Paid Telegram channel, with Stripe and invoicing
The buyer pays on your website, gets the invoice and the invite at once, and if they do not renew, the system removes them. From one developer, directly — for channels and groups alike.
Three questions usually settle it: how many channels and packages there will be, whether invoices are needed, and where the buyer would pay. I reply within one working day.
- Price
- From HUF 400,000. One channel or group, one package, with a monthly fee. I invoice under the small-business VAT exemption, so this is the final amount; you get the exact figure in writing after the first, free assessment.
- Included
- A simple page where the buyer pays by card; an automatic Hungarian invoice after every successful charge; a one-time invite after payment; removal on cancellation or final payment failure, and readmission if they pay again; emails to the buyer along the way.
- Monthly fee
- From HUF 20,000: monitoring, updates and fixes, because Telegram, Stripe and the invoicing service all change underneath. Hosting and the domain are included if I look after them.
- How it starts
- You tell me how many channels and packages there will be, whether invoices are needed, and where the buyer would pay. From that I tell you whether Telegram's built-in subscription is enough — if it is, that is what I write back, not a quote — or whether a custom system is needed. I also check whether Stripe accepts the business: it does not accept channels that promise quick riches, for example. This first assessment is free.
- Write to me
- I reply within one working day.kristof@kristofkarner.com
- In practice
- Stripe subscriptions with Telegram access · Google reviews
- Written by
- Kristóf Karner — independent developer, Budapest
- Updated
- 28 September 2026
Reviews
“Fast and thorough work, always careful with the task at hand. Across several projects and several websites, my experience has only been positive.”
“I can only recommend him to everyone. Precise, creative and helpful. Kristóf, thank you again for your work.”
“Kristóf is reliable, fast and notably proactive — always a step ahead of me, with plenty of useful ideas.”
“We worked together on several projects; his expertise and professional attitude stood out.”
“Kristóf is reliable and solves every request immediately.”
“The best guy.”
Excerpt from the end of the review. “ All in all, I am very satisfied with our work together, and I gladly recommend Kristóf to anyone looking for a web developer who is fair, conscientious and dependable over the long term.”
What the system does
After payment every step starts by itself, and none of them needs a hand:
- The buyer pays on your website, by card. Stripe handles the payment, and the money reaches your bank account through your own Stripe account.
- They get the Hungarian invoice at once, through Számlázz.hu, and a new one at every renewal.
- They get a one-time invite to the channel or group. The link cannot be passed on or used again.
- If they cancel, or a renewal finally fails, the system removes them — and lets them back in if they pay again later.
- An email goes out at every step to the buyer, from purchase to expiry.
This is the same setup that has run since December 2025 for a sports-analysis information service, with three channels: two paid, one free. What came to light along the way — from payment notifications that arrive twice to Telegram's removal that bans for good — is in the case study.
When you do not need this
If you have one channel, one package, and no itemised invoices are needed, Telegram's built-in subscription is enough: it is set up in the app, without development. Then that is what I write back, not a quote.
Why the buyer pays on the website
Under Telegram's developer terms, digital content can only be sold inside Telegram for Stars, Telegram's own in-app currency. A custom system therefore takes payment on the website, and in Telegram it only grants admission.
The difference shows in the money too. With Stars, $13 reaches you per 1,000 Stars, in cryptocurrency, after 21 days; for the same Stars the buyer pays $19.99 in an app store, before VAT. At Stripe, a standard European card costs 1.5% + HUF 85, plus 0.7% for subscriptions, and the money arrives in your bank account. The figures are from Telegram's and Stripe's terms as of 28 September 2026.
What raises the price
HUF 400,000 covers one channel or group and one package. What takes more work:
- several packages, and switching between them;
- a trial period, discount codes, an annual fee;
- more channels or groups;
- moving existing members over, from Stars or a manual list;
- invoicing buyers abroad;
- an operator interface: logs, test payments, managing promotions.
By how much is set by the task; the quote lists what takes how much work.
How long it takes
A few weeks to the first live version. Besides the development, two things take time on your side: getting the Stripe account approved, and agreeing the invoice wording with your accountant, because a Hungarian invoice may carry exactly what the law prescribes.
Questions on this topic
Does it work for groups too, or only channels?
Both. Telegram's built-in subscription only knows channels; a custom system admits members to groups and channels alike, and removes them the same way.
Whose are the Stripe account and the money?
Yours. The Stripe account is in your name, and buyers' money goes straight to your bank account. I build and look after the system; I do not handle money.
My members already pay with Stars. Can we switch?
Yes, but only the member can cancel a Stars subscription; you cannot do it for them. The switch therefore starts with a message to members: cancel the old one and pay through the new route. While that runs, the two routes work side by side; the quote lists it as a separate item.
What do you need from me to start?
A Stripe account and a Számlázz.hu account in your name — if you do not have them yet, we go through it together —, the channel or group where the bot can manage members as an admin, and the invoice wording, agreed with your accountant.
What does running it cost per month?
My monthly fee starts at HUF 20,000, with hosting and the domain included if I look after them. Alongside that, Stripe takes its own fee from each charge, and the invoicing service may have its own subscription.
If you are planning a paid channel or group, or you send invites and write invoices by hand today, send an email: how many channels and packages there will be, whether invoices are needed, and where the buyer would pay. Those three usually settle it — and if the built-in one is enough, I will say so.
kristof@kristofkarner.com