to explain the differences in open rates, visibility and the associated opportunities for increasing your sales. Use our experience in WhatsApp marketing and benefit immediately from using the most popular messenger.
An overview of the disadvantages of WhatsApp as a messaging app
If you want to use WhatsApp for your business to quickly send messages to your customers, the following factors are important for you to know.
To be able to work in a GDPR-compliant manner, you need the WhatsApp Business API.
WhatsApp belongs to the Facebook group, which some customers will not like because they are concerned about data protection.
The size of WhatsApp groups is limited, which may make it difficult to use some functions in advertising and notifications.
What is end-to-end encryption?
It is important for WhatsApp and Telegram users to know that their data and messages are secure. End-to-end encryption is designed to allay concerns about the security of information sent or chat histories.
The term end-to-end encryption means that only the sender and recipient of messages can view them. When messages are sent, they are encrypted so that no one can see the plain text. The messages only become readable and visible again on the end device of the addressed user.
End-to-end encryption applies to messages with text as well as to messages with images.
WhatsApp or Telegram for your business?
Telegram vs WhatsApp may not even be on your mind when considering using a chat or messenger service in your business.
In fact, there is evidence that many Telegram users also have WhatsApp installed on their smartphones and use both apps to chat with friends and follow news channels.
WhatsApp is also preinstalled on many devices and, together with Facebook, is one of the most popular services for staying in touch in German-speaking countries.
Using WhatsApp or Telegram sensibly in business
Sending WhatsApp Business or Telegram messages can improve your communication channels, lead to faster processing of requests and purchases, and strengthen your customer loyalty.
It's not about abandoning your old ways of making contact by using WhatsApp or Telegram. SMS or email are still valid.
Rather, WhatsApp and Telegram should become part of your efforts to maintain continuous communication with your customers. As part of your support, for example, you offer your customers the opportunity to ask questions about an item or to get final answers about shipping and payment options before making a purchase.
Your customer reads a message via the messenger more quickly and is almost 100% certain to open it, than is the case with a traditional email.
