In short. Stars are a user's payment for a paid feature; by Telegram's rules they can be withdrawn via Fragment in TON 21 days after they are earned, from 1,000 Stars. Ads are an advertiser's money for your free users: on MGRAM the owner gets 70% of every placement, mandatory subscriptions work from the first user, and withdrawals start at 500 ₽ to CryptoBot or USDT. The best setup uses both: paying users get an ad-free bot, free users pay for themselves with ads and tasks.
Stars vs ads
| Telegram Stars | Ads via MGRAM |
|---|
| Who pays | The bot's user | The advertiser |
| What the bot needs | A paid feature or product | Real users |
| From what audience | From the first buyer | Subscriptions — from 1 user, broadcasts and Reply Ads — from 50 |
| When money is available | 21 days after earning | Subscriptions — right after the action, broadcasts — after the order |
| How to withdraw | Fragment, in TON, from 1,000 Stars | CryptoBot or USDT on TON, from 500 ₽, fee 5% |
Owner income from ads
| Format | From | Owner income |
|---|
| Mandatory subscription: channel | 1 user | from 0.77 ₽ per subscription |
| Mandatory subscription: bot launch | 1 user | from 0.70 ₽ per launch |
| Broadcasts | 50 users | 0.021 ₽ per delivered message |
| Reply Ads | 50 users | 84 ₽ per 1,000 at the base price |
A setup where both work
| User | Sees | Your income |
|---|
| Bought a feature for Stars | An ad-free bot | Stars |
| Free, within the limit | Reply Ads after the bot's answer | 84 ₽ per 1,000 |
| Free, limit reached | «Buy with Stars or complete a task» | Stars or from 0.77 ₽ per subscription |
Tasks instead of payment work through the Tasks API: you decide who sees tasks, so paying users never do. An example for AI bots: make free users pay for themselves.
Which to pick
- You have a paid feature — add Stars, show ads only to free users.
- The bot is free by nature (downloader, Stars rewards, entertainment) — ads are the main income: subscriptions from day one, then broadcasts and Reply Ads.
- The bot is just starting — begin with mandatory subscriptions: no minimum audience, and they don't block Stars sales.
