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, a messenger by Meta, switched to it in January 2021 when WhatsApp updated its privacy policy. As a result, the market share of Telegram increased by six percent in the first quarter of 2021. 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, as it allows users to collect money directly on the platform using its integrated payment bots. In 2021, 16 percent of Russian C2C buyers purchased on Telegram.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 amount of channels they could follow, faster download speed, and premium stickers. In February 2024, the in-app revenue of the platform, reduced by fees and taxes, exceeded six 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 raised 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 March 2024 raised 330 million 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.
