Telegram categories: size and growth

Which topics have the most Telegram channels, which reach the most subscribers, and which are growing? The list above ranks every category in our directory by its number of channels and shows, for each one, the total subscribers and the median change in subscribers over about 30 days. This section explains how to read those figures and how they can help you choose a topic, compare a channel with its competitors or decide where to advertise.

How the category figures are built

Every channel in the directory belongs to one category, chosen when it is listed and checked by a person during review. For each category we count the approved channels, add up their subscriber counts and calculate the median growth.

The subscriber total is a simple sum of each channel's own count, as Telegram shows it. Someone subscribed to three crypto channels is counted three times, so the total measures reach across channels, not the number of distinct people.

Growth uses the same method as the growth report: for each channel, a real subscriber count recorded 25 to 35 days ago is compared with its latest count. The category figure is the median change of its channels. Categories with fewer than 20 channels that have both readings show a dash instead of a figure.

Big categories and growing categories are not the same

The categories at the top of the list are the largest by number of channels. Broad topics such as news and general-interest channels naturally contain many channels and a large combined audience. Size and momentum are different things, though. A smaller category can grow faster than a large one, and a large category can be flat or slightly shrinking while still holding most of the attention.

Look at the two figures together. A category with many channels and positive growth is crowded but expanding. A category with many channels and a negative median is mature and competitive: new channels have to win readers from existing ones. A small category with clear positive growth can be an opening for a new channel.

Why category growth is usually close to zero

Most category medians sit within a percent of zero over a month, because most individual channels change only slightly in that time. A category median of a few tenths of a percent is normal. Larger movements usually have a cause: a market event that drives interest in crypto and trading channels, a sports season starting, or a wave of new channels in a fast-moving topic. When a category shows a clearly negative median, it often reflects a topic cooling down after a period of hype.

Using the figures to choose a topic

If you are starting a channel, the list helps you see the landscape before you commit. A very large category gives you a big potential audience but many established competitors. A smaller, growing category may be easier to stand out in. Either way, a specific angle matters more than the category: a channel about one exchange, one city or one game usually grows faster than a channel that tries to cover a whole topic.

Using the figures to compare a channel

A channel should be compared with its own category and size, not with the whole of Telegram. If a crypto channel loses subscribers in a month when the crypto category median is falling too, it is following the topic. If it loses subscribers while its category is growing, something specific to the channel is worth looking at.

Using the figures to plan advertising

The subscriber totals show where the attention is, and the growth figures show where it is moving. For a product that fits several categories, a growing category can offer more engaged readers per dollar than a large but flat one. Within any category, check individual channels against the views-per-post report before buying a post: a category's reach is only useful if the specific channel's readers actually open its posts.

Frequently asked questions

Which Telegram category has the most channels?

The list above is sorted by number of channels and recalculated from the live directory every few hours. Broad categories such as general-interest and news channels usually lead.

How is a category's growth calculated?

As the median 30-day subscriber change of the channels in that category, each measured from two real recorded subscriber counts about a month apart.

Why do subscriber totals count some people more than once?

The total adds up each channel's own subscriber count. A person subscribed to several channels in the same category is counted once per channel, so the total measures reach rather than unique people.

Why does a category show a dash for growth?

Fewer than 20 of its channels have two subscriber counts about 30 days apart yet. The figure appears once enough channels have been watched for a month.

Is a growing category a better place to start a channel?

It can be. A growing category has rising interest, and a smaller one has fewer competitors. A clear, specific angle within the topic usually matters more than the category itself.