Not quite an essay but I've written about the differences before, should be useful to those wishing to understand it.
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My goals for ideal software: confidentiality and anonymity.
Confidentiality
- If it's a hosted app then the provider must be zero-knowledge (i.e. end-to-end encrypted, so the server provider at no point has access to plaintext chat logs)
- Or it can be self-hosted on your own server or local device
Anonymity
- You don't share your phone number
- You can use a VPN to access the service (enables anonymity from service provider)
- Ideally Tor can be used too for those who want anonymity up to low-level law enforcement
These two factors discount almost every mainstream instant messaging app.
WhatsApp for example is apparently is "encrypted", but you can't prove it because it is closed source. So it fails confidentiality.
Furthermore you're not anonymous. Your phone number is required and that is one of the best ways to identify someone.
Another common suggestion is Slack, which can be anonymous but lacks confidentiality.