Digital entrepreneurs today have more opportunities than ever to monetize their communities. Platforms like Discord and Telegram offer effective solutions for community monetization, but which is better for you? How does it compare to Telegram, particularly with tools like subscription bots? Let's find out!

Telegram Overview

Telegram is a cloud-based instant messaging app launched as an alternative to WhatsApp, offering users greater reliability and communicational features.

Today, Telegram's feature list has expanded more than any other messaging app, attracting almost a billion monthly active users. This growth has fueled a subscription business model trend, sparked initially by the creation of the InviteMember bot several years ago.

InviteMember is a third-party platform built specifically for Telegram, offering one of today's most efficient and cost-effective subscription management solutions for content creators and digital entrepreneurs. With InviteMember, Telegram users can monetize their content easily, regardless of their location.

Key Features of Telegram

  • Cloud-based: Telegram uses cloud storage, which allows users to access their chats and files from multiple devices, with messages synced across all devices in real-time.
  • Massive global user-base: With almost a billion monthly active users worldwide, Telegram offers a huge platform to reach audiences globally.
  • Group chats and channels: Telegram allows users to create both public and private groups, that can be organized in topics, with up to 200,000 members interacting simultaneously in a single group. It also offers channels for an unlimited number of members, which are similar to group chats but are designed for broadcasting messages to larger audiences.
  • File sharing: Telegram allows users to share files of up to 2GB in size, and up to 4GB for premium users, which is a significant advantage over other messaging apps.
  • Bots: Telegram has a robust bot API that allows developers to create bots that can perform a wide range of functions, from scheduling reminders and playing games to setting up a subscription-based business in minutes. Here’s an example of a membership bot created with InviteMember: @YogaMemberBot.

Advantages of InviteMember for Subscription-Based Businesses

  • International payment integrations: InviteMember supports a wide variety of international payment methods, including PayPal, Stripe, Skrill, and cryptocurrencies, for Telegram. This allows businesses to accept payments from customers worldwide, making it easier to expand their customer base and grow their business.
  • Easy and direct transactions: Unlike Telegram’s built-in monetization features, InviteMember allows customers' payments to go directly from their wallets to yours. Neither Telegram nor InviteMember holds or manages your money at any point.
  • Customizable subscription plans: InviteMember allows businesses to create customizable subscription plans, offering access to different Telegram groups and channels, and setting different prices, periods, and currencies for each plan. This allows businesses to tailor their offerings to meet the unique needs of their audience and create more value for their subscribers.
  • Premium customer support: InviteMember offers premium personalized customer support to all of its customers, assisting with set-up, customization, and troubleshooting. This can be especially valuable for subscription-based businesses that rely heavily on their membership platform to deliver their services.
  • Web Dashboards: InviteMember's Web Dashboards provide detailed information about users, sales, and subscription history. This allows businesses to analyze their data and make informed decisions about their pricing, content, and marketing strategies.
  • Free SUCH integration: InviteMember integrates seamlessly (and for free!) with SUCH, a customer service software for Telegram that allows businesses to communicate with their subscribers in a productive and organized manner.

Discord Overview

Discord is a communication platform designed for gamers that was launched in 2015. The platform has since expanded to include a wide range of communities and interest groups, making it a popular choice for building communities around various topics. Discord has over 154 million monthly active users, and according to recent data, it is expected to grow even further.

While Discord offers many advantages for building a subscription-based business, it's important to keep in mind that the Server Subscriptions feature is currently only available for US-based servers.

Key Features of Discord

  • Voice and text chat: Discord offers both voice and text chat features, allowing users to communicate with each other in real-time through individual servers’ channels.
  • Servers: Discord allows users to create and join servers, which are essentially communities based around a specific topic. Servers can be public or private and can be customized with different channels, roles, and permissions.
  • Bots: Discord has a robust bot API that allows developers to create bots that can perform a wide range of functions, from moderating communities to playing games.
  • Screen sharing: Discord allows users to share their screens with other users in a chat, making it easier to collaborate on projects or play games together.
  • Integrations: Discord offers integrations with other apps and services, such as Spotify and YouTube, making it easy to share content and collaborate with others.

