Telegram has taken the world by storm, and one of the most popular questions that people have is ‘How does Telegram make money?’ It is an app for privacy, security, and freedom. Telegram is a free messaging app with no ads, and it supports encryption on different levels. With over 200 million users, Telegram is a hugely successful social media platform.
As it turns out, Telegram is the result of two different apps that were merged: Telegram Messenger (formerly called Telegram X) and telegram.org. Telegram is a social messaging app that allows users to easily connect with different people and share media, stickers, and more. Telegram operates as a service and does not carry advertisements. To keep its user base and help more people learn about the app, it has been offering free stickers and other ad-free features.
What is Telegram?
Without a doubt, Telegram is one of the most popular messaging apps around. It was founded in 2013 and is currently available on all the major platforms: iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux, and more. Its headquarters are located in London, United Kingdom, and it has over 200 million active users. Telegram is a free social messaging app with no ads. The app is not only popular in the social media world, but it has also become a tool for political activism and communication.
Telegram is a social media platform that lets you connect with friends, family, and colleagues.
Features of Telegram
The app has several features, such as:
- Group chats
- Private chats
- Voice and video calls
- File sharing
- File and image attachments
- Photo and video editing
- Filters and stickers
- Editing text after sending it
- Availability of cross-platform
- Options of hashtags and mentions
- Mute Notification of groups
- Pin Messages at the top of the chat screen
- Share files with a maximum size of 1.5 GB or greater
If you are wondering what makes Telegram so popular, then here are the top reasons why you should be using this app:
- Telegram is entirely free. You do not need to pay a single cent to use this app. And then there are no annoying ads.
- Telegram is secure. It uses a specific protocol and uses end-to-end encryption. It can send files, images, and more.
- Telegram has a solid privacy policy. The app is built to protect your data and the content you share. It is one of the most popular social media platforms that focus on privacy.
- Telegram has been in the news quite a bit. In the past few years, the app has been used by several celebrities and other public figures to keep their messages and further personal details private.
The Telegram Business Model
Telegram’s business model is entirely based on the convenience and features of its users. Telegram had 35 million downloads as of March 2014, with 15 million users sending over 8 billion messages per month. Now fast forward to the year 2022. Telegram presently has a user base of over 500 million people. Users have been drawn to this cloud-based program because of its security and privacy.
Even after Whatsapp was banned in Brazil in 2015, Telegram had approximately 1.5 million downloads. With the recent news of the Cambridge Analytica data breach, in which Facebook, the owner of Whatsapp, was involved, users are prioritizing privacy and security.
According to the founders, Telegram, founded by Russian brothers Pavel Durov and Nikolai Durov, is valued in the $3-5 billion range and will never be sold.
These figures are remarkable given that Telegram spent no money on promotion, and its user base is growing organically due to the product.
How Does Telegram Make Money?
Telegram makes no money from its application or services. As of 2020, there is no revenue. The founders believe in providing free access to fast and secure messaging. Telegram does not believe in selling advertisements for promotion because personal sharing information with advertisers may go against the company’s morals. It is not yet profitable, despite raising over $1.7 billion in initial coin offerings in 2018, halted by the SEC in 2019. Telegram wishes to keep the app completely free while attempting to sustain its growth.
Telegram prioritizes its customers and offers them the best features for free. It typically generates revenue through funding from its founders and currently runs on donations. Even though the company has contingency plans in place in case of an emergency, a telegram would seek out non-essential paid options to generate revenue.
Future Revenue Strategies of Telegram
Telegram is a private company. The founders do not disclose revenue. However, it is estimated that the company makes around $3 million per month.
The expected future revenue strategies of Telegram include:
- Introducing a business model that will allow for the app to generate revenue.
- Subscription services are already in place, such as the ability to download the app for offline access.
- According to Pavel Durov, Telegram has two revenue-generating strategies in the works:
Advertisements
Advertising is one of the primary ways that Telegram will generate revenue. Users can be charged for the ability to send or receive messages. However, Telegram will never sell user information. Revenue from advertising is likely to generate the bulk of Telegram’s revenue.
Telegram intends to monetize through advertisements. However, unlike Facebook and WhatsApp, these advertisements will not be micro-targeted and will not make use of sensitive user data.
These ads will only be available in one-to-many groups via Telegram’s advertising platform. In addition, the channel administrator will receive a cut of the revenue. Evidently, this is a similar strategy to the one taken by Facebook and WhatsApp.
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Premium Services
A premium service for a paid membership. In the case of a paid membership, the app will allow users to pay for premium features. The platform also intends to release premium stickers that users can buy and use in chats.
The user base of Telegram is growing by leaps and bounds. With a subscriber base of over 500 million people, the company will have an even more significant impact in the future. The platform will continue to grow and provide the best features to its users for free.
Telegram may soon become the fastest growing messenger app and increase its user base due to its free and dynamic nature and a slew of useful features. Because it does not spend money on marketing, users can be confident in the product’s quality, and any statistics derived from Telegram are entirely organic.
What distinguishes Telegram from WhatsApp?
Telegram’s popularity and use are growing rapidly. It has created a sense of urgency among the team to ensure that the service stays free.
On the other hand, WhatsApp has a vast user base and a massive number of active users. WhatsApp has been the most popular messaging app in the world for years.
Telegram is often used for political activism, and its team believes it is useful even more for that purpose. According to the Telegram website, “Telegram is faster and way more secure thanks to its multi-data center infrastructure and encryption.”
Also, as Durov repeatedly stated, Telegram is free and will remain open indefinitely (Durov said that the company would not monetize it with ads or subscription fees indefinitely).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Telegram encrypted?
Yes. Telegram uses end-to-end encryption. It means that no one, not even Telegram, can read your messages.
Is Telegram free?
Yes. Telegram is entirely free. There are no subscription fees, no ads, and no data mining.
Is Telegram open-source?
No. Telegram is a proprietary service. However, Telegram is an open-source technology, such as OpenSSL and Boost.
How does Telegram work?
Telegram is a messaging app that offers free, private, secure, and encrypted messaging. It is available for both Android and iOS.
Is Telegram secure?
Telegram is a free app that offers end-to-end encryption. It also provides several privacy-focused features that include user and group self-destruct, read receipts, and a dark mode.
How does Telegram differ from other messaging apps?
The primary difference between Telegram and other messaging apps is that Telegram is a messaging app that provides many valuable features, such as private messages, group chats, encrypted chats, and more.
WhatsApp, on the other hand, is primarily a messaging app.
How do I join the Telegram community?
If you are not a community member yet, you can join the Telegram community. To do so, you need to create a new account on Telegram.
Final Verdict
We hope you enjoyed our article about how does Telegram make money. The creators of Telegram believe that users should be able to send messages privately and securely. The app is currently one of the most secure applications on the market. In addition, Telegram does not sell user information.
Telegram has a unique business model. As a result, the company has a vast user base. We hope you have a great day! Thank you for reading.
