MAX
Platform · this deep dive is built from the official pages of the platform itself and of the tools that support it.
Overview
MAX is a messenger that its owner, the VK holding company, calls a national one. The platform itself describes it as "a fast and lightweight app for communication and for handling everyday tasks" (max.ru): messaging, audio and video messages, stickers, exchange of large files, calls with no limit on duration or number of participants, author and news channels, age verification inside the app and online document signing.
For SMM this is not "another social network" but a messenger with channels — the closest functional analogue is obvious, but the way access is arranged is fundamentally different. There are two separate worlds here. The first is the ordinary user: they create channels from the app. The second is the "Partner platform": chatbots, mini-apps, organisation channels and the "Digital ID", available, according to the documentation, "to legal entities, sole traders and self-employed individuals who are residents of the Russian Federation". A private individual without such a status does not pass verification.
The second distinctive feature is the pace of change. The partner platform opened on 23 October 2025, and opened to all legal entities and sole traders on 20 March 2026 (VK press release). Public channels were opened to ordinary users on 9 July 2026 (press release). Any figures below should be read together with their date.
Who's here
The metrics are published by the VK holding company. The press release of 6 May 2026 reports: MAX's daily audience has passed 85 million users, the number of installs since launch is more than 120 million, more than 150 billion messages have been sent and more than 6 billion calls made.
Channels. In the release of 30 April 2026 the company reports that the number of public and private channels has passed 7 million (of which about 300 thousand are public and more than 6.7 million private), and that the total audience of the channels has reached 300 million subscribers. News channels are named as the most popular, followed by blogs about education and cooking. The release of 9 July 2026 already gives different figures: in July the number of channels passed 10 million with an audience of 430 million subscribers. Note that "the audience of the channels" is the sum of subscriptions, not the number of people.
Geography. According to the same May release, the number of foreign users has passed 8 million, registration is available in 40 countries, and 1.7 million calls and more than 23 million messages a day come from users abroad. The platform's help section confirms that you can register with numbers from more than 40 countries — countries of the CIS, Asia, Africa and the Americas (help.max.ru).
The interface language of the home page is Russian (max.ru).
Getting started
The ordinary user
A profile is created in the app: "you can only create a MAX profile using the app for phones and computers. You will not be able to register in the MAX web version" (help.max.ru). Registration goes by mobile phone number: the user agreement requires you to "provide the minimum data necessary for registration on the Service, including a mobile phone number" and to "go through a number of identification procedures" (legal.max.ru/ps, section 3.2).
Some of the functionality is cut back for users from certain countries: according to the same help article, they cannot start chats with people they do not know, create private channels or be added to group chats by link, but they do receive messages and communicate with those who have added them to their contacts.
A channel
A public channel requires a "Digital ID": "you can create a public channel only if you previously created a Digital ID" (help.max.ru). The same page notes a platform limitation: a public channel cannot yet be created in the mobile app on iOS, and the web version is recommended. Private channels, according to the developer documentation, "are so far available only to users with a Russian phone number", and their number is not limited.
The limits on the number of public channels depend on who you are (dev.max.ru): an organisation or a sole trader — up to 10 channels, a self-employed individual — 1 channel, a user with a Digital ID — fewer than 5 public channels.
An organisation
The procedure is described in the documentation: logging in and registering on the platform (through business.max.ru or the "MAX for business" mini-app), then creating and verifying the profile of the organisation, sole trader or self-employed individual. Verification goes through Gosuslugi and requires an organisation or sole trader account, logging in as a director (not an employee) and up-to-date EGRUL/EGRIP data. Private individuals do not pass verification, non-residents are excluded, and the "Digital ID" is available only to legal entities and sole traders — the self-employed are not part of that circle.
After verification, access opens to the services: chatbots, mini-apps, channels and the Digital ID. A bot additionally goes through moderation and only then becomes available to users (dev.max.ru/docs). That is, there are two checks in a row: first of the organisation, then of the bot itself.
