How many people are allowed in a group chat?

The number of people allowed in a group chat depends on the messaging platform or app being used. Most major messaging platforms and apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, Signal, and iMessage allow up to 256 members in a single group chat. However, some platforms may have lower or higher limits.

WhatsApp Group Size Limit

WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging platforms globally, with over 2 billion monthly active users. On WhatsApp, you can add up to 256 participants to a single group chat. This limit applies to both regular WhatsApp groups and WhatsApp broadcast lists.

When you create a new WhatsApp group, you start with just one participant – yourself. You can then add up to 255 more participants to the group for a maximum size of 256 members. This limit has been in place since 2016 when WhatsApp increased the group limit from 100 to 256 people.

Some key things to note about WhatsApp groups:

256 is the maximum number of members allowed per group, including the admin.
All participants must have your phone number saved in order to be added.

You can only be a member of a maximum of 100 groups at once.
Groups names can be up to 25 characters long.

So in summary, each WhatsApp group topped out at 256 members. While you can only be in 100 groups at once, you can create as many groups as needed up to the 256 participant limit.

Facebook Messenger Group Chat Limit

On Facebook Messenger, you can add up to 256 people to a single group chat or conversation. This has been the limit ever since Messenger increased the group chat size from 100 to 250 members in 2016.

Some things to note about Messenger group chats:

256 is the maximum number of people allowed in a single Messenger group.

You don’t need to be friends with people on Facebook to add them to a group.
You can create unlimited groups as there is no cap on how many you can be a part of.
Group names can be up to 50 characters long.

Group admins can remove members and add new ones.

Facebook Messenger also introduced a spin on group conversations called Rooms in 2020. Messenger Rooms allow up to 50 people to video chat together in a virtual room.

So the bottom line is you can have up to 256 members in a Messenger group chat, but only up to 50 participants in a Messenger Room.

Telegram Group Limit

On Telegram, you can include up to 200,000 members in a single Telegram group chat channel. This makes Telegram home to some of the largest public group chats in the world.

Unlike WhatsApp and Messenger, Telegram takes a different approach by having two types of groups:

Basic Groups – Up to 200 members allowed.

Supergroups – Up to 200,000 members allowed.

Basic Telegram groups function like traditional group chats where everyone can send messages. Supergroups act more like broadcast channels where only admins can post and regular members can only read and interact.

Some other Telegram group rules:

You need a Telegram account to join any groups.
Anyone can view posts in a Supergroup but need an invite link to join.
There are no limits on how many groups you can join.

Group names can be up to 128 characters long.

So Telegram offers both small group chats and very large broadcast-style group channels, catering to different use cases.

Signal Group Size Limit

Signal is another popular secure messaging app known for its end-to-end encryption. On Signal, you can add up to 1,000 members to a single group chat.

This relatively high limit makes Signal suitable for large group conversations. Some rules to note about Signal groups:

The maximum group size is 1,000 members.
All members must be Signal contacts to join a group.

You can create unlimited groups.
Group names can be up to 25 characters.

Signal also offers a feature called Private Groups that act more like broadcast channels. Private Groups have a limit of 500 members but are not end-to-end encrypted like regular Signal groups.

So in summary, regular Signal groups support up to 1,000 people, a relatively high limit compared to other secure messaging apps.

iMessage Group Chat Limits

For iPhone users, iMessage offers seamless messaging between iOS devices and Mac computers. On iMessage, you can include up to 32 people in a single group conversation.

Some key iMessage group chat rules:

32 participants max per group chat.
All members must be in your Contacts to be added.
You can be in an unlimited number of groups.

Group names can be up to 25 characters long.

While the 32-person limit is low compared to other platforms, iMessage group chats offer great ease of use and integration for iPhone owners.

Apple also offers a FaceTime video calling feature for up to 32 participants on iOS and Mac devices. So both iMessage and FaceTime group sizes top out at 32 people.

GroupMe Group Chat Limit

GroupMe is a popular group messaging app owned by Microsoft. On GroupMe, you can have up to 100 people in a single group.

Some key GroupMe group rules:

100 person limit per group.

Anyone can join a group if they have the link.
You can be in unlimited groups.
Group names can be up to 50 characters long.

GroupMe offers a more casual and open approach to groups. Anyone with the link can join without needing to be approved by an admin. This makes GroupMe better suited for large public groups instead of private groups.

GroupMe also has no limits on the number of total groups you can join. So you can be in as many 100-person GroupMe chats as you want.

Skype Group Chat Limits

On Skype, you can add up to 300 members to a single group chat. Skype recently increased this limit from 50 to 300 people as the platform evolved to support larger conversations.

Some Skype group chat rules:

300 members maximum per group.
Members don’t have to be Skype contacts to join.

Only group admins can add or remove members.
Group names can be up to 128 characters long.

In addition to text chats, Skype also offers conference calling for up to 50 people at once.

So for group voice and video calls, Skype supports up to 50 participants. But for regular Skype text chat, you can have up to 300 members in a single group.

