As of October 2026, a Telegram Star costs about $0.020 in the US App Store ($1.99 for 100 Stars, $19.99 for 1,000) and a flat $0.015 on Fragment, Telegram's own marketplace, which is paid in Gram. That makes 1,000 Stars $15 on Fragment against $19.99 in the app, about 25% less. Where you buy matters far more than how many you buy.
How much does a Telegram Star cost right now?
Between $0.015 and $0.0204 a Star, depending on where you pay. The table shows the US App Store packs beside Fragment's price for the same number of Stars.
| Pack | App Store (US) | Fragment | Per Star: App Store / Fragment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 Stars | $1.99 | $1.50 | $0.0199 / $0.015 |
| 250 Stars | $5.09 | $3.75 | $0.0204 / $0.015 |
| 500 Stars | $9.99 | $7.50 | $0.0200 / $0.015 |
| 750 Stars | $14.99 | $11.25 | $0.0200 / $0.015 |
| 1,000 Stars | $19.99 | $15.00 | $0.0200 / $0.015 |
| 1,500 Stars | $29.99 | $22.50 | $0.0200 / $0.015 |
| 2,500 Stars | $50.90 | $37.50 | $0.0204 / $0.015 |
Each pack's price beside Fragment's, and the steps for each route, are in where to buy Telegram Stars, pack by pack; for any other amount, use the Telegram Stars calculator.
Prices in other countries differ, because app stores use local price tiers and add local taxes. Run your own numbers with the rate you see in Telegram:
Telegram Stars → USD calculator
1,000 Stars ≈
$15.00
Estimate only. Telegram sets the Star rate server-side and it changes with pack size and billing platform (Apple, Google, or web). Adjust the rate above to match the price you actually see in Settings → My Stars.
Why there isn't one fixed price
Stars have no market price. Unlike a cryptocurrency, nobody trades them and no exchange sets a rate — Telegram does, and it publishes that rate to apps as a server-side configuration value. Telegram's own API documentation describes it plainly: the price in US dollars of 1,000 Stars is fetched from a config parameter (stars_usd_sell_rate_x1000) rather than being hardcoded.
Three things move the number you personally pay:
- Billing platform. This is the largest single factor. Buying through the iOS App Store or Google Play means those stores take their cut, which is reflected in the price. Fragment routes around that: $0.015 a Star against about $0.020 in the US App Store.
- Pack size. It matters less than you'd think. In the US App Store the price per Star stays between $0.0199 and $0.0204 from 100 to 2,500 Stars, and the 2,500 pack is slightly dearer per Star than the 100 pack. Fragment charges the same $0.015 at every size.
- Your local currency and taxes. Store pricing tiers aren't a straight FX conversion, and VAT or sales tax may apply.
The practical takeaway: if you're buying a meaningful quantity, check the price on more than one platform before you pay. The difference is real money.
The buy rate and the withdraw rate are different numbers
This is the part almost every "Star price" article gets wrong. Telegram maintains two separate rates:
| Rate | Applies to | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Sell rate | Users buying Stars | Money → Stars |
| Withdrawal rate | Bot and channel owners cashing out earned Stars | Stars → money |
Both are documented config values — stars_usd_sell_rate_x1000 for purchases and stars_usd_withdraw_rate_x1000 for payouts. They are not the same number, and the gap between them is Telegram's margin on the ecosystem.
For an ordinary user this distinction is academic, because ordinary users cannot withdraw at all. The withdrawal path exists only for bot and channel owners who earned Stars from other people, and it comes with a minimum balance threshold, a per-transaction maximum, and a 2FA requirement. Buying Stars is a one-way door.
So what is a Star actually worth?
It depends which question you're asking, and the three answers are different:
Replacement value: what it costs you to buy
$0.015–$0.020: $0.015 on Fragment, about $0.020 in the US App Store. This is the honest number for "what did this cost me." Use the calculator above with the rate you actually see in-app.
Cash-out value: what you can turn it back into
Zero, for regular users. There is no consumer path from Stars back to money. A balance of 100,000 Stars is worth exactly as much as you can spend inside Telegram and not a cent more. Any site offering to "cash out your Stars" is a scam — see Telegram Stars Scams: Fake Generators and 8 Tricks to Spot.
Utility value: what it buys
This is the one that actually matters day to day, and it varies enormously by what you spend on. The same Stars can buy a gift that holds its value as a collectible, or a consumable that's gone the moment you use it. Spending Stars on a gift you later upgrade and sell recovers some value; spending them on a one-off boost recovers none.
Free Stars change the math entirely
Every calculation above assumes you paid. Mini-app games hand out Stars for daily logins, timed claims, streaks, referrals, and gameplay — and Stars you didn't pay for have an acquisition cost of zero regardless of the exchange rate.
If you're playing casually, earned Stars can cover most of what you'd otherwise buy. See How to Earn Free Telegram Stars in 2026 (10 Proven Methods) for the full list of methods.
Try it in Telegram
Open Gift Club, claim your Sparks and play a Spark round before you stake anything.
