Telegram now has more than 1 billion monthly active users, and a growing share of what those users pay for inside the app is priced in Telegram Stars: gifts for friends, locked photos and videos in creators' channels, private channel subscriptions, and items in Mini App games.
Stars, however, don't have a single price. The same 1,000 Stars cost $19.99 in the Telegram app and about $15 on Fragment, yet they are worth only $13 to the creator who receives them. Pack prices also vary by platform and country, and much of what you find online mixes these numbers together.
We checked Telegram's official pricing table and developer documentation to put together the current price of every Stars pack, what Stars are worth in US dollars, and the cheapest legitimate ways to buy them. If you'd rather not deal with crypto wallets, GamsGo also sells Telegram Stars below the in-app price, and we've included it as an option below.
Here are the key numbers at a glance:
- In-app price: from $0.99 for 50 Stars to $49.99 for 2,500 Stars, or about $0.02 per Star.
- No bulk discount: every official pack costs roughly the same per Star, whatever its size.
- Fragment price: about $0.015 per Star, paid in crypto, with a 50-Star minimum.
- Cash-out value: $0.013 per Star, and only for creators who earned them.
The rest of this guide explains where each number comes from and how to use it.
What Are Telegram Stars?
Telegram Stars are Telegram's in-app currency for digital goods and services. Telegram launched them in June 2024 so that bots and Mini Apps could sell digital products in a way that complies with Apple and Google's rules, and has since extended them to gifts, paid media, channel subscriptions, paid messages, and reactions.
For ordinary users, Stars only move in one direction. You can spend them or send them as gifts, but Telegram's terms don't allow you to sell or withdraw Stars you bought.
Only channel owners, bot developers, and other creators can turn the Stars they earn back into money, and they do so at a lower rate than buyers pay. That is why a Star has a different value depending on whether you are buying it or cashing it out.
Stars are also separate from Telegram Premium. Premium is a subscription that unlocks account features such as 4 GB file uploads, faster downloads, and hidden sponsored messages, while Stars are a balance you spend on individual items. If those account features are what you're after, it is cheaper to buy Telegram Premium directly than to pay for it with Stars.
How Much Do Telegram Stars Cost?
Telegram sells Stars in 11 fixed packs inside the app, ranging from 50 to 2,500 Stars. The prices below come from Telegram's official pricing table for US users:
| Stars Pack | Price | Price per Star |
|---|---|---|
| 50 Stars | $0.99 | $0.0198 |
| 75 Stars | $1.49 | $0.0199 |
| 100 Stars | $1.99 | $0.0199 |
| 150 Stars | $2.99 | $0.0199 |
| 250 Stars | $4.99 | $0.0200 |
| 350 Stars | $6.99 | $0.0200 |
| 500 Stars | $9.99 | $0.0200 |
| 750 Stars | $14.99 | $0.0200 |
| 1,000 Stars | $19.99 | $0.0200 |
| 1,500 Stars | $29.99 | $0.0200 |
| 2,500 Stars | $49.99 | $0.0200 |
Unlike most in-game currencies, Telegram Stars get no cheaper in bulk. Buying 2,500 Stars at once costs the same per Star as buying 50, so there is little reason to load up on Stars you don't plan to spend soon. Prices outside the US can differ slightly because of local taxes and app store pricing.
How Much Is 1 Telegram Star?
One Telegram Star costs about $0.02 when you buy it in the Telegram app and about $0.015 on Fragment. For the creator who receives it, the same Star is worth $0.013, which is the fixed rate Telegram pays out on withdrawals. You can't buy a single Star on its own, though, as both the app and Fragment start at 50 Stars.
Telegram Stars to USD Conversion
If you're working out the cost of a specific amount, the table below shows what common Star amounts cost in the app and on Fragment, and what a creator receives when cashing them out:
| Stars | Cost in the App | Cost on Fragment | Creator Receives |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | $1.99 | $1.50 | $1.30 |
| 500 | $9.99 | $7.50 | $6.50 |
| 1,000 | $19.99 | $15.00 | $13.00 |
| 2,500 | $49.99 | $37.50 | $32.50 |
| 5,000 | $99.98 | $75.00 | $65.00 |
| 10,000 | $199.96 | $150.00 | $130.00 |
The gap grows with the amount. At 10,000 Stars, the difference between the app and Fragment is about $50, and a creator receiving those Stars ends up with roughly two-thirds of what a fan paid in the app.
Why Do Telegram Stars Prices Differ?
The difference comes down to who takes a cut along the way. Telegram's own pricing table shows how a 500-Star pack bought in the app for $9.99 is split: Apple or Google keep $3.00 as their 30% store fee, Telegram keeps $0.49 to cover its costs, and the creator who eventually receives those 500 Stars gets $6.50.
Fragment sells Stars directly for crypto, outside the app stores, so there is no store fee to absorb and the price drops by about a quarter. The trade-off is setup: you need a crypto wallet, a one-time ID check, and a small network fee on each order, which we cover in the buying section below.
What Can You Buy With Telegram Stars?
Gifts are the most common way people spend Stars. Regular gifts such as a teddy bear, a rose, a cake, or a diamond ring cost between 15 and 100 Stars, or roughly $0.30 to $2 at the in-app rate. Many of them can later be upgraded into collectible gifts, which users trade among themselves for anywhere from 125 to 100,000 Stars depending on rarity.
The bigger amounts usually go to creators. Channel owners can charge up to 10,000 Stars per 30 days for access to a private channel and up to 25,000 Stars to unlock a single photo or video post, although most set far lower prices.
Star reactions and paid messages let you support a creator or reach someone directly, and bots and Mini Apps price their own items and features in Stars too.
