Days after Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was allowed to leave France for a while, he announced a major win for his app and took the time to attack WhatsApp, currently the most popular messaging app in the world.
Durov is facing serious charges in France over allegations that Telegram facilitated organized crime, but an investigating judge granted him permission to leave the country for "several weeks". From Paris, he flew to Dubai, where Telegram's headquarters is based.
The billionaire is happy with the way Telegram has been developing and announced that the app now has "significantly over 1 billion monthly active users". Thus, Telegram is becoming "the second most popular messaging app in the world", according to his own accounts, but he excludes the China-specific WeChat app.
According to a popular "10 Most Popular Messaging Apps In 2025" list by marketer Adam Connell, WhatsApp has 2 billion monthly active users, while Facebook's Messenger is next with 979 million users, and only then Telegram comes with its 800 million users. This list was updated on January 30, 2025. This means that if Durov's estimates are correct, Telegram has attracted more than 200 million users in a month and a half.
Durov claims that user engagement is "also rising". He discloses that on average, "each user opens Telegram 21 times daily". Users are said to spend 41 minutes on the app "every day". I guess I'm not one of those users, though.
The billionaire claims that Telegram's revenue growth "has exploded": he says the profit for 2024 was $547 million. Not bad, right?
Image source – Pavel Durov's Telegram account
But the most interesting part of Durov comes next – he attacks WhatsApp:
Ahead of us stands WhatsApp — a cheap, watered-down imitation of Telegram. For years, they’ve desperately tried to copy our innovations while burning billions on lobbying and PR campaigns to slow us down. They failed. Telegram grew, became profitable, and — unlike our competitor — retained its independence.
– Pavel Durov on his personal Telegram account, March 2025
"We are just getting started", he concludes.
What are using – Telegram or WhatsApp? Or maybe Facebook's Messenger, or Viber? Let me know in the comments below!
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Sebastian, a veteran of a tech writer with over 15 years of experience in media and marketing, blends his lifelong fascination with writing and technology to provide valuable insights into the realm of mobile devices. Embracing the evolution from PCs to smartphones, he harbors a special appreciation for the Google Pixel line due to their superior camera capabilities. Known for his engaging storytelling style, sprinkled with rich literary and film references, Sebastian critically explores the impact of technology on society, while also perpetually seeking out the next great tech deal, making him a distinct and relatable voice in the tech world.
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