Telegram Premium is an optional paid subscription that adds many extra features to the Telegram messaging app. It is not a free service, users pay a monthly fee to unlock these exclusive perks and support Telegram’s development.
All core features that existed before Premium (like free cloud storage, large groups, etc.) remain available to everyone for free. Below we outline the Telegram Premium features, its subscription price, and how it compares to the free version in simple terms.
Telegram Premium Features and Benefits
Telegram Premium offers a range of enhancements that improve the user experience without feeling promotional. Here are the key benefits of Telegram Premium.
Increased Limits
Premium increases various limits in your account. For example, you can join up to 1000 channels (versus 500 for free users) and create 30 chat folders to organize chats.
You can also pin 10 chats in your main list (free users can pin 5) and reserve up to 20 public t.me links for your accounts or channels (free limit is 10). Premium even lets you have a longer bio (up to 140 characters with a link, instead of 70) and save 400 favorite GIFs (instead of 200).
Faster Download Speed
With a Premium subscription, your Telegram download speed is uncapped This means media and files download as fast as your network allows, whereas free users may experience slower speeds on large downloads.
Larger File Uploads
Premium users can send files up to 4 GB each, double the size limit for free users (2 GB). Anyone (including free users) can download these large files, but only Premium can upload them.
Voice-to-Text and Translation
Premium unlocks voice message transcription – you can convert voice messages to text instantly. This also works for video messages, helping you read voice/video messages when you can’t listen.
Additionally, Premium offers real-time chat translation for messages in foreign languages, allowing you to read entire chats or channels in your language (free users must translate messages one by one).
Voice-to-Text Freemium Alternative: @Briefly bot. It transcribes voice and video messages, works in groups, for long audio it makes short summaries, and saves the full transcript as a TXT file.
Exclusive Stickers and Emoji
Subscribers get a collection of premium stickers with full-screen animations, updated monthly. Premium users can also use custom animated emoji in any chat – these unique emoji are visible to all users. Free users are limited to the basic sticker sets and emoji.
More Reactions
With Premium, you unlock an infinite choice of reactions. You can react to messages with thousands of emoji (including custom ones) and even add up to 3 reactions on a single message. By contrast, free users have a limited set of reactions and can use only one per message.
Stories Features
Telegram’s Stories (temporary posts similar to “status” updates) are enhanced for Premium subscribers. Free users can post only a few stories (up to 3 per day) and have standard options, but Premium users can post up to 100 stories per day.
Premium also gives Story perks: your stories get Priority display (shown first to your contacts), you can enable Stealth Mode to view others’ stories privately, see permanent view history of who viewed your stories even after they expire, set custom story durations (6, 12, 24, or 48 hours instead of only 24h), save others’ stories to your gallery (if allowed), and use longer captions with links in your stories.
Advanced Chat Management
Premium includes tools to better organize your chats. You can set a default chat folder (e.g. always open the app in your “Work” folder instead of All Chats).
There is also an option to auto-archive and hide new chats from non-contacts to keep your inbox clean. Additionally, Premium lets you add tags in Saved Messages for organizing your personal notes.
Telegram Business Tools
Subscribers get access to Telegram Business features. This allows you to turn your account into a business account with a verified badge and add business information like your location and opening hours.
You can set up quick reply templates and greeting messages to respond to customers faster. (Currently, all these business features are included free with a Premium subscription.)
If you want to monetize your Telegram community, subscription bots are the best solution. You can earn income from your private groups and channels using @InviteMemberBot.
Privacy and Security Options
Premium offers extra control over who can contact you. A Message Privacy setting lets you limit messages from strangers, or even charge for incoming messages from people not in your contacts.
This can deter spam by requiring unknown senders to pay a small fee (using Telegram’s in-app payment) to reach you. Premium users also get a unique perk regarding last-seen status – they can view the last seen and read times of others even if they hide their own last seen (free users must share their last seen to see others’).
No Ads
In some countries, Telegram displays Sponsored Messages (ads) in large public one-to-many channels. These ads are discreet, but if you subscribe to Premium, no ads will be shown to you in those channels. Your Telegram experience becomes completely ad-free as a Premium benefit.
