Side by side
| Telegram | IronCircles | |
|---|---|---|
| Group chats | Not end-to-end encrypted (cloud chats) | End-to-end encrypted |
| One-to-one chats | End to end only in opt-in Secret Chats, on one device | End-to-end encrypted, always |
| Calls | End-to-end encrypted, including group calls (2025) | End-to-end encrypted, with per-call keys exchanged over ML-KEM-1024 |
| Encryption protocol | MTProto 2.0, Telegram’s own design | ML-KEM-1024 in a double ratchet, XChaCha20-Poly1305 |
| Signup | Phone number required | Username and password only |
| Who joins a group | Admins add people or share a link; public groups anyone can join | Invite-only; members vote newcomers in |
| Group size | Up to 200,000 members; channels unlimited | Built for small, trusted circles |
| Ads | In public channels with 1,000+ subscribers; hidden with Premium | None |
Facts about Telegram are as of October 2026.
What Telegram encrypts
Telegram has two kinds of chat. Cloud chats, which include every group, are encrypted between your device and Telegram’s servers and stored there, so they sync across all your devices. Because Telegram holds the keys, it is not end-to-end encryption. Secret Chats are end-to-end encrypted, but they are one-to-one only, have to be started on purpose, and live on a single device.
In 2025 Telegram added end-to-end encryption to group and conference calls. Group messages, photos and files are still cloud chats.
In IronCircles there is only one kind of circle, and it is end-to-end encrypted. Messages, photos, video and files are encrypted on your device before they leave it, in groups and one-to-one alike, and they still sync to your other devices.
The phone number and what Telegram can hand over
Telegram accounts are tied to a phone number. Usernames let people find you without seeing it, and numbers bought on the Fragment marketplace can replace a SIM, but Telegram still has a number for every account.
Since September 2024, Telegram’s privacy policy says it may disclose a user’s IP address and phone number to authorities in response to a valid court order. Before then it limited this to terrorism cases.
IronCircles has no phone number to disclose: signup is a username and a password. Message content is end-to-end encrypted, so our servers hold ciphertext, not conversations.
Audience vs circle
Telegram is at its best as a broadcast platform: public channels, groups of thousands and bots. That is a different job from a private group of friends or family.
An IronCircles circle stays small on purpose. People are invited, members vote them in, and there is nothing to find from outside. Inside, a circle holds more than chat: full-resolution albums, events with RSVPs, shared lists, votes, recipes, credentials and multiplayer games.
Choose Telegram if
- You want to broadcast to a large public audience through a channel.
- You need bots and integrations more than privacy.
- Your group is public by nature and does not mind the platform reading it.
Choose IronCircles if
- You want group chats that are end-to-end encrypted by default.
- You do not want to give a phone number to sign up.
- You want members, not a link, to decide who joins.
- You want photos, plans and games in the same encrypted place as the chat.
Questions
Are Telegram group chats end-to-end encrypted?
No. As of October 2026, Telegram group chats are cloud chats, encrypted between your device and Telegram’s servers but not end to end. Only one-to-one Secret Chats and calls are end-to-end encrypted.
Does Telegram require a phone number?
Yes. As of October 2026, every Telegram account is connected to a phone number. A username can hide the number from other people, but Telegram still has it.
What is a private alternative to Telegram for groups?
IronCircles gives a group an invite-only circle where every message, photo and file is end-to-end encrypted, with no phone number and no ads.