Why Telegram is the Best Platform for Your AI Assistant

When people set up OpenClaw, the first question is always: which messaging platform should I use? The answer, for the vast majority of users, is Telegram — and it's not even close.

Here's why Telegram is the best home for your AI assistant.

1. The Best Bot API in the Industry

Telegram's Bot API is the gold standard. It supports:

• Unlimited messages — no rate limits for normal usage
• Rich formatting — bold, italic, code blocks, tables, links
• Inline buttons — interactive elements directly in the chat
• File sharing — send and receive documents, images, audio up to 2GB
• Group and channel support — your bot can work in group chats

WhatsApp's business API is restrictive and expensive. Discord bots are powerful but the UI is cluttered. Telegram hits the sweet spot of capability and simplicity.

2. Available on Every Device

Telegram runs natively on:

• iOS and Android
• Windows, macOS, Linux (desktop apps)
• Any web browser (web.telegram.org)

Your AI assistant is accessible from your phone at breakfast, your laptop at work, and your tablet on the couch — with messages synced instantly across all devices.

WhatsApp requires your phone to be nearby. Discord is primarily desktop-focused. Telegram works equally well everywhere.

3. No Message Limits

Some platforms limit message length or impose strict rate limits on bots. Telegram lets your AI assistant send long, detailed responses without truncation. When OpenClaw generates a comprehensive research briefing or a multi-page document, it can deliver the full text in one message.

4. Privacy by Design

Telegram offers features that matter when you're sharing sensitive information with an AI:

• End-to-end encrypted secret chats — for sensitive conversations
• Self-destructing messages — auto-delete after a set time
• No phone number sharing — your bot doesn't know your phone number, and other users can't find it through the bot
• Cloud-based architecture — messages are encrypted and stored in Telegram's distributed infrastructure

5. Speed and Reliability

Telegram is fast. Messages arrive in milliseconds, even on poor connections. The platform boasts 99.99% uptime — meaning your AI assistant is available whenever you need it.

This matters because AI interactions are conversational. A 2-second delay between sending a message and seeing the "typing" indicator feels natural. A 10-second delay (common on some platforms) breaks the flow.

6. Free and Unrestricted Bot Hosting

Creating a Telegram bot is free. There are no fees from Telegram to run your bot, no per-message charges, no mandatory business accounts. You create a bot through @BotFather in 30 seconds and it's ready to go.

Compare this to WhatsApp, which requires a Business API account, phone number verification, and charges per conversation after 24 hours.

7. Perfect for Power Users

Telegram's interface is designed for heavy use:

• Search — find any message in your bot conversation instantly
• Pinned messages — pin important bot responses for quick reference
• Folders — organize your bot chat alongside other categories
• Keyboard shortcuts — power through conversations on desktop
• Forward and share — easily forward bot responses to other chats

8. Growing User Base

Telegram has 900+ million monthly active users as of 2026, growing 40%+ year over year. It's the third-largest messaging platform globally and the fastest growing. Setting up your AI assistant on Telegram means it's accessible to almost anyone you'd want to share it with.

How to Get OpenClaw on Telegram

Setting up OpenClaw on Telegram takes three steps:

1. Create a bot — open @BotFather on Telegram, send /newbot, follow the prompts (30 seconds)
2. Deploy with SimpleClaw — paste your bot token, select your AI model, done (30 seconds)
3. Start chatting — send a message to your bot and pair it

Total time: under 1 minute. No servers, no configuration, no technical knowledge needed.

Deploy OpenClaw on Telegram now →