Telegram Mini Apps were once the shiny new toy in messaging-based advertising—loud growth, viral mechanics, and a gold rush of tap-to-earn schemes chasing quick user spikes. In 2025, that era is over. What’s left, according to PropellerAds’ newly released report The State of Telegram Mini App Advertising in 2025, is something far more interesting for serious marketers: a smaller, steadier, and increasingly predictable performance channel.
The report paints a picture of an ecosystem that has cooled down without collapsing—a sign of maturity rather than decline. For advertisers used to the boom-and-bust cycles of emerging ad formats, Telegram Mini Apps (TMAs) are starting to look less like an experiment and more like infrastructure.
Telegram’s Billion-User Base Sets the Stage
Telegram itself continues to grow at a pace few platforms can match. Between March 2024 and March 2025, its global audience expanded from 900 million to 1 billion monthly active users. That alone would be notable, but the more telling stat is what users do once they’re inside the app.
Roughly half of Telegram’s global user base now interacts with Mini Apps. That makes TMAs one of the fastest-growing in-app environments on the platform, rivaling engagement levels seen in early-stage mobile super‑app ecosystems. Even with regional restrictions in markets like Vietnam, Nepal, and Kenya, advertiser activity remained stable throughout 2025—a signal that demand is being driven by performance, not novelty.
From Hype Cycle to Reality Check
If you were tracking Telegram Mini Apps in late 2024, the numbers were eye‑popping. Usage peaked at around 1.44 billion monthly active users in September of that year. By mid‑2025, however, MAU settled into a much narrower band of 150–190 million.
At first glance, that drop looks dramatic. In context, it’s more of a correction than a crash.
PropellerAds attributes the decline largely to the fade‑out of tap‑to‑earn and reward‑farming apps—formats that inflated usage metrics without building durable engagement. As those users churned, what remained was a more intentional audience gravitating toward utility‑driven, AI‑powered, and service‑oriented Mini Apps.
For advertisers, that’s good news. Fewer bots, fewer incentive‑only clicks, and a user base that actually sticks around long enough to convert.
Engagement That Puts Mobile Ads to Shame
One of the most striking findings in the report is performance. Telegram Mini App ad placements consistently deliver click‑through rates between 20% and 40% across major geographies. That’s not a rounding error—it’s an order‑of‑magnitude difference compared to many mobile display and social formats, where single‑digit CTRs are the norm.
Cost dynamics are equally compelling. In Tier‑2 and Tier‑3 markets such as India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Nigeria, average CPC hovers around $0.01. Even in Tier‑1 markets like the US and Germany, where CPCs are higher, advertisers are seeing more premium traffic with stronger downstream performance.
In an industry where rising acquisition costs have become the default narrative, Telegram Mini Apps stand out as one of the few environments still delivering scale without punishing efficiency.
Vertical Winners—and Why iGaming Still Dominates
Not all categories perform equally, and the report’s vertical breakdown offers insight into where Mini Apps are proving most effective.
iGaming leads the pack, accounting for 22.37% of all Mini App ad impressions in 2025. Finance follows at 19.67%, with e‑commerce (13.20%) and media (12.02%) rounding out the top four.
What’s notable is that iGaming’s dominance persists despite increased moderation and the removal of some Mini Apps in the category. Rather than dampening demand, tighter controls appear to have improved traffic quality. Advertisers are seeing higher engagement inside Mini Apps than in traditional Telegram channel placements, reinforcing TMAs as a more controlled, performance‑friendly environment.
Finance and e‑commerce brands, meanwhile, are benefiting from Mini Apps’ ability to compress the funnel—moving users from discovery to interaction without ever leaving Telegram.
Blockchain Grows Up Too
The blockchain segment has undergone its own reset. Telegram’s push toward TON‑native Mini Apps reduced the overall number of crypto projects on the platform, but the ones that remain are more stable, compliant, and better integrated into Telegram’s ecosystem.
This shift mirrors a broader industry trend: fewer speculative plays, more infrastructure and utility. For advertisers and developers alike, it means less volatility and a clearer path to sustainable monetization.
What This Means for 2026—and Beyond
PropellerAds’ outlook for 2026 is pragmatic rather than breathless. Growth in Telegram Mini Apps is no longer explosive, but that’s precisely the point. Product quality is improving. Monetization models are maturing. Advertiser confidence is rising.
In a digital ad market increasingly dominated by a handful of expensive, saturated platforms, Telegram Mini Apps are carving out a distinct role. They won’t replace mobile apps or social feeds, but they don’t need to. As a high‑engagement, low‑friction performance channel embedded inside a billion‑user messaging platform, they offer something rare in 2025: efficiency at scale.
For advertisers willing to look past the hype cycles and focus on fundamentals, Telegram Mini App advertising has quietly entered its most promising phase yet.
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