Who wins the messenger duel?

Which messenger is really the best in the world? You will probably get different answers to this question – depending on who you ask. If we ask which one is the most popular, the answer is undoubtedly WhatsApp. More than two billion people use this service, which is owned by Facebook.

Compared to this, Threema, which currently only has 10 million users, seems hopeless. The second messenger in our comparison, however, scores points with users who are primarily concerned about data protection and anonymity. This is precisely the area where some are wary of WhatsApp.

So, we compare these two opponents and tell you below how Threema and WhatsApp perform in this duel.

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Design and customization options

Let's start with the first thing that catches our eye when using both apps: the design! Both open in dark mode – both Threema and WhatsApp can be used in light or dark mode. Also identical: when you open the apps, you're greeted by an overview that lists your most recent conversations with the most recent at the top.

If you want to personalize your apps, the best way to do so is probably through background images. Threema is pretty spartan in this regard. Apart from your own photos, you can only choose between a Threema wallpaper or a blank background.

WhatsApp has more to offer: Here you can choose your own photos, monochrome backgrounds or call the “Light” or “Dark” categories. In them you will find very beautiful wallpapers that match the theme you have set.

Emojis, stickers and GIFs

Apart from the fact that you can select three font sizes and have the choice between the system's own emojis and Threema's emojis, the Swiss messenger doesn't offer many other customization options.

WhatsApp also gives you the choice between three font sizes, but of course, Zap offers much more customization for your chat. You can install countless sticker packs or, with a little know-how, even create your own stickers. You can also use animated GIFs and send them in your chats.

If we compare all the known messengers with each other, in my opinion neither WhatsApp nor Threema stand out in terms of customization and design. However, in the duel between the two, WhatsApp offers more options.

Platform support

Both WhatsApp and Threema are available for Android and iOS, which should come as no surprise to anyone.

You can also install WhatsApp as a desktop app for Mac and Windows and use WhatsApp Web in your browser. For business customers, there is also WhatsApp Business, which focuses on small businesses. For larger businesses, WhatsApp also provides the WhatsApp Business API.

Threema can also be used as a web application, but there is no desktop app. Instead, Threema is available in several enterprise versions:

• Threema Work for commercial clients
• Threema Education for educational institutions
• Threema OnPrem as a self-hosted version for enterprises

WhatsApp used to be paid for in the beginning, although it was only a fairly symbolic amount. Since then, it can be used for free and does not even display advertising. Threema, on the other hand, charges a one-time fee of R$22 or R$23.

Currently, multi-device support is only available with a trick in WhatsApp but not in Threema. However, native support for four devices is on the way for WhatsApp – and Threema also plans to offer this feature in the future.

In terms of platform support, both messengers are quite well positioned. However, with Threema not available as a desktop app and the $23 price tag likely to put some people off, the pendulum is swinging in WhatsApp’s direction.

Functions

At one point, WhatsApp was a pioneer in messaging features. But that was when the service was competing against SMS and took its place. Today, we have a slew of messaging apps like Signal and Telegram, which have launched many features that the veteran messenger doesn’t have.

Of course, all the basic functions can be found in WhatsApp, and recently the app has undergone a lot of changes. If we look at the chat window of WhatsApp and Threema, we don’t see many differences. Of course, you can send text and voice messages, initiate voice and video calls, share contacts and locations, and send media or other files with both.

As I mentioned above, Threema lags behind in the level of customization. Funny memes in the form of GIFs are not available here for privacy reasons, nor are stickers.

But Threema has a few tricks up its sleeve that you won't find on WhatsApp: You can create polls in chats and react to individual messages with “thumbs up” or “thumbs down.” WhatsApp doesn't have these two features, but it will soon introduce the reactions you know from Facebook, for example.

Disappearing messages are already available on WhatsApp, although they are not yet fully implemented. You can send media so that it can only be viewed once. Regardless, you can set messages to be automatically deleted after seven days. Threema does not have this automatic deletion feature, but you can delete anything older than a week, a month, etc. up to two years in the storage settings.

