The messenger Telegram recorded a revenue of around **** million U.S. dollars from in-app purchases worldwide in April 2025. The IAP revenue was lower than in the previous month. In June 2022, Telegram introduced a subscription model, Telegram Premium, which provides users with extra features, such as extended limits, uploads of larger files, and a faster download speed.

The largest share of Telegram's in-app revenue, reduced by taxes and fees, came from iOS users. In 2024, Telegram's IAP revenue from the Apple App Store stood at around **** million U.S. dollars, which represented around ** percent of the total. The revenue from purchases by Android users in Google Play Store exceeded **** million U.S. dollars in the same year. Telegram launched a freemium model with paid subscriptions in June 2022.

In 2024, Telegram earned the highest revenue from in-app purchases from its users in Russia, at around **** million U.S. dollars. Paying customers from the United States and Ukraine brought the second and third highest revenue, at **** million and ** million U.S. dollars, respectively. Telegram launched a freemium model with paid subscriptions in June 2022.

The largest share of Telegram's in-app revenue, reduced by taxes and fees, came from iOS users. In 2024, Telegram's IAP revenue from the Apple App Store stood at around 80.6 million U.S. dollars, which represented around 69 percent of the total. The revenue from purchases by Android users in Google Play Store exceeded 35.5 million U.S. dollars in the same year. Telegram launched a freemium model with paid subscriptions in June 2022.

In 2024, Telegram earned the highest revenue from in-app purchases from its users in Russia, at around 27.6 million U.S. dollars. Paying customers from the United States and Ukraine brought the second and third highest revenue, at 23.6 million and 12 million U.S. dollars, respectively. Telegram launched a freemium model with paid subscriptions in June 2022.

In July 2024, mobile instant messaging app and social media app Snapchat was the highest grossing mobile messenger app with almost 25 million U.S. dollars in revenues from in-app purchases. Japan-based LINE ranked second with over 13 million U.S. dollars in revenues. Telegram followed, at approximately eight million U.S. dollars.

According to Cognitive Market Research, the global Mobile Messaging Service market size was USD 102584.2 million in 2024. It will expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.20% from 2024 to 2031.

North America held the major market share for more than 40% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 41033.68 million in 2024 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.4% from 2024 to 2031.
Europe accounted for a market share of over 30% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 30775.26 million.
Asia Pacific held a market share of around 23% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 23594.37 million in 2024 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.2% from 2024 to 2031.
Latin America had a market share of more than 5% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 5129.21 million in 2024 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.6% from 2024 to 2031.
Middle East and Africa had a market share of around 2% of the global revenue and was estimated at a market size of USD 2051.68 million in 2024 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.9% from 2024 to 2031.
The software category is the fastest growing segment of the Mobile Messaging Service industry

Market Dynamics of Mobile Messaging Service Market

Key Drivers for Mobile Messaging Service Market

Increased adoption of smartphones and mobile internet drives the market growth 

As more people around the world gain access to affordable smartphones and mobile data, they increasingly turn to mobile messaging apps (like WhatsApp, Telegram, WeChat, or Signal) for daily communication. These apps often offer free, instant, and multimedia-rich messaging, which is especially appealing in regions where traditional SMS or calling may be expensive or unreliable. For instance, in India, the rapid rise in smartphone usage and low-cost internet provided by companies like Reliance Jio led to an explosion in WhatsApp users. By 2023, WhatsApp had over 500 million users in India alone, becoming the country’s primary communication platform for personal, business, and even government messaging services.

The Global Proliferation of Smartphone Usage to Boost Market Growth

The market for mobile messaging services is expanding due in large part to the increase in smartphone adoption. Mobile messaging services are becoming more widely available to more people as cell phones are cheaper and easier to obtain, especially in developing nations. The increasing number of users on messaging apps like WeChat, Telegram, and WhatsApp is a result of their widespread acceptance, which raises user engagement. Additionally, smartphones have improved features like voice, video, and multimedia messaging, which boost communication in general. Furthermore, messaging apps are made more user-friendly and effective by the advancement of sophisticated smartphone technology like fast internet and potent CPUs. As a result, the market for mobile messaging is growing as a direct result of rising smartphone usage worldwide.

Growing Need for Instant Communication to Drive Market Growth

The mobile messaging service market is growing due in large part to consumer demand for instant communication. A growing number of people and businesses are turning to messaging apps like WhatsApp, Messenger, and Telegram because they need rapid, effective, and real-time communication solutions in today's hectic world. Instantaneous phone or video calls, message exchanges, and material sharing are all made possible by these technologies, which improve communication efficiency and speed. Instant messaging is being used more and more by organizations as a flexible means of communication since it offers an efficient avenue for teamwork, marketing, and customer service. More market expansion for mobile messaging services is being driven by consumers' desire for instant communication and the ease of being able to access them on their phones.

Restraint Factor for the Mobile Messaging Service Market

Data Privacy and Security Concerns Will Limit Market Growth

The market for mobile messaging services is being held back by serious worries about security and privacy. Users are becoming more and more concerned about data breaches, unlawful access, and the exploitation of their data as messaging platforms handle sensitive personal and corporate info...

The non-gaming app with the highest in-app revenue in Russia in 2024 was Telegram, a messaging platform. VK, or VKontakte, which was one of the leading social networks by reach in the country, was the second-leading app by monthly earnings from in-app purchases.

The eCommerce activity of Telegram Group Pty., Ltd. amounted to US$9m in 2024. Learn more about their online business including detailed eCommerce revenue analytics.

In 2024, Telegram was the leading social media app among Polish users in terms of revenue. The Russian messenger has generated over *** million U.S. dollars in revenue in Poland.

In 2024, Telegram, was the leading messenger app in Malaysia with the highest revenue. The app recorded a revenue of around *** million U.S. dollars. Discord had the second-highest revenue among other messenger apps in Malaysia, with around ******* U.S. dollars.

In 2024, Snap Inc generated global annual revenue of approximately 5.36 billion U.S. dollars. The camera and social media company that developed the popular mobile app Snapchat has continued to generate a steady growth of global annual revenue throughout recent years.

The social media industry in Hong Kong has gone from strength to strength. Facebook and WhatsApp remained the top with a 70.6 percent monthly usage rate as of the third quarter of 2024. Facebook lost its dominance in the market with a 77 percent penetration rate, followed by Instagram. The high internet quality It comes as no surprise that a large percentage of the population in the Asian financial hub are active social media users. Hong Kong citizens are known for being well connected in the social media world. It consistently ranks as having one of the fastest internet connections worldwide - as of April 2023, Hong Kong had an average fixed broadband internet connection speed of 205.19 Mbps. Facebook in Hong Kong Facebook is not just used for staying connected with friends and family; many in the financial hub also use it to keep up with the latest news and to research or find products to purchase. With such a high user penetration rate, Facebook has been particularly focused on brand advertising and user engagement. Mobile advertising accounted for a large chunk of Facebook’s global advertising revenue. In Hong Kong, social media advertising grew by 12 percent, while Facebook's ad revenue increased by four percent in the third quarter of 2022.