Stars can also pay for a Telegram Premium gift, but this is the one purchase worth avoiding. Three months of Premium costs 1,000 Stars, about $20 at the in-app rate, while Telegram's own monthly plan charges $14.97 for the same three months. For most people, a 250 or 500-Star pack covers several gifts and the occasional paid post.
What Is the Cheapest Way to Buy Telegram Stars?
On price per Star, Fragment is the cheapest option at about $0.015, compared with about $0.02 in the Telegram app. But Fragment only works out cheapest if you already hold crypto.
Starting from a bank card, you would first need to buy GRAM (formerly Toncoin) or a stablecoin on an exchange, pay trading and withdrawal fees, and move it to a TON wallet before you can buy anything. On a 10,000-Star order, those costs barely register, but on a $5 or $10 top-up, they can cancel out most of the savings.
If you pay by card or PayPal, GamsGo is the simpler way to pay less than the app. It is a digital subscription and top-up platform that sells cheap Telegram Stars packs from 50 to 10,000 Stars, with 1,000 Stars at $17.66 instead of $19.99 and 2,500 Stars at $42.99 instead of $49.99.
You pick a pack on the Telegram Stars top-up page, enter the Telegram username that should receive the Stars, and pay. The fastest orders arrive in under 10 minutes, and every order is covered by GamsGo's DealShield protection, which refunds you if delivery can't be completed.
How Do You Buy Telegram Stars From Telegram?
Telegram sells Stars in two official places: inside the Telegram app and on Fragment. The app takes seconds, while Fragment needs some setup the first time but charges less.
In the Telegram App
Buying Stars in the app works like any other in-app purchase:
- Open Telegram and go to Settings, then My Stars. You can also tap any Star price inside a bot, channel, or Mini App.
- Choose the Stars pack you want.
- Confirm the payment with the card or balance linked to your App Store or Google Play account.
The Stars land in your balance as soon as the payment goes through. If you use the direct version of Telegram for Android from telegram.org, you can also buy Stars through Telegram's official @PremiumBot.
On Fragment
Before you start, you need a TON wallet such as Tonkeeper holding enough GRAM or a supported stablecoin to cover the Stars and the network fee. Then follow these steps:
- Go to fragment.com, open Stars, and select Buy Stars.
- Log in with your Telegram account and connect your TON wallet.
- Enter the username of the personal account that should receive the Stars.
- Pick a package or type any amount from 50 Stars upward.
- Complete Fragment's one-time identity check with a government ID if you haven't done it before.
- Approve the payment in your wallet and wait for the transaction to confirm.
Fragment payments run on the blockchain and can't be reversed, so double-check the recipient's username before approving. Stars sent to the wrong account cannot be recovered.
Why Does a Telegram Stars Purchase Fail?
Most failed Stars purchases come down to a payment or account setting rather than a problem with Telegram itself. These are the common causes and how to fix them:
- Outdated app: older versions of Telegram can fail at checkout. Update Telegram and try again.
- Payment method issue: an expired card or empty balance on your App Store or Google Play account blocks the purchase. Update the payment details in your store account.
- Spending or parental limits: purchase restrictions on your phone or store account stop in-app payments. Turn off the limit or ask the account owner to approve the purchase.
- Region restrictions: Telegram can switch off Stars purchases in some regions. Check that your store account country supports them, or use another way to buy.
- Fragment wallet errors: a transaction fails if your wallet can't cover the network fee, the recipient is a channel or bot rather than a personal account, or your identity check is still pending.
If none of these fixes work, try a smaller pack or wait a while before trying again, since temporary store errors usually clear on their own.
Conclusion
Telegram Stars cost about $0.02 each in the app, about $0.015 on Fragment, and are worth $0.013 to the creators who receive them. Because Telegram offers no bulk discount and doesn't let buyers cash out, the smartest approach is to buy close to what you plan to spend, and to pay for things like Premium directly rather than through Stars.
Where you buy matters more than how much you buy. The app is the fastest option when you need Stars in the middle of a purchase, and Fragment gives the best rate if you already hold crypto.
For everyone paying by card or PayPal, GamsGo sits in between, cheaper than the app on most packs and with nothing more to set up than a username.
FAQs
How Much Is 100 Telegram Stars in USD?
100 Telegram Stars cost $1.99 in the Telegram app and about $1.50 on Fragment, where you pay in crypto instead of by card. That is enough for one 100-Star gift such as a trophy or diamond ring, or four 25-Star roses. A creator who receives those 100 Stars can cash them out for $1.30 through Fragment.
How Much Is 1,000 Telegram Stars in USD?
1,000 Telegram Stars cost $19.99 in the Telegram app and about $15 on Fragment, while GamsGo sells the same pack for $17.66 with card or PayPal payment. That amount also covers a three-month Telegram Premium gift. A creator who receives 1,000 Stars can withdraw them for $13 after 21 days.
Can You Convert Telegram Stars to USD?
Only channel owners, bot developers and other creators can cash out the Stars they earned. Telegram pays $13 per 1,000 Stars in GRAM through Fragment, and you need at least 1,000 Stars, each held for 21 days. Stars you buy for yourself can only be spent or sent as gifts, never withdrawn.
Do Telegram Stars Expire?
Telegram's terms don't set an expiry date for Stars in your balance, so you can buy a pack now and spend it months later on gifts, paid posts or Mini Apps. The balance is lost, however, if you delete your Telegram account or lose access to it, so keep your account secure with two-step verification.
Can You Get a Refund on Telegram Stars?
All Stars purchases are final under Telegram's terms, so Telegram won't refund Stars you bought by mistake. If a bot or Mini App takes your Stars but fails to deliver what you paid for, its developer can refund them in full. Contact the bot directly with the /paysupport command to request a refund.
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