Telegram is well known for its privacy features, bots, and community building. However, its user interface leaves a lot to be desired. Fortunately, there are plenty of Telegram desktop client apps that you can use instead.
In this article, we list the best Telegram desktop client apps for Windows, macOS, and Linux. All of these solutions are solid Telegram alternatives.
Bettergram is one of Telegram’s most popular third-party desktop clients. It’s easy to see why too. First of all, you can use Bettergram on Windows, MacOS, and Linux.
The cross-platform option comes in handy when many Telegram desktop client alternatives focus on a single platform. Telegram’s cross-platform compatibility is just one of Reasons Telegram Is The Only Messaging App You Need.
Bettergram fixes some of the major issues holding back the official Telegram app. To know:
- Pin up to 50 threads rather than five.
- Sort your posts by category.
- Prefer your important conversations to follow them more easily.
Bettergram is open source and available at GitHub , which means you can check the code to make sure it is secure. This leads to Bettergram’s main downside, however: development stopped in 2018.
The post pinned to the official Bettergram Telegram channel reads, “We have suspended development on all platforms for now. We will write here when we resume it. “I hope development will resume soon, especially with older Android and iOS apps.
Download: Bettergram for Windows | macOS | Linux
Next up is the alternative to the Telegram desktop client for Windows 10 only, Unigram.
Unigram introduces a few quality of life options that make it easier for Telegram users. For example, you can use the F1 to F5 keys to display different newsgroups. Selecting F1 takes you to All Chats, F2, User Chats, F3, Bots, etc. F6 shows your unread chats. It also offers multi-account support.
Unigram integrates seamlessly with Windows 10, including Windows 10 People desktop integration. Windows 10 People lets you add a personal contact to your taskbar and chat from there, rather than opening the full app.
Chat switching options are handy, and Windows 10 integrations are useful. But Unigramme doesn’t add a whole lot of extra functionality to Telegram.
Download: Unigram for Windows 10 (free)
Ferdi is another look at the alternatives of the Telegram desktop client. Instead of a one-time Telegram replacement, Ferdi is an email browser app. You can concentrate all of your email applications in one email browser, instead of having many icons in the taskbar and system tray.
One of the best features of Ferdi is the separate workspaces. You can use the workspaces feature to group personal, work, and other workspaces across multiple messengers.
For example, if you have a large number of cryptocurrency-focused Telegram and Slack channels, group them together in a specific workspace. Family and friendly discussions? Do the same. It’s also easy to add additional messaging services including Facebook Messenger, Slack, WhatsApp, Gmail, etc.
That said, not all of Ferdi’s additional messaging features necessarily increase the functionality of the Telegram desktop client. It is not a fault for Ferdi, it is just a fact.
Ferdi is open source and available at GitHub in as a branch of the Franz mail browser, now defunct. It’s available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, but there are no mobile apps. It is convenient to consolidate all your communications in one application.
Download: Thursday for Windows | macOS | Application image Linux | Linux (.deb)
Webogram is not strictly an alternative to the Telegram desktop client. This is the usual Telegram client that you have access to through your browser.
The app itself doesn’t offer any extensions on the basic Telegram client options. It is, however, a very convenient additional option for accessing Telegram on the go. Using Webogram gives you a standard Telegram experience regardless of the host operating system.
Your final third-party Telegram client to consider is Station, another instant messaging app. Like Ferdi, Station brings together all of your messaging apps, including Telegram. Station also includes a host of productivity, research and account management tools.
For example, you can use Station’s Quick-Switch to quickly search your documents and discussions. It has a Smart Dock to keep track of your frequent chats and tabs, and we really like the single Do Not Disturb button that silences the entire app with one click. Station also integrates more than 650 applications to allow you to adapt the workspace to your needs.
The station does not specifically extend Telegram’s functionality. Overall, Station is a nifty multi-messenger app with a plethora of options. In that, it doesn’t matter that Telegram isn’t the sole focus of its productivity and search tools, as they integrate well regardless.
Download: Station for Windows | macOS | Linux
READ ALSO: 7 Best Telegram Tricks You Need To Know
Why use a third party Telegram client application?
One of the main reasons for using a third party is to add additional missing features in Telegram. Some third-party Telegram apps expand the basic options to turn Telegram into a more complete chat client.
For many Telegram users, simply adding multiple chat pins would make a huge difference, which is why Bettergram remains so popular despite the fact that its development ceased in late 2018.
Multi-messaging apps like Ferdi and Station provide an additional option for Telegram users. Combining multiple chat apps into one is nothing new (think Pidgin or Trillian), but both of these options come with a range of additional tools. In particular, Station’s research and productivity tools provide Telegram users with many new options.
It’s not all clean sailing, however. The Telegram client is secure. Using a third-party Telegram client adds another potential security vulnerability, as you rely on the developer of the third-party client to maintain security and privacy features. If they fail, your privacy might disappear with it.