Play Gift ClubIn-app Stars can't be redeemed or withdrawn. 18+.
Stars vs Gram pricing
Gram (formerly Toncoin, the TON blockchain's coin) has a real market price that moves every second; Stars have an administered price that Telegram changes deliberately and rarely. That makes Stars predictable and Gram volatile — which is a genuine advantage for Stars when you're budgeting in-app spending, and a genuine disadvantage when you want an asset that can appreciate.
They also don't convert into each other. You can't swap Stars for Gram at any rate. The only bridge runs through collectible gifts: buy with Stars, upgrade, export to the blockchain, sell for Gram. Every step of that chain has fees. For the full comparison, see Telegram Stars vs TON.
A third price: Gift Club's Stars balance, topped up with Gram
Gift Club sells no Telegram Stars. It has its own in-game Stars balance, which opens its boxes and plays its games, and that balance can be topped up with Telegram Stars or with Gram. Paid in Gram it costs the coin's price, 90 Stars a GRAM with no store cut, which is why the Gram column below sits under both the App Store and Fragment. The app shows the live figure for your phone's store and country; the table is a dated snapshot.
| Pack | App Store (US) | Fragment | Gift Club balance, paid in Gram |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 Stars | $1.99 | $1.50 | 1.11 GRAM ≈ $1.38 |
| 250 Stars | $5.09 | $3.75 | 2.78 GRAM ≈ $3.45 |
| 500 Stars | $9.99 | $7.50 | 5.56 GRAM ≈ $6.89 |
| 750 Stars | $14.99 | $11.25 | 8.33 GRAM ≈ $10.34 |
| 1,000 Stars | $19.99 | $15.00 | 11.11 GRAM ≈ $13.78 |
| 1,500 Stars | $29.99 | $22.50 | 16.67 GRAM ≈ $20.67 |
| 2,500 Stars | $50.90 | $37.50 | 27.78 GRAM ≈ $34.45 |
Top up with Gram in Gift Club →
How to pay the least per Star
- Earn before you buy. Free Stars cost nothing. Exhaust daily claims and streaks first.
- Buy on Fragment if you hold Gram. At $0.015 a Star it is about 25% below the US App Store, at any pack size.
- Don't over-buy for a discount. App Store packs barely get cheaper per Star as they grow, and Stars are non-refundable once spent.
- Check the price at the moment of purchase. The rate is a server-side value Telegram can change; any figure you read in an article, including this one, is a snapshot.
Telegram Stars price FAQ
How much is 1,000 Telegram Stars in USD?
$19.99 in the US App Store and $15 on Fragment, as of October 2026. Prices in other countries differ with local store tiers and taxes.
Where are Telegram Stars cheapest?
On Fragment, at a flat $0.015 a Star paid in Gram. That is about 25% below the US App Store, where a Star costs about $0.020.
Do Stars ever go on sale?
Telegram doesn't run consumer discounts on Stars, and App Store packs barely get cheaper per Star as they grow. The cheaper route is Fragment, not a bigger pack.
Do Stars expire?
No. They stay on your account until spent.
Can I get a refund on Stars I bought?
Sometimes, within a limited window and provided they haven't been spent on a non-refundable digital good. App Store and Google Play refund policies also apply when they did the billing.
Why is the price different in my country?
App stores use fixed local pricing tiers rather than live currency conversion, and local taxes apply. Two people in different countries routinely pay different amounts for the same pack.
Stretch the Stars you buy
Gift Club has a streak claim every few hours that pays Sparks, and every mini-game has an XP mode that runs on them at 1 Spark a round, so you can keep playing without spending Stars. The claims pay Stars only while a Streak Bonus card is active, so mostly they stretch your play, not your balance. Stars boxes and scratch cards are paid; the Spark box (10 Sparks) and the Spark scratch card (20 Sparks) open with streak Sparks instead.
Want to go deeper?
- Telegram Stars: The Complete Guide — the full reference on how Stars work.
- What Are Telegram Stars? A Beginner's Guide — start here if you're new.
- How to Earn Free Telegram Stars — the zero-cost alternative to buying.
- Telegram Stars vs TON — administered price vs market price.
Sources
Spark roundTry it in Telegram
Open Gift Club, claim your Sparks and play a Spark round before you stake anything.
Play Gift ClubIn-app Stars can't be redeemed or withdrawn. 18+.
Keep reading
Cheapest Telegram Stars: Fragment vs App Store by Country
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Fragment Telegram: What It Is, What It Sells and How to Pay in Gram
Fragment is Telegram's own marketplace: collectible usernames and +888 numbers at auction, Telegram Premium from $11.99 and Stars at $0.015 each, all paid in Gram. How to log in, pay and stay safe.
Telegram Stars to Gram: Can You Convert Them? (2026)
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How to Gift Telegram Stars to a Friend: Step by Step (2026)
How to gift Telegram Stars: Settings → My Stars → Gift Stars, then pick a friend and a pack. Plus Fragment, sending a gift instead, and the iPhone catch.