What you can publish
The technical limits on attachments are set out in the API documentation: up to 12 media files in one message (video and images combined); an image — up to 50 MB or 7680×7680 pixels; video — up to 250 MB; audio — up to 256 MB or 60 minutes; a file — up to 4 GB. Files cannot be combined with media: they are attached only together with inline keyboard buttons. The keyboard itself is limited to "210 buttons grouped into 30 rows — up to 7 buttons in each" (or up to 3 in a row if these are link buttons, app buttons, location or contact buttons).
Scheduled publishing is a standard channel feature. A post is scheduled with a long press on the send button; it is available on Android, iPhone, Windows, macOS and in the browser, and there is a single restriction: "you will not be able to create more than 100 scheduled posts" (help.max.ru).
The platform began testing live broadcasts in channels on 4 June 2026 (press release): access is promised to authors with an audience of more than 10,000 subscribers, and a broadcast is launched through a bot in the channel's admin panel by inserting a link to VK Video.
The prohibitions for a user are set by the agreement (legal.max.ru/ps). It is forbidden to "carry out mass mailings of messages to other Users without their prior consent and/or any other similar unsolicited mailings (spam)" (section 4.3.4), and also to use "automated scripts (programs, bots, crawlers)" without permission or to take actions that disrupt the normal functioning of the service (sections 4.3.5–4.3.7). The user bears sole responsibility for the information they post (section 4.5).
The age requirement is expressed by reference: registration is available to persons "who have reached the age permitted under the legislation of the Russian Federation for accepting the terms of the Agreement" (section 1.5). There is no specific number of years in the agreement.
How to grow
The A+ label
This is not a "verified author" badge in the usual sense but a reflection of state registration: "the A+ label means that a MAX channel with an audience of 10,000 subscribers or more has passed official registration in the register of Roskomnadzor (RKN)" (help.max.ru). The conditions: to be the owner of the channel, to have 10,000 subscribers or more and to complete registration through the verification chatbot and the Gosuslugi portal. The label is granted "within a few days" of the application being submitted.
The label also works in the other direction: having a resource with an A+ label on other platforms (VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, Dzen, Telegram) is one of the grounds for creating a public channel in MAX (dev.max.ru).
Advertising
MAX is on the list of platforms in the VK Ads account: the help section names among the social networks "VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, MAX, Dzen" (ads.vk.ru/help).
Comments and engagement
The help section on channels (help.max.ru) includes articles on enabling and disabling comments, deleting comments and barring members from writing them, on reactions, giveaways and broadcasts, and also on managing join requests in private channels.
Path to monetization
MAX has no payout programme of its own for authors. Neither the help section, nor the developer documentation, nor the "MAX for business" page (business.max.ru) describes a paid subscription to a channel, a share of advertising revenue or a payouts account.
What does exist is external monetization. Yandex's advertising network lists MAX directly among the resources that can be connected: "At present you can connect channels in Telegram, in MAX, in Dzen on RUTUBE, YouTube, and also VKontakte communities" (partner.yandex.ru/bloggers). The conditions are on the same page: the method is available to blogs with an audience "from 1,000 subscribers", only "residents of the Russian Federation" can join, and a blog can be monetized by "legal entities, sole traders and self-employed individuals". Payments arrive monthly once a contract has been signed; income is credited "for fast target actions that subscribers perform within 21 days of clicking an advertising link".
The practical conclusion: earning on MAX today means either an external advertising network or direct sales through your own channels, chatbots and mini-apps. The platform provides the instruments but does not share advertising income directly.
Tools and automation
The official API
The platform offers three kinds of integration — chatbots, mini-apps and channels, plus the "Digital ID" (dev.max.ru/docs). For bots there is a no-code scenario builder and development with code; the official libraries are for JavaScript and Golang, with examples (dev.max.ru/docs and the section on creating bots).
The API is built on the HTTP methods GET, POST, PUT, DELETE and PATCH; the categories are bots, chats, messages, subscriptions and file uploads (dev.max.ru/docs-api). Through the API you can get information about the bot and edit its commands, and work with group chats and channels: listing and details, editing, pinning and unpinning messages, managing administrators, and removing the bot from a chat.