Profile Badge and Customization
All Premium subscribers get a special premium star badge next to their name in chats and group member lists. This badge shows others that you support Telegram.
Premium also enables more profile customization: you can use animated profile pictures (your video avatar will play for everyone in chats and chat lists). You also unlock additional app icons to change Telegram’s icon on your home screen.
Furthermore, you can set an emoji status next to your name (choosing from numerous emoji) to let others know, for example, that you are busy, traveling, studying, etc.
Collaborative Checklists
Premium users can create interactive to-do lists in any chat (for managing tasks or shopping lists with others). Premium users often get to use such cutting-edge features early, while free users may not have them until some time.
As shown above, Telegram Premium provides numerous enhancements without removing anything from free users. Now, let’s compare Telegram Premium vs Free in a quick overview.
Telegram Premium vs Free
Below is a concise comparison of key limits and features in free Telegram vs Telegram Premium:
| Feature or Limit | Free Telegram | Telegram Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum file upload size | 2 GB per file | 4 GB per file |
| Download speed | Standard (may be throttled on large files) | Fastest possible (no speed cap) |
| Channels you can join | Up to 500 channels | Up to 1000 channels |
| Chat folders | Up to 10 folders | Up to 30 folders (organize more chats) |
| Pinned chats | 5 pinned chats (in main list) | 10 pinned chats |
| Public links/usernames | Up to 10 public @ usernames (for channels/groups) | Up to 20 public links |
| Accounts on one app | Up to 3 accounts logged in | Up to 4 accounts on one app |
| Saved GIFs | 200 GIFs in Saved panel | 400 GIFs in Saved panel |
| Favorite stickers | Up to 5 stickers marked as favorite (estimated) | Up to 10 favorite stickers (double the slots) |
| Stories (daily posts) | 3 stories per day (limited features) | 100 stories per day (with Premium extras) |
| Voice message transcription | Not available | Available (convert voice/video to text) |
| Translate entire chats | Not available (manual per message only) | Available (auto chat translation) |
| Premium stickers & emoji | Not available (can only view others’) | Available (send exclusive stickers & custom emoji) |
| Multiple reactions per message | One reaction per message | Up to 3 reactions on a message |
| No ads in public channels | No (ads may appear in large channels) | Yes (sponsored messages are disabled) |
| Profile badge | No | Yes (star or other icons on your profile) |
As shown, Telegram Premium benefits include higher limits (for files, channels, chats, etc.) and additional features that regular users don’t have. Next, we discuss the Telegram Premium price and how to get the subscription.
Telegram Premium Price
The Telegram Premium subscription price depends on your location and plan. In many regions (like the US), Premium costs about $4.99 USD per month.
In Europe it’s around €5.49, and in the UK about £4.99 per month. Some countries have lower prices (for example, around $2.99 in India or $2.49 in Turkey) to reflect local currencies and living costs.
Telegram also offers an annual subscription option at a discounted rate – in the US an annual plan is about $35.99 per year (which is roughly a 40% discount vs paying monthly).
Is Telegram Premium subscription free? No. Telegram Premium is a paid add‑on. You can give or receive Premium as a gift, and discounts may appear, but there is no free plan. You can always keep using Telegram for free, but Premium features need an active subscription.
How to Buy Telegram Premium
You can subscribe to Premium from within the Telegram app: go to Settings > Telegram Premium and follow the prompts.
On Android or iOS, the purchase is handled through the app stores. There is also an official @PremiumBot that lets you subscribe with a discount (bypassing App Store/Play Store fees).
The Premium Bot is accessible via Telegram’s Android, desktop or web apps and offers the same plans securely.
If you decide to cancel, you will retain Premium features until the end of your paid period. (Telegram also allows gifting Premium to others for 3, 6, or 12 months, if you want to give someone else the subscription.)
In Short
Telegram Premium is entirely optional and is designed for power users who want the extra functionality. The regular Telegram app remains free and full-featured for everyone.
It provides valuable enhancements like faster downloads, bigger uploads, advanced messaging tools, and more, all for a relatively small monthly cost. If you rely on Telegram heavily and need these extras, it may be worth considering. Otherwise, you can continue using Telegram’s free features — no strings attached — and still enjoy the same secure, fast messaging platform.
