Telegram Bot API is completely free with all essential features included. No paid tiers offered, making it perfect for budget-conscious users.
Message @BotFather on Telegram, send /newbot, choose a name and username, and receive your bot token. That's it — you can start making API calls immediately. No approval process, no verification, no fees.
By default, bots only see commands and direct replies (privacy mode). You can disable privacy mode via @BotFather to receive all group messages. This is useful for context-aware AI agents but means the bot processes more data.
30 messages per second to different chats, 20 messages per minute within a single group chat. For most AI agent use cases, these limits are more than sufficient. Bulk notification features are available for bots with many users.
Telegram is dramatically easier and cheaper for bot development — free, no approval, rich bot features. WhatsApp requires Business API access, template message approval, per-message pricing, and has more restrictive policies. Telegram is better for developer tools and community bots; WhatsApp is better for customer communication in markets where WhatsApp dominates.
It's completely free — no credit card required.
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Last verified March 2026