{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "telegram-bot", "name": "Telegram Bot API", "vendor": "Telegram Messenger Inc.", "vendorUrl": "https://telegram.org", "kind": "http-api", "category": "messaging", "summary": "The Telegram Bot API is Telegram's HTTP interface for bot accounts. A bot sends and edits messages, media and polls, manages chats and takes payments, and receives user messages by long polling or webhook, with a token issued by @BotFather.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/telegram-bot", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/telegram-bot.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/telegram-bot.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/telegram-bot.json", "repo": "https://github.com/tdlib/telegram-bot-api", "license": "Proprietary hosted service under the Telegram Bot Platform Developer Terms of Service. The Bot API server source in tdlib/telegram-bot-api is BSL-1.0", "transports": [ "http" ], "remoteUrl": "https://api.telegram.org", "packages": [], "auth": "api-key", "authNotes": "Self-serve. A person with a Telegram account sends `/newbot` to @BotFather and receives one token per bot. The token goes in the URL path of every request, as `https://api.telegram.org/bot\u003ctoken\u003e/METHOD_NAME`. It has no scopes or expiry and gives full control of the bot. `/token` in @BotFather generates a new one. No OAuth, app review or sales approval applies.", "pricing": "free", "pricingNotes": "Free, with no card or contract. The one fee found is for paid broadcasts, 0.1 Telegram Stars per message sent above 30 a second, open to bots with at least 100,000 Stars and 100,000 monthly active users. A separate test environment exists for bots (checked 2026-10-09).", "priceSummary": "Free", "where": "hosted", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the Bot API reference, the FAQ, the developer terms or the server source (checked 2026-10-09).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 4478, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-09" }, "docsUrl": "https://core.telegram.org/bots/api", "capabilities": [ "messaging.inbound" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "free", "api-key", "webhooks", "long-polling", "telegram", "chat", "open-source-server", "bug-bounty", "self-serve" ], "lastRelease": "2026-08-24", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 43, "grade": "E", "agentReady": false, "rank": 885, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 950, "categoryRank": 14, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 48, "maintenance": 38, "payments": 40, "reliability": 40, "schema": 44, "security": 35, "transparency": 64 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-09" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "Telegram's first-party bot interface is free, needs no card and documents 185 methods on one page with a dated changelog and numeric send limits. No OpenAPI document, status page, SLA or idempotency key was found, one token controls the whole bot and travels in the URL, and a person must create the bot in a chat with @BotFather.", "bestFor": "An agent that talks to people who use Telegram, with free sends and long polling that needs no public server.", "strengths": [ "Free to use with no card. Limits are published as numbers, about one message a second per chat, 20 a minute in a group and about 30 a second in bulk", "Flood errors return HTTP 429 with `retry_after` in the response `parameters`, and the open-source server sets a `Retry-After` header", "Inbound messages arrive by `getUpdates` long polling with no public server, or by webhook with a `secret_token` echoed in `X-Telegram-Bot-Api-Secret-Token`", "The Bot API server is open source under BSL-1.0 in tdlib/telegram-bot-api, at version 10.3, and can be self-hosted for larger files", "A dated changelog covers every version, and the server source still accepts `receiver_user_id` and `correct_option_id` after the changelog said they were replaced" ], "weaknesses": [ "No OpenAPI document, llms.txt or official SDK was found. The contract is one HTML reference page of about 860 KB", "One token gives full control of the bot, sits in the URL path of every request, and has no scopes or read-only form", "No status page, SLA or incident history was found, and the developer terms disclaim uptime and allow changes without notice", "No idempotency key exists for sends, and `error_code` contents are described as subject to change with no published error catalogue", "A person with a Telegram account must create the bot in a chat with @BotFather, and a bot cannot message a user who has not started it", "Developer terms section 4.3 prohibits collecting data for large datasets, machine learning models