Differences Between Groups, Supergroups, and Telegram Channels

Telegram offers its subscribers different types of collective chats. Here's what are the differences between groups, supergroups and channels and how to use them

Among the many features that have made the fortune of Telegram - and which were later taken up by many other messaging platforms - Telegram groups are definitely one of the most important. Along with chatbots and stickers (now also animated), groups are the hallmark of the platform conceived by Russian developer Pavel Durov, allowing thousands of people to exchange messages, voice messages and files with each other in a simple and immediate way.

In particular, Telegram groups are distinguished from those found on other platforms (such as WhatsApp, for example) by their versatility. Browsing through the app's various options and tools, in fact, you'll soon discover that there isn't just one type of Telegram group, but three: groups, supergroups and channels. Although they share some basic aspects, these three types of group chats provide different tools and options. Let's see together what are the differences between groups, supergroups and Telegram channels.

What are Telegram groups and supergroups

Telegram groups are collective chats in which up to 200 users can participate simultaneously. Exactly like "single" conversations, within a group each participant can send messages, files, voice notes, stickers and any other content allowed by the platform. Above 200 subscribers (and up to a maximum of 200 thousand), Telegram groups become Supergroups, but the functionalities are in fact the same.

The creator of the group and any administrators or moderators that he will want to appoint can manage the collective chat by choosing from the various options available to them. For example, they will be able to choose to fix a message containing the "netiquette" of the group at the top, so that the members will read it every time they enter it, or delete and modify messages for all the members and not only for them.

Merit, in this last case, the unified history that, if activated, will allow new members to read all the messages exchanged in the past, up to the moment of their entry. In addition, thanks to mentions, replies and hashtags, it will be easy to find the messages that interest you most. Thanks to smart notifications, you can also mute the group and choose to receive a notification only when you are mentioned by another user: in this way you can avoid being disturbed by particularly chatty members.

Access to Telegram groups depends on the level of privacy set. If a group is public, anyone can find it thanks to the platform's internal search engine and join it on their own; if a group is private, you can join it only if added by the administrators or by receiving an invitation link.

What are Telegram Channels

In contrast to Telegram Groups and Supergroups, Channels are a one-way means of communication. Only those who created the channel - and other managers - can send messages, while members receive without being able to comment. They are therefore used to send communications on the most varied topics, such as e-commerce offers, latest news and so on. Deleted messages will no longer be viewable by any user, while the universal history is active and available to all subscribers.

Like groups, Telegram Channels are also divided into public and private. The former will be accessible to anyone and can be searched via the platform's internal engine. The latter, however, can only be accessed if you are added by the administrators or receive an invitation to join.