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WhatsApp vs Telegram vs Signal: which app has fewer problems?
We compared 300 recent App Store reviews of WhatsApp, 300 recent App Store reviews of Telegram and 300 recent App Store reviews of Signal, each classified by AI into 7 complaint themes (samples from up to 6 storefronts, latest review 2026-10-22). Signal has the fewest complaints overall: 25% of its recent reviews contain a complaint, vs 58% for Telegram and 42% for WhatsApp.
Ratings at a glance
| App | All-time US rating | Ratings | Avg in our sample | Reviews analysed | Reviews with a complaint | Sample dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.7★ | 18.8M | 3.04★ | 300 | 42% | 2026-09-25 – 2026-10-22 (28 d) | |
| Telegram | 4.0★ | 284K | 2.38★ | 300 | 58% | 2026-06-03 – 2026-10-22 (142 d) |
| Signal | 4.7★ | 1.1M | 3.77★ | 300 | 25% | 2025-12-18 – 2026-10-22 (309 d) |
Complaint themes side by side
Share of all analysed reviews that mention each theme (review count in brackets). Bold = lowest. A review can mention several themes.
| Theme | Telegram | Signal | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bugs | 34% (103) | 44% (131) | 17% (52) |
| Crashes / freezes | 4% (12) | 8% (24) | 2% (6) |
| Performance | 6% (18) | 8% (23) | 5% (14) |
| UX / design | 10% (29) | 6% (17) | 4% (13) |
| Pricing / subscription | 0% (1) | 21% (62) | 1% (4) |
| Ads | 0% (1) | 0% (0) | 0% (0) |
| Feature requests | 13% (38) | 14% (43) | 9% (27) |
Verdict: which one has fewer problems?
Across the latest 900 App Store reviews we collected, Signal has the lowest share of reviews with a complaint (25%) and Telegram the highest (58%). The biggest single difference is in bug complaints: 44% of Telegram reviews mention them, vs 17% for Signal. Each app's own biggest complaint theme: WhatsApp, bugs (103 reviews); Telegram, bugs (131 reviews); Signal, bugs (52 reviews). Average star rating in the samples ranges from 2.38★ (Telegram) to 3.77★ (Signal). Time span of each sample: WhatsApp 28 days (2026-09-25 to 2026-10-22); Telegram 142 days (2026-06-03 to 2026-10-22); Signal 309 days (2025-12-18 to 2026-10-22). Because WhatsApp's sample covers a much shorter period, a single recent update or outage weighs more heavily in its numbers. Samples that reach back many months (fewer reviews per day) show long-running issues rather than the effect of one recent update.
- Fewer bug problems: Signal, 17% of its reviews vs 44% for Telegram.
- Fewer crash and freeze problems: Signal, 2% of its reviews vs 8% for Telegram.
- Performance (slowness, battery, storage) complaints: roughly tied (WhatsApp 6%, Telegram 8%, Signal 5% of reviews).
- Fewer UX / design problems: Signal, 4% of its reviews vs 10% for WhatsApp.
- Fewer pricing and subscription problems: WhatsApp, 0% of its reviews vs 21% for Telegram.
- Ad complaints: roughly tied (WhatsApp 0%, Telegram 0%, Signal 0% of reviews).
- Fewest feature requests: Signal, 9% of its reviews vs 14% for Telegram.
Gaps under 3 percentage points are called a tie. Samples are recent reviews only, so this is a snapshot of current problems, not all-time quality.
Top 3 specific issues for each app
- Fix login / account access (35 reviews, severity 2.5/3)
- Soften the redesign backlash (27 reviews, severity 2.0/3)
- Ship the most requested feature (23 reviews, severity 1.8/3)
Biggest theme: bugs. Free PDF
FAQ
Which has fewer problems overall: WhatsApp, Telegram or Signal?
In the most recent App Store reviews we analysed, Signal had the lowest share of reviews with a complaint (25% of 300) and Telegram the highest (58% of 300). WhatsApp: 125 of 300; Telegram: 174 of 300; Signal: 74 of 300.
Which has fewer bug complaints: WhatsApp, Telegram or Signal?
Signal. WhatsApp: 103 of 300 recent reviews (34%); Telegram: 131 of 300 recent reviews (44%); Signal: 52 of 300 recent reviews (17%).
Which has fewer crash and freeze complaints: WhatsApp, Telegram or Signal?
Signal. WhatsApp: 12 of 300 recent reviews (4%); Telegram: 24 of 300 recent reviews (8%); Signal: 6 of 300 recent reviews (2%).
Which has fewer pricing and subscription complaints: WhatsApp, Telegram or Signal?
WhatsApp. WhatsApp: 1 of 300 recent reviews (0%); Telegram: 62 of 300 recent reviews (21%); Signal: 4 of 300 recent reviews (1%).
Which has fewer ad complaints: WhatsApp, Telegram or Signal?
In our samples they are roughly tied: WhatsApp: 1 of 300 recent reviews (0%); Telegram: 0 of 300 recent reviews (0%); Signal: 0 of 300 recent reviews (0%).
Which is rated higher on the App Store: WhatsApp, Telegram or Signal?
All-time US App Store ratings: WhatsApp 4.7★ from 18.8M ratings; Telegram 4.0★ from 284K ratings; Signal 4.7★ from 1.1M ratings. Signal is highest, but all-time ratings move slowly; the recent-review samples above show current problems.
How recent is this WhatsApp vs Telegram vs Signal data?
Each sample is the most recent public App Store reviews we could collect (from up to 6 storefronts): WhatsApp: 300 reviews over 28 days (2026-09-25 to 2026-10-22); Telegram: 300 reviews over 142 days (2026-06-03 to 2026-10-22); Signal: 300 reviews over 309 days (2025-12-18 to 2026-10-22). It is a snapshot of current problems, not all-time quality.
What is the most common complaint about WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal?
WhatsApp: bugs (103 of 300 reviews), top-ranked fix: “fix login / account access”; Telegram: bugs (131 of 300 reviews), top-ranked fix: “fix login / account access”; Signal: bugs (52 of 300 reviews), top-ranked fix: “fix login / account access”.
Full reports
- WhatsApp reviews: top complaints and what users want fixed
- Telegram reviews: top complaints and what users want fixed
- Signal reviews: top complaints and what users want fixed
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