Telegram revenue has become one of the hottest topics in tech. You’ve seen Telegram grow from a simple chat app into a billion-dollar business, and now everyone wants to know how.
In 2024, it made headlines with $1.4 billion in revenue and its first-ever profit. I’ll break down exactly where that money comes from, why it matters to you as a user or creator, and how it shapes the future of the platform.
Telegram Revenue Streams
By 2025, Telegram has built a balanced mix of income sources. Each one taps into a different part of the platform, from casual users to big communities. Let's break them down.
Premium Subscriptions
Launched in 2022, Premium gives you extra features for about $5 per month. You get double limits for channels and folders, faster downloads, voice-to-text, and animated profile pictures. For creators, it's also a badge of status.
By early 2025, more than 12 million people had signed up, giving Telegram a steady base of recurring income.
Advertising in Channels
Telegram doesn't flood your chats with ads. Instead, Sponsored Messages only appear in large one-to-many channels. If your channel has more than 1,000 members, ads can run there.
The smart part is the split: half of the revenue goes back to channel owners, while Telegram keeps the other half. Payments are made in Toncoin, which ties the ad model directly to its blockchain partner. With over a trillion monthly views across public channels, this stream has scaled fast.
Stars and In-App Purchases
In 2024, Telegram launched Stars as a simple digital currency for apps, games, and bots. You can buy Stars through the app store or directly in Telegram.
Developers then redeem them through Toncoin, creating a full circle economy. Popular mini games and productivity bots already generate millions in micro-transactions each month, opening a brand-new market inside Telegram itself.
TON Ecosystem and Collectibles
The TON blockchain is deeply tied to Telegram's business model. Through platforms like Fragment, you can buy collectible usernames and digital identities.
Rare names have sold for millions, with Telegram taking a commission on each auction. Beyond that, integrations with TON expand payment options for merchants and app developers, which also boosts Telegram’s share of ecosystem activity.
Put together, these streams explain how does Telegram generates revenue in 2025: subscriptions, ads, micro-transactions, and blockchain-based sales. This mix gives Telegram both stability and room to grow.
Telegram Revenue Growth Timeline
The path of Telegram revenue has been anything but simple. It took more than a decade to go from a free app to a profitable business.
2013–2017: Growth First, No Monetization
When Telegram launched in 2013, money wasn't the focus. Pavel Durov funded everything himself after leaving VKontakte. The team cared about building a secure, ad-free alternative to WhatsApp. During these years, the app gained tens of millions of users, but no cash flowed in.
2018–2020: The TON Gamble
To secure funding, Telegram introduced the TON blockchain and its Gram token. The initial coin offering raised billions, but regulators quickly stepped in. The U.S. SEC blocked the project, and Telegram had to return much of the money. This failure showed that monetization needed a new direction.
2021–2022: Laying the Groundwork
By 2021, Telegram introduced the first signs of paid features. You could buy collectible usernames, donate to channels, and experiment with premium stickers.
In 2022, Premium subscriptions officially launched. At this stage, revenue was small, but the foundation for growth was set.
2023: First Measurable Income
Reports placed Telegram's annual income at around $340 million. Costs were still too high, and the company ran at a loss. Yet, with hundreds of millions of active users, the potential was clear.
2024: Breakthrough Year
This was the turning point. Telegram rolled out ad revenue sharing in public channels, launched Stars for in-app payments, and saw Premium memberships climb. Income jumped to $1.4 billion. For the first time, profits came in, more than $500 million.
At the same time, Telegram usage statistics showed the platform passing 900 million monthly active users.
2025: Billion-Dollar Platform
By early 2025, Telegram reached 1 billion monthly active users. Revenue is on pace to cross $2 billion, with profits above $700 million. Ads, Premium, Stars, and TON partnerships all contribute to this surge. Investors now view Telegram as one of the fastest-growing tech companies in the world, with IPO discussions no longer out of reach.
How Telegram Revenue Compares to Other Platforms
To understand Telegram revenue, it helps to see how it stacks up against other big messaging apps.
| Platform | Users (Approx.) | Main Revenue Sources | Scale of Revenue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Telegram | 1B MAU (2025) | Premium subscriptions, ads in channels, Stars, TON collectibles | ~$2B target for 2025 | Balanced mix, first profits in 2024 |
| WhatsApp (Meta) | 2B+ MAU | Business API, integration with Meta ads | Estimated in the billions but less visible | Focuses on business services, not end-user features |
| WeChat (Tencent) | 1.3B MAU | Payments, e-commerce, ads, services | Tens of billions annually | Operates as a full "super app" in China |
Challenges & Risks for Telegram Revenue
Even though Telegram revenue has grown fast, it faces challenges that could slow things down. Let's look at the main ones.
Legal and Regulatory Pressure
Telegram has faced legal issues in several countries. In 2020, regulators blocked its original TON blockchain project. More recently, founder Pavel Durov's arrest in France raised fresh concerns. If governments push harder on moderation or crypto rules, revenue streams could take a hit.
App Store Fees
Apple and Google take up to 30% from in-app purchases. Telegram avoids some of this by letting you pay through bots, but store rules can always change. A tighter grip from the big platforms could cut into profits.
TON Volatility
Many of Telegram's earnings now link to the TON blockchain. Ads and collectibles pay out in Toncoin, which means revenue depends partly on the token's price. A sharp drop could hurt income, even if usage stays high.
Ad Safety and Brand Trust
Sponsored Messages drive a big slice of revenue. But if ads feel spammy or unsafe, brands might spend less. Telegram needs to balance open communication with trust, or it risks losing advertisers.
Conclusion
The rise of Telegram revenue shows how fast a messaging app can turn into a billion-dollar business.
From relying on its founder’s savings to pulling in billions from ads, Premium, and Stars, Telegram has transformed into a platform that rewards both creators and users. With 1 billion people now active on the app, the opportunities are bigger than ever. And here’s where it matters to you.
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FAQs | Frequently Asked Questions |
Who earns money from Telegram ads besides the company?
If you run a public channel with over 1,000 members, you get 50% of the ad revenue generated there.
How much does Telegram Premium contribute to total income?
Premium is a key stream, with millions of subscribers paying monthly. It provides steady, recurring revenue.
Does Telegram plan to expand payments worldwide?
Yes. With Stars and TON integration, Telegram is rolling out more payment options for apps, bots, and merchants.
Can small creators benefit from Telegram’s revenue model?
Absolutely. Even smaller channels can grow into ad-eligible communities and also profit from selling digital goods via bots.