AdsGram vs HilltopAds: A Comparison for Advertisers

This article compares AdsGram vs HilltopAds for advertisers on the things that decide where a budget goes: creative formats, pricing and bidding models, targeting depth, tracking, and moderation.

TL;DR

• AdsGram is an advertising platform and Telegram Ads reseller that places ads inside Telegram — Mini Apps, channels, bots, and alternative Telegram clients.
• HilltopAds is a web and mobile ad network founded in 2013, selling popunder, in-page, banner and video inventory from websites plus RTB traffic.
• AdsGram supports CPM, tCPC and tCPA, with targeting by geo, Telegram interface language, device, VPN status and Telegram Premium. HilltopAds supports CPM, CPC and CPA Goal, targeting browser-derived signals.
• Campaign setup on AdsGram takes about five minutes, and one account covers both network inventory and official Telegram Ads.
• Choose by where your audience already is: a Telegram Mini App or bot funnel points to AdsGram, a landing-page funnel in the browser points to HilltopAds.

AdsGram vs HilltopAds at a glance

Both platforms are self-serve, both run their own anti-fraud, and both work across a wide range of verticals. The divergence starts with where the impression happens.

What AdsGram offers advertisers

AdsGram is an advertising platform built for the Telegram ecosystem, and it also operates as a Telegram Ads reseller — one account covers network inventory inside Mini Apps, channels and bots, plus official Telegram Ads campaigns.

Three creative formats are available: post-style ads (an image or GIF with text and a button, rendered like a native Telegram post), video ads, and task-based ads — a native block in a Mini App's task list where the user completes an action for an in-app reward.

Pricing covers three models. CPM is cost per thousand impressions. tCPC (target cost-per-click) is a target click price the system optimizes bidding toward. tCPA (target cost-per-action) is an optimization strategy aimed at a target cost per conversion — billing stays on a CPM basis, and postback conversion tracking has to be configured first. AdsGram proposes a recommended CPM or tCPC based on the targeting and daily budget you've already set, so the first bid isn't guesswork.

A campaign holds up to 10 banners, and Reach Frequency caps impressions per user over a 7-day window.

As a reseller, AdsGram opens the official Telegram Ads formats and campaign structure in four campaign types:

1. Users — flexible audience targeting.
2. Channels — posts in channels with text, URL, and an image or video.
3. Bots — messages in bots with title, text, and URL.
4. Search — ads shown in Telegram Search.

Bots and Search campaign types unlock after your first freeze in either Users (TU) or Channels (TC). If your media plan depends on Search inventory, sequence a Users or Channels campaign first.

What HilltopAds offers advertisers

HilltopAds is an online advertising network operated by Hilltop Ads Ltd. and founded in 2013. It connects advertisers with publisher websites and RTB partners, and reports 273B+ monthly impressions across 250+ countries.

Advertisers can buy five formats. Popunder is an ad that opens in a new window or tab behind the current one, sold on CPM. In-Page is a push-style notification rendered inside the page (192×192 image), on CPM or CPC. Banner is a static 300×250 placement on CPC. Video VAST serves pre-roll, mid-roll and post-roll into an existing player, and Video Slider places a video unit in the corner of a page without needing a player.

Buying models are CPM, CPC and CPA Goal, the last tied to the popunder format. The platform includes white and black lists, an Auto Optimization tool that automatically blacklists non-performing sources, postback tracking and API access. Accounts are funded from a $100 minimum deposit across ten methods including USDT TRC20/ERC20, Bitcoin, PayPal, wire transfer, Paxum, WebMoney, Wise, Union Pay, credit card and Capitalist. Support runs Monday to Friday during business hours.

Verticals listed by the network include dating, mobile apps and utilities, games, iGaming, VPN and pin-submit, eCommerce and AI products.

AdsGram vs HilltopAds ad formats

Formats don't map one-to-one, because the environments differ. A popunder needs a browser tab; a rewarded video needs a moment in an app where the user wants something.

Two gaps matter. Incentivized and conversational formats have no clean web analogue: a task-based ad is a native block in a Mini App's task list, where the user opts in for a reward and completion rates run higher than for interruption-based units. And popunder, the base format of web networks, has no Telegram equivalent at all — the messenger has no browser tabs to open a window behind.

There's a delivery consideration too. Around 29.5% of internet users worldwide use an ad blocker at least sometimes, and blocking skews toward the young, tech-literate audiences that gaming and Web3 offers chase. Telegram-native inventory renders inside the app's own interface, so browser-level blocking isn't part of the equation.

AdsGram vs HilltopAds pricing models

Both platforms sell impressions and clicks; the optimization layers differ. Practical sequencing for a first test:

• Start on CPM while you're validating creatives and GEOs and want predictable delivery.
• Switch to tCPC once you know which creative earns clicks and want the algorithm to defend a click price.
• Move to tCPA only after conversion tracking is live and enough conversions have accumulated for the model to learn. Starting there with a cold pixel wastes budget.

AdsGram vs HilltopAds targeting options

This is the sharpest divergence. HilltopAds targets browser-derived signals; AdsGram targets Telegram account signals.

HilltopAds offers geo, browser, operating system, device, keyword and interest-based targeting, with some parameters — US state or city level, for instance — available on request through a manager.