The rate limit is published as a single figure: "the maximum number of requests to platform-api2.max.ru is 30 rps". The same page notes that the method GET /chats has not been supported since June 2026 — a sign that the API is changing and integrations need maintenance.
Ready-made integrations exist: in the press release of 20 March 2026 VK reports "more than 30 ready-made integrations with CRM and chatbot platforms".
Third-party tools
Among schedulers, SMMplanner claims support for MAX: on the service's home page MAX is listed among the supported platforms with a separate block about scheduling.
Limits and rules
The main limitation is not technical but legal. Connecting to the partner platform is available only to legal entities, sole traders and self-employed individuals who are residents of the Russian Federation, and the "Digital ID" only to legal entities and sole traders (dev.max.ru/docs). This is the toughest entry barrier among the platforms in our register: what is checked is not identity but legal status and residency.
The rules for publishing applications (dev.max.ru/docs/legal/rules) place the responsibility on the developer: applications must comply with the legislation of the Russian Federation, and the developer independently secures the lawful basis for collecting data and ensures "the confidentiality, security and protection of data". The platform reserves the right to "suspend, restrict or terminate Users' access to the Application(s)" without prior notice and without explaining the reasons where a breach is suspected, bears no responsibility "for the content and form of the Application", and the developer undertakes to "compensate the Company for the losses incurred in connection with this". Publishing an application means granting the platform a "free irrevocable right" to use it, reproduce it and promote it in marketing materials.
The platform prescribes separate documents to the developer as well: besides the publishing rules there are requirements for the content and functionality of applications, a model user agreement and a model privacy policy for the developer's own product (dev.max.ru/docs).
Sanctions for channels do exist: the help section contains articles on a warning about a breach of the rules in a channel, on what to do when you receive one, and on the appeal procedure (help.max.ru/help/channels).
Who it's for
The platform suits a Russian organisation, sole trader or self-employed individual who needs a channel of communication with customers inside a messenger: a chatbot, a mini-app and a channel are available, and the audience, judging by the holding company's statements, is large and growing.
It suits an author with a Russian number and a Digital ID who is ready to build a channel from scratch: the entry threshold for a public channel is not subscribers but identification.
It suits a developer who wants to integrate an existing business process: the API is documented, the rate limit is published, and there are libraries and a no-code builder.
It does not suit you if you are a private individual without a legal status and want the platform's corporate instruments: you will not pass verification. It does not suit a non-resident: both the partner platform and external monetization through Yandex's advertising network are restricted to residents of the Russian Federation. And it does not suit you if you are expecting payouts from the platform itself: it has no author monetization programme of its own.
Tools for this platform
The list is built from the tools' own facts: every line is a tool's statement that it supports the platform, with the source named. A tool missing from the list only means we have no such statement.
Scheduling and publishing:
- SMMplanner — publishing; source, checked 2026-07-28
Statistics and analytics:
- LiveDune — analytics, publishing; source, checked 2026-07-28
- Popsters — analytics; source, checked 2026-07-28
Customer communication:
- Chat2Desk — states support; source, checked 2026-07-28
- Jivo — inbox; source, checked 2026-07-28
- Umnico — inbox; source, checked 2026-07-28
- Wazzup — inbox; source, checked 2026-07-28
- amoCRM — states support; source, checked 2026-07-28
Automation:
- PuzzleBot — states support; source, checked 2026-07-28
- Salebot — states support; source, checked 2026-07-28
Social listening:
- Brand Analytics — states support; source, checked 2026-07-28
Other tasks:
Verified data
The checked data this deep dive rests on.
