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The Russian messenger app Max recorded around *** million downloads between November 1 and 26, 2025, with the numbers increasing each month from March, when it was launched, to August 2025. The app's cumulative downloads since the release have reached over ** million.

Facts about the Max messenger app

Max is a superapp by VK, one of the major digital companies in Russia. The country's government selected it to become an official national messaging app and planned to integrate the e-government service Gosuslugi into it. Mobile payments through the Fast Payment System (FPS) are already available in the app. 

The messenger market in Russia

WhatsApp is the most-used messaging app in Russia, with a reach of ** percent in October 2024. Telegram, with a reach of ** percent, is the most-downloaded app in that category, having been installed **** million times throughout 2024.

With potential WhatsApp and Telegram bans being discussed in the country and the government encouraging public institutions to switch to Max, the new app could create competition for the existing apps in the market. At the same time, the app faces criticism over the state's access to personal data of the users and raises concerns that it might further strengthen Russia's sovereign internet policy.