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Signal vs Telegram vs WhatsApp vs Threema: Which Messaging App Is Actually Private?
Published 30 October 2026
"Encrypted" is on every messaging app's homepage, but it means very different things. Some apps encrypt every message so that only you and the other person can read it. Others encrypt messages only between you and their servers, where the company can read them. And almost all of them collect some metadata: who you talk to, when, and from where.
Here's how the most popular options really compare.
The quick comparison
| Signal | Threema | Telegram | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| End-to-end encrypted by default | ✅ Everything | ✅ Everything | ✅ Messages and calls | ❌ Only "Secret Chats" |
| Group chats end-to-end encrypted | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Phone number needed to sign up | Yes (can be hidden with a username) | No (random ID) | Yes | Yes |
| Collects metadata | Minimal | Minimal | Yes (Meta) | Yes (stored on Telegram's servers) |
| Owned by | Non-profit foundation | Swiss company (owned by German investor Comitis Capital) | Meta | Telegram (private company) |
| Open source | ✅ | ✅ apps | ❌ | Apps only |
| Cost | Free | One-off fee | Free | Free |
Telegram: the most misunderstood app
Telegram is not end-to-end encrypted by default. Normal chats, and all group chats and channels, are "cloud chats". They're encrypted on the way to Telegram's servers but stored there in a form Telegram can access, which is how your history syncs to every device.
Only Secret Chats are end-to-end encrypted, and they come with limits:
- You have to start one manually (open a contact → ⋮ → Start Secret Chat)
- One-to-one only: groups can't be secret chats
- Tied to the device you started them on: they don't sync to your other devices, and they're lost if you log out. Telegram's phone apps and its macOS app support them, but not every Telegram app does
Telegram also uses its own encryption design (MTProto) instead of the widely studied Signal Protocol, and since September 2024 its privacy policy says that if it receives a valid order from judicial authorities confirming you're a suspect in a criminal case, it may disclose your IP address and phone number to them.
Tip: if you use Telegram, treat normal chats and groups as not private. Use Secret Chats for anything sensitive, or better, move those conversations to Signal or Threema. More detail: Is Telegram encrypted?
WhatsApp: encrypted messages, but Meta sees the rest
WhatsApp uses the same strong encryption design as Signal, so the contents of your messages and calls are end-to-end encrypted. But WhatsApp is owned by Meta (Facebook, Instagram), which collects metadata: who you message, when, how often, your phone number, contacts (if you allow it) and device information.
Tips:
- Chat backups to Google Drive (your Google Account) or iCloud aren't end-to-end encrypted unless you turn it on: Settings → Chats → Chat backup → End-to-end encrypted backup.
- Turn on disappearing messages for sensitive chats.
Signal: the privacy benchmark
Signal is run by a non-profit and encrypts everything end to end by default: messages, groups, voice and video calls. It's designed to keep as little metadata as possible, and its encryption design is the industry standard that WhatsApp and others copied.
The main drawback is that you need a phone number to register. You can hide it from other people with a Signal username, but Signal still has it.
Tips: set a username and check that Settings → Privacy → Phone Number → "Who can see my number" is set to Nobody (Signal made this the default in 2024). Turn on Registration Lock with a PIN so nobody can take over your account with a SIM swap (see SIM swap scams in Australia).
Threema: no phone number at all
Threema, made by a Swiss company, is the strongest choice if you don't want to tie your messenger to your identity. You sign up with a random Threema ID, with no phone number or email required. Everything is end-to-end encrypted, the apps are open source, and it keeps minimal metadata.
The trade-offs: it's a one-off paid app, and fewer people use it, so you may need to bring your contacts across.
Other apps, briefly
- iMessage: end-to-end encrypted between Apple devices, but iCloud backups can expose message history unless you turn on Advanced Data Protection. Chats with Android users use RCS or SMS instead: since iOS 26.5 (May 2026), RCS chats can be end-to-end encrypted on supported carriers (look for the padlock), but SMS never is.
- Facebook Messenger: since December 2023, Meta has been making personal chats and calls end-to-end encrypted by default, but it's Meta, with the same metadata concerns as WhatsApp.
- SMS: not encrypted. Your carrier can read it, and it's vulnerable to interception and SIM swaps.
Which should you use?
- Most private overall: Signal for everyday use, Threema if you don't want a phone number linked.
- If you must use WhatsApp: turn on encrypted backups and disappearing messages.
- If you use Telegram: assume ordinary chats and groups aren't private, and use Secret Chats or another app.
The app is only half of it
The most secure messenger can't protect you if the phone itself is compromised by spyware, a stolen unlocked device, or apps that read your screen or notifications. Pair a private messenger with a secure phone: see our phone privacy checklist and how to check your phone for spyware.
The Privacy First 10a runs GrapheneOS with our custom Security Suite and comes with a Threema licence included.
Disclosure: Privacy First sells Threema licence keys. This comparison is based on each app's publicly documented features.
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