Who's here
Foreign (non-overseas for Russia) users: more than 8 million as of 6 May 2026 — a VK press release. For comparison, in the same release: the app was installed by more than 120 million people, and the daily audience exceeded 85 million.
the company's investor presentation. Verbatim: «Количество иностранных пользователей в MAX превысило 8 миллионов»
source, checked 2026-08-17
1st place in the top 5 countries by number of registrations among MAX's foreign users — a VK press release of 22 April 2026. The company does not publish a separate figure for the country; overall there are more than 7 million foreign users, 90% of them residents of the CIS.
see note 1 at the foot of the card
source, checked 2026-08-17
2nd place in the top 5 countries by number of registrations among MAX's foreign users — a VK press release of 22 April 2026. There is no separate figure for the country; in total there are more than 7 million foreign users, 90% of them residents of the CIS.
see note 1 at the foot of the card
source, checked 2026-08-17
3rd place in the top 5 countries by number of registrations among MAX's foreign users — a VK press release of 22 April 2026. There is no separate figure for the country; in total there are more than 7 million foreign users, 90% of them residents of the CIS.
see note 1 at the foot of the card
source, checked 2026-08-17
4th place in the top 5 countries by number of registrations among MAX's foreign users — a VK press release of 22 April 2026. There is no separate figure for the country.
the company's investor presentation
source, checked 2026-08-17
5th place in the top 5 countries by number of registrations among MAX's foreign users — a VK press release of 22 April 2026. There is no separate figure for the country.
the company's investor presentation
source, checked 2026-08-17
VK does not publish a separate figure for Russia. Overall metrics from the VK press release of 6 May 2026: the app was installed by more than 120 million people, and the daily audience exceeded 85 million users — against 8 million foreign users, meaning the overwhelming part of the audience is Russian (calculation not by the company).
the company's investor presentation. Verbatim: «Ежедневная аудитория MAX превысила 85 миллионов пользователей»
source, checked 2026-08-17
A CLAIM BY THE HOLDING COMPANY (release of 06.05.2026): MAX's daily audience has passed 85 million users; installs since launch — more than 120 million; more than 150 billion messages sent and more than 6 billion calls made
There is no monthly audience figure in the release. FILLS A GAP: previously the database entry for MAX said «there are no numeric audience metrics»
source, checked 2026-07-28
A CLAIM BY THE HOLDING COMPANY (06.05.2026): more than 8 million foreign users; registration available in 40 countries; 1.7 million calls and more than 23 million messages a day from users abroad
source, checked 2026-07-28
A CLAIM BY THE HOLDING COMPANY (30.04.2026): more than 7 million channels (about 300 thousand public and more than 6.7 million private), with a total channel audience of 300 million subscribers; the most popular are news channels, then education and cooking
«The audience of the channels» is the sum of subscriptions, not the number of people
source, checked 2026-07-28
A CLAIM BY THE HOLDING COMPANY (09.07.2026): in July the number of public and private channels passed 10 million, with an audience of 430 million subscribers
More recent than the April figure: in a little over two months the number of channels grew from 7 to 10 million according to the platform's claims
source, checked 2026-07-28
Getting started
connecting to the partner platform — chatbots, mini-apps and channels — is available ONLY to legal entities, sole traders and self-employed individuals who are residents of the Russian Federation; a private individual without such a status is shut out
The toughest entry barrier in the register: not an identity check but a requirement of legal status and residency
source, checked 2026-07-28
access to the «Digital ID» service is narrower still: only legal entities and sole traders that are residents of the Russian Federation; the self-employed are excluded
Two different circles of admitted parties within one platform
source, checked 2026-07-28
a bot is created after connecting to the platform, creating an organisation profile and VERIFYING IT; the bot then goes through moderation and only after that becomes available to users
Two checks in a row: first of the organisation, then of the bot itself
source, checked 2026-07-28
«you can only create a MAX profile using the app for phones and computers. You will not be able to register in the MAX web version»; registration is available with numbers from more than 40 countries
source, checked 2026-07-28
«you can create a public channel only if you previously created a Digital ID»; a public channel cannot yet be created in the mobile app on iOS — the web version is recommended
source, checked 2026-07-28
verification of an organisation's or sole trader's profile goes through Gosuslugi: it requires an organisation/sole trader account, logging in as a director (not an employee) and up-to-date EGRUL/EGRIP data; private individuals do not pass verification
