Setup Guide

Get started with SubGate

Follow these steps to start selling paid memberships for your Telegram channels. The entire setup takes under 10 minutes.

Overview

SubGate lets you sell paid subscriptions for your Telegram channels and groups. You provide a Telegram bot and a Stripe account. SubGate connects them and handles everything else: payment collection, invite link generation, access control, and automatic removal when subscriptions expire.

By the end of this guide you will have a fully working paid channel with your bot handling subscriptions automatically.

1

Create a Telegram Bot

Every SubGate setup needs a Telegram bot. This bot will interact with your subscribers -- showing plans, processing payments, and sending invite links.

  1. aOpen Telegram and search for @BotFather
  2. bSend /newbot and follow the prompts. Choose a name (e.g. "My Channel Access Bot") and a username ending in Bot (e.g. MyChannelAccessBot)
  3. cBotFather will reply with a bot token that looks like 123456:ABCdefGHIjklMNO. Copy this token and keep it safe.
Tip:Choose a descriptive bot name that reflects your channel. Subscribers will interact with this bot directly, so a professional name builds trust.
Important:Never share your bot token publicly. Anyone with the token can control your bot. If it leaks, use /revoke in BotFather to generate a new one.
2

Create Your Channel or Group

Create the Telegram channel or group that subscribers will pay to access.

Channel

Broadcast-only. Only admins can post. Best for newsletters, signals, premium content.

Supergroup

Members can participate. Best for communities, mastermind groups, coaching.

After creating the channel/group, add your bot as an administrator with at least these permissions:

  • Invite Users via Link
  • Ban Users (needed to remove expired subscribers)
Tip:Make the channel/group private. Public channels can be joined by anyone, which defeats the purpose of paid access.
3

Sign In to SubGate

Go to the login page and click the "Log in with Telegram" button. This will open a Telegram prompt asking you to confirm. Once confirmed, you will be redirected to your dashboard.

No passwords, no email verification. Your Telegram account is your identity on SubGate.

4

Connect Your Bot

In the SubGate dashboard, go to Settings. Paste the bot token you copied from BotFather and click Save.

SubGate will immediately start running your bot. It will respond to commands like /start, /plans, and /status automatically. Your bot token is encrypted with AES-256-GCM before being stored -- it is never visible in plaintext.

Important:If your bot was already running elsewhere (e.g. another hosting service), you must stop it first. Only one instance of a bot can run at a time.
5

Connect Stripe

Still in Settings, click the "Connect Stripe" button. You will be redirected to Stripe to create or link an account.

Complete the Stripe onboarding process. This includes providing your business details and bank account. Once finished, you will be redirected back to SubGate.

Payments from your subscribers go directly to your Stripe account. SubGate automatically deducts a 5% platform fee from each transaction. There are no other charges from SubGate.

Tip:Stripe supports cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and many local payment methods depending on your region. All of these work automatically with SubGate.
6

Add Your Channel

Navigate to the Channels page in your dashboard and enter your channel or group ID.

How to find your channel ID

  1. 1Forward any message from your channel to @userinfobot on Telegram
  2. 2The bot will reply with the channel ID (a negative number like -1001234567890)
  3. 3Paste this ID into the SubGate channels page
Important:Your bot must be an admin in the channel before you add it to SubGate. If the bot is not an admin, the verification will fail.
7

Create Subscription Plans

Go to the Plans page and create your first subscription plan. Each plan has:

  • Name -- what subscribers see (e.g. "Monthly Access", "VIP Yearly")
  • Price -- in your Stripe account's currency
  • Interval -- weekly, monthly, or yearly
  • Channel -- which channel this plan grants access to
  • Trial days (optional) -- free trial period before billing starts

You can create multiple plans for different tiers. For example, a cheaper monthly plan and a discounted yearly plan.

Tip:Start with one plan to keep things simple. You can always add more later. Offering a yearly option at a discount is a great way to reduce churn.
8

Share With Subscribers

You are all set. Share your bot's link with potential subscribers:

https://t.me/YourBotUsername

When someone messages your bot with /start, they will see a list of your available plans. Clicking a plan opens a Stripe checkout page. After paying, the bot sends them a private invite link to join your channel automatically.

Share this link in your bio, social media, website, free channels, or anywhere your audience can find it.

How It Works for Subscribers

Here is what your subscribers experience from their perspective:

1

Message the bot

They open your bot link and tap Start

2

Browse plans

The bot shows available plans with prices

3

Pay via Stripe

They tap a plan and complete payment on a secure Stripe page

4

Receive invite link

The bot DMs them a single-use, 24-hour invite link

5

Join the channel

They tap the link and are added to the channel

6

Auto-renewal or removal

When the subscription renews, nothing changes. If it expires, the bot removes them and offers to re-subscribe

FAQ & Tips

What happens when a subscription expires?

The subscriber is automatically removed from the channel by the bot. They receive a message with an option to renew. You do not need to do anything manually.

Can I manage multiple channels?

Yes. You can add multiple channels under a single SubGate account and create separate plans for each channel.

Can I change prices after creating a plan?

You can create new plans at any time. Existing subscribers remain on their current plan and price until their subscription ends.

What about refunds?

Refunds are handled through your Stripe dashboard. SubGate does not process refunds directly. If you refund a payment, the subscriber's access remains until you manually revoke it from the Subscribers page.

What if my bot token gets compromised?

Go to @BotFather, use /revoke to generate a new token, then update it in SubGate Settings. The old token will stop working immediately.

Do subscribers need a Stripe account to pay?

No. They pay using a standard card checkout page. No Stripe account is required on their end.

How do I see how much I am earning?

The Overview page in your dashboard shows MRR, subscriber count, churn rate, and revenue over time. For detailed payment records, check your Stripe dashboard.

Ready to start?

Create your account and follow the steps above. You can be up and running in under 10 minutes.

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