Short answer: creating a bot in Telegram costs nothing: BotFather is free and bots message their users at no cost. You pay for the logic and the server that runs it. Doing it yourself costs your time plus hosting. On Fiverr, basic bots typically start around $50–100, AI bots often cost more, and hosting is often extra. A bot builder is a monthly plan: on GramForge one bot with bookings, reminders and sales for Telegram Stars is free, and paid plans start at $23 a month billed yearly (the same price in every country).
What you actually pay for
- The bot account: free. You create it in BotFather in a couple of minutes.
- Messages: free for normal use. Only very fast mass broadcasts above Telegram's free limit of about 30 messages a second cost Stars.
- The logic: someone has to build what the bot does: menus, bookings, orders, answers. That's your time, a freelancer's fee or a builder's plan.
- Hosting: the bot has to run on a server 24/7. With your own code you rent a server; builders include it.
- AI answers: if the bot answers questions with AI, someone pays for the AI model: you through an API key, or the builder within plan limits.
- Changes: new prices, services or hours. With code or a freelancer each change is work; with a builder you change it yourself.
Three ways and what they cost
| Route | Upfront | Every month | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Write the code yourself | Your time | A server, plus an AI API if you use one | Developers, unusual logic |
| Freelancer (Fiverr, Upwork) | Basic bots from about $50–100 on Fiverr; AI bots often more | Hosting often extra, about $10–20 at some sellers; changes as new orders | Custom logic and integrations |
| AI bot builder (GramForge) | $0 | Free for one bot; paid plans from $23 billed yearly | Bookings, orders, payments, answers |
Freelancer prices are indicative, from Fiverr and Upwork listings as of October 2026.
GramForge prices
- Free: 1 bot with bookings, reminders, sales for Telegram Stars, 100 AI answers a month and 1 channel with 4 posts. No card needed.
- Starter: $29 a month, or $23 a month billed yearly: 2,000 AI answers, card payments for bookings and orders, webhooks.
- Pro: $74 a month, or $59 billed yearly: up to 3 bots without the badge, 10,000 AI answers, a booking page and storefront inside the chat.
- Studio: $200 a month, or $160 billed yearly: up to 10 client projects for freelancers and agencies.
Prices are the same in every country. You pay in Telegram Stars, and gramforge.io shows the price in your currency. Hosting is included in every plan.
How to keep the cost down
- Start with what clients ask most often: bookings, prices, hours. Add the rest later.
- Try a free plan before you pay anyone. A working bot shows what you really need.
- Count the monthly costs, not just the build: hosting, AI and every future change.
- Pay a developer only for what a builder can't do, such as a link to an internal system without an API.