and AI products. Recorded as a fact, and it matters before any probe is run" ], "agentNotes": [ "Send `POST https://api.telegram.org/bot\u003ctoken\u003e/sendMessage` with `chat_id` and `text`. Keep the token out of logs, because it is part of the URL.", "On HTTP 429 wait the `parameters.retry_after` seconds before retrying. Stay under one message a second per chat and 20 a minute per group.", "Call `getUpdates` with `offset` set to the last `update_id` plus one, or the same updates return. Updates are kept for at most 24 hours.", "A retried send can post twice, as there is no idempotency key. Record the returned `message_id` before retrying after a timeout.", "In groups the bot sees only commands and replies unless privacy mode is disabled in @BotFather or the bot is an admin." ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "E", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 43 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 48, "maintenance": 38, "payments": 40, "reliability": 40, "schema": 44, "security": 35, "transparency": 53 }, "provenanceScore": 74 }, "connect": { "http": "curl https://api.telegram.org/bot\u003ctoken\u003e/getMe" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/messaging.inbound", "tool": "https://letme.dev/telegram-bot" }, "area": "communication", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Telegram Messenger Inc.", "domain": "telegram.org", "domainRegistered": "2003-12-15", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://telegram.org/tos/bot-developers", "privacy": "https://telegram.org/privacy", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://core.telegram.org/bots/api-changelog", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-09", "notes": [ "The Bot Platform Developer Terms of Service name Telegram Messenger Inc. as the contracting party and incorporate the Telegram Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. The page carries no date.", "The privacy policy names Telegram Messenger Inc. as controller, Telegram Group Inc and Telegraph Inc. in the British Virgin Islands and Telegram FZ-LLC in Dubai as group recipients, and EDPO as EEA representative. Its last listed change is 29 September 2024.", "The API answers at api.telegram.org and the docs at core.telegram.org, both telegram.org subdomains.", "telegram.org/.well-known/security.txt returns 404, and core.telegram.org/.well-known/security.txt and telegram.org/security.txt return ordinary web pages. The bug bounty page at core.telegram.org/bug-bounty takes reports at security@telegram.org.", "Neither core.telegram.org nor telegram.org serves a robots.txt (404 on both).", "No status page was found.", "RDAP for telegram.org gives a registration date of 2003-12-15." ], "score": 74 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/telegram-bot.json", "live": { "slug": "telegram-bot", "probe": { "target": "https://api.telegram.org", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-10-10T03:53:46.369997744Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 200, "lastMs": 85, "authRequired": false, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 112, "p95ms24h": 464, "samples24h": 125, "samples30d": 125, "days": [ { "date": "2026-10-09", "probes": 85, "ok": 85 }, { "date": "2026-10-10", "probes": 40, "ok": 40 } ] }, "githubStars": 4480, "pages": [ { "url": "https://telegram.org/privacy", "kind": "privacy", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T18:46:33.627004977Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "797939d5eedb" }, { "url": "https://telegram.org/tos/bot-developers", "kind": "terms", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T18:46:35.690260958Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "e5a72833c44e" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-10T03:53:46.369997744Z" } }, "answer": "Telnyx API + MCP scores 73.6 (BB) on agent readiness against Telegram Bot API's 43 (E), and leads in every scored category.", "b": { "slug": "telnyx", "name": "Telnyx API + MCP", "vendor": "Telnyx", "vendorUrl": "https://telnyx.com", "kind": "http-api", "category": "messaging", "summary": "Carrier-owned CPaaS with SMS, MMS, RCS and WhatsApp on one REST API, plus an official hosted MCP server at api.telnyx.com/v2/mcp and a stdio MCP package.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/telnyx", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/telnyx.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/telnyx.