The telegram is back. You will not have to trudge to the post office for it, but will get it on your mobile phone. And — the best part — even on your desktop computer.

Those of you who downloaded the free WhatsApp about a year or two ago will soon have to be paying $1 to renew your yearly subscription. That is quite a hassle, especially for those who do not have credit cards. So, here is an alternative.

Telegram is a messaging app — fast, secure and very reliable. It does everything that WhatsApp does and the company Telegram LLC is even considering offering video and audio calls over the Internet.

The most important feature of Telegram is its security, an area where it scores over WhatsApp. Ever since the NSA snooping story broke, developers have turned their focus on security. Telegram messages are heavily encrypted.

Two Russian brothers, Nikolai and Pavel Durov, started Telegram. They built Russia’s largest social network, Vkontakte, better known as VK. One of them even launched a contest offering $200,000 to any hacker who could break its encryption algorithm!

On Telegram you can send up to 1 GB of data in any type of file — doc, zip, MP3 as well as photos and videos. WhatsApp allows you to send only 12 MB of data at a time. Also, since Telegram is completely cloud-based, you can access your messages from several devices (including desktops) at the same time. On WhatsApp you will have to switch your account to another device and run the risk of losing all your chat history. Unless, of course, you have backed it up to your email account or on iCloud.

Telegram is optimised to work even on the feeblest network. It is really fast because it has multiple data centres. On it you can create group chats with up to 200 people. You can even load the app on your computer and carry on a chat from there. This will be reflected on all your devices whether it is a tablet, phone or another computer.

Telegram also offers you complete secrecy just like Snapchat. You can invite friends for a Secret Chat and send messages, photos and videos that disappear after a while. Secret chats are stored on your device and not on the cloud. Not even Telegram can decrypt it. There is a self-destruct timer to help you determine how long you wish your message to stay.

Many users have already switched to Telegram. Says Sanjay Chordia, who runs several Apple stores in Calcutta. “I keep in touch with my staff spread over four locations through Telegram. I find it very convenient, especially the ability to chat even through the computer.”

The official Telegram app is available for Android and iOS. There is a Windows Phone version too. Since Telegram is an open source application more and more developers are making it available on multiple platforms. I have tried out Telegram for Windows and Messenger for Telegram on the Mac. Even though both are trial versions I did not find any bugs. Those who do not want a full-fledged program on their computer can load the Webogram app for the Chrome browser. It works on Windows, Linux and Mac.

Telegram is completely free for its entire life. No ads. No subscription fees. You will never need to pay to use the app. The company promises not to sell your information to advertisers or governments.

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