In the 21st century, Twitter and Telegram are some of the most used applications with over 300 million active users for both the apps. Moreover, even though Telegram has 500 million downloads, Twitter boasts double that number in the Play Store, with over 1 billion downloads.

Although both these apps are highly successful, there is still a common question amongst a lot of people, “What is the difference between Twitter and Telegram?“

Let’s find out!

What is Twitter?

Twitter is an open social networking website/ app that was founded in 2006. It has similar features to that of Facebook. For instance, tweeting is comparable to posting on Facebook, and retweeting is a counterpart of sharing posts by other users.

Twitter is mainly used for microblogging. It is also the first social media application that brought hashtags to life.

The messages that a user posts or interacts with on Twitter are called tweets. With around 450 million active users and having more than 1 billion downloads on mobile platforms, Twitter is considered one of the successful and well-known tech companies in the world.

The company also garnered a lot of attention recently, after billionaire Elon Musk took over Twitter for a sum of $44 billion after much controversy and legal proceedings. However, according to reports, the company’s value currently stands at one-third of the total amount for which it was acquired by Musk.

What is Telegram?

Telegram is an open-source, cloud-based, multi-platform messaging service founded in 2013. It is similar to WhatsApp, but it gives more importance to privacy.

It is also one of the main reasons why most people download /use this messaging service on their mobile devices. Telegram allows you to chat with people on your contact list, who are are also registered in Telegram. 

Telegram also allows users to start channels where people with the same interests can share messages and media among themselves. Unlike WhatsApp, Telegram allows users to share large media files in a host of different formats.

Telegram has acquired more than 500 million active monthly users in the first week of January 2021. The surge in Telegram downloads was a reaction to the backlash on the Meta-owned platform WhatsApp after the latter made questionable changes to its privacy policy.

Differences Between Twitter and Telegram

• Twitter is an open social networking service application whereas Telegram is a chat service application.

• Twitter is very much open so people can see what/ who you are following and what you post. On Telegram, the messages you send or the media you share to/ with a particular contact can only be seen by them, unless you are in a channel, where everyone in the channel is able to see your message.

• Twitter has a long newsfeed-style homepage where users can scroll through various types of information, such as videos, tweets, memes, etc. On Telegram, users have to click on a contact or a channel to initiate a conversation.

• The hashtag feature of Twitter enables users to find people with similar interests from around the globe. In contrast, Telegram allows users to find new people through channels, but this will be limited to the particular channel only.

• Twitter also has a direct messaging service like Telegram but it is not as secure as that of Telegram’s messaging service.

• Telegram allows sharing of large files among users, whereas Twitter doesn’t have that feature.

Unique Features of These Platforms

• Telegram has the Bot feature that enables users to share files at any time regardless of sender needing to be active in the app.

• In Telegram, a user can have multiple accounts within the same device.

• Telegram also allows its users to access any file that is sent through the same account with different devices.

• Telegram also allows users to upload multiple profile pictures, and it also has a feature where the Telegram UI will automatically switch to Dark mode if enabled by the user.

• The hashtag feature of Twitter is a notable back-bone feature where it helps users to find other users having the same interests/opinions easily.

• Even though there is a 280-word limit in each tweet, Twitter allows users to provide links within texts, which is a great feature and allows users to include more words in each tweet.

• The “group tweet” feature of Twitter enables people to send a tweet to a certain group of people.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the answer to the question “What is the difference between Twitter and Telegram” is very much visible.

Twitter, being one of the most used social media applications that is mostly used to express a public opinion by people and finding people with the same interests, is also suitable for official work. Telegram, on the other hand, being one of the most-used, secured, cloud-based messenger applications, helps users to communicate and share data in the most secure way possible.

Even though both Telegram and Twitter seem to serve different purposes to the users around the globe, they have continuously stood out with the unique features and services that they provide.

These are the reasons why both of these platforms have such a massive number of users around the world.

If you are looking for a secure messenger application that also allows you to send any files without any restriction, feel free to download Telegram. If you are looking for a simple yet powerful social media service that can be suitable for highly professional and official purposes, feel free to download Twitter.