Telegram messenger is becoming increasingly popular both in Russia and beyond for several reasons (quite prosaic and typical of today’s times of change), and here they are:
- First, you yourself decide which channels interest you, what to watch, and what to refuse;
- There is little advertising as such, which increases the ranking of posts, their content quality and consistency;
- There is almost no censorship, no idiotic texts from Zen, almost no stray links, no longreads;
- There is a huge number of bots solving a wide variety of tasks, from music search to advice on choosing anything.
In 2025, Telegram has finally outgrown the role of a mere messenger — it has become a media platform, a marketplace, and a space for business and news. The unique monthly audience of Telegram in Russia reached 92.7 million people, nearly matching WhatsApp, and over the year the service added almost 20 million new users — a growth of 26%. 62% of users log into Telegram daily, and 90% do so regularly throughout the month.
Telegram vs Competitors: who is who?
To understand why Telegram is better, you need to look at it in comparison with other popular platforms.
Самый защищенный мессенджер помимо Телеграм - Mess & AngerComparison table of messengers
| Criteria | Telegram | Viber | Signal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum file size | Up to 2 GB | Up to 100 MB | Up to 200 MB | Up to 100 MB |
| Maximum group participants | 200,000 | 1,024 | 250 | 1,000 |
| End‑to‑end encryption by default | No (only secret chats) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cloud synchronization | Yes | Limited | Limited | No |
| Bots and automation | Yes | No | Limited | No |
| Broadcast channels | Yes | Yes (not in Russia) | No | No |
| Third‑party clients | Yes | No | No | No |
Telegram vs Social Networks
The most important advantage over other social networks, I believe, is versatility: you can not only communicate via text or make calls, but also listen to music, watch videos, create your own bots, write texts and promote them online. In addition, you yourself set many system parameters, for example, who can write to you and who cannot, whether to show notifications from a given channel or not — this is extremely convenient when you have little time for extra actions like deleting unnecessary posts.
Take, for instance, the notorious Facebook — it is absolutely inconvenient in terms of usability, and the number of scripts inside the site slows down any system. Moreover, the author of that project has long discredited himself and is far from being known for his attitude towards user anonymity, unlike Telegram.
As for Russian social networks, they have outlived themselves at the dawn of their formation, because they were originally created for advertising everything and everyone, and anyone who has access to the system becomes an observer. Mail.ru Group was recently renamed to VK — an absolutely ill‑conceived move, in my opinion, because VKontakte deserves no more trust than Facebook, and perhaps less. Although this name is indeed easier to pronounce than the same "Odnoklassniki", where mostly old‑timers hang out. And writing private messages that can be read by God knows who is also a pleasure!
WhatsApp, judging by its holes, does not deserve any attention at all, so it is better to "send it to hell"! The same can be said about any application where your data is at risk of being hacked, and your messages even more so. If you think you are not doing anything reprehensible, just write your contact details on the fence, or better yet your card number and PIN — it is practically the same as writing confidential information on social networks, especially Russian ones…
Twitter and other similar platforms: short text messages are cool and a weighty argument, but not in 2021! Today, to stay in shape, you need, in addition to voice and, of course, text communication, many different “features” that Twitter does not naturally have, but they leak data instantly and also block everyone, including Trump…
Key advantages of Telegram
Telegram is a cloud messenger known for its high speed and flexible functionality. Here is why it is better than competitors:
1. Freedom of content choice
You decide which channels to read and which to refuse. No intrusive algorithms that decide for you what you are interested in.
2. Minimal advertising
There are significantly fewer ad inserts than on social networks. This increases the content quality of posts and makes reading enjoyable.
3. Absence of censorship
Telegram remains one of the freest platforms for communication. No “idiotic texts from Zen” and no intrusive longreads.
4. Ecosystem of bots
A huge number of bots solve a wide variety of tasks: from music search to financial advice and business process automation.
5. Cross‑platform
You can open your account simultaneously on several devices: all chats and settings are synchronized — and you can have seamless communication anywhere and as conveniently as possible.
6. Flexible privacy settings
You can set who can write to you, see your number, add you to groups. Secret chats with self‑destructing messages provide an additional level of confidentiality.
7. Support for all content formats
Telegram supports practically all content formats: text, pictures, video and audio, any files, as well as buttons and even games.
Telegram vs WhatsApp: 6 reasons to choose Telegram
Telegram and WhatsApp are currently the most popular messengers in Russia. Despite their general similarity, they are quite different from each other. Here are 6 key differences:
- Contact search — in Telegram you can find a person by a unique username without revealing your phone number. In WhatsApp, search is only by number.
- Stickers and emojis — in Telegram you can create your own sticker sets and animated emojis. In WhatsApp — only ready‑made sets.
- Group chats — up to 200,000 participants in Telegram versus 1,024 in WhatsApp.
- Channels — they work fully in Telegram, but are not available in Russia on WhatsApp.
- Video messages (“circles”) — available in Telegram, not in WhatsApp.
- Bots — a powerful automation ecosystem that the competitor does not have.
Telegram statistics in 2025
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Monthly audience in Russia (July 2025) | 92.7 million people |
| Annual audience growth | +26% (+20 million people) |
| Daily activity | 62% of users |
| Monthly activity | 90% of users |
| Share of traffic shift from Instagram to Telegram | 32% |
| Share of bloggers who moved to Telegram | 59% |
| Redistribution of advertising budgets | 1.2 billion RUB |
After the ban on advertising on blocked platforms came into effect on September 1, an active shift of audience and budgets began. Telegram became the leader in user migration: 32% of the audience moved to it within a month. 25% moved to VK, 20% — to YouTube.
Security and Privacy
The main feature of Telegram's security is that end‑to‑end encryption by default is active only in “secret chats” and for calls. Regular cloud chats are encrypted between the client and Telegram servers.
WhatsApp, in turn, uses the Signal Protocol for end‑to‑end encryption of messages and calls: only the sender and recipient have access to the content. However, WhatsApp's privacy policy has been criticized for sharing some data with its parent company Meta.
User reviews
Telegram is a great messenger that offers many useful features. The interface is intuitive and easy to use, making communication comfortable and enjoyable.
Was having a really good experience with the application. No lag time between messages or photos.
Note: like any major platform, Telegram does experience technical glitches. According to Sboy.RF, 25% of complaints are related to website issues, 28% — to notifications.
Telegram referral program: how to earn
Telegram officially launched affiliate programs for mini‑apps. This is a great opportunity to monetize your audience.
How it works
- Choose a suitable mini‑app from the list of partner programs.
- Get a unique referral link.
- Share the link with your audience (inside and outside of Telegram).
- When a new user follows the link and makes purchases with Telegram Stars — you receive a commission.
Why it is profitable
- Commission is accrued for all purchases made by the referred user.
- Reward is received throughout the entire duration of the program.
- Growing Telegram audience = more potential customers.
Conclusion
Recent events have shown that when competitors glitch or become inoperable, people switch to Telegram because it is considered quite productive and, most importantly, positively stable.
Telegram is not just a messenger, but an ecosystem for communication, work and earning. 92.7 million users in Russia cannot be wrong. Switching to Telegram is a step towards the future, towards freedom, convenience and new opportunities.
Ready to make the right choice? Switch to Telegram and join the millions of users who have already appreciated all the advantages!
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