Telegram Bot or Mini App: Which to Choose for Your Business

For requests, statuses and notifications, a regular Telegram bot is enough: a ready-made mini CRM in Telegram costs €350, and a full bot-based system costs €1 000–2 000. A Mini App is a web interface inside Telegram; it makes sense when chat buttons are no longer enough: long forms, tables, a catalogue.

How a bot differs from a Mini App

A bot is a conversation in a chat. A person taps buttons under messages or sends commands such as /start, and the bot replies with messages and new buttons. When something changes, the bot writes to the chat on its own: a new request, a new status, a new listing in the queue.

A Mini App is a web page that opens inside Telegram, without switching to a browser. It can show what is awkward in a chat: a form with many fields, a table with filters, a catalogue with product cards. A Mini App is launched from a bot, so such a solution still includes a bot.

Side-by-side comparison

Prices are indicative, in euros; the full list is on our pricing page.

When a bot is enough

Requests, statuses and notifications come down to three actions: take something in, pass it on and report the result. Chat buttons handle that well, and this is exactly the kind of bot we build. Our case studies show it:

• Requests and statuses. In our repair service case study, an operator creates a request through a quiz, an administrator assigns a free technician, the technician updates statuses, and statistics are calculated automatically. The result: 0 lost requests and 45 fewer hours of routine work a month.
• Customer support. Operators answer customers through the bot with the full chat history and without access to the owner's account.
• Moderation. Listings join a queue, and an admin publishes, rejects or blocks in one tap: under 1 minute per listing.
• Company information. A business card bot shows services, terms and contacts with button navigation.

A bot fits when every action takes a few taps and what matters most is that people get the message on time. Formats and prices are on our Telegram bot development page.

When chat buttons are not enough

Signs that a chat is no longer enough:

• one form has many fields, and answering them one question at a time takes too long;
• you need tables with filters and sorting;
• you need a catalogue with a large number of items;
• different people need to see different screens and have different permissions.

Then you need a web interface. If your team works in it every day, our price list has a web system for that: a CRM with a web admin panel and a Telegram bot for €3 000–5 000. The admin panel covers roles, reminders, requests and customers, and we add the bot for quick access if you need it. Development takes up to a month.

How to decide: three questions

1. Does every action fit into a few buttons? If yes, go with a bot. If your process is requests, assignees and statuses, start with the €350 ready-made mini CRM: we install it on the day of purchase.
2. Do you need tables, filters, a catalogue or long forms? If yes, you need a web interface: a web admin panel with a bot for €3 000–5 000, or a Mini App priced once the task is described.
3. How much time and budget do you have? The simpler the interface, the faster the launch: a ready-made mini CRM on the day of purchase, a custom bot-based solution from €350 or a €1 000–2 000 system within a month of development.

How to choose between a ready-made solution and custom development for your budget is covered in “Ready-made or custom-built”.

FAQ