Telegram Mini App vs Classic App: Which One Is Right for Your Project?
So you are ready to present your product to the world, be it a mobile game, trading simulator, or fitness marathon. Now, welcome to one of the most common dilemmas in the app world today: Do you need a full-fledged Android app, or should you create a trendy Telegram mini app instead?
To help you make the right decision, let’s break it down with real-world insights from Serge Abramov, the professional media buyer.
First things first: What are Telegram mini apps?
Telegram Mini Apps (TMAs) are lightweight applications that run inside Telegram. To use a mini app, users don’t need to install anything from the AppStore or Google Play – they open it right within the Telegram interface. TMAs can be anything from games to productivity tools, eCommerce apps, or even token-based services.
So, how do they stack up against classic Android apps and iOS apps?
Let’s compare.
Speedy launch: Mini apps win the sprint
Creating a traditional Android or iOS app takes effort. You need to find and hire (and also pay a salary to) a developer, come up with a user-friendly design, and again hire a designer to create it for your app. Then come months of testing, finding bugs, fixing bugs, finding new ones… and finally, AppStore moderation.
Telegram mini apps, on the other hand, are significantly less demanding. You don’t need a whole app development team for that. What you need is just basic frontend development + Telegram’s JavaScript SDK, then upload your mini app to a regular server or a hosting platform, and connect it to a @BotFather. Voila!
“Creating a Telegram mini app is a lot easier. You need minimum knowledge and minimum coding – and if you don’t have it, there’s AI to help you! I’ve heard of cases where Chat GPT helped TMA owners to write the code and it worked.”
– Serge Abramov, who’s seen it all.
On top of that, TMAs aren’t subject to heavy moderation. You don’t have to worry about weird policy bans or surprise rejections because your app icon looks too happy (or too sad). Plus, Telegram doesn’t take a commission from your revenue, unlike AppStore and Google Play.
Serge Abramov adds:
“If you are heading to the AppStore with your app, be ready for competition – most likely, there are already thousands of similar apps out there and they already have an audience (or are still struggling to get it).
What is more, you cannot decide the price on your own. The platform doesn’t allow new app owners to set the price higher than the average for your niche, even if you think that your product is unique enough for that. The resource can have another opinion and still ban you, this is a pretty common case.”
Know your market before you decide
Here’s where things get nuanced.
Your choice really depends on what kind of app you’re building and who it’s for. You need to take a well-thought approach here, minding the combination of:
GEO + how widespread Telegram is in that GEO + how popular your product type is in that GEO + how popular and suitable your product is for the Telegram ecosystem
According to Serge Abramov:
The most popular verticals for Telegram are Finance (especially, all kinds of coins and tokens), mini games, iGaming, and Social.
Telegram is huge in CIS countries, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Brazil, and Germany. If your audience lives in these GEOs, a Telegram mini app might be your golden ticket.
So, a Social mini app for Thailand? Nice, worth testing! An iGaming Telegram bot for Brazil? That sounds juicy, you should definitely try it! And so on, but…
If you’re targeting Tier-1 countries, like Canada or Australia with, let’s say, a home workout or meditation app, a classic mobile application could be a better fit – users in those GEOs are more used to traditional app store browsing. And, according to our statistics, Lifestyle vertical is more popular there and significantly less popular in Asian countries. See?
Also, Serge adds:
“On top of that, I want to mention some products separately. If your product is something like tokens or mini games, then go for a mini app, here Telegram is your playground, because its ecosystem is perfect for such offers, and local users really like them.”
In other words, some products are tied to regions, others work globally – and Telegram mini apps are perfect for those.
TMA for a soft test in a new way
Another great reason to consider a Telegram mini app even if you really want a classic app?
Use it as a soft launch.
Before hiring a dev team and investing in a complex product, build a mini version on Telegram, run some traffic (hello, PropellerAds), and see how users react. It’s budget-friendly, quick, and doesn’t require you to marry your idea just yet.
“Telegram mini apps are great for MVPs*. You can test your concept, tweak it, and scale it – all without leaving the Telegram ecosystem. That is a cost-effective option for you.”
*An MVP – a minimum viable product – is a product with enough features to attract early adopter customers and validate a product idea.
TMA for user comfort: Familiar and fast
Now, a self-test: remember when you clicked an outside link on Instagram or Facebook last time? The text you saw on your screen was:
“Are you sure that you want to leave Instagram/Facebook?”
Okay, now be honest, did it make you a bit unsure for at least a second? Like, you trust those apps, you know that you are covered there, and you use them every day. And even if you never hesitate about using the rest of the Internet outside of those apps, when they ask, your palms may become wet for a second.
The same is true for Telegram, where people chat and browse every day. This makes mini apps feel like home. No installations, no new accounts, no redirects – just tap and go.
“Users feel safer with TMAs. They don’t have to leave Telegram, and that sense of familiarity means better engagement. What is more, let’s face it – people are tired of downloading apps. Too many permissions, too much storage space, and let’s not even start on the endless updates.” – Serge says.
So… which one should you choose?
Here’s a simple cheat sheet:
| You might need a Telegram mini app if | You might need a Classic Android/iOS App if |
| Your audience is in Telegram-heavy GEOs (CIS, Asia, Europe, LATAM) | You’re targeting countries, where Telegram is not popular (Tier-1) |
| You’re building a simple and clear digital service (tokens, planning tools, games) | You’re building a complex product (say, a fitness app ecosystem) |
| You want to test an MVP or soft-launch | You’re ready for full-scale app development |
| You want to skip moderation and platform fees | You need access to native phone features (camera, GPS, etc.) |
| You like moving fast and testing ideas quickly | You’re building a long-term, high-investment product |
Final thoughts: Telegram mini apps are the future (but don’t tell everyone yet)
We’re not saying Telegram mini apps are better for everything. But for a growing number of advertisers, they’re a faster, cheaper, and smarter way to get into the market – especially if your product is flexible, digital, or suitable for most regions.
And as Serge put it:
“Telegram mini apps are like Bitcoin – early adopters will win big, especially if they act smart.”
So whether you’re planning your next campaign, exploring a new vertical, or just testing the waters – don’t overlook the potential of TMAs. In the right context, they might just be your shortcut to scale.
And if you want to drive traffic to your TMA, you know where to find us. PropellerAds Telegram Ads new format is at your service, so try it!
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