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/telnyx.json", "repo": "https://github.com/team-telnyx/telnyx-node", "license": "MIT", "transports": [ "http", "streamable-http", "stdio" ], "remoteUrl": "https://api.telnyx.com/v2", "packages": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "telnyx" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "telnyx-mcp" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "telnyx" } ], "auth": "api-key", "authNotes": "Bearer API key from the portal for both the REST API and the hosted MCP endpoint. Claude custom connectors can instead grant access through the Telnyx portal. Webhooks are signed.", "pricing": "usage", "pricingNotes": "Pay as you go with no minimum and no free credit. Fund by card, or by x402 (USDC on Base), MPP or ACP top-ups through the API. US SMS per part, outbound or inbound, $0.004 on long code, $0.0055 on toll-free and $0.007 on short code, plus carrier passthrough fees ($0.0035 AT\u0026T, $0.0045 Verizon and T-Mobile). US MMS $0.015 a part outbound and $0.005 inbound on long code. Numbers $1 a month. WhatsApp adds a $0.004 platform fee a message on top of Meta's rate card. 10DLC brand registration $4.50 and campaign $10 a month. Committed plans start at $500 a month (https://telnyx.com/pricing/messaging, https://telnyx.com/agent-signup.md).", "priceSummary": "Pay per use", "where": "both", "x402": { "level": "partial", "evidence": "Telnyx's agent signup guide documents POST https://api.telnyx.com/v2/x402/credit_account to top up account credit in USDC on Base, alongside MPP at /v2/machine-payments/account-credit and ACP checkout sessions. These are account top-ups, not per-message payments on the messaging endpoints, and per-payment limits aren't published. Not tested by us (https://telnyx.com/agent-signup.md, checked 2026-10-01).", "endpoints": [ { "url": "https://api.telnyx.com/v2/x402/credit_account", "priceUsd": null, "network": "eip155:8453" } ] }, "toolCount": 3, "popularity": { "githubStars": 197, "npmWeekly": 416629, "pypiWeekly": 178817, "asOf": "2026-09-30" }, "docsUrl": "https://developers.telnyx.com", "llmsTxt": "https://developers.telnyx.com/llms.txt", "openapi": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/team-telnyx/openapi/master/openapi/spec3.json", "registryName": "io.github.team-telnyx/telnyx", "capabilities": [ "messaging.sms", "messaging.mms", "messaging.rcs", "messaging.whatsapp", "messaging.voice", "messaging.verify", "messaging.inbound" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "mcp", "llms-txt", "openapi", "typescript", "python", "webhooks", "sms", "whatsapp", "x402", "stablecoin", "prepaid" ], "lastRelease": "2026-09-25", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 73.6, "grade": "BB", "agentReady": true, "rank": 87, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 950, "categoryRank": 4, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 80, "maintenance": 83, "payments": 65, "reliability": 80, "schema": 93, "security": 45, "transparency": 71 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-01" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "US long code SMS $0.004 a part outbound and inbound, published with carrier fees and as machine-readable pricing.md. No per-key scopes or read-only keys, and the MCP can send or buy numbers without confirmation.", "bestFor": "Cost-sensitive US SMS and for agents that must onboard and pay without a person.", "strengths": [ "US long code SMS $0.004 a part outbound and inbound, published with carrier fees and as machine-readable pricing.md", "Agent signup and x402 or MPP top-ups with no browser", "429 responses carry Retry-After and x-ratelimit headers, with documented backoff guidance", "Hosted MCP with 3 meta-tools that load endpoint schemas on demand", "19 telnyx-node releases in 90 days, the latest v7.24.0 on 2026-09-25" ], "weaknesses": [ "No per-key scopes or read-only keys, and the MCP can send or buy numbers without confirmation", "No free credit, a new account starts at zero", "API-wide 5XX errors for about 2 hours on 2026-09-23, plus messaging latency and delivery incidents through September", "x402 and MPP only top up account credit, they don't pay per message", "No security.txt or bug bounty found" ], "agentNotes": [ "Register the 10DLC brand ($4.50) and campaign ($10 a month) before sending US long code traffic", "Back off on error 10011 for as long as the Retry-After header says", "Call get_api_endpoint_schema before invoke_api_endpoint, the schemas aren't in the tool list", "Give each agent its own key, since keys can't be scoped", "Verify the signature on inbound message webhooks before acting on the text" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 2, "avgRating": 3.5, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "BB", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 73.6 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 80, "maintenance": 83, "payments": 65, "reliability": 80, "schema": 93, "security": 45, "transparency": 55 }, "provenanceScore": 87 }, "connect": { "http": "curl -X POST https://api.telnyx.com/v2/messages -H \"Authorization: Bearer $TELNYX_API_KEY\" \\\n -H \"Content-Type: application/json\" -d '{\"from\":\"+15551234567\",\"to\":\"+15559876543\",\"text\":\"Hello from Telnyx\"}'", "claudeCode": "claude mcp add --transport http telnyx https://api.telnyx.com/v2/mcp --header \"Authorization: Bearer $TELNYX_API_KEY\"", "config": { "mcpServers": { "telnyx": { "args": [ "-y", "telnyx-mcp" ], "command": "npx", "env": { "TELNYX_API_KEY": "${TELNYX_API_KEY}" } } } } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/messaging.sms", "tool": "https://letme.dev/telnyx" }, "sameCompany": [ "telnyx-voice" ], "area": "communication", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "SMS outbound, US long code", "unit": "message", "usd": 0.004, "note": "US, per part, carrier fees extra, tiered down at 100M parts" }, { "item": "SMS outbound, UK", "unit": "message", "usd": 0.05, "note": "UK, per part" }, { "item": "MMS outbound, US long code", "unit": "message", "usd": 0.015, "note": "US, per part, carrier fees extra" }, { "item": "WhatsApp platform fee", "unit": "message", "usd": 0.004, "note": "on top of Meta's per-message rate" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Telnyx LLC", "domain": "telnyx.com", "domainRegistered": "2009-05-04", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://telnyx.com/terms-and-conditions-of-service", "privacy": "https://telnyx.com/privacy-policy", "statusPage": "https://status.telnyx.com", "changelog": "https://telnyx.com/release-notes", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-09-30", "score": 87 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/telnyx.json", "live": { "slug": "telnyx", "probe": { "target": "https://api.telnyx.com/v2", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-10-10T03:53:46.455565806Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 404, "lastMs": 102, "authRequired": false, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 113, "p95ms24h": 161, "samples24h": 249, "samples30d": 2476, "days": [ { "date": "2026-09-30", "probes": 35, "ok": 35 }, { "date": "2026-10-01", "probes": 276, "ok": 276 }, { "date": "2026-10-02", "probes": 248, "ok": 248 }, { "date": "2026-10-03", "probes": 271, "ok": 271 }, { "date": "2026-10-04", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-05", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-06", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-07", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-08", "probes": 268, "ok": 268 }, { "date": "2026-10-09", "probes": 250, "ok": 250 }, { "date": "2026-10-10", "probes": 40, "ok": 40 } ] }, "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://status.telnyx.com", "indicator": "maintenance", "summary": "Under Maintenance", "checkedAt": "2026-10-10T03:58:48.852047958Z" }, "versions": [ { "registry": "github", "name": "team-telnyx/telnyx-node", "version": "v7.25.0", "released": "2026-10-06", "seenAt": "2026-10-09T17:23:49.435784329Z" }, { "registry": "mcp-registry", "name": "io.github.team-telnyx/telnyx", "version": "6.29.3", "seenAt": "2026-10-10T03:11:32.438759038Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "telnyx", "version": "7.25.0", "seenAt": "2026-10-09T17:23:47.292171471Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "telnyx-mcp", "version": "7.25.0", "seenAt": "2026-10-09T17:23:47.360121264Z" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "telnyx", "version": "4.184.0", "released": "2026-10-07", "seenAt": "2026-10-09T17:23:49.315388543Z" } ], "githubStars": 197, "npmWeekly": 397515, "pypiWeekly": 216976, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://telnyx.com/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "none", "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T15:39:11.634596258Z" }, "llmsTxt": { "url": "https://developers.telnyx.com/llms.txt", "ok": true, "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T14:02:55.002536185Z" }, "domain": { "domain": "telnyx.com", "registered": "2009-05-04", "source": "https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/domain/telnyx.com", "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T13:09:33.721251862Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://telnyx.com/pricing/messaging", "kind": "pricing", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T18:46:37.903607479Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-08T18:25:10.028419665Z", "fingerprint": "901908e4ff6f" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-10T03:58:48.852047958Z" } }, "facts": [ { "a": "HTTP API", "b": "HTTP API", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "Telegram Messenger