Russians continue to migrate to exotic messengers, although download rates have slowed down. According to "Kommersant" with reference to MTS AdTech data, Turkish BiP became the growth leader: in the second quarter of 2026, its audience soared by 120% and reached 4.3 million unique users.

South Korean KakaoTalk added 80% (to 1.26 million), WeChat – 17%, and Gem Space – 11%. The absolute leader among foreign services remains American Imo with 12.2 million users, although its growth has almost stopped. All this dynamic unfolds against the backdrop of declining interest in platforms that have fallen under restrictions: SimpleX lost 41% of its audience, Discord – 8%.

The main driver of the outflow is the search for alternatives in case of failures and blockages. The removal of VK and Max from the App Store and Google Play, as well as EU sanctions, prompted users to test new platforms.

However, experts warn: there is no mass migration. Registering in several applications does not yet make them primary, and the main barrier for newcomers is the lack of an established social circle. Rather, a stable segment of alternative messengers is being formed, whose consolidation in the market will depend on their readiness to operate within the Russian legal framework. The main audience of such services is people aged 35–44, accounting for 30% of users.