Files sent can be up to 100 MB in size on WhatsApp, while on Threema the limit is 50 MB. Since we're talking numbers: Both platforms allow you to create group chats with up to 256 people.

Voice messages and calls

Speaking of groups: WhatsApp also offers the possibility of chatting with up to eight people in a video call; unfortunately, Threema does not yet offer these group calls.

Additionally, you can now initiate both calls and video calls from within individual chats. WhatsApp offers two separate buttons for this, while Threema lets you switch from a voice call to a video call.

The highlight of my personal messenger is the voice messages I send and receive almost daily, and I think Threema solves this more cleverly than WhatsApp: while you have to hold down or swipe the record button first, a simple tap of the button is enough with Threema. Threema also allows you to pause your voice messages while recording. Here, the point really goes to Threema, although WhatsApp is also reportedly working on this pause function.

When it comes to playing voice messages, Threema is also ahead by a nose: with both you can listen to voice messages at 1.5 and 2 times the normal speed, with Threema this also works at half the normal speed.

Threema doesn't have a stories mode, while WhatsApp does under the name “WhatsApp Status”. You can simply swipe right in the main chat window or select the corresponding tab at the top.

In short, I have to say that neither WhatsApp nor Threema are in pole position among messengers in terms of features, but each has a sufficiently large range of functions. Currently, WhatsApp (still) offers a bit more features than its Swiss rival.

Encryption and data protection

Now we are getting close to the end! Now it is time for David Threema to strike. The WhatsApp Goliath scores exactly one point here: The chat is end-to-end encrypted. That is all WhatsApp can offer when it comes to privacy.

Otherwise, Threema is well ahead.

Of course, Threema is also end-to-end encrypted, and everything you do there is, no matter if it's a one-on-one chat, a group chat or a video call. Threema's servers are in Switzerland, which is also the place of jurisdiction, while WhatsApp's are in the United States. While WhatsApp's data is then stored on Google or Amazon servers, Threema relies on its own servers.

Threema is open source and GDPR-compliant, WhatsApp is not. The Swiss messenger relies on a decentralized architecture, no phone number or email address is required, and no access to the address book is required. The identity of contacts can be verified “out of band” (e.g. by scanning a QR code) and Threema does not store message histories on the server.

While Facebook's WhatsApp subsidiary is very curious about your user data and could use it for advertising purposes, this is not the case with Threema because the messenger is funded by app sales.

In short, Threema allows you to appear anonymous, does not collect any personal data, and is designed to generate as little user data as technically possible. On the other hand, WhatsApp is a complete failure in this regard – a point more than deserved for Threema!

Conclusion

This brings us to the end and now we can come to a conclusion for this messenger comparison. As I said at the beginning, it is an unequal duel. Therefore, it is up to you to decide which messenger is more suitable for you.

You'd think that WhatsApp, as the messaging app for two billion people, would be the cutting edge of messaging in terms of design and features. But as you can read here and also see in many of our articles about WhatsApp, WhatsApp often lags behind.

While Threema is still a functionally more modest chat service, WhatsApp has the edge in the main areas. You have more options, both functionally and in terms of customization. However, the advantage is not as big as you might think and, as mentioned, Threema also has some unique features, such as polls.

Honestly, if you compare the look and features, there are better options than WhatsApp in these aspects. So if that's how things work, ditch Zap, look for one of the alternatives to WhatsApp and move on, for example, towards Threema.

But the decision for or against a messenger is often much more complex than that: where are my contacts? Somehow it seems like almost everyone already has WhatsApp, but there are far fewer contacts on Threema. But the few that are there are there because of security.

WhatsApp isn't exactly a role model in this regard, except for its end-to-end encryption, while Threema scores points in several privacy aspects. So you have a choice: stay where “everyone else is” and stick with Zap, or switch to Threema and accept that you won't have the same contacts on the app – or fight day after day to get your friends and family to switch too. It worked with Orkut and MSN, but will the thunder strike? two three times in the same place?