Telegram Ads CPM in 2026: Minimum Bids, Real Benchmarks and Budget Math

Telegram Ads is sold per thousand impressions (CPM) in an auction. Two numbers matter when you plan: the minimum bid the platform accepts and the price you actually end up paying once other advertisers bid for the same audience. In 2026 both moved — down.

This guide collects the current floors, public benchmarks and a simple way to turn them into a budget. For a quick estimate, use the tgads.net calculator; for the cost structure by cabinet, see how much Telegram Ads costs.

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Minimum CPM: the current floors#

Cabinet / targeting	Minimum CPM	Since	Source
Self-serve Gram cabinet	0.1 Gram	—	getting-started (still says "0.1 Toncoin")
Euro cabinet, RU accounts: country or language	€0.60	28 Aug 2026	eLama
Euro cabinet, RU accounts: Politics & Incidents	€0.30	28 Aug 2026	eLama
Euro cabinet, RU accounts: channels, bots, search	€0.75	28 Aug 2026	eLama

Telegram did not announce either change publicly; the figures come from resellers. How the floors moved for Russian accounts during 2026:

• Until 17 February: €1.00 standard, €0.50 politics, €1.50 media.
• 17 February: cut by 30% — €0.70, €0.35 and €1.05 (ppc.world). Targeting specific channels, bots and search stayed at €1.00 (eLama).
• 28 August: €0.60 for country or language, €0.30 for politics, €0.75 for channels, bots and search.

A floor is not a price. It only tells you the lowest bid the auction will accept; in competitive niches you will win few impressions at the floor.

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What advertisers actually pay#

Source	Sample	CPM	Other
SA Media	Their campaigns, Jan → Aug 2026	€1.64 → €0.97 (−41%)	CPC €0.33 → €0.12
Magnetto	150,000+ campaigns, Apr → Jun 2026	€1.04 → €0.98	CTR 0.67% → 0.86%, CPC €0.16 → €0.12
eLama	Average by topic, Jan 2026	€3.0 (blogs, games) to €10.0 (marketing, PR)	Health €3.2, tech €3.4, business €6.2

Sources: SA Media via ppc.world, Magnetto via kod.ru, eLama.

The spread between these sources is normal: SA Media and Magnetto report averages across their own clients, eLama reports averages by topic in January, before the price drop. Analysts link the 2026 decline to reduced competition after large advertisers paused campaigns in Russia in February–March, and warn that prices may rise again when they return (kod.ru).

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Mark-ups that change the price#

• Media formats. Resellers sell ads with an image at +80% to the CPM and with video or GIF at +100% (eLama).
• Reseller commission. Usually 15–20% on top of spend in euro cabinets (aksanov.digital).
• Taxes. For Russian advertisers: VAT and the 3% advertising levy on top.
• Exchange rate. In the Gram cabinet the CPM is in Gram, whose price floats against the euro and the dollar.

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Budget math in three steps#

1. Pick a working CPM, not the floor. Start from the benchmarks for your niche. For a mid-competition topic in 2026, around €1 is a reasonable first bid; for finance, marketing or crypto plan for several euros.

2. Decide how many impressions you need. A test needs enough impressions to compare creatives. With a CTR around 0.8% (Magnetto's June figure), 50,000 impressions give roughly 400 clicks.

3. Add the overheads.

Example for a euro cabinet via a reseller:

• 50,000 impressions × €1.00 CPM = €50 of media;
• a text ad with an image: +80% → €90;
• reseller commission 20% → €108, plus taxes.

The same test in the Gram cabinet: 50,000 impressions at a working CPM of, say, 1 Gram = 50 Gram, with no reseller commission but with exchange fees and a floating Gram price. Remember that the Gram cabinet only targets lists of channels, bots and keywords.

Keep in mind the entry thresholds too: resellers usually ask for a first top-up of €250–500, and practitioners recommend 150–200 Gram for a meaningful test in the Gram cabinet (aksanov.digital).

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Common mistakes#

1. Bidding at the floor in a competitive niche and concluding that Telegram "doesn't deliver".
2. Comparing CPM across cabinets without adding commissions, mark-ups and exchange costs.
3. Using 2025 price guides. Floors for Russian accounts fell twice in 2026, and averages fell with them.
4. Forgetting the delay. Bid and budget changes take effect after 15–60 minutes (ToS).

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FAQ#

What is the minimum CPM in Telegram Ads? 0.1 Gram in the self-serve cabinet. In euro cabinets for Russian accounts, €0.30–0.75 depending on targeting since 28 August 2026.

What is the average CPM in 2026? SA Media reports €0.97 in August 2026; Magnetto reports €0.98 in June 2026.

Why is my CPM higher than the average? Your niche, your targeting (specific channels and search cost more) and media formats all push the price up.

Is Telegram Ads cheaper than a year ago? By these benchmarks, yes: averages fell by roughly 40% between January and August 2026.

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Sources: getting-started, Telegram Ads ToS, eLama, eLama: CPM, ppc.world: February cut, ppc.world: SA Media benchmarks, kod.ru: Magnetto, aksanov.digital.