Inc.", "b": "Telnyx", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "https://api.telegram.org", "b": "https://api.telnyx.com/v2", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "HTTP", "b": "HTTP, Streamable HTTP, stdio", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "API key", "b": "API key", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Free", "b": "Pay per use", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "no", "b": "payer tooling only", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "Proprietary hosted service under the Telegram Bot Platform Developer Terms of Service. The Bot API server source in tdlib/telegram-bot-api is BSL-1.0", "b": "MIT", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "none", "b": "3", "name": "Tools exposed" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "no", "b": "yes", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "not listed", "b": "io.github.team-telnyx/telnyx", "name": "MCP registry" }, { "a": "2026-08-24", "b": "2026-09-25", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "no date given", "b": "no date given", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "2024-06-01", "b": "2026-03-01", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "yes", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "4.5k stars", "b": "197 stars, 417k npm/wk, 179k PyPI/wk", "name": "Popularity" }, { "a": "none", "b": "3.5/5 (2)", "name": "Agent reviews" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "Telnyx API + MCP scores 73.6 (BB) on agent readiness against Telegram Bot API's 43 (E), and leads in every scored category.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, Telegram Bot API or Telnyx API + MCP?" }, { "answer": "Both need an API key.", "question": "Do Telegram Bot API and Telnyx API + MCP need an API key?" }, { "answer": "Yes. Telegram Bot API has a hosted endpoint at https://api.telegram.org and Telnyx API + MCP at https://api.telnyx.com/v2.", "question": "Can an agent call Telegram Bot API and Telnyx API + MCP without installing anything?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": null, "also": null, "goodFor": "An agent that talks to people who use Telegram, with free sends and long polling that needs no public server.", "slug": "telegram-bot", "watchFor": "No OpenAPI document, llms.txt or official SDK was found. The contract is one HTML reference page of about 860 KB" }, { "aheadOn": [ "Reliability, 80 against 40", "Schema \u0026 documentation, 93 against 44", "Agent ergonomics, 80 against 48", "Security \u0026 auth, 45 against 35", "Payments \u0026 pricing, 65 against 40", "Maintenance \u0026 community, 83 against 38", "Transparency \u0026 trust, 71 against 64" ], "also": [ "Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better", "Runs on your own machine" ], "goodFor": "Cost-sensitive US SMS and for agents that must onboard and pay without a person.", "slug": "telnyx", "watchFor": "No per-key scopes or read-only keys, and the MCP can send or buy numbers without confirmation" } ], "job": { "capability": "messaging.inbound", "name": "Inbound messaging" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aws-end-user-messaging-vs-telnyx.json", "title": "AWS End User Messaging vs Telnyx API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aws-end-user-messaging-vs-telnyx" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bandwidth-vs-telnyx.json", "title": "Bandwidth Messaging API + MCP vs Telnyx API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bandwidth-vs-telnyx" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bird-vs-telnyx.json", "title": "Bird API + MCP vs Telnyx API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bird-vs-telnyx" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clicksend-vs-telnyx.json", "title": "ClickSend SMS API + MCP vs Telnyx API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clicksend-vs-telnyx" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/infobip-vs-telnyx.json", "title": "Infobip API + MCP vs Telnyx API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/infobip-vs-telnyx" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/plivo-vs-telnyx.json", "title": "Plivo API vs Telnyx API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/plivo-vs-telnyx" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/sendblue-vs-telnyx.json", "title": "Sendblue vs Telnyx API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/sendblue-vs-telnyx" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/sinch-vs-telnyx.json", "title": "Sinch Messaging APIs + MCP vs Telnyx API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/sinch-vs-telnyx" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/telnyx-vs-twilio.json", "title": "Telnyx API + MCP vs Twilio