Adsun logoAdsun

What are Telegram Stars and how do they work?

Telegram Stars explained: Telegram’s in-app currency for digital goods, how users buy them, how creators, bots and Mini Apps earn them, withdrawal to TON via Fragment and how Stars compare with ad revenue.

Become a publisher
Large golden star coin on a pedestal with orbiting stars and a chat phone — what are Telegram Stars
Large golden star coin on a pedestal with orbiting stars and a chat phone — what are Telegram Stars

Content owner: Adsun Editorial & Ad Operations Team · Last verified:

Quick answer

Telegram Stars are Telegram’s in-app currency for digital goods and services. Users buy Stars through the app stores or Telegram’s own bot, then spend them in bots and Mini Apps, on paid posts, channel subscriptions, reactions and gifts. Creators and developers who receive Stars can withdraw eligible balances as TON through Fragment after a holding period, or use them for Telegram Ads. Stars earn from paying users; ads from networks such as Adsun earn from every active user — successful apps use both.

Key takeaways

  • Stars are Telegram’s digital-goods currency.
  • Users buy them in-app; creators earn and can withdraw via Fragment.
  • Used for bot purchases, paid media, subscriptions, reactions and gifts.
  • Combine Stars with Adsun ads to monetize every user.

How users get and spend Stars

  • Buy in Telegram (via app store or Telegram’s payment options).
  • Spend on in-app items in bots and Mini Apps.
  • Unlock paid photos, videos and posts.
  • Pay for channel subscriptions.
  • Send Star reactions and gifts.

How creators earn Stars

  • Sell digital goods with the Bot Payments API.
  • Paid media and subscription channels.
  • Reactions and gifts from fans.
  • Affiliate programmes in Mini Apps.

Stars + ads

Create a free publisher account at adsun.io, add your Mini App or bot, create Reward, Interstitial or Task blocks, paste the SDK or bot snippet and watch earnings per block and country. Payouts are in USDT.

Metric definitions and formulas

CPM
Cost per mille: what an advertiser pays for 1,000 ad impressions.CPM = (Ad spend ÷ Impressions) × 1,000
CPC
Cost per click: average price an advertiser pays for one click.CPC = Ad spend ÷ Clicks
CTR
Click-through rate: the share of impressions that produced a click.CTR = (Clicks ÷ Impressions) × 100%
eCPM
Effective CPM: what a publisher earns per 1,000 impressions, whatever the pricing model.eCPM = (Publisher earnings ÷ Impressions) × 1,000
Fill rate
The share of ad requests that returned an ad.Fill rate = (Filled ad requests ÷ Total ad requests) × 100%

More terms in the glossary and the advertising metrics guide.

Worked example

Hypothetical example — not real Telegram or Adsun data

A new Mini App reaches 5,000 daily active users. Each user sees 3 rewarded ads a day = 15,000 impressions. At a $1.20 eCPM: 15,000 ÷ 1,000 × $1.20 = $18 per day, about $540 a month. The owner spends $100 on an Adsun CPC campaign at $0.05 per click = 2,000 clicks; 40% open the app = 800 new users, cost per user = $0.125. Replace every figure with your own data.

Adsun measurement methodology

Adsun counts an impression when an ad is rendered in a publisher block, a click when the user opens the ad destination, and a reward only after the server-to-server Reward URL confirms completion. Debug-mode traffic is excluded from billing and reports. Metrics are shown per platform, block and country in the partner and advertiser dashboards. Adsun does not publish aggregate network benchmarks in this guide; any number below marked “Hypothetical” is illustrative only. See the SDK documentation for integration details.

About Adsun

Adsun is a Telegram advertising network operated by Adsun. Products: Rewarded ads, Interstitial ads, Task ads, Native ads. Platforms: Telegram Mini Apps, Telegram bots, Telegram channels. Learn more about Adsun.

Start earning or growing with Adsun

Publishers earn USDT from Mini Apps, bots and channels. Advertisers reach Telegram users with CPM or CPC campaigns.

Become a publisher — sign up freeStart advertising

Frequently asked questions

Can Telegram Stars be converted to money?

Eligible earned Stars can be withdrawn as TON via Fragment, then exchanged; see our withdrawal guide.

Why does Telegram use Stars?

To support digital purchases in line with app-store rules on iOS and Android.

Are Stars better than ads?

They complement each other: Stars from paying users, ads from everyone.

Sources

Update log

  • 2026-10-21: First published. Telegram and TON features are described generally; check telegram.org and docs.ton.org for current rules.
Earn Telegram StarsEvery way to earn Telegram Stars: paid posts and media, channel subscriptions, Star reactions, gifts, bot and Mini App digital goods, and affiliate programmes — plus how Stars compare with ad revenue.Withdraw Telegram StarsStep-by-step: check your Stars balance, meet the holding period and minimum, withdraw to TON through Fragment, move TON to a wallet or exchange — and common mistakes to avoid.Telegram Stars vs adsCompare Telegram Stars payments with ad monetization for Mini Apps and bots: who pays, revenue predictability, user experience and how to combine both.What is TON?TON explained: a layer-1 blockchain originally designed by Telegram, Toncoin, jettons, NFTs, wallets, TON Connect, its role in Telegram (Fragment, Stars, ads) and how projects grow on it with Adsun.