In short. A bot is a dialogue and buttons: requests, bookings, a small catalogue, from 3 000 ₴. A Mini App is a full application inside Telegram: screens, photos, a cart, an account, from 25 000 ₴. One rule: where your clients are and what they have to do — book, order, pay or just ask.
We hear “bot or Mini App?” almost as often as “how much”. And “it depends” is an honest answer here, but a useless one. So below is what exactly it depends on, with the ranges from our price list.
How they really differ
A bot is a conversation in a chat. The client presses buttons, answers questions, gets messages. A menu, booking a time slot, a catalogue by category, a request form, reminders — a bot does all of that without a single screen. The fastest format to start with is a business-card bot: from 1 day.
A Mini App is a web application that opens inside Telegram: its own screens, design, a catalogue with photos, a cart, an account with order history. No installation, no App Store, no passwords — the visitor is signed in with their Telegram data. It lives inside a bot, but the bot can be minimal here: just the entrance.
The difference is not “cooler”; it is how much a client needs to see and do in one go. While buttons are enough — a bot. When the client browses, compares and comes back — a Mini App.
When a bot is enough
- Booking — a salon, a clinic, a car service, a tutor. The client picks a service, a specialist and a time, the bot records it and reminds them the day before. An account is redundant here. Range: 6 000–14 000 ₴.
- A small catalogue — food delivery, a small shop: a menu by category, a cart, the order goes to the administrator in Telegram. Payment on delivery or by transfer. Range: 7 000–15 000 ₴.
- A business card and FAQ — services, B2B, courses: sections, answers to common questions, a request form. Range: 3 000–6 000 ₴.
- Payment inside the bot — when the money has to be taken at once: a catalogue or booking plus a payment provider. Range: 12 000–30 000 ₴.
If your clients already write to you in Telegram and the catalogue has dozens of items rather than hundreds, a bot closes the task on its own, in days.
When you need a Mini App
- Many items and photos — hundreds of products, where cards, filters and navigation matter and the bot's buttons are no longer enough. A storefront in a Mini App: 25 000–60 000 ₴.
- A personal account — order history, statuses, bonuses, user roles, card payment. A Mini App with payment and an account: 25 000–80 000 ₴.
- Loyalty and mechanics — a guest card with stamps, referral programmes, tasks, leaderboards. Game and referral Mini Apps: 30 000–100 000 ₴; art and animation are priced separately.
- The full set — a bot runs the dialogue and notifications, the Mini App is the interface, the admin panel manages content and orders, plus integrations. That is 35 000–120 000 ₴, and a project like that is split into stages with a demo and a payment for each.
What about a mobile app?
We do not build native iOS and Android apps — that is a different product, with app stores, review queues and a separate budget per platform. A Mini App covers most of the same tasks for a business whose clients are already in Telegram: no installation, no sign-up, the product updates instantly and works on both systems at once. If what you need is an app in the App Store, we will say so honestly and pass the task on to a partner.
What it costs: a bot versus a Mini App
| Format | Range | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Business-card / FAQ bot | 3 000–6 000 ₴ | from 1 day |
| Catalogue and orders bot | 7 000–15 000 ₴ | from 2 days |
| Bot with online payment | 12 000–30 000 ₴ | from 5 days |
| Storefront / catalogue in a Mini App | 25 000–60 000 ₴ | from 5 days |
| Mini App with payment and an account | 25 000–80 000 ₴ | from 10 days |
| Full set: bot + Mini App + admin panel | 35 000–120 000 ₴ | from 15 days |
The entry point of a Mini App is higher: 25 000 ₴ against 3 000 ₴ for a business-card bot. If the budget is noticeably smaller, the honest move is not a “cheaper Mini App” but starting with a bot: it takes orders within days, and the app is added once the first clients are there and it is clear what they need.
What moves the price inside the range: the number of screens, a template design or a custom one (+20–50 %), the cart and payment, the account and roles, the admin panel (+20–40 %), each external integration (+5 000–15 000 ₴). Filling the catalogue is not part of any option — you prepare it. The calculator will count the range for your own task.
How not to get it wrong: three questions
- Where do the clients come from? They write in Telegram — a bot or a Mini App. They search on Google or come from ads — a website first, with a Telegram layer on top of it.
- What does the client have to do? Book or leave a request — a bot. Choose from a hundred items, pay by card and come back for the history — a Mini App.
- How many items, roles, systems? Dozens of items and one administrator — a bot. Hundreds of items, roles, a CRM, a warehouse, Nova Poshta — a Mini App and stages.
A combination is a normal answer too: a bot first, a Mini App once it has earned its keep. Every stage ends with a demo and a payment, so you pay for the next one having seen the previous one.
FAQ: common questions about Mini Apps and bots
Does a Mini App work without a bot?
No. A Mini App opens from a bot — but the bot can be minimal, just the way into the app. We usually leave the dialogue and the notifications to it as well.
Can we start with a bot and add a Mini App later?
Yes, and that is the most common path. The bot takes orders from the first week, the Mini App is added as a second stage once it is clear what exactly the clients need. Each stage is estimated separately.
Do I need a finished design?
No. A template Mini App fits the basic range; a custom design for your brand is +20–50 %. We do not design logos or branding from scratch — that is a separate story, not ours.
What about payment and delivery?
Online payment is an add-on to any option: +5 000–15 000 ₴, the payment provider is registered in your name. A delivery service or a CRM — each integration is +5 000–15 000 ₴.
The figures in this article come from our price list: they are filled in automatically and match the calculator. It will count the range for your task in 30 seconds.