The Telegram messaging app only needs a small number of paid subscribers to cover its costs, founder and CEO Pavel Durov recently said. Telegram Premium users have a higher limit for chats, media and file uploads, Durov said, noting that paid subscriptions would ensure the app remains funded primarily by users and not advertisers.
“If just 2.5 per cent to 3 per cent of our users sign up for this subscription, Telegram will cover its costs, supported purely by its users,” Durov said on Telegram. “This will herald a new, user-centric era in the history of social media services,” he added, as per reports.
The platform has more than 700 million monthly active users and has become one of the top five downloaded apps worldwide, Telegram said in a blog post. The premium tier is also available for users in India. Some of the premium features include faster download speed, uploads up to 4GB and custom chat management.
Also, read how to access Telegram Premium