What is the difference between Whatsapp and Signal? Here is what you need to know

• Signal saw a 4,200% increase in user downloads this week, as WhatsApp users considered leaving the platform.
• Signal and WhatsApp are end-to-end encrypted messaging platforms that allow users to communicate over Wi-Fi or cellular data.
• But the two apps vary in the amount of user data they collect, ownership, and ease of use.
• While Signal offers users more privacy, Facebook-owned WhatsApp has customizable features that make it easier to use. Signal is testing a beta version with a few more features.
• Visit the Business Insider homepage for more stories.

Signal, the privacy-focused messaging app, is gaining a reputation as WhatsApp’s main competitor.

The app saw a 4,200% increase in user downloads this week after WhatsApp announced that users were expected to start providing data to its parent company, Facebook.

The two messaging apps have things in common. Unlike normal and other SMS messages sent over a cellular network, Signal and WhatsApp use end-to-end encryption, which hides messages in case someone intercepts the chat or finds them on a server. The two competing apps allow users to chat for free over Wi-Fi networks or cellular data, making them popular for international communications.

But the two apps differ significantly in terms of ownership, security views, and ease of use. Signal is owned by a relatively new nonprofit and has an emphasis on security, while WhatsApp operated by Facebook tends to be easier to use.

Read more: Oracle employees say Safra Catz and Larry Ellison are not talking about their ties to Trump internally. After the siege of the US Capitol, some want action: there is ‘blood on the hands’

Here’s a breakdown of the main differences between the two encrypted messaging platforms to help you decide which one to use. Facebook and Signal were not immediately available for comment.

Ownership

Who owns WhatsApp?

Kim Kulish / Corbis via Getty Images

The source of some users’ frustration with WhatsApp comes from the business owner.

In 2014, Facebook bought WhatsApp, co-founded by Brian Acton and Jan Koum, for $ 22 billion.

Data breaches have affected Facebook users for years. Facebook announced a major hack in 2018 that affected 50 million accounts. Facebook employees were aware of the breaches in the security of the platform’s user accounts as early as December 2017, according to a report from the Telegraph.

During the Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal, Facebook said that up to 87 million people could have accessed their data.

Koum left Facebook in 2018, and Acton then injected $ 50 million of his own money into rival crypto chat app Signal.

Who owns Signal?

Signal, meanwhile, is operated by the non-profit Signal Foundation. Acton and Signal CEO Moxie Marlinspike co-founded Signal Foundation in February 2018.

According to the Signal Foundation website, Acton left after the Facebook acquisition “due to differences in usage of customer data and targeted advertising.” The executive donated $ 50 million to start the Signal Foundation and now sits on the organization’s board of directors.

Signal never took venture capital funding or sought investment, according to Marlinspike.

“The Signal project is basically about making technology normal, making it what it appears on the surface, where data is not shared with other entities,” Marlinspike told Business Insider in 2020.

Meredith Whittaker is the third member of the Signal Foundation board. She’s a former Google engineer who led the company’s organizing effort and now advocates for the interests of tech workers.

security

How secure is WhatsApp?

Facebook cannot access chats due to end-to-end encryption, but the company can take user data.

Facebook has access to WhatsApp users’ phone numbers, IP addresses, mobile network, messenger usage time, payment data, cookies, and location data, according to WIRED.

Some users chose to refuse to allow Facebook to access personal data in 2016. But WhatsApp said if all users did not agree to share information by February 8, they would lose access to the app.

Rob Price of Insider reported that outside apps can track WhatsApp users’ online activity, including who they talk to, when they use the app, and even when they sleep.

How secure is Signal?

Signal indicates that it is not getting messages from users, groups, contacts, or profile information. The only two pieces of information that Signal collects is how long users installed Signal and the last date it was installed.

The company is also opening the sources for all of its software, meaning the public can see how the technology came to inspect the code itself.

Signal has received a pledge of confidence from many security experts, including Edward Snowden. Journalists at Vice and The Intercept recommend using Signal on WhatsApp to ensure your messages stay private.

—Edward Snowden (@Snowden) November 2, 2015

The messenger is not perfect. Security experts have warned that a new feature that allows users to retrieve data using a PIN could include privacy. “The problem with this is that most people choose weak PINs. To strengthen this and make the system more secure, Signal has a system that uses Intel SGX enclaves on their server,” Johns Hopkins cryptographer Matthew Green said. to Vice.

Read more: The headquarters of the U.S. Capitol has been a disaster for congressional cybersecurity – and experts say Congress will likely have to wipe out all of its computers and rebuild from scratch

User interface

How easy is WhatsApp to use?

WhatsApp appeals to its more than two billion users with its ease and flexibility of use.

The app is available on iOS and Android devices and automatically syncs your phone’s contact list, as users are identified by their mobile number.

Users can form group chats, make voice and video calls, and make free international calls using Wi-Fi. Users can share their location, documents, and files with others. WhatsApp also allows you to add a PIN code to set up two-step verification before accessing the app.

WhatsApp

Insider also reported some tips that WhatsApp users can add to make their experience more seamless. Users can mark messages as unread and pin important messages to the chat, features that are not available on Signal.

How easy is Signal to use?

Signal has less customizable features than WhatsApp.

The app is available on iOS, Android and desktop. Users can send each other photos, videos, links, and other files. Like WhatsApp, users can make messages and photos disappear over time.

Users can set up audio and video calls, as well as form groups of up to 150 people.

The beta version of Signal, however, has more to offer users than the standard app. The beta allows chat rooms that can appoint admins and send invitations for your group.