Messaging app Telegram will launch a paid subscription plan for its users this month, originator Pavel Durov said on Friday.
Users who will opt for Telegram Premium will get a higher boundary for chats, media and file uploads, Durov said in a blog post.
“The only way to let our most demanding fans get more while keeping our existing features free is to make those raised limits a paid option,” he said.
The app, along with messaging tool Signal, has seen an upsurge in users.
Following privacy concerns with larger rival WhatsApp, possessed by Meta Platforms Inc .
Telegram presently has 500 million monthly active users.
And is one of the 10 most downloaded apps in the world, conferring to its website.
Durov said the move to proposal a paid subscription was to guarantee.
That Telegram remains funded principally by its users and not advertisers.