Growing Telegram

A Telegram channel can have unlimited subscribers, but you can only add the first 200 yourself. After that, your link does the work.

Checked 25 Oct 2026, 07:19 UTC

Basics

How many people use Telegram?

More than 1 billion active users, Telegram's FAQ says. It doesn't give a date for the figure.^[1]

How do you grow a Telegram channel?

Make the channel public, then share its link wherever your customers already are.

Step	Telegram's advice
Make it public	Anyone can then find it in search and join
Add your first 200	Owners can add the first 200 subscribers directly
Share the link	Post it on social networks, or print it in ads
Add a discussion group	Let subscribers reply to your posts
Don't spam	Never send your link to strangers

Sources ^[2]

What does Telegram Business add?

Business tools for your own account, free with a Telegram Premium subscription.

Feature	What it does
Opening hours and location	Shown on your profile, with a map
Quick replies	Saved answers you send with a slash
Greeting and away messages	Sent to new contacts, or when you're closed
Chat links	Open a chat with a suggested message, from a website or QR code
Chatbots	Answer messages for you

Telegram's Premium FAQ gives no price. Paying through @PremiumBot costs less than through Apple or Google.^{[3, 4]}

Advanced

Can you advertise on Telegram?

Yes: Telegram Ads are sponsored messages of up to 160 characters, shown in public channels with 1,000+ subscribers that you pick. Ads are paid in cryptocurrency, at a minimum of 0.1 Toncoin per 1,000 views.

Channel owners get 50% of the ad revenue from their channels.^{[5, 6]}

What can you do with Telegram's Bot API?

Build a bot that answers customers, sells digital goods in Telegram Stars, or opens a Mini App inside Telegram.

Feature	Detail
Business bots	Connect to your account and answer chats for you
Payments	Digital goods and services are sold in Telegram Stars
Mini Apps	Over 500 million people use Mini Apps each month
Broadcasts	About 30 messages a second free, then 0.1 Stars a message

Paid broadcasts need 100,000 Stars and 100,000 monthly users.^{[7, 8]}

Which paid options on Telegram are worth it?

Grow the channel for free first, then pay for Premium when you want the business tools. The order is our view.

Option	Cost	What it buys
Channel and bot	Free	Unlimited subscribers and your own bot
Telegram Premium	Not published	Telegram Business tools
Telegram Ads	From 0.1 Toncoin per 1,000 views	Sponsored messages in channels you pick
Collectible username	Sold on Fragment	A name you own on the blockchain

Sources ^{[1, 2, 4, 6, 8]}

Where else should a Telegram brand grow?

WhatsApp and X are our picks to grow alongside Telegram. Grow on WhatsApp and grow on X. Not claimed yet? See Telegram username rules, or check your name on all of them at once.