AndroidApplicationsIOS

In a world where WhatsApp gives everything for free, Telegram aims to charge: what does Telegram Premium offer and if it’s worth it

After months of anticipation in the form of rumors and leaks, Telegram made its Premium subscription official , a monthly payment that gives the right to upgrades compared to free users . And we’ve already tried it: we tell you everything you need to know about Telegram Premium, a risky move when its main rival, WhatsApp, gives everything away for free.

Messaging applications have introduced so many options that it is very difficult to continue to stand out, either because of the number of extras or because of the effort involved in continuing to develop (and invent). Telegram is, without a doubt, the one that has evolved the most in messaging to remove it from the “simple” conversation between people. Given this effort, the company needs direct help from its users. Premium subscription is the answer.

Two prices depending on how you subscribe

Telegram Premium

Price difference between Google Play (left) and Telegram downloaded from the web (right)

Telegram can be downloaded in two different ways: from mobile stores (mainly Google Play) or from the Telegram website itself. The app itself is the same, it only gains some speed since from the stores there is always a certain delay until the download spreads to all users . Well, this is the only difference.

Telegram has marked very different prices depending on whether the app is downloaded from its website or from Google Play: the increase between one method and another is 37.59% . Telegram has not provided the explanation for the increase in the premium subscription , although it is surely due to the commissions that Google and Apple apply to their stores: these amount to 15% (the App Store drops from 30% to 15% of commission the second year). What users must pay each month is a higher percentage, surely as an extra benefit for Telegram.

Below you have the different subscription prices and where they apply.

The advantages over free accounts are exactly the same regardless of where the subscription is paid , whether to Google or directly to Telegram. And it’s not because they add extra features that free accounts lose their appeal: Telegram continues to work just as well as it has up to now. And it will continue to do so in the future.

TELEGRAM PREMIUM FREE TELEGRAM
MAXIMUM GROUPS YOU CAN JOIN 1,000 500
PINNED CHATS 10 5
PUBLIC LINKS T.ME 10 5
SAVED GIFS 400 200
FAVORITE STICKERS 10 5
CHARACTERS IN BIO 140 70
MAXIMUM LENGTH IN PHOTO DESCRIPTIONS 2,048 1,024
FOLDERS twenty 10
MAX CHATS IN EACH FOLDER 200 100
MAXIMUM ACCOUNTS IN THE APP 4 3
MAXIMUM FILE SIZE 4GB 2GB

How to subscribe to Telegram Premium

Telegram Premium

As you have seen, the monthly subscription has two ways to pay, also two very different costs. The logical thing is to bet on the cheapest, although they have their drawbacks: you must share the card number (credit or debit) with Telegram and unsubscribing is not as accessible. On the contrary, through Google Play you make the monthly payment with the same means of payment that you use to buy apps; having the option to manage subscriptions directly from Google Play .

Telegram Premium does not have a free trial period: the first month they will charge you in full

Depending on the place from which you downloaded the application , you will have one payment method or another . Here is the detailed process for both:

  • Access your Telegram settings, in the hidden menu on the left of the screen.
  • Scroll down to “Telegram Premium”.
  • Click on “Subscribe for … € per month”. Depending on the download, you will have either 5.49 euros or 3.99 euros. It’s up to you.
  • If you downloaded the app from Google Play, a lower window will appear to accept the payment. You need a payment method associated with your Google account.
  • If you downloaded Telegram from its website, the conversation with Premium Bot will open . Click on “Pay €3.99”, fill in the form with your card details and accept.
  • You can cancel the subscription at any time from the “Payments and subscriptions” menu under your avatar in the Google Play Store or by going to Premium Bot and saying /stop if you subscribed with Telegram downloaded from its website.
Remember: Telegram will charge you the amount each month until you decide to cancel your subscription

Once you subscribe you will have access to all the functions added to the huge number of possibilities that Telegram already has for free. We have been testing Premium and we can tell you that it does not represent a qualitative advantage when it comes to experience . Yes, it is a good addition if you want to stand out among your friends or in case you want to contribute your grain of sand to the constant development of Telegram.

Cosmetic improvements with special emphasis on files

Telegram Premium

Premium Telegram Stickers

“Freemium” apps tend to offer added features for a fee, usually extras to what they already include for non-paying users. Games like Fortnite or PUBG are a clear example: players pay to stand out among the millions of users who connect every day . Telegram has opted for this strategy.

Telegram Premium

Icon picker for shortcut

After the time that we have been using Telegram Premium, we have not appreciated a notable improvement in the experience, at least in what responds to the pure and hard use of the applications (once the Telegram Premium subscription is made, it is available for the entire account, regardless of of the platform ). What it does clearly improve on is the download speed: large data is downloaded in a jiffy (as long as the connection is good). The size of the files that can be uploaded is also doubled: with Telegram Premium it is 4 GB . Those who use the messaging app as a backup tool will appreciate it.

Download speed, upload file size and text transcription of voice notes are three of the palpable improvements of Telegram Premium

Another function that we find interesting is audio transcription: Telegram Premium converts voice notes to text . This is really useful when the conversation turns to constantly sending audio (yes, we all have a friend who insists on sending them, often lasting minutes).

Telegram Premium

The rest of the options are basically cosmetic: a badge to show that you pay for Telegram (what less), stickers to differentiate yourself from the rest (there aren’t too many yet), added reactions or animated profile photos. They are there and they can entertain for a while, but they do not really enrich the possibilities of Telegram.

Telegram Premium

Badge that proves you pay Telegram

Under our tests, we believe that the Telegram Premium subscription is too expensive for what it offers , even the cheapest of the two possible options. The platform already includes a huge number of free features. And it seems that paying subscribers have to pay for the entire messaging service, not just the add-ons. Telegram Premium is mainly aimed at Telegram fans.

Related Articles

Back to top button