Telegram - statistics & facts
Telegram is the third-most downloaded messenger app worldwide. Launched in Russia in 2013 by Nikolai and Pavel Durov who also founded VK, Telegram is now operated by Telegram FZ-LLC based in Dubai. Pavel Durov is one of the richest social media billionaires. The partnership with xAI's Grok, an AI chatbot, announced in May 2025, is expected to bring more features to the messenger.
In 2018, Pavel Durov announced that Telegram planned to launch a blockchain platform TON (Telegram Open Network) with its own cryptocurrency, Gram, which received 1.7 billion U.S. dollars in investor funds. However, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) blocked it in 2019, making Telegram return money to its investors. The latest deal in May 2025 raised 1.7 billion U.S. dollars through capital bond sales. In November 2022, Telegram allowed users to buy and sell usernames using the allegedly independent cryptocurrency Toncoin on the platform Fragment.
How is Telegram different from other messaging apps?
Telegram positions itself as an end-to-end encrypted platform, which is why thousands of users of WhatsApp switched to it in January 2021 when WhatsApp updated its privacy policy. As a result, the market share of Telegram increased by six percentage points. Telegram users can create secret chats, send self-destructing messages, follow channels, and join groups. Furthermore, developers can launch bots, automated programs that send messages in chats. Telegram is also used as a marketplace, allowing users to collect money directly on the platform using its integrated payment bots.Telegram's monetization and funding
Telegram switched to freemium in June 2022 when it introduced paid subscriptions. Paying users received additional features, such as double the number of channels they could follow, faster download speed, and premium stickers. In 2024, the in-app revenue of the platform, reduced by fees and taxes, exceeded 116.15 million U.S. dollars, with the largest share coming from iOS users. Telegram does not sell advertisements on the platform.In 2018, Pavel Durov announced that Telegram planned to launch a blockchain platform TON (Telegram Open Network) with its own cryptocurrency, Gram, which received 1.7 billion U.S. dollars in investor funds. However, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) blocked it in 2019, making Telegram return money to its investors. The latest deal in May 2025 raised 1.7 billion U.S. dollars through capital bond sales. In November 2022, Telegram allowed users to buy and sell usernames using the allegedly independent cryptocurrency Toncoin on the platform Fragment.
