Which app to use for Telegram?

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When it comes to messaging applications Telegram it's one of those that the more we recommend. Although it is quite far from perfect (its application is Open source but it is mandatory to use Telegram servers) is currently a good compromise thanks also to its incredible ecosystem made up of bots, channels and gigantic groups. Especially if the alternative proposed to us is: "let's talk on Whatsapp!" and we can't get anyone to come up Matrix or Signal. But which app to use for Telegram?

One of the most interesting features of Telegram, in fact, is that it is not at all mandatory to use their official application to chat with other users. Telegram is indeed Open source ¹ and anyone can create an application that connects to their servers to modify or improve some usage features.

Furthermore, for some time Telegram seems to be ready to abandon (or at least ready for possible exclusion) the Google Play Store. Going to the official website in fact Android section the first and main alternative is their APK (the app installation package) without going through the Play Store. Only at the bottom of the page do we find, written in small letters, the sentence: "Are you more comfortable installing apps from the Google Play Store? Download Telegram from Google Play“.

ATTENTION: directly download the APKs (installation files) from channels other than F-Droid or of Repositories it can be risky especially if you are not able to independently identify the downloaded file as non-corrupt and non-malignant. However, for completeness of information we would like to point out to you: official Telegram channels where the installation files are dropped (when they exist).

Which app to use for Telegram?

L’applicazione ufficiale

available for Desktop (Windows/Linux), macOS, Android, iPhone

A first step therefore if you want to abandon or move away from Google and its Play Store is to download the official application from the Telegram website: it is safe and will also receive faster updates than that of the Play Store.

Be careful though: one of the (few) negative features of Telegram in its official version is the use of Google services to share your location. For example, if you use this version but do not have Google services installed nor do you have Google Maps you will not be able to share your location with anyone.

This is, in our opinion, a huge flaw. Furthermore, although this may be seen by some as a lesser evil as you can also block it with applications like TrackerControl, the application contains the tracer of Google Firebase Analytics ². However, progress was made because until May 2021 Telegram also contained Microsoft Visual Studio App Center Crashes ³.

• visit the site

Telegram X

available for Android

Another official version of the Telegram team, which recently became also Open source ⁴. Unlike the previous one, it does not contain any tracer ⁵. You can also find updates and logs on official Telegram channel.

• download from Play Store

Telegram su F-Droid

available for Android

And this is where it comes to our rescue F-Droid! On the alternative store par excellence we find a version of Telegram identical in all respects to the official one with some fundamental differences: you can share your location even without Google services or Google Maps as OpenStreetMap is used exclusively. There are many differences and dependencies from Google eliminated and you find all the features here.

In Telegram FOSS all types of have also been eliminated tracer, like that of Google Firebase Analytics. Unfortunately, updates for this application are slower and can sometimes take weeks to arrive.

• download from F-Droid

Mercurygram

available for Android

If Telegram FOSS you like it but you would like to other here's one Fork (Italian!) with some features features such as the ability to increase the quality of photos (from 1280px to 2560px), extra themes and more! It doesn't exist on F-Droid but it can only be installed via GitHub APK.

• download APK from GitHub

Nekogram

available for Android

Application Open source ⁶ from which, as you may have guessed, Nekogram

If the settings of Nekogram

Unlike the main application, the maps are not tied to Google but it also works well on smartphones degoogled thanks to Mapbox maps.

The application is not available from F-Droid but you can download it from the Play Store, from their Telegram channel or from GitHub.

• download from Play Store

• official Telegram channel

OctoGram

available for Android

Application Open source ⁷ which unlike all the others inserted here you will not find either on F-Droid nor on the Play Store. However, it is available via installation of the downloadable APK directly on GitHub. It has some nice cosmetic improvements and a number of extra settings available in the “OctoGram Settings“. A nice feature that we haven't found elsewhere is the status of Telegram data centers also available via the web: https://octogram.site/dcstatus. The updates are not very fast above all but there is a beta version with faster updates for the more impatient.

Nagram e Nullgram

available for Android

Here we bring together two applications that are very similar to each other. It all comes from Nagram which is a Fork Of Nekogram to which some changes and additions have been made. You can find the list of additional features compared to Nekogram here.

Then it exists Nullgram, also based on NekoX and Nekogram which attempts to integrate the functions of NekoX and Nekogram.

Forkgram

available for Android

This too, like the previous ones, is really very interesting. It's probably the fastest at releasing updates (through their Telegram channel) and is also probably one of the simplest in terms of modifications made, second perhaps only to Telegram FOSS. If indeed Nekogram it is famous for having dozens and dozens of features (including a proxy), Forkgram it limits itself to a few adjustments, especially on an aesthetic level.

• download from F-Droid

exteraGram

available for Android

Other application Open source ⁸ to use Telegram. It has several interesting features that you can find listed here on their official website. It is not available on F-Droid but you can download the APK directly from GitHub or directly from theirs Telegram channel.

Telegram Web

available on any Browsers

There are two ways to use Telegram on Browsers. WebZ and a second version called WebK. The first is probably the one that Telegram prefers, or at least the main one in their view, as it is the one linked by default in the footer of the official site.

They are two very similar applications but are actually developed by two separate teams. Second this support ticket of Telegram, in fact, the development of two separate applications was born because "they believe in internal competition".

Keep in mind, however, that the applications on Browsers they are very limited compared to those for desktop and for Android and iPhone. Here you will find a list of things that these versions they don't support: WebK And WebZ (these are not up-to-date lists so something could be fixed in the meantime).

• WebK

• WebZ

OwlGram

OwlGram it no longer exists.

Nekogram X

available for Android

Attention: Nekogram it has not been updated since October 2023, it is currently not recommended and if it continues not to be updated it will be removed completely from this article.

After the official application and the unofficial one Nekogram it is probably one of the most interesting alternatives. Just like the previous applications, the builds are verifiable (it is therefore possible to be sure that the app faithfully reflects the released code).

Nekogram delete all tracers present in the official application. Initially OpenStreetMap was used instead of Google Maps for real-time location sharing but from version 8.9.3 only Google Maps is used again ⁹. It is incredibly full of unique features. It is complex to list them all and explain them all without boring you so we refer you to their page on F-Droid where a simple list will make you understand the infinite options available.

Nekogram it's one of ours alternatives to Telegram favorite. Updates are slower than the official application however through the their Telegram channel you can download them faster than from F-Droid.

• download from F-Droid

• official Telegram channel

Which app to use for Telegram? All the others

There are many applications for using Telegram, we will not dwell too much on each one but we have preferred to give space to those on Android that we prefer.

For desktop (Windows/Linux/macOS)

• 64Gram (source code);
• Forkgram (source code);
• Unigram (for Windows only) (source code);
• Kotatogram Desktop (source code), eliminated because he will not be available from 2022.

For Android

• Catogram (source code) be careful because the developer defines it as an experimental application and above all it seems to be stopped in development.

For iPad

• Nicegram (source code), as was pointed out to us ¹⁰ Nicegram since it passed into the hands of the software house "Appvillis” will not continue to maintain the open code. Furthermore, the company has inserted an “analytics ID” into the app to track installations and more.

1. Telegram applications[↩]
2. Telegram Exodus Report[↩]
3. Telegram Exodus Report May 7, 2021[↩]
4. Telegram X GitHub page[↩]
5. Exodus report on Telegram[↩]
6. Nekogram on GitLab[↩]
7. OctoGram on GitHub[↩]
8. source code exteraGram[↩]
9. Nekogram X Update[↩]
10. Message on Telegram[↩]

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