How much does Telegram Premium cost?

Short answer: in the US App Store, Telegram Premium costs $4.99 a month or $35.99 a year (prices as of November 3, 2026). Paying for the year saves you about 40%. Below are prices in other countries, everything Premium includes, and how to cancel it.

Half your contacts have a little star next to their name. Some of them send animated emoji you don't have, and their voice messages turn into text with one tap. That's Telegram Premium, the messenger's paid subscription.

Here's the no-fluff version: the Telegram Premium price in different countries, what you really get, where it's cheaper, and how to cancel if you change your mind.

How much does Telegram Premium cost?

There's no single price. Telegram says the price varies a little by country, and app stores can add their fee and taxes on top. So the easiest way to know is to check the App Store prices where you live.

These are App Store in-app prices as of November 3, 2026. The store only lists the ten most popular purchases, so some countries don't show the yearly plan. Prices on Google Play and through Telegram's own bot can differ, and Telegram shows the exact amount at checkout.

The yearly plan is a real deal: $35.99 instead of $59.88 for twelve separate months in the US. That's about 40% off, which is exactly the discount Telegram promised when it introduced yearly billing.

What do you get with Telegram Premium?

Over the years the subscription has picked up a few dozen features. These are the ones people actually pay for.

Doubled limits

The numbers come from Telegram's own documentation. Telegram can change them, but they've stayed the same for years.

Convenience

• Voice and video messages to text. Can't listen right now? Tap a button and read.
• Translate whole chats. Anyone can translate a single message. With Premium, an entire chat or channel translates at once.
• Faster downloads. No speed cap on big files.
• No ads. Sponsored messages in large channels disappear.
• Checklists in chats. Since July 2025 you can send a list with checkboxes to Saved Messages, a private chat, or a group. Only Premium users can create one, and without Premium you can see a checklist but can't tick anything off.

Looks

• The star badge next to your name, an emoji status, and an animated profile picture.
• Custom emoji in messages, premium stickers and reactions.
• Name color and profile styling.
• Alternative app icons.

Privacy

• Hide your last seen time while still seeing everyone else's.
• Let only contacts and Premium users message you, or charge Stars for messages from strangers.
• Stop people from forwarding or saving messages from your private chats.
• Watch stories in stealth mode, without showing up in the viewer list.

Telegram Business

Premium also includes the Business tools: opening hours and location on your profile, quick replies, a greeting for new contacts, and an away message. For a freelancer or a small shop, that's often enough without a separate service.

Where to buy Telegram Premium for less

There are four official ways.

• In the app. Settings, then Telegram Premium. You pay through the App Store or Google Play, so their fee is built into the price. It's the easiest option and the most expensive.
• Through @PremiumBot. Telegram says this is cheaper because there's no app store fee. The catch: the bot only works in versions you didn't get from the App Store or Google Play, like Telegram Desktop, the web version, or the Android app from Telegram's website.
• On Fragment. Telegram's official marketplace sells Premium for Gram, the cryptocurrency that was called Toncoin until June 2026. You can buy it for yourself or a friend, and you'll need a crypto wallet. A year on Fragment worked out to $28.99 as of November 3.
• As a gift or giveaway. A friend can gift you Premium for 3, 6, or 12 months, and channels often give subscriptions away to their followers.

You'll also find resellers offering lower prices. That's not an official route, and if something goes wrong, nobody can help you. Never give them your Telegram login code or password: a username is all anyone needs to send you a gift.

Can you gift Premium with Stars?

Yes. Since March 2025 you can gift Premium using the Telegram Stars on your balance: open your friend's profile, tap the menu, and pick a gift. Telegram doesn't let you buy Premium for yourself with Stars, at least for now.

Telegram's documentation for bots lists the gift at 1,000 Stars for 3 months, 1,500 for six, and 2,500 for a year. The app shows the exact amount when you pay. And if you're wondering what Telegram Stars cost in different countries, we covered that separately.

How to cancel Telegram Premium

The subscription lives wherever you bought it:

• iPhone: Settings, your name at the top, Subscriptions.
• Android: Google Play, your profile icon, Payments & subscriptions, Subscriptions.
• @PremiumBot: send the bot /stop.

Premium keeps working until the end of the period you paid for. It just won't renew.

What happens when Premium runs out

Nothing gets deleted, but the extras stop working:

• only your first 10 folders work, the rest get locked;
• only your first 5 pinned chats stay pinned;
• GIFs beyond 200 are hidden;
• your bio shows only the first 70 characters;
• the badge disappears and downloads go back to normal speed.

Subscribe again and everything comes back.

Do you need Premium for a to-do list?

If all you need is a to-do list and reminders, you don't need Premium. Setting a reminder in Telegram is free, right in Saved Messages. We also compared the free ways to keep a to-do list in Telegram.

And if your tasks keep sliding from one week to the next, try StarDo. It's a free to-do list inside Telegram: reminders whenever you want them, recurring tasks, and checklists inside a task. You can back any task with a promise in Stars. Nothing is charged upfront: you pay what you promised only if the deadline passes. And every task done in time lights up a new star in your own sky.

FAQ

Does Telegram Premium have a free trial?

No, there's no free trial. The only ways to get Premium for free are a gift from a friend or winning a giveaway in a channel.

What does the star next to someone's name mean?

It's the Telegram Premium badge: that person pays for the subscription. It has nothing to do with Telegram Stars, the currency you use in bots.

Why does Premium cost different amounts in different countries?

Telegram adjusts the price by country, and app stores add their own fee and taxes. So a month can cost under $4 in one country and over €5 in another.

Can I pay for a whole year of Premium?

Yes. The yearly plan is in the app and costs about 40% less than paying month by month.