Short answer. In 2026 a simple Telegram bot — a menu, lead capture, forwarding to a manager — costs ₽2,500–5,000 and takes 1–3 days. A bot with a database and logic (bookings, forms, statuses, reminders) is ₽5,000–20,000 and 3–7 days. A Telegram shop with a catalogue, cart and orders starts at ₽5,000 on a ready-made base and runs ₽20,000–60,000 with your own catalogue and payments. Connecting AI (ChatGPT / Claude) so the bot answers free-form questions adds from ₽5,000. Support is from ₽2,000 a month, and not everyone needs it.
Below: where the difference inside the single word "bot" comes from, what moves the estimate the most, and where it is safe to save.
Price ranges by bot type
| Bot type | Timeline | Market range | When it is enough |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead-capture bot: menu, form, forwarding to a manager | 1–3 days | ₽2,500 – 5,000 | You need to catch enquiries from Telegram and stop losing them — no database, no customer account |
| Bot with a database and logic: bookings, forms, reminders | 3–7 days | ₽5,000 – 20,000 | Salon, studio, doctor, courses: the client books themselves and gets reminders |
| Telegram shop: catalogue, cart, orders | 3–10 days | ₽5,000 – 60,000 | A small catalogue, orders to a manager or with payment; prices pulled from the website |
| Chat or channel moderator bot | 1–5 days | ₽3,000 – 9,000 | A community that needs rules, a welcome message, anti-spam and custom conditions |
| Bot with AI: free-form answers from a knowledge base | +2–5 days | +₽5,000 – 15,000 | Support, consultations, FAQ — answering questions that are not in the menu |
| Customer account with payments, subscriptions, history | 2–4 weeks | ₽40,000 – 120,000 | A service where the client pays inside Telegram and comes back regularly |
The ranges are taken from the market and deliberately wide. The upper limit almost always means not "an expensive contractor" but more scenarios, integrations and screens — more on that below.
Four things that move the price
1. The number of scenarios, not "complexity"
A bot is a set of branches: "pressed a button → got a reply → chose the next step". A five-branch bot costs half of a twenty-branch one, even if every branch is simple. Before ordering, draw the scheme on paper: how many buttons, how many steps to the result, where the bot writes to a person. That is the specification, and the price is calculated precisely from it.
2. A database and what it stores
While the bot only forwards messages, there is no database and the price is minimal. As soon as it has to remember the client, their bookings, orders and statuses, a database appears, plus a panel to view it and logic for "what to do if a booking is cancelled". That is an extra ₽3,000–15,000 depending on the number of entities.
3. Integrations: CRM, spreadsheets, payments, website
Every external system is separate work: connecting a CRM — from ₽3,000, export to Google Sheets — from ₽1,200, accepting payments via a payment provider or Telegram Stars — from ₽5,000, syncing the catalogue with the website — from ₽3,000. Integrations often cost more than the bot itself — and they are the item most often left out of the budget.
4. AI inside the bot
A menu bot answers only what was foreseen. A bot with connected AI answers a free-form question from your knowledge base: prices, terms, instructions. That is from ₽5,000 for the connection plus preparing the knowledge base (from ₽2,000 per 50 questions) and small model usage costs — usually a few hundred roubles a month for a small business.
What else lands in the estimate
- Script and copy. A good bot speaks briefly and to the point. A 10-branch script without code — from ₽2,000; if you write it yourself — a saving.
- Hosting. The bot has to run somewhere around the clock: a server from ₽200–500 a month. Deployment on your own account and server — from ₽1,000, and then the bot is entirely yours.
- Support. From ₽2,000 a month: copy edits, new buttons, checking the bot is alive. Needed if the bot changes; a lead-capture bot runs for years without it.
- Rights and handover. The bot is registered on your account, the source code and access are handed to you — this must be in the contract, or in a year the bot "leaves" together with the contractor.
Where you can save and where it ends up costing more
You can: start with a 5–7-branch bot and add as needed; write the button copy yourself; use Google Sheets instead of a CRM at the start; take a ready-made shop base instead of building from scratch.
It ends up costing more: ordering "everything at once" without a scheme — half the branches turn out unnecessary; skimping on the database when clients need to be remembered — the rework costs as much as a new bot; taking a bot from a contractor who does not hand over the code and access.
How to know the price 10 minutes before you enquire
- Draw the menu: the top-level buttons and what sits behind each.
- Answer whether the bot needs to remember the client between visits. Yes — that is a database.
- List where the data must go: CRM, spreadsheet, email, a manager in Telegram.
- Decide whether payments and AI answers are needed. Each "yes" is a separate line in the estimate.
- With this list any contractor will name a price to within 10–15%.
Can I build a bot for free in a constructor?
Yes, for a simple menu and lead capture constructors are fine. The limits appear at the database, integrations and payments: there it is either a paid plan for years ahead or a move to custom development. Count the constructor's cost over 2–3 years — it is often higher than a turnkey bot.
How long does development take?
A lead-capture bot — 1–3 days, a bot with a database — 3–7 days, a shop — up to 10 days, a customer account with payments — 2–4 weeks. Most of the time goes not on code but on agreeing the script and the copy.
Who owns the bot after delivery?
You do: the bot is created on your account, the source code and server access are handed over. Check this clause in the contract before work starts.
Which is more expensive — a bot or a Mini App?
A Mini App is more expensive: from ₽15,000 for a simple app and from ₽35,000 for a shop, because it is a full interface inside Telegram. A button bot is cheaper and faster but limited to a menu. When to choose which — we covered in a separate article: Mini App or bot.