ChatVia is built to keep conversations: permanent, searchable across years, and stored in India. WhatsApp and Signal lead on end-to-end encryption today; ChatVia is honest that its full end-to-end model ships at v1.0. Here's a fair, side-by-side look. Defaults and public information as of June 2026.
ChatVia
Kept by default: history lives on the
server, not just your phone
On-device; lost without a working device backup
Signal
On-device by default; minimal server retention
Telegram
Cloud chats kept on Telegram servers
ChatVia
Yes, search years of messages and files instantly
Limited to what is on the current device
Signal
Limited to what is on the current device
Telegram
Yes, for cloud chats
ChatVia
Stored on servers physically inside India
Meta global infrastructure
Signal
Servers operated by Signal (US non-profit)
Telegram
Distributed global infrastructure
ChatVia
Storage-only: no per-user, per-message or per-seat fees; free tier at launch
Free
Signal
Free (donation-funded non-profit)
Telegram
Free; optional paid Premium tier
ChatVia
Encrypted at rest (AES-256-GCM) + in transit; full end-to-end encryption ships at v1.0 with a third-party audit
End-to-end encrypted by default
Signal
End-to-end encrypted by default
Telegram
Cloud chats are not end-to-end encrypted; only opt-in Secret Chats are
ChatVia
Yes: operators retain technical access for incident response until v1.0 E2E encryption ships
No: provider cannot read message content
Signal
No: provider cannot read message content
Telegram
Yes for cloud chats; no for Secret Chats
ChatVia
Rehydrates automatically on every new device
Companion devices; history not fully carried over
Signal
Linked devices; limited history transfer
Telegram
Full history on every device (cloud chats)
ChatVia
Permanently delete any message, file or conversation
Delete for everyone within a time window
Signal
Delete for everyone; disappearing messages
Telegram
Delete for everyone, any time (cloud chats)
Comparison reflects default configurations and publicly available information as of June 2026; rival apps may add features over time. For ChatVia's exact security posture today and at v1.0, see the security page. More on the philosophy: why ChatVia was built to keep.
If you want a messenger where your conversations are kept permanently, searchable for years, and stored in India, ChatVia is built for that. If end-to-end encryption today is your single hard requirement, Signal or WhatsApp lead there now, and ChatVia's full end-to-end model ships at v1.0 alongside a third-party audit.
Conversations are how we live and how we work. They should be secure, searchable, permanent, and yours, without backups, without migrations, without loss. Communication belongs to the people who create it.
