Signal vs Telegram, which is actually more private? Getting mixed messages.

Signal, clearly, if privacy is the priority. Signal is end to end encrypted by default on everything and collects almost no metadata. Telegram's normal chats are NOT end to end encrypted, they are encrypted to Telegram's servers, and only opt-in Secret Chats are true end to end. Telegram gets rated highly for features (huge groups, channels, bots), but that reputation outruns its default privacy.

The confusion is people conflating 'feels secure' with 'end to end by default'. Telegram is great software, but its default is not the private option. Signal's default is.

Also Signal is open source and independently audited, and it is a nonprofit with no ad model. Telegram's client is open but its server is not, so you cannot fully verify the backend. That matters if trust is the whole question.

If you need Telegram's big-group and channel features, use it, just switch on Secret Chats for anything sensitive and do not treat the normal chats as private.