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SimpleX Chat vs Telegram: catalog facts
SimpleX Chat	Telegram
Free Free and open source under the AGPL 3.0. The company is funded by investment and…	Free The apps are free to download and use.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Command line	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
No user identifier of any kind, so conversations cannot be correlated by account Double ratchet encryption with an additional layer for the relay servers	Chats sync across phones and desktop computers Large groups, channels and bot platform
Connecting means exchanging a link or QR code in person or elsewhere No contact list means a lost device is a lost set of conversations unless backed up	Relies on Telegram's central servers Apps are open source but the server software is not published
Downloadable app	Downloadable app, Hosted service
Open source	Open source
License: AGPL-3.0	License: GPL-3.0
No account needed	Account needed
Works offline	Needs internet
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 2, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.