To engage your customers effectively, you need to be where they are.
When millions worldwide started using WhatsApp and Telegram for personal communication via text, audio, and video, the platforms’ business potential became too great to be left untapped.
With advanced features, both instant messaging platforms allow businesses to personalize customer interactions, integrate with CRM tools or ERP systems, and automate responses for efficient communication. So, as a business owner, which platform should you rely on? ⚡
In this blog, we’ll answer this question by comparing WhatsApp Business and Telegram’s features and pricing. We’ll also discuss a tool that provides a more comprehensive solution for your business needs!
Telegram vs. Whatsapp for Business: Which is Better?
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhat Is Telegram?
Launched in 2013 by the Durov brothers, Telegram is a cloud-based messaging software. It’s free and can be used on mobile and desktop devices to share files, images, and videos.
While each Telegram group can have up to 200,000 members with two-way conversations enabled, Telegram channels allow you to share messages with unlimited members in only one-way conversations.
💡 Quick Insight: Small businesses can use Telegram to engage with their customers, broadcast marketing messages, and even facilitate internal communication, especially if they’re dealing with limited budgets.
Telegram features
Telegram offers several versatile features that can be used for both professional and personal communication.
1. Feature #1: Instant messaging
Instant messages sent via Telegram can include text, video, audio, and files up to 2GB in size.
If you’re logged into your Telegram account via multiple devices, any message you type on a device will get saved as a cloud draft. This allows you to access the draft on another synced device for seamless transitions and communication. Telegram also allows you to delete messages irrespective of when they were sent, enhancing privacy and security.
2. Feature #2: Groups and channels
In Telegram, you can create groups and channels to communicate with multiple users easily. A group can support up to 200,000 users and can be public or private. A private group is invite-only, while public groups can be easily located using the search functionality.
Channels, on the other hand, are used to broadcast messages to a wider audience. Only the channel owner and admins are allowed to post on channels. Others can read, comment, and react to a message. If you run a channel on Telegram, you can get insights into aspects like user growth, number of interactions, and customer engagement.
💡 Quick Insight: Businesses can use groups for collaboration, customer support, file sharing, and community building. Channels are useful for marketing advertisements, announcements, and sharing exclusive news or updates.
3. Feature #3: Videos and voice calls
Telegram users can initiate video or voice calls with other members in private or group chats.
You can share your screen, mute other members, and record your calls if required. With channels, you can also start a live stream to host product demos, AMAs, or other small-scale events to engage your audience.
4. Feature #4: Bots
Telegram allows third-party developers to build and deploy bots to perform various tasks within the platform, such as automating replies and invites, accepting payments, etc., by using custom commands.
These bots help automate repetitive tasks and integrate with tools like CRMs and analytics solutions to improve customer satisfaction and user engagement.
💡 Quick Insight: E-commerce businesses can use Telegram bots to handle order management, customer support, and lead generation.
Telegram pricing
- Free forever
- Telegram Premium: $4.99 per month
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhat is WhatsApp?
WhatsApp is a secure messaging app owned by Meta AI that is used by people across the world to stay connected to their personal and professional networks. The application provides a reliable way to connect via text, voice, and video calls.
This is precisely why WhatsApp has extended its services for businesses via two key products:
- The WhatsApp Business Platform for medium and large businesses
- The WhatsApp Business App for small businesses
More about these later. First, let’s explore some of the features WhatsApp has to offer.
1. Feature #1: Text messaging
You can use WhatsApp to send instant messages to anyone using the application. The app is free for personal use and only requires a steady internet connection.
The messaging app allows you to make video and voice calls, as well as send voice notes for clear communication. All calls and texts are secured via end-to-end encryption so only the sender and the recipient of a message can read or listen to it.
💡Pro Tip: Using a pre-approved communication plan template ensures that your business messaging is consistent, professional, and compliant with existing policies and regulations.
2. Feature #2: Group chats
WhatsApp allows you to create group chats with up to 1,024 participants at a time. Groups are controlled by admins who can decide whether to enable two-way conversations or if only certain people can post in the group. Groups allow sharing of media, links, and documents up to 2GB in size.
While sharing sensitive information, switch to ‘Disappearing Messages’, which vanish after a specific amount of time.
3. Feature #3: WhatsApp Business Platform
WhatsApp Business Platform is designed for medium and large businesses to interact with customers and drive business growth. It uses WhatsApp Business API to integrate with your existing business applications and automate workflows to deliver enhanced customer experiences.
With the WhatsApp Business Platform, you can share order confirmation and tracking updates with customers, deliver personalized offers to re-engage users, and enable multi-factor authentications and OTPs for verification.
4. Feature #4: WhatsApp Business App
If you’re a small business owner looking to connect with customers, showcase your products, and offer support, the Business App is exactly what you need. It’s available on both the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
The Business app allows you to create a business profile visible to customers that comes with a Meta verified checkmark badge to verify your authenticity. With the flexibility to link up to 10 different devices to your business account, you can offer seamless customer support with the help of multiple agents.
