Written by Krisztián Stark
Key takeaways
- Stars are paid by your readers, so they suit fans who want to support you or unlock content; an offerwall is paid by advertisers, so it suits readers who want to earn.
- Telegram values a Star at 0.013 USD in rewards for paid posts and bot sales, holds Star rewards for 21 days, and pays out through Fragment.
- Run both by keeping them separate: never reward readers for interacting with Telegram sponsored messages, and let bot users either buy coins with Stars or earn them through offers.
Telegram Stars or an offerwall: which should you use?
Telegram Stars earn you money from readers who pay you, while an offerwall earns you money from advertisers and passes part of it to readers, so Stars suit audiences that want to support you or unlock content, and an offerwall suits audiences that want to earn something themselves. Most channels have both kinds of reader. Stars work inside Telegram with no extra setup, while an offerwall needs a companion website, bot, or Mini App that stores balances. Many channels end up using both, for different people.
What Telegram Stars are and how channels earn them
Telegram’s Stars terms describe Stars as virtual items users buy through in-app purchases on iOS and Android, through @PremiumBot, or on web and desktop, and spend on digital goods and services from bots and Mini Apps or to support creators. Users may not sell, withdraw, or transfer Stars from their personal balance except as the terms allow. A channel or bot owner can earn them in several ways:
- Paid posts. Photos or videos readers pay Stars to unlock.
- Star reactions. Readers tip a post. Telegram’s August 2024 announcement says channel owners receive 100% of the Stars sent this way.
- Star subscriptions. An invite link with a monthly fee. The Bot API sets the period at 30 days and the price between 1 and 10,000 Stars.
- Affiliate programs. Since December 2024, users and channels can join a Mini App’s affiliate program and earn a commission in Stars when people they refer make Star purchases there.
- Bot and Mini App sales. Telegram’s developer terms, section 6.2, say digital goods and services sold in a bot or Mini App must be paid in Stars.
How to make money with a Telegram channel covers these and Telegram’s ad revenue share in more detail. This page is about how Stars compare with an offerwall.
How Stars turn into money
Telegram’s Content Creator Rewards terms and Bot Platform Developer Terms set the current rules:
- Value. Creators receive the equivalent of 0.013 USD in rewards for each Star earned with paid posts, and bot developers the same 0.013 USD per Star.
- Hold. Star rewards become available 21 days after they are received. Gram rewards, such as ad revenue, become available after 2 days.
- Payout. Telegram outsources reward processing to Fragment, and rewards are paid in Gram, the TON coin called Toncoin until its rename in June 2026. Fragment may be unable to process rewards for some users or countries.
- Ads instead. Each Star can be spent as 0.02 USD of Telegram Ads credit.
- Deductions. Telegram can withhold or deduct rewards it links to invalid activity, such as fake or simulated purchases and donations.
How an offerwall earns for a Telegram audience
An offerwall lists offers such as trying an app or reaching a level in a game. Advertisers pay for each completed offer, and you give part of that to the reader as points or coins in your own currency. A channel cannot host the wall, so it lives on a companion property:
- A bot, Mini App, or website where readers have an account and a balance stored on your server.
- An Earn button that opens the offerwall with a link your server signs for that account.
- A server that credits points when the offerwall sends a postback and removes them on a reversal.
The channel then promotes the earn page. If you build it as a Mini App, follow Add an offerwall to a Telegram Mini App, and read How to start a rewards website for payouts and fraud.
Telegram Stars vs offerwall, side by side
| Telegram Stars | Offerwall | |
|---|---|---|
| Who pays you | Your readers | Advertisers |
| What readers do | Spend money on Stars | Complete offers and earn |
| Setup | Built into Telegram | A bot, Mini App, or site with accounts and a server |
| Your rate | 0.013 USD per Star from paid posts and bot sales | The advertiser’s price per completion, minus what you give the reader |
| Before you can withdraw | 21 days for Star rewards | The network’s payout terms and minimum |
| Paid in | Gram through Fragment | Depends on the network |
| Main risk | Few readers are willing to pay | Fraud and reversals that need server checks |
| Best for | Fans, premium content, tips | Gaming, crypto-curious, and “earn” audiences |
Worked example: the same 10,000-subscriber channel
Illustrative month, two models
Stars: the owner opens a private bonus channel at 250 Stars a month and 1.5% of subscribers join, so 150 × 250 = 37,500 Stars. Valued at 0.013 USD, that is $487.50. Telegram’s terms state that rate for paid posts, so treat it as an estimate for subscriptions.
Offerwall: 4% of subscribers sign in to the channel’s bot, so 400 people. A quarter of them complete two offers each, 200 completions at $0.70 to the owner: $140. With 60% passed to users as coins, the owner keeps $56, and 100 readers earned rewards without paying anything.
All audience numbers are invented to show the arithmetic.
The example shows the real difference. Stars earn more per person but only from the few who pay. The offerwall earns less per person but reaches readers who will never pay, and it gives them a reason to come back. Set the reader share with care: How to set your virtual currency exchange rate explains the trade-off, and the offerwall earnings calculator estimates your numbers.
When to use both, and the rules that keep it safe
The two fit together well in a bot or Mini App with its own currency: users can either buy coins with Stars or earn coins by completing offers. Payers fund you directly, and non-payers fund you through advertisers. Keep a few rules in mind:
- Never reward interaction with Telegram ads. The creator terms count impressions and activity solicited through monetary purchase or explicit requests to interact with sponsored messages as invalid, and Telegram can deduct up to the full balance.
- Keep crypto TON-based in Mini Apps. Section 7 of the developer terms requires TON for crypto features and forbids linking Mini App users to platforms that promote non-TON cryptoassets.
- Follow the offerwall’s rules too. No incentivized clicking outside the wall and no misleading promotion. The traffic quality rules list them.
An offerwall for your Telegram bot or Mini App
Sharklio works in Telegram bots and Mini Apps as a signed link or an iframe, with no SDK. Readers earn your own currency with your name, icon, exchange rate, and user split, offers are matched to each reader’s country and device, and every credit and reversal reaches your server as a signed postback with automatic retries. Payouts are Net‑15 with a $50 minimum, in crypto. Apply once from the dashboard on the publishers page.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a Star worth, and when can I withdraw it?
Telegram’s terms say 0.013 USD per Star from paid posts, available 21 days after you receive it and paid through Fragment in Gram. Telegram can change these terms.
Do I need a Mini App to use an offerwall, or is a bot enough?
A bot is enough. It can send each user a button with a signed offerwall link that opens in the browser, and your server credits the balance from postbacks. A Mini App adds a richer earn screen but is not required.
Can I use Telegram Stars and an offerwall in the same bot?
Yes. A common setup lets users buy your coins with Stars, which Telegram requires for digital goods, or earn the same coins by completing offers. Keep the offerwall separate from Telegram’s sponsored messages and never reward interaction with them.
Can a Telegram channel run an offerwall directly?
No. A channel can only post links. The offerwall needs a bot, Mini App, or website with user accounts and a server that receives postbacks and stores balances.
