Telegram is a messaging platform for desktop and mobile, primarily focusing on speed and privacy. Telegram was founded in 2013 by two brothers and is now one of the most popular messaging apps globally and among the top 5 most popular social media apps, with over one billion users worldwide.
With Telegram, you can create channels/groups that can be used in many ways, whether simply talking to your friends or adding bots to make it more of a community.
While Telegram is frequently used for average daily communication, there is also a big market for paid groups/communities with something to offer. In 2020, Telegram’s founder, Pavel Durov, stated that over ten million channels had been founded on the platform and that over one hundred thousand new groups are being created daily.
Many of these groups will be providing a service to people for money - usually following a subscription model, which you can do, too, thanks to Whop!
Telegram vs. Discord
While Telegram and Discord are both popular options for creating paid gated communities, they cater to different demographics and use cases. Deciding between the two platforms depends on your needs. If speed and privacy are important, Telegram is a clear winner over Discord.
If you run a larger community and want to split your group into multiple channels, Discord may be a better option. In addition to this, Telegram supports groups with sizes of up to 200,000 members, whereas Discord servers can host tens of millions of people, the largest server as of August 2024 being Midjourney with 20.8 million members.
We’ve compiled a short list of pros and cons for both Telegram and Discord to help you decide which is best for you:
Platform | Pros ✔️ | Cons ❌ |
---|---|---|
Telegram |
|
|
Discord |
|
|
Whichever platform you choose, we’re confident you can create a healthy, active community that you can easily monetize with Whop. If you believe Discord may be a better fit for you, check out our article “How to create a paid Discord server.”
Telegram groups vs. Telegram channels: Which one should you choose?

Telegram has a unique selection when it comes to creating a community. You can opt to create either a group or a channel, but what’s the difference? A group is precisely what it sounds like - a place where individuals can chat back and forth, share images, etc.
A channel, however, is quite different. Only admins can send messages in a channel; other members can react and reply - then members can reply to those messages in a thread and chat back and forth there.
Groups are ideal for smaller communities where discussion is key. Small, tight-knit communities benefit most from a group as groups allow for in-depth discussions where everyone can express themselves.
As you might’ve already picked up, groups tend to be much more intimate than channels, as everyone can contribute, which is excellent for building a true community. Some examples of when you may want to use a group over a channel include an F&F (Friends & Family) community, coaching, and many other things that involve discussion.
If your goal is primarily to broadcast information to many individuals, a channel is perfect for you. Paired with Telegram’s extremely reliable notification system, a channel is a fantastic way of alerting members as soon as you send a message.
Some examples of when you may want to use a channel over a group include sports betting picks, stock picks, announcements, changelogs, etc.
Integrating with Whop
Integrating Whop into your Telegram channel or group couldn’t be easier and can be done in just a couple of simple steps and you're going to need a whop. A whop is a place where you can create your own dream digital platform - but it can also be a gate for other platforms like Discord and Telegram.
All of the functionality of a whop is determined by which apps it has, and we're going to use the Telegram app on Whop to integrate your Telegram channel or group into Whop so that you can control who joins your channel/group and how.
Adding the Telegram app to your whop
Adding the Telegram app to your whop is a super simple process that can be done with just a few clicks. But first, you have to have a whop first. If you don't already have one, we suggest you take a look at our How to create your own whop guide to see how you can create one in under 5 minutes.
If you got your whop ready to go, let's see how you can add the Telegram app to it:
- Click the Add app button under the Admin area of your whop. This is going to take you to the Whop App Store.
- In the App Store, search for the Telegram app and click on its add button. This is going to add the app to your whop and take you to it.
Now that you've added the app to your whop, let's take a look at how you can connect your Telegram channel or group to your whop.
Using the Telegram app
To be able to connect the app to your Telegram, you should head to its configure tab first. You can do this by clicking on the Configure Telegram button at the top of the app.

In the configure tab, you're going to be prompted to connect your Telegram, which you can do so by clicking the Connect Telegram button. This is going to take you to the setup of the app.

In the connection page, there are two steps to connecting the Whop Telegram bot to a channel/group. Whichever one you choose, the second step stays the same.
If you want to connect a Telegram group to Whop, you have to add the Whop Bot to it as a member. On the other hand, if you want to connect a channel, again, you have to add the Whop Bot but this time, make it an admin.
After you're done with the first step, you're expected to send the verification code that you can see under the second step to the channel/group. Doing this will list the channel/group as an "available channel."

Once you've connected your channel/group, you'll see two different sections: Channels included in 'Telegram' and Available channels.
The channel/group you've connected will be listed under the Available channels section with an Add Channel button. Clicking the Add Channel button will "include" the channel/group to the app.
"Including a channel/group to the app" means that when a user claims access in the Telegram app, they will be added to the "included" channels/groups.
After you add a channel/group to the app, you can use the Add Channel/Group button at the top right of your screen to add more or use the Remove button next to the included channels to remove them from the app.
What’s next?
Now that your Telegram community is set up and integrated with Whop, you’re almost ready to become a trillionaire. Before you do anything else, set up a pricing option with Whop so you can receive payments for your product.
Whop currently supports Stripe (debit/credit card payments), Crypto, and PayPal. You can link a payment method here, and it’ll be set up in no time.
Now you’re ready to sell - how exciting. Ensure your store page looks appealing and as descriptive as you deem fit. Now that that’s done, you should look to promote your community.
There are many ways to promote such a product, and the way(s) you choose depends on your niche and overall needs. Take some time to research these and consider using multiple promotion strategies to increase the likelihood of obtaining new customers.
Time to take the next step
That’s all it takes to create a paid telegram community with the help of Whop - as easy as pressing a few buttons. Now that you’re all set up and your Telegram group/channel is ready, get out there and start selling.
Ready to create your own Telegram community? The two minutes it takes to sign up could be the start of a new successful career, so what are you waiting for?