This refines the earlier database entry about the legal status requirement: the verification mechanism is named
source, checked 2026-07-28
having a resource with an A+ label on other platforms (VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, Dzen, Telegram) is one of the grounds for creating a public channel in MAX
source, checked 2026-07-28
Account and access
connecting to the partner platform — chatbots, mini-apps and channels — is available to LEGAL ENTITIES, SOLE TRADERS AND SELF-EMPLOYED INDIVIDUALS who are residents of the Russian Federation
A requirement of legal status AND residency — stricter than Dzen and RUTUBE
source, checked 2026-07-28
the first step is creating the profile of an organisation, sole trader or self-employed individual, then choosing the services
source, checked 2026-07-28
A public channel cannot be created until the profile has a Digital ID. Verbatim from the MAX help centre: «Please note: you can create a public channel only if you have previously created a Digital ID». Separately: a profile cannot be created through the web at all — verbatim «you can create a profile in MAX only using the app for phones and computers. Registering in the web version of MAX will not work». The article about private channels imposes no such condition on a private channel
This is the platform's own statement in its help centre, not our inference. The MAX help sections «Getting started», «Profile», «Messaging», «Channels» and «Security» were read together with their article lists, as were the articles on registration, on public and private channels, on the A+ mark and on refusal of a channel application. The robots.txt files of max.ru and help.max.ru were read in full: only the /_api path is forbidden_
source, checked 2026-08-07
Three conditions are named. First, registration: a Russian phone number and a 6-digit code from an SMS, verbatim «Enter the 6-digit code from the SMS and tap Continue»; for foreign numbers a closed list of countries is published (Belarus +375, Kazakhstan +7, Turkey +90, India +91, China +86, Brazil +55 and others). Second, the Digital ID, without which a public channel cannot be created. Third, the A+ mark for channels with 10,000 subscribers or more: verbatim «The A+ mark means that a MAX channel with an audience of 10,000 subscribers or more has passed official registration in the register of Roskomnadzor (RKN)»; the application is filed through the chatbot @channel_verification_bot and a form on Gosuslugi
The 10,000-subscriber threshold and the duty to register with Roskomnadzor are named by the MAX help centre itself. The same page says verbatim: «subscriber counts across different communities and profiles are not added together. If you have several pages and each of them has more than 10,000 subscribers, the A+ mark is required for each page»
source, checked 2026-08-07
«the A+ label means that a MAX channel with an audience of 10,000 subscribers or more has passed official registration in the register of Roskomnadzor (RKN)»; it requires ownership of the channel, 10,000+ subscribers and registration through the verification chatbot and Gosuslugi; the label is granted «within a few days»
Not a mark of trust from the platform but a reflection of state registration
source, checked 2026-07-28
Business terms
Capabilities. chatbots, mini-apps for requests and orders, channels for publishing content, integrations with partner services
source, checked 2026-07-27
ONLY legal entities, sole traders and the self-employed who are residents of the Russian Federation. Individuals and non-residents CANNOT pass verification
CRITICAL: the professional features are not available to a private individual at all
source, checked 2026-07-27
verification through Gosuslugi; a personal account and up-to-date data in the state registers of legal entities and sole traders are required
STATE IDENTIFICATION as a condition of access occurs at no international platform in the register
source, checked 2026-07-27
verification on behalf of an organisation is completed only by the owner (the sole executive body) or by a representative with the right of first or sole signature
A social media specialist or a contractor cannot connect the profile
source, checked 2026-07-27
A CLAIM BY THE HOLDING COMPANY: the Partner platform opened on 23 October 2025; full opening to all legal entities and sole traders — 20 March 2026; «more than 8 million legal entities and sole traders» and «more than 30 ready-made integrations with CRM and chatbot platforms» are claimed
The self-employed are not mentioned in the release, although the documentation admits them
source, checked 2026-07-28
«MAX for business» offers four solutions: chatbots (automating sales and support, quick replies, taking orders, collecting feedback), mini-apps (booking and purchases without leaving for external services), channels (updates, promotions, news) and the Digital ID (age confirmation). There are no tariffs or commercial terms on the page
source, checked 2026-07-28