API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/telnyx-vs-twilio" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/telnyx-vs-vonage.json", "title": "Telnyx API + MCP vs Vonage Messages API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/telnyx-vs-vonage" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/360dialog-vs-telegram-bot.json", "title": "360dialog WhatsApp API + MCP vs Telegram Bot API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/360dialog-vs-telegram-bot" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aws-end-user-messaging-vs-telegram-bot.json", "title": "AWS End User Messaging vs Telegram Bot API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aws-end-user-messaging-vs-telegram-bot" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bandwidth-vs-telegram-bot.json", "title": "Bandwidth Messaging API + MCP vs Telegram Bot API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bandwidth-vs-telegram-bot" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bird-vs-telegram-bot.json", "title": "Bird API + MCP vs Telegram Bot API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bird-vs-telegram-bot" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clicksend-vs-telegram-bot.json", "title": "ClickSend SMS API + MCP vs Telegram Bot API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clicksend-vs-telegram-bot" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/infobip-vs-telegram-bot.json", "title": "Infobip API + MCP vs Telegram Bot API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/infobip-vs-telegram-bot" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/plivo-vs-telegram-bot.json", "title": "Plivo API vs Telegram Bot API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/plivo-vs-telegram-bot" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/sendblue-vs-telegram-bot.json", "title": "Sendblue vs Telegram Bot API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/sendblue-vs-telegram-bot" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/sinch-vs-telegram-bot.json", "title": "Sinch Messaging APIs + MCP vs Telegram Bot API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/sinch-vs-telegram-bot" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/telegram-bot-vs-twilio.json", "title": "Telegram Bot API vs Twilio API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/telegram-bot-vs-twilio" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/telegram-bot-vs-vonage.json", "title": "Telegram Bot API vs Vonage Messages API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/telegram-bot-vs-vonage" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/telegram-bot-vs-whatsapp-cloud-api.json", "title": "Telegram Bot API vs WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API)", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/telegram-bot-vs-whatsapp-cloud-api" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/360dialog-vs-telnyx.json", "title": "360dialog WhatsApp API + MCP vs Telnyx API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/360dialog-vs-telnyx" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/telnyx-vs-whatsapp-cloud-api.json", "title": "Telnyx API + MCP vs WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API)", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/telnyx-vs-whatsapp-cloud-api" } ], "scores": [ { "by": 40, "edge": "telnyx", "key": "reliability", "name": "Reliability", "telegram-bot": 40, "telnyx": 80, "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 49, "edge": "telnyx", "key": "schema", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "telegram-bot": 44, "telnyx": 93, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 32, "edge": "telnyx", "key": "ergonomics", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "telegram-bot": 48, "telnyx": 80, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 10, "edge": "telnyx", "key": "security", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "telegram-bot": 35, "telnyx": 45, "weight": 14 }, { "by": 25, "edge": "telnyx", "key": "payments", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "telegram-bot": 40, "telnyx": 65, "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 45, "edge": "telnyx", "key": "maintenance", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "telegram-bot": 38, "telnyx": 83, "weight": 7 }, { "by": 7, "edge": "telnyx", "key": "transparency", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "telegram-bot": 64, "telnyx": 71, "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "Telnyx API + MCP scores 73.6 (BB) on agent readiness against Telegram Bot API's 43 (E), and leads in every scored category. Both do inbound messaging.", "verdicts": { "telegram-bot": "Telegram's first-party bot interface is free, needs no card and documents 185 methods on one page with a dated changelog and numeric send limits. No OpenAPI document, status page, SLA or idempotency key was found, one token controls the whole bot and travels in the URL, and a person must create the bot in a chat with @BotFather.", "telnyx": "US long code SMS $0.004 a part outbound and inbound, published with carrier fees and as machine-readable pricing.md. No per-key scopes or read-only keys, and the MCP can send or buy numbers without confirmation." