Telegram bot or mobile app: which is cheaper and when 

An app costs several times more and takes longer. But a bot isn't always a replacement. An honest comparison, no upselling.

Clients often come with «I want an app», and after a conversation it turns out a Telegram bot solves the task — for less money and faster. But the reverse happens too. Let's sort out when to pick which.

Price and speed

A bot is several times cheaper and launches in weeks, not months. There's no separate iOS and Android development, no App Store and Google Play review, no updates the user has to download.

When a bot is enough

Taking requests and orders, booking services, answering questions, reminders, payments, mailings, collecting reviews. Everything that fits a «ask — receive» dialogue. For local businesses, services and small retail this is often entirely enough.

When you need an app

A complex catalog and cart, a personal account with history, offline work, push notifications, access to camera/geolocation, a full-screen branded experience. If the product is itself a service (delivery, a marketplace, fitness), an app is justified.

Our approach

At RADOBO we don't count «what's more expensive to sell» but what solves your task for reasonable money. Often the optimal move is to start with a bot, validate demand, and build an app only when it's genuinely needed. That way you don't pay for features in advance.