updating data from the registers usually takes from a few minutes to 1 hour, in rare cases up to 24 hours; the time to verify a profile is not stated
source, checked 2026-07-27
What you can publish
messaging, audio and video messages, stickers, files, voice and video calls; reading authors' publications
source, checked 2026-07-27
Images. An image attachment: "Available formats: JPG, JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, BMP, HEIC", "The maximum size of one image: up to 50 MB or no more than 7680 x 7680 px — both criteria must be met. For example, it is not possible to send an image of 55 MB and 7600 x 7600 px". Stickers are set separately and by kind: static ones — "formats: jpg, jpeg, png", "resolution: from 288 px on each side", "size: up to 10 MB"; moving ones — "formats: tgs, json", "resolution: up to 512 by 512 px", "frame rate: 60 fps", "size: up to 64 KB", "the duration of the animation: up to 3 seconds", "all animations must be looped", objects must not go beyond the canvas, and a list of forbidden Adobe After Effects capabilities is given (Auto-bezier keys, Expressions, Masks, Layer Effects, Images, Solids, Texts, 3D Layers, Merge Paths, Star Shapes, Gradient Strokes, Repeaters, Time Stretching, Time Remapping, Auto-Oriented Layers)
the two conditions for an image act together, and not by choice — the source directly stipulates this with an example; the requirements for stickers — https://max.ru/help/bots/kak-zagruzit-svoi-stikery , and there also "a set can have up to 100 stickers" Quoted text is our translation from Russian.
source, checked 2026-08-04
The limits are given separately by kind of entry. A video message: "The maximum duration of one video message is 60 seconds". For an ordinary video attachment the documentation does not name a limit on the duration — the restriction is only by file size (up to 250 MB). For audio there is a limit on the duration: "up to 256 MB or of a duration of no more than 60 min — both criteria must be met"
60 seconds is the limit precisely of a video message recorded in a chat, and not of an uploaded video file; the limits of attachments — https://dev.max.ru/docs-api Quoted text is our translation from Russian.
source, checked 2026-08-04
Audio is an independent kind of attachment: "Available formats: MP3, WAV, M4A and others", "The maximum size of one audio: up to 256 MB or of a duration of no more than 60 min — both criteria must be met. For example, it is not possible to send audio of a size of 250 MB and a duration of 70 minutes". The documentation sets neither a bit rate nor a sampling rate. A voice message is recorded directly in a chat, there are no requirements for a file for it
both conditions act together, the source explains this with an example; about a voice message — https://max.ru/help/messages/kak-zapisat-audiosoobshhenie Quoted text is our translation from Russian.
source, checked 2026-08-04
Text length. The documentation does not name a limit on the length of the text of a message, of the caption to an attachment or of a post in a channel. Only the limits connected with buttons are announced: "For a button of the link kind the maximum size of the link is 2048 characters"; "The maximum number: 210 buttons grouped into 30 rows — up to 7 buttons in each (up to 3 if these are buttons of the link, open_app, request_geo_location or request_contact type)"
the number of buttons in a row depends on their type; the platform does not publish the length of the text itself either in the developer documentation or in the help centre https://max.ru/help Quoted text is our translation from Russian.
source, checked 2026-08-04
Video. A video attachment: "Available formats: MP4, MOV, MKV, WEBM", "The maximum size of one video: up to 250 MB". The documentation names neither a codec, nor a resolution, nor a frame rate, nor a bit rate. A video message is a separate kind of entry, it is recorded directly in a chat, and there are no requirements for a file for it
the limit of 250 MB relates to an attachment sent through the bot interface; in the help centre for people it is put more softly — "attachments of up to 4 GB each" (https://max.ru/help/messages/kak-otpravit-v-chat-foto-i-drugie-fajly), that is, the numbers for a bot and for a person are different Quoted text is our translation from Russian.
source, checked 2026-08-04
The platform has no live streams of its own, and therefore it does not publish requirements for a signal either: "Broadcasts in a MAX channel are a live stream format that you launch in VK Video, while the publication for the channel in MAX you create with the help of the official chat bot Broadcasts in MAX". The order is described thus: the live stream begins in VK Video, a link to it is sent to the chat bot @livestream_bot, and the bot publishes the post in the channel; the bot must be made an administrator of the channel beforehand, with the right to write, change and delete posts. There is neither a bit rate, nor a resolution, nor a protocol on these pages
the requirements for the signal itself are set by VK Video, and not by MAX; the order of creation — https://max.ru/help/bots/kak-sozdat-translyacziyu-v-kanale-max Quoted text is our translation from Russian.
