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Telegram Desktop vs Session: catalog facts
Telegram Desktop	Session
Freemium Free to use. Telegram Premium is an optional subscription for larger uploads, faster…	Free Free and open source under the GPL 3.0, run by the Session Technology Foundation.
Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
Official client with published source and build instructions Cloud chats sync instantly across every device you sign in on	No phone number or email needed; the account is a random ID Onion routing hides your address from recipients and from the network
Ordinary chats are not end-to-end encrypted and Telegram holds the keys Secret chats are not available in the desktop client	Losing your recovery phrase means losing the account with no reset Delivery can be slower than a centralised messenger
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: GPL-3.0	License: GPL-3.0
Account needed	No account needed
Works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026

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