The short answer: a Telegram bot can cost anywhere from $0 to $5,000+ depending on how you build it. Telegram's Bot API itself is completely free — there are no per-message charges, no monthly API fees, and no limits on the number of bots you can create. The real costs come from the tools or developers you use to build and host the bot, and the complexity of what you want it to do.
This guide breaks down every cost category so you can budget accurately, whether you are a solo freelancer building your first bot or a company planning an enterprise-grade automation system.
Telegram Bot API: Always Free
Telegram's Bot API has been free since its launch in 2015, and Telegram has committed to keeping it free. There are no per-message fees, no conversation-based pricing, and no tiered API access. Whether your bot sends 100 messages or 1 million messages per month, the API cost is $0.
This is a fundamental difference from platforms like WhatsApp, where the Business API charges per conversation ($0.005–$0.08 depending on category and country), or Facebook Messenger, which has similar commercial pricing. Telegram's free API means your cost per lead, cost per booking, or cost per support ticket from the bot is determined entirely by your tooling and hosting — not by message volume.
Key takeaway
Telegram's Bot API is free with no per-message charges. Your total cost depends on the builder or developer you use, not on message volume.
Option 1: No-Code Bot Builder Platforms ($0–$49/month)
No-code bot builders are the most cost-effective option for businesses that need a working bot without hiring developers. These platforms provide visual drag-and-drop editors where you design conversation flows, set up triggers, and connect integrations without writing code. Pricing typically ranges from free starter tiers to $50–$100 per month for business plans.
| Plan | Price | Bots | Messages/Month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | Free forever | 1 | 100 |
| Pro | $9/month | 3 | 2,000 |
| Business | $19/month | 10 | 10,000 |
| Enterprise | $49/month | Unlimited | Unlimited |
The total monthly cost for a no-code Telegram bot typically ranges from $0 (free tiers) to $49/month for business-grade plans with multiple bots and high message volumes. With a platform like Botract, hosting, the visual editor, and bot execution are bundled together, so there are no surprise costs. For most small businesses, a $9–$19/month plan covers everything needed.
Option 2: Custom Bot Development ($500–$5,000+)
If you need a highly customized bot with features that no-code builders cannot support — such as complex database integrations, AI-powered conversations, custom payment flows, or proprietary business logic — hiring a developer is the next step. Custom Telegram bot development costs vary widely based on complexity.
| Bot Complexity | Examples | Estimated Cost | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | FAQ bot, menu bot, notification bot | $500–$1,500 | 1–2 weeks |
| Medium | Booking system, lead capture with CRM, e-commerce catalog | $1,500–$3,000 | 2–4 weeks |
| Complex | AI chatbot, multi-language, payment processing, admin dashboard | $3,000–$5,000+ | 1–3 months |
| Enterprise | Full platform integration, custom analytics, multi-bot orchestration | $5,000–$20,000+ | 3–6 months |
Freelance Telegram bot developers on platforms like Upwork typically charge $25–$75 per hour. Development agencies charge $75–$150+ per hour. A simple FAQ bot might take 20–40 hours of development time, while a complex e-commerce bot with payment integration could take 100–200+ hours. Always get a fixed-price quote when possible to avoid scope creep.
Hosting and Infrastructure Costs ($0–$50/month)
If you use a no-code builder, hosting is included in your subscription — you do not need to worry about servers. If you build a custom bot, you need to host it somewhere. The good news is that Telegram bots are lightweight and do not require expensive infrastructure.
For low-traffic bots handling a few hundred users, free-tier options work well: Railway (free tier), Render (free tier with sleep), Vercel (serverless functions), or even a $5/month VPS from providers like DigitalOcean or Hetzner. For bots handling thousands of concurrent users, expect to spend $10–$50/month on a dedicated VPS or cloud instance. Database costs are usually minimal — a free-tier PostgreSQL instance on Supabase or Neon handles most bot workloads.
Hidden Costs Most People Miss
Maintenance and Updates
Custom bots need ongoing maintenance. Telegram regularly updates its Bot API with new features and occasionally deprecates old methods. Budget 2–5 hours per month ($50–$375) for a developer to keep your custom bot running smoothly. No-code platforms handle this for you automatically as part of your subscription.
Third-Party Integrations
If your bot connects to payment processors (Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction), AI services (OpenAI API costs $0.50–$15 per million tokens), email marketing platforms, or CRM tools, each integration has its own pricing. These costs scale with usage and can add up quickly if not planned for.
Your Time
Whether you are building with a no-code tool or managing a developer, your time has value. Setting up a bot on a no-code platform takes 1–3 hours. Designing effective conversation flows, writing compelling messages, and testing takes another 5–10 hours. Managing a custom development project takes 10–20+ hours of your time for requirements, feedback, and testing. Factor this into your total cost calculation.
Total Cost by Business Size
| Business Type | Recommended Approach | Monthly Cost | Setup Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo freelancer | Free no-code builder | $0 | $0 |
| Small business | No-code builder (Pro plan) | $9–$19 | $0 |
| Growing business | No-code builder (Business/Enterprise) | $19–$49 | $0 |
| Custom needs | Developer + hosting | $15–$75 | $500–$5,000 |
| Enterprise | Custom development + dedicated infrastructure | $100–$500+ | $5,000–$20,000+ |
Is a Telegram Bot Worth the Investment?
The ROI on a Telegram bot depends on what it replaces. Consider a simple example: a service business that currently handles 30 appointment inquiries per month manually, spending an average of 10 minutes per inquiry on back-and-forth scheduling. That is 5 hours of staff time per month. At $25/hour, you are spending $125/month on scheduling alone. A $9/month Telegram bot that automates this same process saves $116/month — a return of over 12x.
For lead generation, the math is even more compelling. Businesses using Telegram bot lead capture report conversion rates 2–4 times higher than web forms, with response rates above 80% compared to 20% for email. If a bot-generated lead is worth $50 to your business and the bot generates 10 leads per month, that is $500 in value from a tool that costs $9–$19/month.
The bottom line: for most businesses, a Telegram bot is one of the highest-ROI tools available. The combination of a free API, affordable no-code builders, and high engagement rates makes the cost-to-value ratio exceptionally favorable, especially compared to alternatives like hiring staff or building on platforms with per-message fees.
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