Telegram is no longer just a messaging app, it’s quickly becoming one of the most powerful distribution channels for Web3. With over 950 million monthly active users, its deep integration with the TON (The Open Network) blockchain and the rise of Web3 miniapp platforms are transforming how users engage with crypto, games, and decentralized services.
From tap-to-earn games like Notcoin to real-world utility apps like TADA, Telegram’s miniapp ecosystem is redefining wallet-native UX, accelerating onboarding without friction, and proving that Web3 adoption doesn’t have to be complex.
Why Telegram and TON Became the Perfect Pair
Telegram’s global scale gives MiniApps a growth runway that’s rarely available to crypto-native startups. With over 900 million monthly active users, and deep penetration in Web3-emerging markets like Southeast Asia, LATAM, and Eastern Europe, it’s no coincidence that TON-based apps are surging there first. Projects like Notcoin, TapSwap, and Hamster Kombat don’t just tap into Telegram’s infrastructure, they ride existing user behaviors, especially in markets where mobile-first UX and P2P finance are the norm.
Explore our full breakdown of top Web3 expansion markets here.
Here’s why this combo works so well:
- Wallet-native UX with TonSpace: Telegram’s non-custodial wallet is embedded into the app itself, offering instant access to tokens, NFTs, and DeFi without browser extensions or seed phrases.
- MiniApp SDK + Telegram Bots: Developers can easily launch and distribute Web3 miniapps inside Telegram using familiar tools like bots, inline menus, and group embeds.
- TON’s performance layer: With tested throughput exceeding 100,000 TPS and near-zero fees, TON is optimized for mass-market miniapp usage powering games, microtransactions, and real-time apps.
- A unified super-app vision: Projects like Affluent aim to transform Telegram into a financial super app, merging messaging, payments, and Web3 into one streamlined experience.
Steve Yun, President of the TON Foundation, stated in an interview with Cointelegraph via TradingView that TON’s exclusivity with Telegram is “not a limitation but a necessity.” He explained that this deep integration is crucial for achieving the seamless scalability and user experience that more fragmented ecosystems often fail to deliver.
Together, Telegram and TON aren’t just offering access to Web3, they’re shaping how the next billion users will interact with it.
The Core Engines Behind Telegram’s Web3 MiniApp Growth
From tap-to-earn games to finance integrations, here’s what’s really driving the ecosystem forward.
Telegram isn’t just hosting Web3 miniapps, it’s actively shaping how users discover and interact with them. With native wallet integration, lightning-fast TonConnect protocols, and a massive user base, Telegram has become fertile ground for miniapp innovation.
Below are key platforms redefining what’s possible on Telegram and TON:
1. Notcoin: From Viral Game to Ecosystem Gateway
Notcoin started as a simple tap-to-earn game embedded within Telegram, inviting users to earn coins by tapping a golden token. It went viral with over 35 million players, making it one of the largest Telegram-based crypto games to date.
But Notcoin isn’t just about tapping anymore.
It evolved into a gateway to Web3 on TON allowing users to explore airdrops, participate in missions, and transfer coins to Ton wallets. The game’s intuitive UX and viral social mechanics (like gifting coins to “frens”) turned it into a model for how miniapps can drive mass crypto onboarding without wallets or gas fees upfront.
Key Highlights:
- Over 905B total taps and $NOT token launched on TON.
- Built entirely as a Telegram bot, proving the simplicity and virality of wallet-native apps.
- Acts as a distribution hub for other TON ecosystem campaigns and projects.
Notcoin in-app UI showing gamified coin balance and social interaction features (Source: Notcoin / Medium)
2. Hamster Kombat: Turning Simulators into Social Virality
Hamster Kombat emerged as a lighthearted tap-to-earn game on Telegram, where users manage a hamster CEO running a crypto exchange. But behind the cute visuals is a system designed to drive engagement, virality, and pre-token traction.
The game challenges players to complete tasks, boost their hamster’s “career,” and strategize for higher earnings. But like Notcoin, it’s more than just tapping, it’s a growth funnel for crypto adoption, wrapped in entertainment.
It has quickly become a template for mass Web3 onboarding: no wallet needed at first, no fees, and full integration with Telegram’s bot and miniapp stack. Add in airdrop incentives, leaderboards, and gifting, and you get a viral loop that keeps users returning daily.
