A moderation bot takes suggested listings or news from members, puts them in the admins' queue, and an admin publishes, rejects or blocks the author in one tap. In our case of a group with 8,000 members and ~120 requests a day, moderating one listing takes under 1 minute, and the whole community is run by 1 admin.
How one-tap moderation works
- Request through the bot. A member sends their post to the bot using a template. In a listings group the template is: type (buying, selling, looking for), title, description, price and location.
- Queue. The bot structures the request and forwards it to the admins' chat with buttons.
- One-tap decision. The admin publishes the request, rejects it with or without a reason, or blocks a user who breaks the community rules.
- Ready post. The approved listing appears in the group already neatly structured.
What else helps the admin
- Author stats. The request shows how many of this user's listings were approved in the last 7 days. That makes it easier to judge how active and reliable they are.
- Help in the bot. The rules for posting listings, the contact of the person in charge and the community's other projects are available right in the bot.
Manual vs bot moderation: a comparison
The comparison is based on the case of a listings group with 8,000 members: how things were before the bot and after.
| Step | Manual | Bot moderation |
|---|---|---|
| Receiving posts | Listings were unstructured and had to be tidied up | A template form; the bot structures the request |
| Queue | Requests got lost, some waited 2–3 days | One queue in the admins' chat |
| Decision | Slow and manual | One tap: publish, reject, block |
| Rejection | The admin messages privately and reveals their account | Rejection with or without a reason via a button in the queue |
| Spam | Slipped into the group | A separate button to block the offender |
| Team | Up to 7 admins | 1 admin in their spare time |
In the bot's first 30 days, the admins' manual work dropped by 95%, and there was no spam in the group at all. Before, it took up to 7 volunteer admins to keep moderation going, and they burned out and missed requests. Now one admin is enough, keeping an eye on the process in their spare time. The full story is in the article “Automating Moderation in Telegram Channels and Groups” and on the listings moderation case page.
Where this is useful
The “request, queue, one tap” flow fits anywhere members suggest posts and an admin publishes them:
- classified ad and offer boards;
- local news and neighbourhood groups where subscribers suggest news;
- HR and recruiting groups;
- volunteer hubs collecting requests for help;
- civic watch groups and entertainment channels.
Our case is a listings group. For suggested news the template fields will be different; we agree on them to match your community's rules.
How much bot moderation costs
There is no separate price for moderation: the bot is set up for your community, so we quote the price once you describe the task. As a guide, here are the prices for Telegram bot-based solutions:
| What | Price |
|---|---|
| Small custom solution based on a Telegram bot | from €350 |
| Full system based on a Telegram bot | €1 000–2 000 |
| Hosting on our server, backups included | €8.50 a month |
| Priority support, optional | €50 a month |
| Warranty on the developed solution | 12 months |
Custom development takes up to a month. To quote a price, we need to know what we are automating, how many people will work with the bot, what it should integrate with, your industry, your timeline and budget. All prices are on the prices and timelines page; other types of bots are on the Telegram bot development page.
Important: prices are approximate. We give the exact price and timeline once we have clarified the task.
FAQ
What does one-tap moderation mean?
A member's request arrives in the admins' chat with buttons, and an admin publishes it, rejects it with or without a reason, or blocks the author with a single tap. In the case of a group with 8,000 members, one listing takes under 1 minute.
How much does a moderation bot for a Telegram group cost?
There is no separate price for moderation: we quote it once you describe the task. As a guide, a small custom solution based on a Telegram bot costs from €350, a full system €1 000–2 000, and hosting on our server €8.50 a month.
Can suggested news be moderated, not just listings?
Yes, the flow is the same: a member sends the news to the bot, it joins the queue, and an admin decides in one tap. We agree on the template fields for news to match your community's rules.
How does a moderation bot help against spam?
Requests go through the admins' queue, and there is a separate button to block rule breakers. In the listings group case, there was no spam in the group during the first 30 days.
How many admins are needed once the bot is running?
In the case of a group with 8,000 members and ~120 requests a day, up to 7 admins were involved before. After the bot launched, 1 admin runs the community in their spare time.
How long does it take to launch a moderation bot?
Developing a bot for your task takes up to a month. The developed solution comes with a 12-month warranty.