TelegramUmbera
Phone number to sign upTelegramRequired. Telegram accounts can only be connected to a mobile number.UmberaNot required. A username and password; no email either.
End-to-end encryption, one-to-one chatsTelegramOnly in Secret Chats. Regular (cloud) chats use server-client encryption. Secret Chats are end-to-end encrypted and tied to one device.UmberaYes, by default. Every chat; there is no unencrypted chat type.
End-to-end encryption, groupsTelegramNo. Groups are cloud chats with server-client encryption.UmberaYes, by default. Groups use MLS (RFC 9420). The server doesn’t know a message is for a group or who is in it.
Post-quantum protectionTelegramNot documented. The official FAQ doesn’t mention post-quantum encryption.UmberaMessages: yes. Calls: no. Every message envelope is sealed with X25519 and ML-KEM-1024 together. Calls use DTLS-SRTP (WebRTC), which is not post-quantum.
Sender and metadataTelegramNot documented. We found no sealed-sender-type protection in the official FAQ.UmberaSender sealed inside the ciphertext. Messages go to a mailbox address only the two people can derive, and it changes periodically. Sizes are padded to blocks. The server sees the delivery time.
Open sourceTelegramApps: yes. Server: no. All client apps are open source, with verifiable builds for iOS and Android. The server code is not published.UmberaCryptographic core only. umbera-core (Rust) is open source under Apache-2.0 on GitHub and crates.io. The app and the server code are not published.
Built-in TorTelegramNot documented.UmberaYes. One switch routes all app traffic through Tor.
Channels and communitiesTelegramYes, channels. Channels broadcast to an unlimited number of subscribers. Since July 2026, groups, channels and bots can be linked into communities.UmberaYes, Communities. Channels with a separate pseudonym in every channel; private channels are end-to-end encrypted. Open during the trial, then part of Umbera Premium.
Disappearing messagesTelegramPartly. A self-destruct timer for all messages in Secret Chats and for media in private cloud chats.UmberaIn one-to-one chats. 1 minute, 1 hour, 1 day or 1 week; deleted on both phones, attached files deleted from the server. Not available in groups yet.
PriceTelegramFree, optional Premium. Messaging is free; Telegram Premium is a paid subscription with extra features.UmberaFree plan and a subscription. After a free trial, a few contacts stay free for good. Encryption, Tor and Shield are always free. Umbera Premium adds any number of people, groups and Communities.