well telegram ads have definitely grown up a lot lately, specially in 2025 and 2026 since they added video and image support so it's not just that tiny block of text at the bottom of channels anymore. a lot of people are actually testing it out right now because meta is just getting so expensive with cpm inflation and their algorithm basically forces you to spend big just to get out of the learning phase.
the biggest difference is how the targeting actually works. meta tracks everything you do across the internet, so their algorithm is crazy good at finding buyers if you feed it enough broad creatives. telegram doesn't track users like that at all because of their privacy rules. so instead of targeting a specific demographic, you are just targeting channels. if you are selling a trading tool or a saas product, you just drop your ad into massive finance or tech channels. it is super direct and the cpms are usually way cheaper than facebook.
compared to reddit ads they are actually kinda similar because they both rely on community targeting (subreddits vs tg channels). but telegram feels a bit more native since the ad just sits at the bottom of a channel feed the user is already actively reading. reddit can still be a bit hit or miss with their conversion tracking.
the main catch with telegram though is that you don't get that crazy detailed pixel data or retargeting like you do on facebook. you basically have to rely heavily on utm links or just send the traffic straight into a telegram bot to capture the lead right there.
it is honestly amazing for niches like crypto, fintech, software, or info products where your exact audience hangs out in very specific channels. but if you are just dropshipping generic e-commerce stuff or selling clothes, meta is still probably gonna beat it just because of how good their conversion tracking is. you don't even need the massive agency budgets to test telegram anymore either, you can use the ton crypto cabinet or self serve platforms like telega to run small tests and see if your audience actually clicks.
