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Telegram DesktopElement
Freemium

Free to use. Telegram Premium is an optional subscription for larger uploads, faster…

 Freemium

The client is free and open source under the AGPL 3.0. Element Matrix Services sells…

Windows, macOS, Linux Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Web, Self-hosted
  • Official client with published source and build instructions
  • Cloud chats sync instantly across every device you sign in on
  • End-to-end encryption with cross-signed device verification
  • Federated, so you can run your own server and still reach everyone
  • Ordinary chats are not end-to-end encrypted and Telegram holds the keys
  • Secret chats are not available in the desktop client
  • Encryption key management confuses people the first time they log in on a new device
  • Heavy on memory for a chat app, and slow with many large rooms
Downloadable app Downloadable app
Open source Open source
License: GPL-3.0 License: AGPL-3.0
Account needed Account needed
Works offline Works offline

Checked September 21, 2026

Checked September 21, 2026

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