WhatsApp pricing
- Free forever
- WhatsApp Business App: Free
- WhatsApp Business Platform: Pay per 24-hour conversation
Summarize this article for me pleaseTelegram vs. WhatsApp: Features Compared
If you’re looking to streamline your business communication, Telegram and WhatsApp are your best bets. However, both platforms offer similar features at comparable prices. So how do you choose? Let’s help you decide.
The table below will give you a more granular idea about how these platforms compare to each other.
| Feature | Telegram | |
| Instant messaging | Enabled for group and private conversations | Available for private and group conversations |
| Messaging channels | Groups for two-way conversations and channels for one-way messages | Groups have admins, and they control who can post within each group |
| End-to-end encryption | Only available on Secret Chats, voice and video calls | All types of communication are encrypted by default |
| Backup and storage | Unlimited cloud storage, individual files can’t be larger than 2GB in size | Needs external storage systems like Google Drive or iCloud |
| Business tools | Not available | Available as WhatsApp Business Platform/App |
| Self-destructing messages | Available for Secret Chats | Available with ‘Disappearing Messages’ |
1. Feature #1: Messaging features
Telegram allows users to interact with individuals or with a wider audience using private chats, groups, and channels. You can broadcast messages to unlimited participants or create interactive announcements using polls, quizzes, and scheduled messages.
WhatsApp offers a largely similar set of features where you can share photos, videos, files, and documents securely with your contacts and create groups to reach a larger audience. The only caveat is that a WhatsApp group is limited to 1,024 members.
Winner 🏆
Both WhatsApp and Telegram fare equally well when it comes to their messaging features. However, if you want to reach out to a broader audience, especially for marketing promotions or announcements, Telegram would be a better choice since WhatsApp limits groups to a maximum of 1,024 members.
2. Feature #2: End-to-end encryption
End-to-end encryption (E2EE) is a key security feature for dealing with sensitive data. Telegram does not offer E2EE for regular chats, but its ‘Secret Chats’ feature encrypts messages, with the added option of self-destructing messages. The platform also encrypts all voice and video calls with E2EE.
WhatsApp offers E2EE for all your messages, irrespective of whether they are in your private chat or group conversations. The same applies to all your video, voice, and text messages, ensuring secure communication.
Winner 🏆
Business owners will find WhatsApp a better choice in this scenario. The default end-to-end encryption ensures both external and internal team communication remains private and secure at all times, without the need for any additional security measures.
3. Feature #3: Backup and storage
Telegram’s unlimited cloud storage feature comes in handy when you have to back up your chats and files. It also adds multi-device access to ensure that you can access your account and chats from all linked devices. Moreover, you don’t have to worry about backing up your data, as the app does this automatically at regular intervals.
WhatsApp, on the other hand, allows access from only up to four linked devices at a time. It does have local and cloud-based storage but relies on Google Drive or iCloud. Chats have to be backed up periodically, or you risk losing them altogether, especially when you migrate from an old device to a new one.
Winner 🏆
Telegram has an advantage over WhatsApp here since you don’t need to rely on external storage systems or manual backup to access your conversations. This is convenient for businesses since they don’t have to worry about losing important data. The cross-device sync also ensures that you have access to all the latest conversations at any given time.
4. Feature #4: Business tools
While features like channels and bots allow you to leverage Telegram for promotions, customer communication, and support, it lacks business-specific features. This makes it less feasible for advanced use cases like automation, CRM integration, and other operations.
WhatsApp offers dedicated tools for business messaging with features like product catalogs, conversational flows, quick replies, and secure payment. Moreover, WhatsApp has over two billion global users, giving businesses access to a large pool of potential customers.
Winner 🏆
When it comes to business communication, WhatsApp is a clear winner. It can automate support, drive sales, engage customers, and even integrate with third-party applications through the WhatsApp Business API. These specialized features make it an effective tool for businesses of any size.
Summarize this article for me pleaseTelegram vs. WhatsApp on Reddit
This debate is incomplete without actual business owners weighing in on what they think is a better choice between Telegram and WhatsApp Business. We scoured Reddit to determine if business users preferred Telegram or WhatsApp for their needs.
One Redditor said they would prefer WhatsApp since it automatically encrypts all their conversations. For comparison, Telegram only encrypts Secret Chats, voice and video calls.
Another user says they prefer WhatsApp simply because most of their contacts are present there. Telegram is yet to find its footing among users.
Some other users prefer Telegram because it seamlessly syncs messages into the cloud without the need for manual backup.
Despite Telegram’s rich features, users online preferred WhatsApp for Business due to its end-to-end encryption and greater reach.