source, checked 2026-08-04
Sources diverge: The numbers are different for a person and for a bot. The help centre for people: "You can send in messages attachments of up to 4 GB each: photographs, videos, files of different formats, contacts and location". The developer documentation sets the limits by kind of attachment: an image up to 50 MB (and no more than 7680 x 7680 px), video up to 250 MB, audio up to 256 MB (and no more than 60 minutes), any other file — "The maximum size of one file: up to 4 GB", the formats "TXT, DOC, PDF and other widespread formats". A set of stickers — up to 100 items. The frequency of requests: "the maximum number of requests to platform-api2.max.ru is 30 rps"
the source contradicts itself: the help centre for people promises "up to 4 GB each" directly for photographs and videos, while the developer documentation on the same day sets an image 50 MB and a video 250 MB; the numbers for a bot — https://dev.max.ru/docs-api ; the stickers — https://max.ru/help/bots/kak-zagruzit-svoi-stikery Quoted text is our translation from Russian.
source, checked 2026-08-04
Content
three kinds are available on the platform: chatbots (dialogue scenarios), mini-apps (sites and programs launched inside the messenger — online shops or games, for example) and organisation channels for publishing news
source, checked 2026-07-28
scheduled publishing in a channel is available on Android, iPhone, Windows, macOS and in the browser; the restriction: «you will not be able to create more than 100 scheduled posts»
Flag native_exists: scheduling is handled by the platform's own tools
source, checked 2026-07-28
Promotion
A CLAIM BY THE HOLDING COMPANY (04.06.2026): testing of live broadcasts in channels has begun; access is promised to authors with an audience of more than 10,000 subscribers; a broadcast is launched through a bot in the admin panel by inserting a link to VK Video
As of the check date this is testing, not a generally available feature
source, checked 2026-07-28
Advertising
MAX is listed among the social networks in the VK Ads account: «VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, MAX, Dzen»
No separate ad account was found for the messenger
source, checked 2026-07-28
How the money works here
MAX channels are accepted into the «Yandex Advertising Network for bloggers» programme: «At present you can connect channels in Telegram, in MAX, in Dzen on RUTUBE, YouTube, and also VKontakte communities»; the threshold is «from 1,000 subscribers»; «only residents of the Russian Federation can connect to the service»; monetization is open to legal entities, sole traders and the self-employed; payments monthly after a contract
The only confirmed way of monetizing a MAX channel is external. The minimum payout amount is not stated on the page
source, checked 2026-07-28
Limits and restrictions
limits on public channels: an organisation or sole trader — up to 10, a self-employed individual — 1, a user with a Digital ID — fewer than 5. Private channels: the number is not limited, but they are available «only to users with a Russian phone number»
source, checked 2026-07-28
up to 12 media files in one message (video and images combined); an image — up to 50 MB or 7680×7680 pixels; video — up to 250 MB; audio — up to 256 MB or 60 minutes; a file — up to 4 GB. Files are attached only together with inline keyboard buttons
source, checked 2026-07-28
the inline keyboard: «210 buttons grouped into 30 rows — up to 7 buttons in each»; up to 3 in a row if these are link buttons, app buttons, location or contact buttons
source, checked 2026-07-28
Restrictions
separate documents: rules for publishing chatbots and mini-apps, requirements for the content and functionality of applications, a model user agreement and a model privacy policy
The developer is prescribed model documents for their own applications
source, checked 2026-07-28
public channels: up to 10 for legal entities and sole traders, 1 for the self-employed
The number of channels IS TIED TO TAX STATUS, as is monetisation on RUTUBE
source, checked 2026-07-27
users from certain countries cannot start chats with people they do not know, create private channels or be added to group chats by link; they do receive messages and communicate with those who have added them to their contacts
The list of countries where the restrictions apply is not given on the page
source, checked 2026-07-28
Moderation
The ladder is not formalised. The agreement: the company may «warn, notify, inform the User of their non-compliance with this Agreement» and «suspend, restrict or terminate the User's access to the Service and/or its individual features» (verbatim). The help centre: «If you have broken the rules for the first time, access to the profile may be restored» (verbatim) — a first violation need not lead to a permanent block.
