Telegram Messenger vs DatChat
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Telegram Messenger
A fast, secure, and powerful instant messaging app synced across all devices. It offers unlimited media and file sharing, robust encryption, and extensive group chat capabilities. Enjoy a simple, private, and customizable communication experience.
- Cross-device synchronization
- Unlimited file and media sharing
- End-to-end encrypted secret chats
- Large group chats (up to 200,000 members)
- Customizable themes and stickers
- Bots for task automation
- Photo and video editing tools
Read full descriptionHide full description
Pure instant messaging — simple, fast, secure, and synced across all your devices. One of the top 5 most downloaded apps in the world with over 1 billion active users. FAST: Telegram is the fastest messaging app on the market, connecting people via a unique, distributed network of data centers around the globe. SYNCED: You can access your messages from all your phones, tablets and computers at once. Telegram apps are standalone, so you don’t need to keep your phone connected. Start typing on one device and finish the message from another. Never lose your data again. UNLIMITED: You can send media and files, without any limits on their type and size. Your entire chat history will require no disk space on your device, and will be securely stored in the Telegram cloud for as long as you need it. SECURE: We made it our mission to provide the best security combined with ease of use. Everything on Telegram, including chats, groups, media, etc. is encrypted using a combination of 256-bit symmetric AES encryption, 2048-bit RSA encryption, and Diffie–Hellman secure key exchange. 100% FREE & OPEN: Telegram has a fully documented and free API for developers, open source apps and verifiable builds to prove the app you download is built from the exact same source code that is published. POWERFUL: You can create group chats with up to 200,000 members, share large videos, documents of any type (.DOCX, .MP3, .ZIP, etc.) up to 2 GB each, and even set up bots for specific tasks. Telegram is the perfect tool for hosting online communities and coordinating teamwork. RELIABLE: Built to deliver your messages using as little data as possible, Telegram is the most reliable messaging system ever made. It works even on the weakest mobile connections. FUN: Telegram has powerful photo and video editing tools, animated stickers and emoji, fully customizable themes to change the appearance of your app, and an open sticker/GIF platform to cater to all your expressive needs. SIMPLE: While providing an unprecedented array of features, we take great care to keep the interface clean. Telegram is so simple you already know how to use it. PRIVATE: We take your privacy seriously and will never give any third parties access to your data. You can delete any message you ever sent or received for both sides, at any time and without a trace. Telegram will never use your data to show you ads. For those interested in maximum privacy, Telegram offers Secret Chats. Secret Chat messages can be programmed to self-destruct automatically from both participating devices. This way you can send all types of disappearing content — messages, photos, videos, and even files. Secret Chats use End-to-End Encryption to ensure that a message can only be read by its intended recipient. We keep expanding the boundaries of what you can do with a messaging app. Don’t wait years for older messengers to catch up with Telegram — join the revolution today. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
DatChat
This app offers a private social network and messenger with self-destructing, screenshot-protected, and end-to-end encrypted posts and messages. Users can control messages even after sending, create private social groups, and secure photos with advanced encryption.
- Self-destructing messages and posts
- Screenshot protection with notifications
- End-to-end encrypted communication
- Nuke conversations to erase both sides
- Private social groups
- Multiple accounts
- Encrypted hidden photo storage
Read full descriptionHide full description
DatChat is a private social networking app and messenger that protects your privacy with self-destructing, screenshot protected, encrypted posts and messages. Get the security you deserve. Keep your messages and social posts private, secure, and out of the wrong hands. Our proprietary anti-screenshot protection makes it nearly impossible for others to screenshot messages, posts, or comments - and you will receive a notification that they even tried. Every message you send has an end-to-end encrypted connection. Control over messages doesn’t stop after you hit send - now you have control even after they are sent. “Nuke” conversations on both the sender and recipient’s devices to protect your privacy. You can also unsend messages with ease. Messages will vanish without trace when they reach view limits or are manually destructed. Using DatChat is like having your own private social network. Create Social Groups where only you and the friends you invite to the group can post, comment, and like. Have as many accounts as you like, with whatever friends and family you want. Secure, private messages and pictures are only visible when logged into that respective account. Only your profile picture is available for anyone to view on DatChat. All other photos and information are in a private camera roll, hidden and encrypted behind other pictures. Never worry about picture security again. Download DatChat today and enjoy free, private, and secure social networking. DATCHAT FEATURES: Free, Secure Messaging: - Private messenger protects your privacy - Propriety anti-screenshot protection makes it nearly impossible to screenshot a message, post, or comment - Receive notifications when someone attempts to screenshot messages, photos, or videos - Only the sender & intended recipients can view messages - they cannot be forwarded to others - Every message has an end-to-end encrypted