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Software · head to head

BambooHR vs Telegram

BambooHR logo

BambooHR

Software

HR software with heart

From
$10/month per employee
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Telegram logo

Telegram

Software

Pure instant messaging — simple, fast, secure, and synced across all your devices

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Telegram has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: BambooHR organisations of 25 or fewer employees pay a flat rate starting at $250 a month, so a very small team pays far more per head than the listed per-employee price; Telegram end-to-end encryption applies only to Secret Chats; private and group Cloud Chats use server-client encryption, so Telegram holds the data
  • They diverge on capability: BambooHR covers Employee database, Telegram covers Cloud-based messaging.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which BambooHR and Telegram actually diverge.

Attributes where BambooHR and Telegram differ
AttributeBambooHRTelegram
Starting price$10/month per employeeFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Ios, Android, ApiWeb, Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android
Founded20082013

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in BambooHR

  • Employee database
  • Time-off management
  • Benefits tracking
  • Performance reviews
  • Onboarding
  • Reporting & analytics
  • Mobile access
  • Document management

Only in Telegram

  • Cloud-based messaging
  • End-to-end encryption
  • Self-destructing messages
  • Large group chats
  • Voice and video calls
  • Bot platform
  • Channels and broadcasts
  • Cross-platform sync

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

BambooHR

  • HR system of record with employee data and documentsnot Telegram
  • Time off tracking and approvalsnot Telegram
  • Applicant tracking and onboardingnot Telegram
  • Performance reviews and 1:1s on the Pro tiernot Telegram
  • Compensation planning and benchmarking on Elitenot Telegram

Telegram

  • Group messaging and large channels with files of any type and sizenot BambooHR
  • Private device-bound conversations with self-destructing messagesnot BambooHR
  • Running bots and broadcast channels for an audiencenot BambooHR

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

BambooHR

  • Organisations of 25 or fewer employees pay a flat rate starting at $250 a month, so a very small team pays far more per head than the listed per-employee price
  • Per-employee pricing starts at 26 employees, from $10 on Core
  • Performance management, 360 reviews and recognition all require Pro at $17 per employee per month
  • Compensation management, salary benchmarking and advanced analytics are Elite only at $25 per employee per month
  • Compliance training is rationed by tier, at 1 course on Core against 300 on Elite

Telegram

  • End-to-end encryption applies only to Secret Chats; private and group Cloud Chats use server-client encryption, so Telegram holds the data
  • Secret Chats are device-specific and are not part of the Telegram cloud, so they can only be read on the device they started on
  • Logging out destroys all of your Secret Chats
  • The Secret Chat self-destruct timer applies only to messages sent after the timer is set and has no effect on earlier messages
  • Telegram states screenshot detection cannot be guaranteed on some Android and Windows Phone devices, so screenshots of Secret Chats can be taken silently
  • Messages cannot be forwarded out of Secret Chats
  • The self-destruct timer in cloud chats covers media only, not text

Pricing, plan by plan

BambooHR

$10/month per employee

No published plan breakdown. See the BambooHR review.

Telegram

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited messages
    • 2GB file sharing
    • Group chats up to 200K members
  • Telegram Premium$4.99/month
    • Everything in Free
    • 4GB file uploads
    • Faster downloads

Which should you pick?

Choose BambooHR if

  • You need employee database.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want time-off management.
BambooHR review

Choose Telegram if

  • You need cloud-based messaging.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android.
  • You also want end-to-end encryption.
Telegram review

Questions people ask

Is BambooHR or Telegram better?
Neither clearly leads. BambooHR starts at $10/month per employee and Telegram at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, BambooHR or Telegram?
Telegram has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $10/month per employee for BambooHR and Free for Telegram.
Does BambooHR or Telegram run on more platforms?
BambooHR runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. Telegram runs on Web, Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android.
Can I use Telegram for free?
Yes. Telegram has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. BambooHR starts at $10/month per employee.
What is BambooHR best used for?
BambooHR is most often used for hr system of record with employee data and documents, time off tracking and approvals, applicant tracking and onboarding, performance reviews and 1:1s on the pro tier. Of those, hr system of record with employee data and documents and time off tracking and approvals are not what Telegram is typically brought in for.
What can BambooHR do that Telegram cannot?
BambooHR covers Employee database, Time-off management, Benefits tracking, Performance reviews. Telegram covers Cloud-based messaging, End-to-end encryption, Self-destructing messages, Large group chats.
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