Telegram
Cloud-based messaging app with group chats, public channels, and a bot platform.
HN commenters like Telegram for its easy bot integrations,1234 large group chats with strong moderation tools,56 and a fast, stable desktop app.789 The most common caveat is that it is not end-to-end encrypted,10111213 and some complain it re-enables disabled settings and forces features like AI summaries.1415
Why people recommend it
Bot integrations · 3
Commenters find bots easy to set up and use them for alerts, personal tools and AI agents.
“Bot access is definitely better in Telegram; that’s what I sometimes use it for.”
“I used to use telegram for everything and then stopped after I realised it”
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Even as a huge Linux tinkerer I've been really pleased with Zo setting things up for me that I wouldn't have expected to get done on a server like this. I've started to experiment with installing Guix and serving Lem, and made a personal Telegram bot as an alternative interface. They really focus on keeping out of your way, and the Zo agent is quite persistent and gets things done that I didn't think was feasible. Th
Everyday messaging · 3
Several use it as their main chat app with friends, coworkers and family.
“I use telegram as my main chat app with all of my friends and coworkers.”
“I use Telegram as my primary messenger app.”
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“over Telegram (which I use constantly through the day)”
Groups and moderation · 3
Popular for clubs and interest groups, with moderation and access tools seen as better than WhatsApp's.
“The moderation and access tools are way better than WhatsApp's.”
“we're all on Telegram”
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“I use Telegram only for groups with people I know. I've got zero issues with boths.”
Desktop app · 3
The desktop app is praised as snappy, stable and polished.
“Telegram which has a near-perfect UX and I've never had it crash on me”
“Their developers are also very responsive to PR's, I have a couple GCC build fixes in it.”
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“they regularly re-enable settings inside the app/account that you had specifically disabled”
File sharing · 1
Sends files without compression up to a 2GB limit.
“just use Telegram (no compression, 2GB limit)”
Saved Messages · 1
Saved Messages with reminders is useful as a personal notes tool.
“Telegram 'Saved Messages' with the reminder feature is really useful.”
Caveats and dissent
No E2E encryption · 3
Chats and the bot backend are not end-to-end encrypted, which drove some users away.
“DON'T TRUST TELEGRAM AS END TO END ENCRYPTED CHAT”
“I used to use telegram for everything and then stopped after I realised it”
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“telegram which has no encryption for the bot backend so the devs can read everything you write”
Unwanted changes · 2
Users report disabled settings being re-enabled and AI summaries added with no way to turn them off.
“they regularly re-enable settings inside the app/account that you had specifically disabled”
“I find it unacceptable and filed a bug report about that”
Reluctant use · 2
Some only use it because other people or tools require it.
“I'm forced to have whatsapp and telegram to communicate with the general population and I wouldn't use them if I didn't have to.”
“I don't particularly like Telegram but it was an easy setup.”
File format quirks · 1
WebP images are treated as stickers and short silent MP4s as GIFs.
“this one is just a terrible technical decision that Telegram made ages ago”
No threading · 1
Chats lack threads, which makes busy bot conversations noisy.
“My wife and I use a shared Telegram chat to talk to our claw and it seems pretty fine to be honest.”
Often compared with
Who recommends it in their own words
Threads where it came up
- Telegram Desktop vulnerability allowed any user's file to be stolen 5 mentions
- Telegram Serverless 4 mentions
- Death of the Status Update: Why 55% of Americans Stopped Posting on Social Media 2 mentions
- Fine-tuned Qwen on my 16gb GPU to respond without the letter e 1 mention
- IRCv3 1 mention
- Shipping JPEG XL in Chrome 1 mention
Data: telegram.json. Quotes are verbatim; the verdict and theme labels are written by a model from these comments, and every clause links to its sources.
All comments 34
“On Telegram for macOS, pressing F5 can produce a similar thingy.”
“I'm forced to have whatsapp and telegram to communicate with the general population and I wouldn't use them if I didn't have to.”
“The moderation and access tools are way better than WhatsApp's.”
“I use Telegram as my primary messenger app.”
“they regularly re-enable settings inside the app/account that you had specifically disabled”
“Bot access is definitely better in Telegram; that’s what I sometimes use it for.”
“I use both Telegram and WhatsApp”
“this one is just a terrible technical decision that Telegram made ages ago”
“Telegram which has a near-perfect UX and I've never had it crash on me”
“I don't particularly like Telegram but it was an easy setup.”
“people switched to Telegram within the day”
“since then I have also Telegram installed as backup just in case”
“with a sterilized Telegram account”
“But telegram has its uses.”
“telegram which has no encryption for the bot backend so the devs can read everything you write”
“I used to use telegram for everything and then stopped after I realised it”
“I use Telegram only for groups with people I know. I've got zero issues with boths.”
“we're all on Telegram”
“Telegram a strong second.”
“I use telegram as my main chat app with all of my friends and coworkers.”
“I use Telegram: 1 billion monthly active users now.”
“I sent a quick voice note on Telegram and 30 sec later I get a screenshot”
“I use telegram & discord daily.”
“just use Telegram (no compression, 2GB limit)”
“voice and image UI via telegram”
“My wife and I use a shared Telegram chat to talk to our claw and it seems pretty fine to be honest.”
“Signal/WhatsApp/GroupMe/Telegram groups”
“DON'T TRUST TELEGRAM AS END TO END ENCRYPTED CHAT”
“over Telegram (which I use constantly through the day)”
“I find it unacceptable and filed a bug report about that”
“Telegram 'Saved Messages' with the reminder feature is really useful.”
“Their developers are also very responsive to PR's, I have a couple GCC build fixes in it.”
Even as a huge Linux tinkerer I've been really pleased with Zo setting things up for me that I wouldn't have expected to get done on a server like this. I've started to experiment with installing Guix and serving Lem, and made a personal Telegram bot as an alternative interface. They really focus on keeping out of your way, and the Zo agent is quite persistent and gets things done that I didn't think was feasible. Th
“I use Telegram and Whatsapp and SMS to keep in touch with friends and family”