Putin’s messenger “Max” turns out 60 times less popular than Telegram
The audience for Russian state propaganda channels has sharply declined after the forced migration to the government-backed messenger Max. The combined subscriber count of top channels on the new platform is 60 times lower than on Telegram, according to Kommersant, citing analysts.
Despite Russian efforts to promote its own software, users are reluctant to leave their familiar platform, resulting in significant audience losses even for the most high-profile figures.
Examples include: Dmitry Medvedev’s channel, which gathered only 184,000 subscribers on Max compared to 1.8 million on Telegra, RIA Novosti, which lost over 2.8 million readers after switching.
Engagement has also dropped significantly: the engagement rate (ER) on Max is almost three times lower than on Telegram, meaning even subscribed users rarely open or interact with content on the new messenger.
Advertising market experts note that Russia has been unable to quickly replicate the network effects that Telegram built over years. Channel owners on Max earn only 5–15% of the potential revenue they could make on Telegram, making the platform economically unattractive for content creators.
Attempts to create an isolated information environment via Max, launched in March 2025, so far show the ineffectiveness of state tools in capturing real user attention.
Previously, the Kremlin temporarily refused to block Telegram due to the failure of Max.
