Telegram payment links vs Telegram Stars: which to use

Agencies on Telegram get paid two ways. Telegram Stars are the native payment: the fan unlocks a media in the chat and pays without leaving the conversation. A payment link sends the fan to a checkout run by your own payment provider (Dropp Fans, Fangate and others), on your provider's terms. Both work with LanaChat: Lana sends a locked media in Stars or a payment link at the right moment of the conversation, and both are counted in the same numbers.

Here is how the two compare, and how we recommend choosing.

How does a Stars payment work for the fan?

1. The fan sees a blurred media in the chat, with a price in Stars.
2. He taps to unlock. If he has no Stars, Telegram offers to buy them through the usual in-app purchase or @PremiumBot.
3. Telegram takes the payment and the media unlocks in the conversation.
4. The Stars are credited to the balance of the bot that runs the creator's account.

The fan types no card number, no name and no address. That is the main commercial argument for Stars: the fewer steps between "I want it" and "I have it", the fewer buyers you lose on the way. We cover the full selling setup in how to sell locked media on Telegram with Stars.

What does Telegram say about Stars?

Telegram's documentation on payments for digital goods describes its own payment flow for bots: when a bot sends an invoice for digital goods and services inside Telegram apps, the transaction is made in Telegram Stars. Telegram explains this by the rules of the Apple and Google app stores. The same page lets the seller refund a Stars payment with the refundStarPayment method and asks bots to answer the /paysupport command.

Stars also come with Telegram's terms on everything that happens after the sale: Telegram's share, how a Star converts, and how the balance is withdrawn. Our post on how to withdraw Telegram Stars goes through that part.

What is a payment link?

A payment link is a URL to a checkout page run by a payment provider. The fan opens it, pays on the provider's page, and comes back to the conversation. The money settles on the provider's side, on its schedule, with its fees and its refund process.

For an agency, the appeal is control:

• Your processor, your conditions. You pick the provider, and its fees, payout schedule and currency are the ones you negotiated.
• Money outside the Stars balance. Payouts follow your provider, not Telegram's withdrawal rules.
• One habit for fans who already pay that way. Some fans prefer a card checkout they know.

The limits are just as concrete. The fan leaves the chat, fills in a form and has to come back, so some buyers drop off on the way. Refunds and disputes go through your provider. And every provider has its own terms on what can be sold and how: read them, and read Telegram's terms for your setup, before you scale a link.

Stars or payment link: how do they compare?

• Where the fan pays. Stars: in the chat. Link: on the provider's page.
• Friction. Stars: one tap once the fan has Stars. Link: a checkout form and a return trip to Telegram.
• Who sets the terms. Stars: Telegram (rate, share, withdrawals). Link: your processor (fees, payouts, conditions).
• Refunds and disputes. Stars: through Telegram's bot payments. Link: through the provider.
• What Lana sends. Stars: a locked media at the price set in the Vault. Link: your payment link, at the moment the conversation calls for it.

How are both counted in your numbers?

An agency needs one revenue figure, whatever the payment method. In LanaChat that figure is net sales.

• For a Stars payment, net sales are what is left after Telegram's share and refunds.
• For a payment link, net sales are counted on the amount the link actually settled, not on the price shown to the fan.

Both feed the same reports per creator, per account and per tracking link, and the commission on sales is computed on net sales in both cases. A sale counts as an AI sale when Lana sent the paid offer, whether that offer was a locked media or a payment link. The Vault and paid media feature shows how Stars prices are set per item, from 1 to 25,000 Stars.

Which should your agency use?

In our experience, the best setup uses both, each where it is strongest:

1. Stars for impulse buys in the chat. A teaser that unlocks in one tap converts on the spot.
2. Payment links where your processor serves you better. Bigger bundles, fans who prefer paying by card, or creators whose payouts you want with your own provider.
3. Track both the same way. Same tracking links, same net sales, so you can see what each method really brings per source and per creator.

Whatever the mix, keep prices fixed by the agency. Lana sends the media or the link at the price you set and never gives discounts.

FAQ

Can Lana send payment links?

Yes. Lana sends a locked media paid in Stars or one of your payment links (Dropp Fans, Fangate and others) at the right moment of the conversation.

Why do Stars often convert better than links?

The fan pays inside the conversation, with no checkout page to open and no card form to fill in.

How does LanaChat count a sale paid through a payment link?

On the amount the link actually settled. For Stars, net sales are counted after Telegram's share and refunds.

Who handles refunds?

For Stars, the seller refunds through Telegram's bot payments. For a payment link, the refund goes through your payment provider.

Does LanaChat hold the fans' money?

No. Fan payments, in Stars or through a payment link, go to the agency or the creator under Telegram's or the provider's terms. LanaChat is not a payment service.