AdsGram targets geo, Telegram interface language, device, VPN status and Telegram Premium status. Interface language is the underrated one: it reflects the language a user chose to read the app in, a cleaner signal for localized creatives than browser locale. Premium status works as a practical proxy for spending willingness, useful for subscription products and higher-ticket offers. The VPN filter lets you decide up front whether masked traffic belongs in the campaign.

All of these settings sit in the AdsGram campaign builder — you can see the full targeting set and campaign types on the Telegram advertising platform itself. If you're still mapping the wider market, our roundup of the 10+ best Telegram advertising platforms compares reach, formats and pricing across the field.

Tracking and anti-fraud on AdsGram and HilltopAds

Both platforms run their own anti-fraud; what fraud looks like differs by environment. AdsGram operates 24/7 anti-fraud across its Telegram inventory, HilltopAds an in-house system across web and RTB supply.

Web networks fight bot farms, proxy traffic and click injection at browser level, which is why blacklist tooling carries so much weight there. Telegram inventory has a different profile: impressions are tied to real accounts inside the app, and AdsGram's VPN filter excludes or isolates VPN users before the impression is served rather than blacklisting sources afterwards.

The same hygiene applies either way — connect your tracker before spending, compare platform-reported clicks against tracker-reported clicks in the first 48 hours, and investigate any gap above roughly 10–15% before scaling. AdsGram integrates with AppsFlyer, Adjust, AppMetrica, Keitaro and Kochava, passing click and conversion IDs to your tracker for attribution.

One moderation detail specific to AdsGram: changing banner settings sends a campaign back to moderation, while adjusting strategy and targeting parameters does not. Batch creative edits so you don't lose delivery time to repeated reviews.

AdsGram or HilltopAds: which source to buy

Choose by inventory, not by feature count. The question is which platform has the audience your offer needs.

Choose AdsGram if:

• Your product is a Telegram Mini App, bot or channel.
• You need Telegram-specific targeting — Premium users, interface language, VPN status.
• You're buying gaming, Web3, GameFi, fintech or crypto offers that classic networks moderate aggressively.
• You want official Telegram Ads access and network inventory in one account.

Choose HilltopAds if:

• Your funnel starts on a landing page and you're buying browser traffic.
• Popunder or in-page push is a proven format for your offer.
• You want RTB integration via DSP/SSP, oRTB or XML.

Run both if your product lives in Telegram but also converts on the open web — a mobile utility with an app store listing and a Mini App, for example. Treat them as separate channels with separate creatives, destinations and KPIs. A landing page built for popunder traffic will convert below its potential on Telegram clicks, making a workable source look weak.

Telegram passed 1 billion monthly active users in March 2025, and Mini Apps — lightweight HTML5 apps that run entirely inside the messenger — turned that audience into addressable inventory.

How to launch your first AdsGram campaign

Setup takes about five minutes once creatives are ready.

1. Register an advertiser account and choose your campaign type.
2. Set targeting — GEO, interface language, devices, VPN status, Telegram Premium.
3. Set the daily budget, then review the recommended CPM, or toggle to tCPC and review the recommended click price.
4. Set Reach Frequency to cap impressions per user over 7 days; don't over-restrict on a first test.
5. Upload creatives — image, GIF, video or task mechanic, up to 10 banners per campaign.
6. Connect your tracker and configure postbacks before you spend, especially if tCPA is the goal later.
7. Launch and monitor impressions, clicks, CTR and spend in the dashboard, exporting to CSV for deeper analysis.

FAQ

1. What is the main difference between AdsGram and HilltopAds for advertisers?
   The main difference is where the ads appear. AdsGram places ads inside Telegram — Mini Apps, channels, bots and alternative clients — and also operates as a Telegram Ads reseller. HilltopAds is a web and mobile ad network founded in 2013, selling popunder, in-page, banner and video inventory from websites and RTB partners. Verticals overlap; environments don't, so most buyers use them for different funnels.
2. Which pricing models do AdsGram and HilltopAds support?
   AdsGram supports CPM, tCPC and tCPA. With tCPA, billing stays on a CPM basis while the system optimizes toward your target cost per conversion, and postback conversion tracking must be configured first. HilltopAds supports CPM, CPC and CPA Goal, with CPA Goal available for the popunder format. Both platforms suggest recommended bids based on your targeting and budget settings.
3. Which platform gives access to official Telegram Ads — AdsGram or HilltopAds? AdsGram, because it operates as a Telegram Ads reseller: official Telegram Ads campaigns run from the same account as network inventory. HilltopAds sells its own web and RTB inventory and is not a Telegram Ads reseller. Four campaign types are available: Users for flexible audience targeting, Channels for posts with text, URL and an image or video, Bots for messages with title, text and URL, and Search for ads in Telegram Search. Bots and Search unlock after your first freeze in Users or Channels.
4. How does tracking work on AdsGram compared with HilltopAds?
   AdsGram integrates with AppsFlyer, Adjust, AppMetrica, Keitaro and Kochava, passing click and conversion IDs to your tracker for attribution. HilltopAds provides server-to-server postback tracking and API tools. On either platform, configure postbacks before your first spend rather than after — a campaign that starts without conversion data can't be switched to conversion-based bidding with useful history.
5. Can I run AdsGram and HilltopAds at the same time?
   Yes, and for products with both a Telegram and a web funnel it usually makes sense. The two platforms sell different inventory, so they don't compete for the same impression. Run them as separate channels with separate creatives, destinations and KPIs — a landing page written for popunder traffic will underperform on Telegram clicks, and the reverse is equally true.