Should you build your own TeleMinute?
No-code Telegram bot builder with commands, auto-replies, lead forms, and broadcasts
A single personal bot with commands, keyword replies, and a basic broadcast is a solid weekend build on Telegram's friendly Bot API. What you are really buying is the hosted no-code layer: a dashboard a non-technical shop owner edits from a phone, scheduled broadcasts, lead-capture forms, analytics, and native iOS/Android apps. If you can run code you can replace your own subscription, but you cannot hand the DIY version to a client who cannot.
ENOriginal research content in English. Original prompt preserved in English.
Build me a personal Telegram bot for one business, replacing TeleMinute. Requirements:
- Node 22 + grammY + better-sqlite3, one small project, no build step; data
lives in data/bot.db.
- Long polling, not webhooks, so it runs anywhere with just BOT_TOKEN in
.env (create the bot with @BotFather first).
- Commands are defined in commands.yaml: name, reply text, optional image
path, optional inline URL buttons. Hot-reload the file on change.
- Keyword auto-replies in the same file: trigger words like "price" or
"hours" mapped to reply text.
- /start sends a greeting listing the available commands.
- Lead capture: /contact walks the user through name, phone, and message as
a short conversation, saves it to a leads table, and notifies me
(OWNER_CHAT_ID) immediately.
- Owner-only /broadcast <text>: send to every chat that has messaged the
bot, throttled under Telegram rate limits, then report sent and failed
counts.
- Owner-only /stats: total users, messages per day for the last 14 days,
top 5 commands.
- README: BotFather setup, .env keys (BOT_TOKEN, OWNER_CHAT_ID), and how to
keep it running with pm2.
- Out of scope: multi-bot management, a web dashboard, scheduled
broadcasts, and mobile apps; that is what the hosted product is for.The prompt opens pre-filled in your agent. Review it before running.
What would building your own look like?
Register a bot with @BotFather, run a long-polling Node process that answers commands and keyword triggers from a config file, store chats and leads in SQLite, and add an owner-only broadcast command.
What you will need
- Telegram bot token
- always-on process (VPS or spare machine)
- SQLite
- config file for commands
They pay because the target user is a cafe or gym owner who will never open a terminal, and TeleMinute gives them a working bot in minutes from a phone.
xno-code dashboard
xmobile apps
xscheduled broadcasts
xlead-capture form builder
xanalytics
Prefer something ready-made?
ActivepiecesA visual automation product with Telegram triggers, replies, forms, and broadcasts; you assemble the bot rather than code it.Open source↗
n8n Community EditionA visual Telegram workflow engine that can receive commands, branch, collect answers, and broadcast; self-hosting is the price of free.Free↗License, setup, and limitations for each alternative.
How much does TeleMinute cost?
- Monthly billing
- $9.99/mo$9.99/mo
- Per year
- $120/yr$120/yr
- On a Brazilian card, with 3.5% IOF
- R$52.20/moR$626/yr
Saved to My list. You will see a notice on this site when the price changes.
You complete the purchase on TeleMinute’s site. Vibe Radar does not handle payments.
| Plan | Monthly | Annual (per month) | What is included |
|---|---|---|---|
| premium | $9.99/workspace≈ $9.99 | - | Unlimited bots, commands, keyword replies, users and traffic; up to 4 images per command |
Free tierno free tier
Billing termsweekly ($3.99), monthly ($9.99) or one-time lifetime ($49.99); no annual plan
Additional costsThe nominal subscription is flat with unlimited bots and traffic; payment-processing, Telegram advertising or third-party integrations may create external costs, but no platform overage schedule is published
verified 2026-08-14 · source ↗
Is it cheaper to build or buy TeleMinute?
Adjust the numbers: hours to build, your hourly rate, running costs and the subscription price.
Over 24 months, subscribing is cheaper.
Starting hours estimated from the analysis (weekend). Does not price what you give up (support, integrations, security).
Can I rebuild TeleMinute?
Kinda. The core of TeleMinute is buildable in a weekend with the prompt on this page, but there are real gaps: no-code dashboard, mobile apps. Read the honest list above before committing.
How much does TeleMinute cost?
TeleMinute costs about $9.99/mo (Premium, checked 10/20/2026), which is $120 per year.
What do I lose by replacing TeleMinute?
Honestly: no-code dashboard; mobile apps; scheduled broadcasts; lead-capture form builder; analytics. If any of those are load-bearing for you, keep paying.
Is there an open-source alternative to TeleMinute?
Yes: Activepieces (A visual automation product with Telegram triggers, replies, forms, and broadcasts; you assemble the bot rather than code it.) n8n Community Edition (A visual Telegram workflow engine that can receive commands, branch, collect answers, and broadcast; self-hosting is the price of free.) The prompt is for when you want it exactly your way.