The quotations from the agreement come from legal.max.ru/ps (a host with no robots.txt); the help centre help.max.ru is allowed by robots.
source, checked 2026-08-07
No separate form for appealing a block is announced. The help centre, when an account is blocked, suggests writing to support (including with screenshots attached); under the user agreement enquiries «may be sent to the Company's registered address» (verbatim).
The article describes restoration in detail for blocks due to incorrect data and hacking; for a block for violations the only route is through support.
source, checked 2026-08-07
No special deadline for appeals is named; the general one under the agreement is that the company will endeavour to «consider enquiries and claims addressed to it within 30 calendar days» (verbatim).
The 30 days is the general deadline for claims, not one specific to blocks.
source, checked 2026-08-07
Legal
the user agreement forbids «carrying out mass mailings of messages to other Users without their prior consent and/or any other similar unsolicited mailings (spam)» (4.3.4) and using «automated scripts (programs, bots, crawlers)» without permission (4.3.5–4.3.7); the user bears sole responsibility for the information they post (4.5)
source, checked 2026-07-28
the rules for publishing applications: the developer independently secures the lawful basis for collecting data and its protection; the platform is entitled to «suspend, restrict or terminate Users' access to the Application(s)» without prior notice and without explaining the reasons; the platform «bears no responsibility for the content and form of the Application»; the developer undertakes to «compensate the Company for the losses incurred in connection with this»; the platform is granted a «free irrevocable right» to use and promote the application
source, checked 2026-07-28
the age requirement is set by reference: registration is available to persons «who have reached the age permitted under the legislation of the Russian Federation for accepting the terms of the Agreement» (1.5); there is no specific number of years in the agreement
The platform does not name a number of years
source, checked 2026-07-28
API access
Capabilities. the bot API: information about the bot and editing its commands, work with group chats and channels (listing, details, editing, pinning and unpinning messages, managing administrators, removing the bot)
source, checked 2026-07-28
the platform has three kinds of integration: chatbots, mini-apps and channels; for bots there is a no-code scenario builder and development with code
source, checked 2026-07-28
official libraries for JavaScript and Golang, with examples of creating bots
source, checked 2026-07-28
the site has a «For developers» section with technical and API documentation
For a new platform having an API matters: it determines whether tools will appear
source, checked 2026-07-27
Capabilities. chatbots, mini-apps for requests and orders, channels for publishing content, integrations with partner services
Refutes the earlier entry: channels and bots DO exist, they are simply not mentioned on the home page
source, checked 2026-07-27
a bot token; chatbots go through MODERATION before publication; verification of the organisation's profile is required
The opposite of Telegram, where a token is issued automatically without approval
source, checked 2026-07-27
official libraries for JavaScript and Golang; a no-code scenario builder
source, checked 2026-07-27
«the maximum number of requests to platform-api2.max.ru is 30 rps»
NEW FACT: the only published rate limit for MAX
source, checked 2026-07-28
the method GET /chats has not been supported since June 2026
A sign that the API is changing and integrations require maintenance
source, checked 2026-07-28
a «Digital ID» and integration with partners are announced
The contents of the section were not collected
source, checked 2026-07-28
Services
age confirmation, filling in and signing documents online
Atypical for a messenger: state and administrative functions
source, checked 2026-07-27
Languages
the interface language of the home page: ru
The language is taken from the markup attribute, the versions from hreflang
source, checked 2026-07-28
Catalogue section: all similar
Notes shared by several facts
- the company's investor presentation. Verbatim: «более 7 миллионов иностранных пользователей, 90% которых — жители СНГ»
See also: catalogue index · region: Russia and CIS · scheduler comparison · find by situation · platform restrictions