Any good Telegram alternative?

Signal

So easy to setup my tech illiterate parents could do it.
- Now try without a phone number. Go ahead. Try
Signal can't do shit Canit sync messages b/w devices seamlessly? Doe it have unlimited storage? Channels? Isn't upload size limit 100mb? Telegram has 4gb. Advance Bots? Good Ui/Ux? High quality stickers? Big public groups? Mini apps? Lol, signal is NOT an alternative to telegram as a whole, it can only partly replace its messaging functionality
- Signal is private. This is c/privacy.
  
  Telegram is not private at all, but has channels and big groups and even, yes, mini-apps.
  
  So Telegram is not an alternative to Signal either, it doesn't even start solving problems that are solved genially in Signal.

I think Matrix is the way to go because you can host your own server and be completely self hosting without a 3rd party involved.

To add to this, XMPP is much cheaper to host and offers basically the same features when it comes to what OP needs. I host Prosody and it uses so little resources you could probably get it running on the cheapest server you could find.
- It's probably 15 years ago I used XMPP the last time. Back then there were many compatibility problems between the apps and especially on the mobile phone with push notifications, etc. There were problems sending media and VOIP calls were non existent outside of the Google clients.
  
  My guess is that some of those things improved but I have not heard anyone in my circles using it, especially since Matrix became a bit more popular, most of the Open Source projects on IRC also moved to Matrix.
I've gone this route. Not for the faint of heart. If you're not self-hosting savvy, but you know someone that hosts a server, absolutely sign up with them. Or use a local public server like pikaviestin.fi, which provides accounts for finnish citizens.
- This. I‘m hosting a couple matrix servers and have many friends who have a ton of issues. It really depends on the admin and how tech savvy everyone involved is. If you cant be arsed to understand how key sharing works and check out which is the best client for you, matrix might bot be the best choice. I love it, personally but I suggest it rarely since tech illiterate users tend to get really upset about a free product not matching their insane standards.
From a security standpoint it leaves something to be desired but for just notes it is fine. It also is good for public rooms

Telegram as a note taking app?..... Now that's one I haven't heard before

You'd be surprised what people have been doing with Telegram's 'unlimited storage'.
- A gmail strat
- Must be why France wanted Durov.
- Sounds like a fun project for a filesystem class

Just a heads up about people’s suggestions on signal. If you don’t open your desktop client often and it needs to be logged back in it will not sync your latest notes to self messages (perhaps other messages too).

To be clear, this is a feature, not a bug
- This is true.

Signal?

edit / wait - an alternative for telegram as a note taking app??

There's a note to self feature in Signal
- there are decent note apps, like notally, that are smaller than 2mb 🤷
  
  https://f-droid.org/packages/com.kin.easynotes/ 3mb
  
  https://f-droid.org/packages/io.github.quillpad/ 4.6 and it can sync
  
  https://f-droid.org/packages/org.fossify.notes/ 8.9
  
  and than there's joplin
Friends used telegram so I had the app installed. It was easier to store documents in telegram than in one drive or proton drive, so telegram became my go too. Obviously not the best setup, but it worked and was easy. I'll try out Signal and Matrix, but continence is a big factor in my choice.
- Proton drive has free tier. Not sure if it is as easy as tele for doc storage but holy-shit tele really doing it.
  
  People rave about it.

I was a Signal defender (although I still use it because it's better than Telegram or WhatsApp) but now I'm more pushing for DeltaChat, Matrix and XMPP.

Most matrix clients just collect loads of data, so meh
All of those are worse
- Worse than what? Fully featured chat, E2EE, can be self-hosted and federated. They have it all.

Signal.

Unfortunately the Signal recommended by many people may not work for you, it cannot work on multiple mobile devices at the same time, for example on a smartphone and tablet.

I don't understand why no one recommends Jami? It's the only messenger that works without a server at all. And yes, it has the ability to forward messages to itself (to use as a note) and works on any devices at the same time.

I am using Signal on two android phones, one android tablet and a linux PC. What do you mean it cannot work on multiple devices?
- You have to manually switch.
  
  Not the same.
I would describe Jami as "not good"

For starters they lack a security audit and review. It is a huge code base and no one seems to have looked to close.

Next it doesn't work reliably. Messages frequently get lost in the network and will never arrive.

The nail in the coffin is the broken UI and app instability.

signal is the simplest alternative, it's actually better than telegram since it doesn't save data

Has a strong smell of: https://xkcd.com/1172/

Well signal also has the note to self.

People will hate this, but WhatsApp is probably the second best and convenient to most people. (But if your friends are willing to get signal, do it.) In fact it was always better than telegram, there I said it.

Also there's many great note taking apps that have a sync feature. Joplin for one.

Out of the fire and into the pot

I just have some syncthing shared folders with friends/family. It may be a little weird to set up, but once there, it's seamless.

I use Joplin for notes.

Honestly? For that limited use, there's really no need to switch.

However, if you're willing to do a little extra effort, Join, by joao apps can do what you're wanting. The notes is easy as pie. Sending files to your own devices is easy. Then you just need a different file sharing method for others.

It's not a 1:1 replacement, obviously, but sending files via email, or other methods, when it's only occasional isn't something that needs to be part of a messenger service that you aren't primarily using for messages in the first place. Keeping all your eggs in one basket isn't always as good.

@TheDorkfromYork

YMMV, but my minimum requirements were:

Federated just like lemmy or mastodon or email, so I can choose a server or even selfhost.
First class clients for Linux available, not only Android/iOS, no Electron bloatware.
No phone number involved.

That rules out Signal, Whatsapp and some more. Matrix fits. However I prefer #Jabber a.k.a. #XMPP. Matter of taste, I guess 🤷

PS: "Note to yourself", incl. file upload, is supported by all servers and most clients, AFAIK.

@debacle @TheDorkfromYork I'm still waiting for #gajim 1.9 to be available under #archlinux … (I don't want to install the flatpak). Yes #xmpp is the way and #quicksy help me convert some people.
- Snikket seems nice as well.
Jabber and XMPP aren't really alternatives as they are just protocols. They don't have a stable feature set and aren't necessarily encrypted by default.
- @possiblylinux127
  
  The #Jabber feature sets are defined in the compliance suite, e.g. here:
  
  "XEP-0479: #XMPP Compliance Suites 2023"
  
  https://xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0479.html#im
  
  Many Jabber clients do end-to-end encryption by default. I would not care too much in the age of #surveillance directly at the source, i.e. on the device 🤷
  
  If you want an even more coherent feature set and also be sure, all your clients encrypt by default, your best bet is #Snikket by @snikket_im. Highly recommended!

Maybe Joplin...

I know that habit of using messenger app for notes :) Try [matrix] using Element or SchildiChat. It's e2eencrypted and federated, and even supports markdown formatting in messages. Also some Slack features are included. The only issue for non-techy person might be verifying sessions - just be sure to use the same client on all devices.

There are lots of options. Why are you using a chat app for note taking?

Couldn't you just get a markdown note app that syncs with something like syncthing?

If I want to share something with a friend, I can invite them to note chats or bulk forward files. Messages are separate, I can forward individual message rather than all messages. It's more continent than notes apps I've tried.

Sorry for a bit of off-topic, but for a note taking app I suggest checking out Amplenote (there is a free plan for browser and mobile apps). I discovered it recently and it's quite a life changer for me. Proper tag system for notes is a killer feature.

None Signal is shit