Last checked . Telegram rules checked against Telegram's documentation: Telegram Bots: introduction, Bot Features: global commands, Bot Features: privacy mode, Telegram inline bots, Payments in Telegram Stars, Telegram Mini Apps. Bot commands, limits and prices come from the bots' own data, verified .
Bots are a big part of Telegram, but the rules they follow aren’t obvious. A bot isn’t a person, and in a group it often sees far less than you’d think. Below is what a bot is and what it can and can’t see, based on Telegram’s own documentation. The examples are bots by the maker of this site, who also runs it.
What is a Telegram bot?
A Telegram bot is a small app that runs inside Telegram and that you use by chatting with it. Telegram says its bot platform hosts more than 10 million bots and is free for both users and developers. You send a bot messages, commands like /start, or taps on its buttons, and software on the owner’s server answers.
Bots do one job or many. Santa Draw draws Secret Santa names in a group. Group Gate asks new members to prove they’re human. Nudge sends you reminders. Some bots also open a Mini App: a full web app inside Telegram.
How is a bot different from a normal Telegram account?
A Telegram bot is a special account that doesn’t need a phone number, according to Telegram. Bots show a “bot” label instead of a last-seen or online status, and their usernames normally end in “bot”. A bot can’t start a conversation: a person must message it first or add it to a group.
| A person | A bot | |
|---|---|---|
| Needs a phone number | Yes | No |
| Status in chats | Last seen / online | A “bot” label |
| Can message you first | Yes | No. You press Start first |
| Sees group messages | All of them | Only commands and replies meant for it, by default |
| Run by | A human | Software on the owner’s server |
Telegram also says bots have limited cloud storage, so the server may remove older messages soon after the bot has processed them.
How do you start using a Telegram bot?
To start a Telegram bot, open its chat and press Start. You find a bot by searching its @username in Telegram or by tapping its t.me link. Pressing Start sends the /start command, the bot replies with what it can do, and from then on it can send you messages. Type / to see its commands.
- Find the bot. Search for the @username, for example @SantaDrawProBot, or tap a link such as the ones on this site.
- Press Start. Telegram shows a Start button the first time you open a bot.
- Send a command. Type
/for the list, or send/help.
Every bot on this site has a page with its real commands. Browse the Telegram bot list, or read the Telegram bot commands guide.
How do bots work in Telegram groups?
In a Telegram group, a bot runs in privacy mode by default. It sees commands meant for it, replies to its own messages and messages sent through it, but not the whole conversation. Bots added as admins see all messages. That is why a bot that deletes spam needs admin rights, while a game like Spy Party doesn’t.
- Add the bot. Open the group’s member list and add the bot by its @username. Some bots give a link that asks you which group to add them to.
- Give only the rights it needs. A spam filter needs to delete messages. Spy Party needs no admin rights at all.
- Expect DMs. Bots that send secret roles or matches need each person to press Start in a private chat first.
The step-by-step version is in how to add a bot to a Telegram group.
What are inline bots and Mini Apps?
An inline bot works in any chat without being added: you type its @username and a query in the message field. A Mini App is a web app built with JavaScript that a bot opens inside Telegram. Both are bots, used in a different way. Telegram documents inline mode and Mini Apps as standard bot features.
For example, WhisperLock is an inline bot. You type @WhisperLockBot @friend meet me at 8 in any chat, and it posts a locked message that only @friend can open. Learn more on the Telegram Mini Apps page.
Are Telegram bots safe?
A Telegram bot sees what you send it and, in groups, what privacy mode or admin rights allow. Telegram doesn’t let a bot message you first or join a group by itself: a person has to start it or add it. Safety depends on the bot’s owner, so give bots only the access their job needs.
- Check what a group bot needs. If a game bot asks for admin rights it doesn’t need, say no.
- Never share your login code. No real bot needs your Telegram login code or password.
- Read the privacy notes. Each bot page on this site lists what that bot stores and when it deletes it.
Do Telegram bots cost money?
Telegram says its bot platform is free for users and developers, and each bot decides what it charges. Paid features for digital goods are bought with Telegram Stars inside the bot. On this site, 30 bots sell a Pro upgrade for 150 or 75 Stars, paid once. In Telegram’s own table, 150 Stars cost $2.99.
See every Pro upgrade on the Pro page, or read how much Telegram Stars cost. If you want a bot for your own community, the maker of these bots also builds custom bots.
Key terms
- Telegram bot
- A special Telegram account run by software on its owner's server. People talk to it with messages, commands and buttons.
- Bot API
- The HTTPS interface that developers use to run a bot. Telegram's server handles the encryption and the connection to Telegram.
- Start button
- The button you see the first time you open a chat with a bot. Pressing it sends /start and lets the bot message you.
- Inline bot
- A bot you use by typing its @username and a query in any chat's message field, without adding it to that chat.
- Mini App
- A web app built with JavaScript that a bot opens inside Telegram, for jobs that need more than a chat.
Questions people ask
Are Telegram bots free? +
Telegram says its bot platform is free for both users and developers. Each bot decides what it charges for. Many are free to start and sell extra features for Telegram Stars inside the bot.
Can a Telegram bot read my messages? +
In a private chat, a bot receives the messages you send it. In a group, a bot runs in privacy mode by default and sees only commands and messages meant for it, unless it's an admin or its owner turned privacy mode off.
Can a Telegram bot message me first? +
No. Telegram doesn't let bots start conversations. A bot can write to you only after you open it and press Start, or after you add it to a group it then posts in.
How do I find a Telegram bot? +
Search for its @username in Telegram, or open its t.me link. Bot usernames usually end in bot. This site lists 35 bots by job, each with its commands and a one-tap link.
Is a Telegram bot the same as an AI chatbot? +
Not always. A Telegram bot is any account run by software. Some bots are AI assistants, but many do one fixed job, like drawing Secret Santa names or deleting spam links.
Pro is paid once in Telegram Stars, inside each bot. No account and no card on this site. The Pro page lists every bot's price and what Pro adds.
⭐ See every Pro upgrade
