It is no secret that I am huge fan of Telegram. I’ve written a couple articles here about Telegram before, speaking of why I like it, and even wrote a comparison to WhatsApp.
Recently, I’ve been invited to a few group chats in Hangouts to speak with others who are comfortable with that platform. I quickly found myself constantly irritated and annoyed with the lack of group chat features I’ve been spoiled with in Telegram. I figured it is time to make a comparison of the two so my friends in Hangout know what they’re missing out on.
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Recently, I’ve been invited to a few group chats in Hangouts to speak with others who are comfortable with that platform. I quickly found myself constantly irritated and annoyed with the lack of group chat features I’ve been spoiled with in Telegram. I figured it is time to make a comparison of the two so my friends in Hangout know what they’re missing out on.
Feature
|
Hangouts
|
Telegram
|
Price
|
Free
|
Free
|
Platform
|
Android, iPhone, web app
|
Android, iOS (iPhone and iPad), BlackBerry 10 (using Android), Windows Phone, Windows, OS X, Linux, web app
|
Multiple Platform Sync
|
Yes, across all devices.
|
Yes, syncs across all devices.
|
In-app advertising
|
No
|
No
|
Marked as Sent/Read
|
Read only
|
Yes
|
Photo sharing
|
Yes - jpg, png
|
Yes - jpg, png, gif, webP
|
Video sharing
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
GIF sharing
|
Yes
| Yes |
File Sharing
|
Yes - photos, video, audio, location, contacts
|
Yes - up to 1.5GB of any file type
|
Voice recording
|
No
|
Yes
|
Phone calling
|
Yes
|
No
|
Video calling
|
Yes
|
No
|
Stickers
|
Yes
|
Yes. Also allows to create and share your own!
|
Group Chat
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Group Chat features
|
|
|
Contact Sharing Method
|
Contacts must have a Google account.
|
Contacts may have your phone number or email in your contact list - OR - users may create and share a username
|
Secret Chat
|
No
|
Yes
|
Status Update
|
Yes
|
No
|
Muting Chat / Group chat
|
Yes
|
Yes - Mentions will still notify you
|
Customize chat background
|
No (except when using Easter Eggs on desktop)
|
Yes
|
Location sharing
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
In-app photo editor
|
No
|
Yes
|
In-app GIF and JPG finder
|
No
|
Yes
|
Material Design (Android)
|
No
|
Yes
|
Search for content in chats, including hashtags
|
Yes - Only within each chat
|
Yes - Universal in all chats
|
Drag-and-drop files, photos, etc to desktop or web app
|
No
|
Yes - Desktop
|
Pop-up Messages
|
Yes - Reply
|
Yes - Reply
|
Custom notification sounds/LED per contact
|
No
|
Yes - Android only
|
Broadcast messaging
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Open API
|
No
|
Yes
|
Forward Messages
|
No
|
Yes
|
Shortcut to conversation
|
No
|
No
|
I've highlighted all features in blue where there was a 1-up on the other. As you can see, Telegram as a lot more blue than Hangouts.
When Hangouts 4.0 is released, I know I will have to revise this article. Until then, Telegram, in my opinion, is still the messaging app to beat!
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