What is Telegram: The Fully-Fledged Telegram Review
Millions of people around the world use Telegram, a convenient and practical messenger that allows you to quickly and securely exchange messages and files with friends or colleagues and create or join various communities of interest.
But not everyone knows what is Telegram, who are developers, for what purposes it was created, and what opportunities it can offer users in 2025.
If you want to know the answers to all these questions, this article is a real treasure trove of knowledge for you. Below you will find a complete overview of Telegram from the beginning to the current moment of development.
*Discover: How to Allow Sensitive Content on Telegram? Get Full Access to All Published Content.
What is Telegram?
Telegram is a popular cloud messenger launched in 2013. The Durov brothers, Nikolai and Pavel, are considered to be the creators of the messenger. Before Telegram, they already had one successful social network development, VKontakte. However, after a conflict with the authorities, they had to abandon VKontakte and create another, independent platform without censorship and surveillance.
Due to the fact that Pavel already had experience in the promotion of a social network, the promotion of Telegram did not take much time. Therefore, Telegram very quickly took its place in the niche of secure messengers. By the way, Telegram has an audience of over 900 million active users in 2025. The company’s headquarters is located in Dubai, which reduces the risk of any pressure on the company’s management.
The Main Functions of Telegram
The messenger has gained popularity largely due to the functions and features it offers. Here are the main ones with a brief overview:
| Features | Review |
|---|---|
| Cloud Synchronization | You can use the messenger on any device without data loss. |
| Groups with up to 200,000 Members | There is no need to set limits on the possible number of group members. |
| Channels with Unlimited Audience | There are no limits on the allowed number of participants for Telegram channels. |
| Bots & Automation | They automate tasks and help solve problems that arise. |
| File Sharing up to 2 GB | Fast data transfer without compression and in excellent quality. |
| Voice & Video Calls | Built-in ability to make encrypted voice and video calls. |
| Stories | The ability to add Telegram stories that are saved in the user’s feed. |
| Support for All Platforms | Telegram works great on any modern smartphone, tablet, laptop, and PC. |
Alternative Nicegram platform
By the way, Telegram has alternative options and platforms that are built on its API but offer more advanced functionality and security tools. One of these platforms is Nicegram, a convenient messenger that quickly and easily syncs with your Telegram profile and provides more opportunities for communication, as well as for managing groups and channels.
Here are the main features of Nicegram:
- 8 Unique Features (God’s Eye, Unblock Hidden Content, etc.)
- Improved Security (Double Bottom, Hidden Chats, etc.)
- AI Integrated Tools (AI Marketplace, Speech2Text, etc.)
Download Nicegram and enjoy the familiar Telegram design, but with advanced functionality and no censorship.
Privacy & Security of Telegram
– Is Telegram safe?
The management of Telegram puts not so much functional components in the first place, as security. Therefore, all data in the messenger is protected using MTProto, a protocol that is fully responsible for fast and reliable encryption of all available data.
For example, in regular chats, server-side encryption is implemented, while secret chats are end-to-end protected — only the interlocutors have access to the data.
In addition, for the internal security of each user, Telegram has added a self-destruct message feature. In this case, the correspondence is deleted by itself, automatically, after a certain set time.
Advanced Security
At the same time, Telegram offers several improved security features that the user can decide to use. For example, two-factor authentication (2FA) allows you to create additional protection for the user’s profile from unauthorized access to the account.
Besides, there is a function to protect against surveillance — IP addresses and correspondence are not passed on to third parties, and messages in secret chats cannot be intercepted even when accessing servers.
All this contributes to the safe use of the messenger.
Telegram Privacy Scandals
Despite its reputation as a secure messenger, Telegram has not escaped high-profile scandals. In 2020, a database with millions of phone numbers appeared on the darknet, collected through the contact import function — the leak did not affect the contents of the chats but raised questions about privacy.
Telegram — The Main Social Platform in 2025
Over the past few years, Telegram has transformed from an ordinary messenger into a real social platform. They create communities in groups and channels, promote content without algorithmic restrictions, and blog with posts, links, and multimedia.
Thanks to bots and integrations, it is convenient to organize events, votes, and live broadcasts. Telegram unites the audience and gives the authors full control over communication and coverage.
Telegram for Business Purposes
By the way, Telegram is a great platform for business development or promotion. Here you can use functions such as creating channels and groups for a brand or company, and communicate directly with customers or buyers.
In addition, bots can be used to automate service support, order processing, or conducting surveys. There are also integration options with CRM, payment systems, and analytics, for convenience and comfort.
Telegram vs. Other Messaging Apps
Telegram is very often compared to WhatsApp and Signal, ranging from functionality to security features. Below you will find a brief and honest comparison of these messengers, and you will be able to decide which one suits you best.
Telegram vs. WhatsApp vs. Signal
For clarity, the following table shows the main parameters for the messaging app comparison:
| Features | Telegram | Signal | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data Storage | Cloud storage. | Stores in users’ devices. | Local storage. |
| Limits | Groups — up to 200,000 participants. Channels — unlimited. | A group limit of 1024 people. | Groups — up to 1,000 participants. |
| Files | Up to 2 GB. | Up to 2 GB but with restrictions. | Up to 100 MB. |
| Bots & Automation | Telegram bots are allowed. | Bots are allowed through the business API. | Bots are not allowed. |
| Privacy | End-to-end encryption for secrets chat. | End-to-end encryption by default. | End-to-end encryption by default. |
| Customization | Flexible customization of the interface, themes, and notifications. | Fewer features. | Minimalistic interface. |
Thus, Telegram is the most flexible and suitable for large-scale communication and content, unlike WhatsApp and Signal. In addition, Telegram offers more functionality for communication, as well as for business promotion or development.
Telegram Usage: Pros & Cons
It is high time to compare the advantages and disadvantages of Telegram separately to see both the strengths and weaknesses of the messenger.
Telegram Benefits
The main advantages of Telegram include the following points:
- Privacy and safety.
- Powerful and diverse functionality.
- Tools for development.
- Channels, groups, and private chats.
- Bots and automation tools.
- No ads (in the Premium version).
- Multi platform-support (Telegram desktop, iOS, Android, etc.)
In addition, Telegram collects minimal data and offers optional end-to-end encryption, making it one of the most private platforms for communication and work.
Telegram’s Disadvantages
The main disadvantages of the messenger include points such as:
- Weak content moderation.
- Censorship in groups and channels.
- No end-to-end encryption by default.
- Data privacy risk.
- Not fully open-source Telegram app.
- The free version is limited.
In other words, Telegram is not an ideal tool but you can try to protect yourself and your data using additional messenger features, including two-factor authentication and self-destructing messages.
Conclusion
Telegram is a universal messenger for those who value speed, flexibility, and control over content. It is suitable for both regular users and businesses. In addition, Telegram is a great platform for developing yourself as a blogger or influencer, or for promoting your own brand.
With its many features, lack of ads, and focus on privacy, Telegram is becoming an increasingly attractive alternative to other platforms.