Key Highlights:
- Over 239 million users joined Hamster Kombat in just 2 months, according to the team.
- Fully built on Telegram using miniapp architecture and gamified UX.
- Pre-token launch momentum is driving massive anticipation for future $HAMSTER listings.
Hamster Kombat’s gamified UX showing how tap-to-earn, progression loops, and token incentives are used to onboard users into the TON ecosystem (Source: GAM3S.GG)
3. Blum: Making DeFi Social and Frictionless
While most crypto exchanges still rely on standalone apps or web platforms, Blum brings the entire trading stack inside Telegram making onchain trading feel like native chat interaction. With over 2 million users joining its referral-based onboarding in just days, Blum demonstrates how miniapps can drastically reduce friction for first-time crypto traders.
But Blum isn’t just another meme-friendly interface, it’s a fully functional decentralized exchange (DEX), offering:
- Off-chain orderbook and on-chain settlement: Users can place trades without touching traditional interfaces, while maintaining self-custody via wallets like MetaMask or Trust Wallet.
- Gamified UI and localized P2P trading: Users can trade in local currencies, access market pairs like MEME/USDT, and earn through embedded reward systems all inside Telegram.
- No wallet-switching or gas-fee complexity: Designed for accessibility, Blum abstracts away the pain points that usually deter non-technical users.
Telegram-native trading experience by Blum, featuring localized P2P, seamless UX, and off-chain/on-chain hybrid execution. (Source: BDC Consulting)
As BDC Consulting highlights, Blum’s design is not only UX-optimized but also built to scale Web3 growth through viral acquisition loops and miniapp-native onboarding.
4. TapSwap: Tokenizing Engagement with TAPS
TapSwap is building on the viral success formula pioneered by Notcoin, but with a sharper focus on token utility and gamified finance. Embedded directly in Telegram as a miniapp, TapSwap transforms tapping into a full-fledged mining and referral economy attracting tens of millions of users within weeks of launch.
Behind the playful interface lies a layered engagement model:
- Tap-to-earn gameplay with mission mechanics: Users earn in-game “Shares” through taps, daily quests, referral bonuses, and boost items. These Shares are later convertible into $TAP tokens upon token launch.
- Decentralized governance and tokenholder control: TapSwap is structured so that holders of $TAP can help shape the app’s future, including features, reward schedules, and community programs.
- Built for viral loops inside Telegram: Through frictionless onboarding and shareable invite links, TapSwap rapidly scaled its user base by blending gamification with community ownership all while staying wallet-optional.
TapSwap miniapp onboarding and tap-to-earn interface inside Telegram, showing join screen, bot description, and in-game tapping dashboard. (Source: Trust Wallet)
5. TADA: Real Utility for a Web3 Lifestyle
TADA became the first ride-hailing service to fully integrate with TON, allowing users to pay for real-world transportation using Toncoin. Operating in partnership with the TON Foundation and currently active in Singapore, this initiative signals a meaningful shift from play-to-earn mechanics toward utility-first miniapps.
Unlike tap games or gamified bots, TADA offers a clear use case for Web3 in daily life. Through its TON miniapp, riders can top up Toncoin, book rides, and make instant crypto payments directly inside Telegram removing friction and making blockchain invisible to the end user.
Key Highlights:
- First ride-hailing app to launch a TON-native payment option.
- Brings Web3 UX into urban mobility, making Toncoin a practical payment tool.
- Built entirely inside Telegram, preserving the seamless user experience.
TON-powered ride payments go mainstream with TADA’s Telegram integration. (Source: Coin Gabbar)
Conclusion
What began as viral tapping games has matured into a full-blown ecosystem strategy: wallet-native MiniApps are quietly redefining how users interact with crypto. From Notcoin’s onboarding model to TapSwap’s tokenized gameplay, these apps offer more than engagement, they deliver a frictionless gateway into TON’s real economy.
The key differentiator? Distribution. Telegram’s 900M+ user base gives MiniApps unparalleled reach, while native payments, smart contract integration, and seamless UX lower the barrier to real Web3 utility.
For builders and investors, the takeaway is clear: MiniApps on Telegram aren’t just a trend, they’re a fast-moving frontier. The projects that win here will be the ones that design around behavior, not hype.
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