Summarize this article for me pleaseMeet ClickUp: the Best Alternative to Telegram vs. WhatsApp
WhatsApp and Telegram are decent messaging platforms for casual users. In fact, WhatsApp has a slight edge over Telegram due to its business-specific communication features.
However, both platforms lack comprehensive project management features to analyze customer and campaign data, efficiently collaborate on projects with team members, and organize your existing business workflows.
This is where ClickUp enters the chat (figuratively)!
ClickUp efficiently handles all your business communications and offers task management capabilities with features like chat, intelligent AI, task automation, team management, and workflow centralization.
Below, we show you exactly how ClickUp eases your work and why it is one of the better Telegram or WhatsApp alternatives.
1. ClickUp’s One Up #1: ClickUp Chat
By bringing your discussions and tasks into one unified platform, ClickUp Chat ensures that everything you need to communicate and collaborate is seamlessly integrated.
Say you’re working on launching a marketing campaign and want the design team to work on a couple of creatives for the launch. ClickUp Chat allows you to initiate a conversation with your designers with a simple @mention.
It works directly within ClickUp so that you’re not forced to switch to another email or team chat app to loop in your colleagues. Comments can be converted into tasks and added to a team member’s to-do list. The task remains linked to your conversation, giving everyone involved all the context they need when they return to it later.
Additionally, you can initiate audio or video calls from Chat, which is helpful when sharing quick updates, brainstorming in real time, or clarifying items that may be too complicated to communicate over text.
Moreover, Chat is enhanced with ClickUp’s very own AI—ClickUp Brain—giving it some serious superpowers.
ClickUp Brain gives you suggested replies based on insights it pulls up from your workspace any time someone asks you a question. It can join calls, summarize what was discussed, and auto-create tasks for critical follow-ups.
ClickUp Chat key features include:
- Unified communication: Keep all discussions tied to tasks and projects, making follow-ups and collaboration effortless
- Voice and video calls: Jump into audio or video calls directly within the chat to resolve questions or discuss projects face-to-face—no extra apps required
- AI-powered efficiency: Automatically create tasks from messages, summarize conversations with AI CatchUp, and find related tasks or docs with AI Relationships
- Real-time messaging: Collaborate instantly, share updates, and brainstorm ideas without delays
- Threaded conversations: Stay organized with threads to ensure nothing gets lost in the chat
- Custom notifications: Manage alerts and prioritize what’s most important to stay focused
Rely a lot on instant messaging to get work done? Use the ClickUp Instant Message Template to create an internal chat room for your team and centralize team communication.
With this template, you can:
- Follow chat etiquette at work and stop worrying about typos or grammar errors
- Respond quickly using standardized responses for common queries
- Keep your brand voice and tone consistent across messaging
- Prioritize important conversations so you don’t miss critical details
💡Pro Tip: Sync conversation threads in Chat to tasks, streamlining collaboration in the workplace. So whenever an idea is discussed on a thread, you can immediately create a task from it. With this, everyone has enough context for every task along with clear deadlines and ownership.
2. ClickUp’s One Up #2: ClickUp Clips
While working on the website for a marketing campaign, you realize it would be a good idea to add some interactive elements for better user engagement. Instead of explaining over a call, you want to show your design team what needs to be done.
ClickUp Clips is what you need.
Clips can be used to record and explain complex workflows to team members, clients, and new employees, eliminating the need for additional screen-sharing software in your tech stack. All clips are saved in ‘Clips Hub’ for quick and easy reference.
The best part is that you can share a Clip with team members by using a public link or sending them the downloaded file. How’s that for making asynchronous communication more flexible?
💡Pro Tip: ClickUp Brain can transcribe any Clip, making it easier to locate specific information. You can scan the different timestamps in the transcript and copy snippets from anywhere in the video for quick reference or documentation.
3. ClickUp’s One Up #3: ClickUp Assigned Comments
Want feedback from stakeholders on design elements or budget allocation for a campaign?
Instead of sending separate messages, use ClickUp’s Assign Comments.
It is a great workplace communication tool to notify team members whenever an action is required from their end.
Comments assigned to you will be organized in a single place so you can locate them easily. Once done, you can resolve the action item within the comment itself without hassle.
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhy ClickUp is the Smarter Choice for Business Collaboration
Both WhatsApp and Telegram have unique strengths. Telegram stands out for its public channels, seamless device sync, and cloud storage. For end-to-end encryption and business-specific features, WhatsApp is preferable.
However, both platforms lack task-tracking features, organizational support, and AI-based automation.
If you want to empower your business with comprehensive communication tools, ClickUp is your best bet. It goes beyond a simple communication tool and offers an all-in-one workspace where teams can not only collaborate but manage tasks, improve customer relationship management, and leverage AI to work smarter.
Sign up for ClickUp today and find out what makes it the smarter choice for efficient business communication and engagement.
Everything you need to stay organized and get work done.
