Telegram is the better app overall, scoring 8.9 to 8.6. Telegram wins on 4 of the 5 scores, Slack on 1.
Communities, creators and power users who want channels, bots and multi-device sync
Teams and companies that run their daily work through chat and integrations
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Telegram | Slack |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Messaging & Calls | Messaging & Calls |
| Category rank | #3 of 8 | #4 of 8 |
| Developer | Telegram FZ-LLC | Salesforce |
| Pricing | Free + paid plans | Free + paid plans |
| Usable for free | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone & iPad | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mac | ✓ | ✓ |
| Windows | ✓ | ✓ |
| Linux | ✓ | ✓ |
| Web | ✓ | ✓ |
Strengths and weaknesses
Telegram
- Instant sync across phone, desktop and web
- Channels and huge groups suit communities and creators
- Generous free tier with large file sharing
- Regular chats are not end-to-end encrypted
- Spam and scams are common in public groups
Telegram is the most feature-packed messenger around. Chats sync instantly across every device, groups can grow enormous, and channels, bots and mini apps turn it into a platform. The apps are fast and polished. The catch is privacy: regular chats live on Telegram's servers and are not end-to-end encrypted unless you start a one-on-one secret chat. Great for communities, not for secrets.
Full Telegram review
Slack
- Fast, well-organized channels and threads
- Huge integration directory for dev and business tools
- Slack Connect shares channels with other companies
- Free plan only shows the last 90 days of messages
- Per-seat pricing gets expensive for growing teams
Slack is still the best place for teams to talk. Channels keep conversations organized, huddles start a quick call without a meeting link, and a deep app directory plus Workflow Builder take care of routine work. The catch is price: the free plan only shows the last 90 days of messages, and paid seats add up fast. Pick it if your team lives in chat all day.
Full Slack review