connection Post-Send Control: - Control what happens to messages even after you send them - Self-destructing messages & posts protect your privacy - “Nuke” messages & completely eradicate both sides of a conversation, comments, and more - Messages & posts vanish without a trace when they reach a view limit or are manually destructed Secure Social Networking: - Create Social Groups where only you & your invited friends can post, comment, and like - Group & individual conversations available - Multiple accounts for different friends: messages are visible when logged into that respective account Picture Privacy: - Only the cover photo can be seen in plain sight - Senders can hide pictures and information on the camera roll, hidden & encrypted behind other pictures Download DatChat now to start sending secure, private messages. __ We now offer DatChat Pro at three membership tiers: - Monthly: $0.99, renews every month - Yearly: $9.99, renews annually - Lifetime: $24.99, one-time purchase good for the life of your account DatChat Pro is an optional subscription service that unlocks new features and removes existing limitations. Subscriptions are offered on a monthly, yearly, and lifetime basis. Monthly subscriptions will renew every month for $0.99. Yearly subscriptions will renew annually for $9.99. A lifetime subscription is a one-time payment of $24.99 that does not renew and will upgrade your status to Pro for the lifetime of your account. Prices may vary by location. Any portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription. Subscriptions are charged to your credit card through your iTunes account. Manage your subscription in Account Settings after purchase. Monthly and Yearly subscriptions must be canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period to prevent an auto-renewal. Once purchased, refunds will not be given for any unused portion of the term. Terms of Service: http://www.datchat.net/terms Privacy Policy: http://www.datchat.net/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: DatChat at 91% against Telegram Messenger's 35%. DatChat also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.0). Telegram Messenger's advantage is ratings volume (280K vs 944) and chart position (#3 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Telegram Messenger sells 19 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and DatChat sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
DatChat holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Telegram Messenger has 280K ratings behind it against 944, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 35% of Telegram Messenger's written reviews are positive against 91% of DatChat's.
Telegram Messenger ships an update weekly, DatChat every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Telegram Messenger | DatChat |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (280K ratings) | 4.8 (944 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 34.6% of reviews | 90.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 280K — better | 944 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 9 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | #3 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 14.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 232 MB | 53 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Telegram FZ-LLC | Myseum, Inc. |
Customer experience
Telegram Messenger
DatChat
User reviews
Telegram Messenger
From 280K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 🔒 Secure and private
- 👍 Customizable and user-friendly
- 💡 Innovative features like channels and bots
- 🌟 Great overall messaging experience
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy and unstable at times
- 🔋 Battery life issues
- 🚫 Lack of video calling feature
- 📂 Issues with media uploads and downloads
- 🔍 Inadequate search functionality
DatChat
From 944 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🔒 Privacy and security
- 🚀 Innovative features
- 👍 Easy to use
- 💡 Blockchain technology
- 🔒 Anti-screenshot protection
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes
- 🔧 Needs more feature development
- 👎 Dated UI design
- 🔍 Difficulty finding recent messages
Bugs and requests
Telegram Messenger
Reported bugs
5 issues- Keyboard issues and cursor placement problems
- Frequent app crashes, especially in large group chats
- Inaccurate 'last seen' timestamps
- Notification issues and duplicate messages
- Problems with media auto-save and download
Requested features
5 requests- Add video calling feature
- Improve search capabilities
- Implement a story/status feature
- Allow more customization options
- Segregate channels, bots, and individual chats
DatChat
Reported bugs
3 issues- Login screen freezes
- Inconsistent message delivery
- Notifications not always working as expected
Requested features
5 requests- Video chat functionality
- Ability to like/react to messages
- Improved message search and sorting
- Customizable notification settings
- Integration with other platforms
In-app purchases
Telegram Messenger
- Telegram Premium$4.991 Month
- Telegram Premium Annual$35.991 Year
- 50 Telegram Stars$0.99
- 1x Telegram Premium (One Week)$1.19
- 100 Telegram Stars$1.99
Show 14 moreShow fewer
- 250 Telegram Stars$5.09
- 500 Telegram Stars$9.99
- Telegram Premium (3 Months)$14.99
- 750 Telegram Stars$14.99
- Telegram Premium (6 Months)$19.99
- 1x Premium (6 Months)$19.99
- 1000 Telegram Stars$19.99
- 1500 Telegram Stars$29.99
- Telegram Premium (1 Year)$35.99
- 1x Premium (1 Year)$35.99
- 2500 Telegram Stars$50.90
- 5x Premium (3 Months Each)$74.99
- 10x Premium (3 Months Each)$149.99
- 5x Premium (1 Year Each)$179.99
DatChat
- Pro (Monthly)$0.991 Month
- Pro (Yearly)$9.991 Year
- Remain Anonymous$1.99
- DatChat Pro Lifetime$24.99
Questions
Is Telegram Messenger free?
Is DatChat free?
Which has better reviews, Telegram Messenger or DatChat?
Do Telegram Messenger or DatChat have ads?
Which is updated more often, Telegram Messenger or DatChat?
Other comparisons