Google Hangouts Chat Limits

Google Hangouts is Google’s messaging platform that comes built into Gmail and Google Workspace accounts. Here are the group limits on Google Hangouts:

150 participants per Hangout video call.

10 participants max for Hangout text chats.
25 participants max for Hangout audio calls.

Some things to note:

Everyone must have a Google account to join Hangouts.
Users can only be in one Hangout video call at a time.
There are no limits on the number of groups you can join.

Hangouts distinguish between text chats, audio calls, and video calls. Video calls support up to 150 people. But Hangout text chats have a limit of just 10 participants.

Slack Channel Size Limits

Slack takes a different approach as a team collaboration app built around channels. Here are Slack’s group limits:

Free plan – up to 10,000 members per workspace.

Standard plan – up to 50,000 members per workspace.
Plus plan – up to 100,000 members per workspace.

Instead of counting group sizes, Slack limits are based on the total workspace member count. Paid plans allow up to 100,000 members in a single workspace, which is distributed across various channels.

Some additional Slack rules:

Free workspaces have a 10,000 message limit.
There is no limit on the number of channels per workspace.

Channels can have unlimited members up to workspace limits.

So Slack takes a workspace-based approach. Limits are placed on the total members per workspace, not per channel, making it very flexible for larger teams.

Microsoft Teams Group Chat Limits

Microsoft Teams follows a similar approach to Slack by structuring conversations around teams and channels, not distinct group chats. Here are the group limits on Teams:

Free Teams – 100 members per team.
Paid Teams – Up to 300 members per team.
Enterprise plan – Unlimited members per team.

For channels within each team, Microsoft notes these size guidelines:

Up to 250 members for optimal performance.
Over 250 members will impact performance.

Over 1,000 members not recommended.

Some other key rules:

2,500 maximum members across all teams per organization.

There are no limits on number of channels per team.
Guest users count towards member limits.

Microsoft recommends limiting channel sizes to 250 members for best performance. But Teams is built to scale to very large team sizes in the thousands or more.

Discord Group Limit

Discord is a popular chat platform for communities and gaming groups. Here are the limits for Discord groups and channels:

Up to 50 members for basic group DMs.
Up to 500 members for optimized Discord servers.

Up to 250,000 members for public Discord servers.

Some additional Discord group rules:

10 group DM limit for basic members.

Unlimited server and channel creation.
Up to 50 channels per server for optimized performance.

Discord is highly customizable for large communities. While group DMs are limited, you can create servers with thousands of members and dozens of channels for specialized topics.

Group Size Limits by Messaging Platform

Platform	Group Chat Limit
WhatsApp	256 members
Messenger	256 members
Telegram	200,000 members
Signal	1,000 members
iMessage	32 members
GroupMe	100 members
Skype	300 members
Hangouts	150 video call members
Slack	Up to 100,000 workspace members
Teams	Up to 1,000+ members per team
Discord	Up to 250,000 members per server

This summarizes the key group size limits across major messaging platforms. Limits range from just 32 people on iMessage up to 250,000 members for some large public Discord and Telegram groups.

Comparing Group Size Limits

When comparing group size limits across different messaging apps and platforms, there are a few key factors at play:

Technical architecture – Some apps place tighter limits on group sizes based on the underlying technical infrastructure needed to support large volumes of messages.

Security and privacy – Encrypted apps like WhatsApp and Signal aim to balance privacy protections with group size limits.
Use cases – Work chat apps like Slack and Teams allow much larger groups since they are built for large team collaboration.
Monetization – Some apps restrict free accounts and charge for higher limits as part of premium offerings.

In general, broader public consumer apps tend to have smaller group limits, while enterprise tools designed for big teams and organizations support much larger group sizes.

But the technical challenge of scaling a chat app to thousands or millions of concurrent users in a single shared conversation is not trivial. That’s why most group sizes max out in the hundreds or low thousands for regular messaging.

Managing Large Groups

Here are some tips for admins managing large group chats:

Establish clear rules and moderation policies.
Appoint moderators to help manage conversations.
Allow only admins to invite or remove members.

Use message approvals to filter spam.
Turn on mute settings for busy periods.
Enable slow mode during heated debates.

Create smaller channels or groups for off-topic discussions.

Large groups present more challenges in terms of keeping conversations focused, limiting spam, and managing abuse or harassment.

Group admins should establish clear ground rules and have enough moderators to enforce those community guidelines effectively. Supplemental channels are also useful for taking conversations offline that aren’t relevant to the whole group.

Conclusion

Group size limits vary across different chat apps and are largely determined by the technical constraints and intended use cases. On mainstream chat apps, the normal maximum rests between 100-300 users per group. Enterprise messaging platforms designed for massive teams allow up to thousands or tens of thousands of members.

Telegram stands out for allowing up to 200,000 members in a single group, enabling huge crowds in one conversation. However, very large groups are harder to manage and moderate. Smaller groups tend to be more intimate, with all members able to actively participate in the chat.

In summary, most messaging platforms allow between 100-300 members per group chat for a balance between functionality and more personal conversations. Larger team collaboration apps offer more flexibility for groups at much bigger scales.