Star Subscriptions for a Paid Channel: Native Link or Bot?
You can charge Telegram Stars for a channel in two ways: Telegram's own subscription invite link, or a subscription bot that admits paying members. The native link is free and takes a minute, but it offers one monthly Stars price per link and nothing else. A bot adds several plans, free trials, promo codes, a second way to pay and expiry reminders. Telegram pays the same per Star either way.
Checked on 16 October 2026. Telegram can change these rules. Subscription period: 30 days only; largest subscription price: 10,000 Stars a month (Telegram subscriptions docs, client configuration). Payout: $0.013 per Star, from 1,000 Stars.
Two ways to charge Stars for a channel
- Telegram's native subscription link. Built into Telegram since August 2024. You create a special invite link with a monthly fee in Stars; whoever pays joins.
- A subscription bot. A bot sells access plans in a chat, takes the payment, sends each member a personal join link, reminds them before access ends and removes them when it does. In TeleCrow this is the paid channel and group bot.
Both use the same Telegram Stars, the same 30-day subscription period and the same payout rate. The difference is everything around the payment.
Telegram's native subscription link
Telegram describes the setup in its announcement: open Channel Settings › Channel Type › Manage Invite Links › Create a New Link and turn on Require Monthly Fee. Set the price in Stars and share the link.
What you get:
- one price per link, charged every 30 days from the member's Stars balance. You can create several links with different prices;
- a maximum of 10,000 Stars a month per subscription;
- Stars only. Members who don't want to buy Stars can't pay another way;
- no setup cost and nothing else to run.
What it doesn't do: Telegram's documentation describes no free-trial or promo-code options for these links, no plans longer than a month, and no reminders sent by you. Telegram handles renewals itself; when a member's Stars run low, Telegram prompts them to top up.
A subscription bot
With a TeleCrow paid-channel bot, members open your bot, pick a plan and pay. The bot then sends them a personal join link that works for 24 hours and admits only them: the bot approves their join request and declines anyone else's. You set up:
- Several plans, for example 1 month, 3 months and 1 year, each with its own price in US dollars. The bot converts prices to Stars at your rate ($1 = 50 Stars by default).
- Free trials in days, weeks or months.
- Promo codes for discounts.
- Two ways to pay: "Pay with Stars" inside Telegram, or "Pay from balance", TeleCrow's in-bot balance topped up with crypto.
Connecting the channel takes a few steps in Telegram; see add your bot as admin of a private Telegram channel. The full launch checklist is in how to make a paid Telegram channel step by step.
Side-by-side comparison
| Native subscription link | TeleCrow subscription bot | |
|---|---|---|
| Plans | One price per link | Several plans of any length |
| Renewing monthly Stars plan | Yes, every 30 days, up to 10,000 Stars | Yes, every 30 days, up to 10,000 Stars |
| Longer plans (3 months, 1 year) | No | Yes, paid once and renewed with a tap |
| Free trials | Not offered | Yes, in days, weeks or months |
| Promo codes | Not offered | Yes (a promo price is paid once and doesn't auto-renew) |
| Ways to pay | Stars only | Stars, or Pay from balance (crypto top-up) |
| Reminder before access ends | Telegram's low-balance prompt | Bot message 3 days before expiry, with a Renew button |
| Who gets in | Anyone who pays through the link | Only the payer: personal 24-hour link and join-request approval |
| Removal at expiry | Handled by Telegram | The bot removes members whose access ran out |
| Groups as well as channels | Documented for channels | Channels and groups |
| Cost | Free | TeleCrow plan: Free (1 bot, 50 new users a day, small ad in the bot) or paid from $3.99 a month; no commission on sales |
How renewals work in each
Native link. Telegram takes the monthly fee from the member's Stars balance every 30 days. Members cancel in their Telegram settings.
TeleCrow bot, monthly Stars plan. A plan of exactly one month (or 30 days) that costs 10,000 Stars or less, with no discount applied, is sold as a real Telegram Stars subscription. Telegram renews it every 30 days, and the bot extends access and confirms: "Your plan renewed… Access is active until…". The member cancels in Telegram › Settings › My Stars and keeps access until the end of the paid month.
TeleCrow bot, every other plan. Longer plans, plans above 10,000 Stars, and any plan bought with a promo code are paid once. Three days before access ends, the bot sends "Your access expires soon" with a Renew now button, and the member renews in Stars or from their balance in two taps. If they don't renew, the bot removes them when access ends.
Why not auto-renew a promo price? Telegram would keep charging the discounted price every month forever, so TeleCrow sells promo prices as one-off payments.
What you receive
Telegram's published withdrawal rate is the same for channel and bot balances: $0.013 per Star ($13 per 1,000 Stars), once at least 1,000 Stars are available. Withdrawals go through Fragment and are paid in TON. For bots, Telegram's developer terms add a hold of up to 21 days after each sale. With a bot, the Stars land in the bot's Stars balance, which belongs to the Telegram account that created the bot in @BotFather; TeleCrow never holds them. With the native link, they land in the channel's balance.
Example: a 250-Star monthly plan pays you 250 × $0.013 = $3.25 per member per month in either case. In TeleCrow, a $5 monthly plan at the default rate is 250 Stars. Members who pay from their balance pay the dollar price instead. For a full table, see Telegram Stars to USD.
Which one to choose
- Choose the native link if you want one monthly price, your audience already buys Stars, and you don't need trials, discounts or longer plans. It costs nothing and needs no setup.
- Choose a subscription bot if you want a free trial to convert people, a cheaper yearly plan, promo codes for launches, members who prefer to pay from a crypto balance, or a group as well as a channel. You also get expiry reminders sent for you.
Free trials for private channels are covered in more depth in free trials for private Telegram channels.
Want plans, trials and Stars renewals for your channel? Create a free TeleCrow account and set up a paid channel bot, or read more about the Telegram subscription bot.
Frequently asked questions
How do I set up a Star subscription for my Telegram channel?
For the native option, open Channel Settings › Channel Type › Manage Invite Links › Create a New Link, turn on Require Monthly Fee and set a price in Stars. For plans, trials and promo codes, use a subscription bot that sells access to the channel instead.
Can Telegram Stars payments renew automatically?
Yes, but only monthly: Telegram allows a 30-day period and up to 10,000 Stars a month. In a TeleCrow bot, monthly Stars plans renew by themselves; longer, discounted or promo plans are paid once and renewed by a reminder and a tap.
How do members cancel a Stars subscription?
In Telegram › Settings › My Stars. They keep access until the end of the month they already paid for.
How do I get paid with Telegram Stars from a channel subscription?
Telegram pays $0.013 per Star when you withdraw, from a balance of at least 1,000 Stars. Withdrawals go through Fragment and are paid in TON. Stars earned by a bot can be held for up to 21 days first.