Advantages of Discord for Subscription-Based Businesses

  • Community building: Discord is designed for building communities, making it an excellent platform for building a loyal audience around a subscription-based business. With its server-based structure, businesses can create a dedicated space for their subscribers to engage with each other and with the business owners.
  • Customizable roles and permissions: Discord allows businesses to set up custom roles and permissions, giving them full control over who can access what content and features within their servers. This is important for subscription-based businesses, as it allows them to offer different roles and permissions to their subscribers.
  • Diverse community: Discord has a diverse and engaged community, with users from all over the world and a wide range of interests. This makes it a great platform for building a community around a subscription-based business, especially if your business is focused on niche topics or interests.
  • Highly customizable: Discord offers a range of customization options, allowing businesses to create a unique look and feel for their community. With custom emojis, backgrounds, and themes, businesses can create a branded experience that resonates with their audience.
  • Marketing opportunities: Discord offers several features for Nitro and boosted accounts, that can be used for marketing, such as announcements, server invites, and custom links. These can be used to promote subscription plans and drive traffic to your server.

Monetizing Your Telegram and Discord Community

Telegram: Using InviteMember for Paid Memberships

  1. Start the InviteMember bot: Launch the @InviteMemberBot. Click Start and then tap Add Project to create a new project (give it a name that your members will see)​.
  2. Add your Telegram channel/group: After naming the project, connect your community. Choose to add a Paid Telegram Channel or Paid Telegram Group, then click Connect Channel/Group. Link any private channel or group you want to monetize (you can add more later)​.
  3. Create a subscription plan: Define what members get and how often they pay. InviteMember will prompt you to set up a plan – enter a plan name and choose a billing period (e.g. monthly)​. Next, select the channel/group that subscribers will access and set a price and currency for the subscription​.
  4. Add a payment method: In your project menu, connect a payment provider so you can collect payments. InviteMember supports many options (e.g. Stripe, PayPal, etc.) – you can even start with test modes to try it out without real cards​. Don't forget to disconnect any test mode payment option, or users will be able to access your groups and channels for free.
  5. Set up your membership bot and customize your page: Use Telegram’s @BotFather to create a new bot for your membership and connect it to your InviteMember project. A landing page for your business will be automatically created, customize it with your business branding too!

Your Telegram community is now monetized! New members can start your bot and pay to subscribe; the bot will automatically invite them into your private channel or group once they’ve paid.

Discord: Using Server Subscriptions for Paid Members

US-Only Restriction: Discord monetization feature remains limited to U.S.-based servers only as of early 2025. In order to enable Server Subscriptions, the server owner must be based in the United States (with U.S. banking and tax identification)​. Discord has not expanded this feature beyond the U.S., and there are no additional supported countries at this time​. In fact, Discord’s own Creator FAQ (updated Feb 2024) explicitly states that “Server Subscriptions will not be available outside of the United States.” This means creators outside the U.S. are currently unable to monetize via Server Subscriptions on Discord.
  1. Enable Server Subscriptions: Open your Discord Server Settings. (Make sure your server has Community enabled, as this is required​) In Settings, go to the Monetization section and click Server Subscriptions. Follow the prompts to agree to Discord’s terms and activate monetization for your server​.
  2. Create subscription tiers: Once enabled, set up one or more membership tiers. For each tier, choose a name, set a monthly price (Discord allows prices from $3 to $200)​, and write a brief description of the benefits. These tiers will be the paid plans your community members can subscribe to.
  3. Set up exclusive perks: Assign special perks to each tier to reward paying members. For example, create unique subscriber roles and give them access to private channels, bonus content, or other benefits. Higher-priced tiers can include more perks (e.g. additional channels or privileges)​. Configure your Discord roles and channel permissions so that only subscribers in the appropriate tier role can see the exclusive content.
  4. Publish and start earning: Save your tier settings. Discord will generate a Subscribe button or promo page for your server where members can view your tiers and join. Paying members will automatically receive the tier’s role and can immediately access the exclusive channels and perks you set up. (Discord handles the payments and will give you 90% of the revenue from subscriptions​.)

Your Discord server monetization is ready! Community members can subscribe through your server’s subscription page, and Discord will grant them the roles and access corresponding to the tier they purchased, all within the Discord app.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to choosing a messaging platform for your subscription-based business, both Telegram and Discord have a lot to offer. With their large and engaged user bases, customization options, and robust bot APIs, they provide a solid foundation for building a thriving community of subscribers.

However, there are some key differences between the two platforms that should be taken into consideration. While Discord's Server Subscription feature is currently only available in some countries, InviteMember on Telegram provides a more accessible and affordable subscription platform for anyone in the world, regardless of their budget or where they are located.

Ultimately, the best messaging platform for your subscription-based business will depend on your specific needs and goals. By considering the advantages and limitations of each platform, and following best practices for community building and engagement, you can create a successful subscription-based business on Telegram, Discord, or any other platform that fits your needs.