4 ms·

Messenger Comparison – Threema, Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp

28 points by dunefox 6y ago

mikece 6y ago
Sadly, they don't list a comparison to my personal favorite: Wire. Yes, Wire requires an email address but Wire will accept a single-use/burner ProtonMail account as the linked email address. VoIP call quality with Wire is the best I've used and I can use the app on a desktop browser as well as my mobile devices (and the app is available via F-Droid). Contacts are managed in your Wire account (no attempt to connect to your phone's Contacts provider). They do make it difficult to find the signup for the free personal plan though: https://app.wire.com/auth/#setaccounttype https://app.wire.com/auth/#setaccounttype
- browningstreet 6y ago
  That link doesn’t work in Safari on iPad.
  - mikece 6y ago
    True... you'll need to sign up on a desktop browser.
- coolspot 6y ago
  > single-use/burner ProtonMail account Except that ProtonMail requires a valid phone number for an account registration (when accessed via Tor). https://www.reddit.com/r/ProtonMail/comments/638ykr/phone_number_for_registration_is_this_a_joke/dft7ghr/ https://www.reddit.com/r/ProtonMail/comments/638ykr/phone_nu...
- fishmaster 6y ago
  I tried Wire and was a bit underwhelmed to be honest. It looks and feels old. I'm much more inclined to use Threema.
jbirer 6y ago
All of them are useless as they all demand a phone number.
- dasKrokodil 6y ago
  Threema doesn't.
client4 6y ago
I'd still add Keybase to the mix even though they were bought by Zoom.
michaelsbradley 6y ago
See also this comparison: https://our.status.im/private-messengers-what-can-they-really-see/ https://our.status.im/private-messengers-what-can-they-reall...
pcdoodle 6y ago
Threema is amazing. I love the voice chat, it's great for field work because it seems to prefer picture quality over frame rate, a great tool for remote support of physical things. Also dedicate a browser to the web client and it's like having iMessage on Linux, Mac and Windows with notifications.
g8oz 6y ago
How does Threema make or intend to make money?
- robjan 6y ago
  As long as they can grow their userbase they make $4 per person. That's potentially billions of dollars to burn before they have to think about charging yearly which is probably what they will eventually do. They also have an enterprise edition which is more expensive.
- sschueller 6y ago
  They have a business version (Threema work) and also provide services to the Swiss government.
  - type0 6y ago
    How many of you still think that company location is of any importance? After Crypto AG, Swiss based doesn't sound like a plus.
culopatin 6y ago
It’s hard to take seriously the review of the competition. But I guess it makes the bias clear
- fishmaster 6y ago
  Care to point out any inaccuracies?
  - Forbo 6y ago
    They list Telegram's jurisdiction as "n/a". According to Wikipedia, their "legal domicile" is in the UK, and their "operational center" is in the UAE. That seems an odd thing to leave out of their comparison table. This was just a cursory glance. I'm not familiar enough with Telegram or WhatsApp to make any statements about any of the features claimed. Nor do I know enough about GDPR to question the alleged non-compliance of Signal.

28 points by dunefox 6y ago

Sadly, they don't list a comparison to my personal favorite: Wire. Yes, Wire requires an email address but Wire will accept a single-use/burner ProtonMail account as the linked email address. VoIP call quality with Wire is the best I've used and I can use the app on a desktop browser as well as my mobile devices (and the app is available via F-Droid). Contacts are managed in your Wire account (no attempt to connect to your phone's Contacts provider). They do make it difficult to find the signup for the free personal plan though: https://app.wire.com/auth/#setaccounttype https://app.wire.com/auth/#setaccounttype

browningstreet 6y ago
That link doesn’t work in Safari on iPad.
- mikece 6y ago
  True... you'll need to sign up on a desktop browser.
coolspot 6y ago
> single-use/burner ProtonMail account Except that ProtonMail requires a valid phone number for an account registration (when accessed via Tor). https://www.reddit.com/r/ProtonMail/comments/638ykr/phone_number_for_registration_is_this_a_joke/dft7ghr/ https://www.reddit.com/r/ProtonMail/comments/638ykr/phone_nu...
fishmaster 6y ago
I tried Wire and was a bit underwhelmed to be honest. It looks and feels old. I'm much more inclined to use Threema.

jbirer 6y ago

All of them are useless as they all demand a phone number.

dasKrokodil 6y ago
Threema doesn't.

client4 6y ago

I'd still add Keybase to the mix even though they were bought by Zoom.

michaelsbradley 6y ago

See also this comparison: https://our.status.im/private-messengers-what-can-they-really-see/ https://our.status.im/private-messengers-what-can-they-reall...

pcdoodle 6y ago

Threema is amazing. I love the voice chat, it's great for field work because it seems to prefer picture quality over frame rate, a great tool for remote support of physical things. Also dedicate a browser to the web client and it's like having iMessage on Linux, Mac and Windows with notifications.

g8oz 6y ago

How does Threema make or intend to make money?

robjan 6y ago
As long as they can grow their userbase they make $4 per person. That's potentially billions of dollars to burn before they have to think about charging yearly which is probably what they will eventually do. They also have an enterprise edition which is more expensive.
sschueller 6y ago
They have a business version (Threema work) and also provide services to the Swiss government.
- type0 6y ago
  How many of you still think that company location is of any importance? After Crypto AG, Swiss based doesn't sound like a plus.

culopatin 6y ago

It’s hard to take seriously the review of the competition. But I guess it makes the bias clear

fishmaster 6y ago
Care to point out any inaccuracies?
- Forbo 6y ago
  They list Telegram's jurisdiction as "n/a". According to Wikipedia, their "legal domicile" is in the UK, and their "operational center" is in the UAE. That seems an odd thing to leave out of their comparison table. This was just a cursory glance. I'm not familiar enough with Telegram or WhatsApp to make any statements about any of the features claimed. Nor do I know enough about GDPR to question the alleged non-compliance of Signal.