How to Buy Telegram Stars and Understand the Price Differences

You can buy Telegram Stars, the platform's in-app currency, with prices starting from approximately $1.55 for 50 Stars through channels outside the main app stores. Telegram Stars are an in-app currency used to pay for digital goods and services from bots, Mini Apps, and creators directly within the platform.

Telegram Stars: An in-app currency used to pay for digital goods and services within Telegram. Users purchase them to send gifts, access features in Mini Apps and bots, or tip content creators directly on the platform. Why it matters: Stars create a unified payment system inside Telegram. However, the cost to acquire them differs significantly between mobile app stores and other official channels, impacting both buyers and creators.

Telegram Stars function as the platform's internal money for a specific list of digital items. The main point of confusion is not what they are, but how much they cost and why the price changes depending on where you buy them. With over 950 million monthly active users as of July 2024, standardizing payments is a major step for the platform.

What Can You Buy With Telegram Stars?

You can spend Stars in three main ways.

First, you can buy gifts. These are animated stickers and collectible objects you send to a person or drop in a chat. Some are fun, while others act as a public thank you. If you run a community, you can send one without extra steps.

Second, they allow you to pay for premium functions inside bots and Mini Apps. Many small tools on Telegram now charge in Stars instead of building their own payment system. This could be for a premium feature, a monthly subscription, or a one-off report. If you use these tools, Stars are what the paywall accepts.

Finally, you can use them for tips and direct support for creators. It is closer to a tip jar than a subscription, though some setups blur that line. This is the path Telegram built for users who want to pay a creator without leaving the app.

With Telegram Stars, Mini Apps can accept payments for digital services using the simplest-possible payment method, in-app purchases on Apple and Android., Pavel Durov, Telegram Founder

Importantly, Stars are not a cryptocurrency you can cash out to a bank. They are also separate from a Telegram Premium subscription. People often confuse them because they live in the same settings screen. Premium is a feature pack for your account, whereas Stars are a balance you spend.

Why Do In-App Prices for Stars Seem Higher?

When you buy a Star pack on iOS or Android, it is an in-app purchase. Consequently, Apple and Google take a commission on that sale. Telegram prices the pack to include this fee. The shelf price you see already has the store's cut baked in.

30% of the revenue from in-app purchases is the standard commission taken by Apple and Google for most developers., Apple App Store Guidelines, Google Play Console Help

This pricing model is why the same number of Stars costs more in the app than through a method that bypasses the app store. It is the same reason a newspaper subscription often costs more through the App Store than on the publisher's own website.

The stores manage the payment systems and provide a convenient one-tap purchase, which has value. If you only buy Stars occasionally, the convenience may be worth the extra cost. However, if you buy them often or for a work account, that fee adds up.

What Are the Official Ways to Buy Stars?

There are three official ways to add Stars to an account, and they are not identical. Each has its own process and pricing structure, as outlined by Telegram's founder.

• In-app Purchase: While signed into your account on a phone, you can buy a pack directly. Apple or Google handles the billing, and the Stars appear on your account. It's fast and familiar but includes the app store's commission in the price.
• @PremiumBot: Telegram's official bot for Premium and related payments offers another route. The entire flow happens inside Telegram. By using the bot, Telegram sells you digital goods like Stars without routing the payment through Apple or Google, resulting in a lower price.
• Fragment: This is Telegram's decentralized auction platform. You can also purchase Stars here, often at a discount, using the TON cryptocurrency. This is for users already active with TON.

None of these official methods ask for your Telegram password. The in-app route is tied to the account you are currently using.

How Do Third-Party Shops for Stars Work?

A shop like TgFather sells you the same official Stars but uses a different checkout process. Instead of an in-app purchase, you typically pay with cryptocurrency and provide the @username that should receive the Stars. You do not log in or hand over a password.

This delivery method is both the appeal and the primary risk. The Stars are sent to the exact handle you type. A missing letter, an extra underscore, or a lookalike username means the Stars go to the wrong person. Therefore, you must check the handle as carefully as you would a crypto wallet address.

You do not get a different kind of Star. A Mini App cannot tell if your balance came from a shop or the App Store. The gift you send looks the same. The tip you leave is identical. If someone claims to sell "special Stars," they are selling a story, not a real product.

The shop option is what people mean when they say "buy Stars with crypto." It is a checkout preference, not a different product.

When is the Shop Route a Better Choice?

I use the official in-app method when I'm already on my phone and need a small number of Stars for a single gift. For that, it's not worth opening a separate website.

However, I use a shop when the pack is large, when the account I want to fund is not the one signed in on my phone, or when I want to avoid involving Apple in a work expense. Gifting is the most common use case. You can put Stars on someone else's @username without needing their login details. This is perfect for a teammate who runs a Mini App, a moderator you want to thank, or a creator who has requested Stars.

One thing I will not do is treat Stars as a way to move value out of Telegram. You spend them in Telegram. If your plan requires them to become dollars again, you are using the wrong tool.

Also, always stay within Telegram's rules and the rules of any bot you are paying. Stars do not make a banned feature legal; they just pay for existing ones.

If you know the @username and want a pack priced in USD without the app store layer, a shop catalog like Telegram Stars is an option. Just type the handle carefully.

What to do this week

Check the price for a 50 Star pack inside your Telegram app, then compare it to the price at @PremiumBot or a third-party shop. If you plan to buy Stars for work or to gift a large amount, using a non-app-store method could save you a significant percentage. For your first purchase, consider a small pack to test the delivery to your chosen @username.

Frequently asked questions

Are Telegram Stars a cryptocurrency?

No, Telegram Stars are an in-app currency, not a cryptocurrency. You buy and spend them within the Telegram app. However, creators who earn Stars can withdraw their earnings as a cryptocurrency, Toncoin (TON), via the Fragment platform. For a regular user buying and spending Stars, they function like a digital voucher or game currency.

Can I turn leftover Stars into cash?

No, a regular user cannot cash out their Star balance. Stars are meant to be spent on digital goods and services inside Telegram. The only exception is for creators and bot developers who earn Stars. They have an option to withdraw their earnings through official channels, converting them to the Toncoin cryptocurrency.

Do Stars expire if I do not spend them?

Telegram has not announced an expiration policy for Stars balances. They function like a wallet balance rather than a temporary coupon. However, it is always a good practice to consult the latest terms of service. For now, you can hold onto your Stars without a set expiry date, but they are intended for active use within the app.

If I send a gift bought with shop Stars, does it look different?

No, the gift will look identical regardless of where you purchased the Stars. The recipient sees the digital gift itself, not your payment method or purchase history. The source of the Stars is not visible to other users, so a gift from Stars bought at a discount looks the same as one from Stars bought through the App Store.

Why would anyone use Fragment if the app already sells Stars?

Fragment is primarily for users who are already active with the TON cryptocurrency. It can sometimes offer Stars at a better rate. It is also the platform creators use to withdraw their Star earnings as Toncoin. For the average user, buying through the app or @PremiumBot is more straightforward than using Fragment.

Can I gift Stars to an account without a username?

No, third-party shops that deliver Stars require a public @username to send them to the correct account. If the account is private and has no username, you cannot use this method. In that case, you would need to use an official route like the in-app purchase while logged into that specific account.

Last updated: 2024-07-28