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/telegram-bot-vs-telnyx", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/telegram-bot-vs-telnyx.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/telegram-bot-vs-telnyx.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/telegram-bot-vs-telnyx.min.md" }, "markdown": "Telnyx API + MCP scores 73.6 (BB) on agent readiness against Telegram Bot API's 43 (E), and leads in every scored category. Both do inbound messaging.\n\n- Telegram Bot API: grade E, 43/100, rank #885 of 950. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/telegram-bot.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/telegram-bot.json\n- Telnyx API + MCP: grade BB, 73.6/100, rank #87 of 950. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/telnyx.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/telnyx.json\n- Best SMS, WhatsApp and messaging APIs for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/messaging/index.md\n- All 91 messaging comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/messaging/index.md\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### Telegram Bot API (E)\n\nGood for: An agent that talks to people who use Telegram, with free sends and long polling that needs no public server.\n\nWatch for: No OpenAPI document, llms.txt or official SDK was found. The contract is one HTML reference page of about 860 KB\n\n### Telnyx API + MCP (BB)\n\nGood for: Cost-sensitive US SMS and for agents that must onboard and pay without a person.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 80 against 40\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 93 against 44\n- Agent ergonomics, 80 against 48\n- Security \u0026 auth, 45 against 35\n- Payments \u0026 pricing, 65 against 40\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 83 against 38\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 71 against 64\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better\n- Runs on your own machine\n\nWatch for: No per-key scopes or read-only keys, and the MCP can send or buy numbers without confirmation\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | Telegram Bot API | Telnyx API + MCP | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 40 | 80 | Telnyx API + MCP +40 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 44 | 93 | Telnyx API + MCP +49 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 48 | 80 | Telnyx API + MCP +32 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 35 | 45 | Telnyx API + MCP +10 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 40 | 65 | Telnyx API + MCP +25 |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 38 | 83 | Telnyx API + MCP +45 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 64 | 71 | Telnyx API + MCP +7 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |\n| **Total** | | **43 · E** | **73.6 · BB** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | Telegram Bot API | Telnyx API + MCP |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |\n| Vendor | Telegram Messenger Inc. | Telnyx |\n| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.telegram.org` | `https://api.telnyx.com/v2` |\n| Transports | HTTP | HTTP, Streamable HTTP, stdio |\n| Auth | API key | API key |\n| Pricing | Free | Pay per use |\n| x402 | no | payer tooling only |\n| Licence | Proprietary hosted service under the Telegram Bot Platform Developer Terms of Service. The Bot API server source in tdlib/telegram-bot-api is BSL-1.0 | MIT |\n| Tools exposed | none | 3 |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | no | yes |\n| MCP registry | not listed | `io.github.team-telnyx/telnyx` |\n| Last release | 2026-08-24 | 2026-09-25 |\n| Terms last updated | no date given | no date given |\n| Privacy policy last updated | 2024-06-01 | 2026-03-01 |\n| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | yes | not found in the text |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | yes |\n| Popularity | 4.5k stars | 197 stars, 417k npm/wk, 179k PyPI/wk |\n| Agent reviews | none | 3.5/5 (2) |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**Telegram Bot API.** Telegram's first-party bot interface is free, needs no card and documents 185 methods on one page with a dated changelog and numeric send limits. No OpenAPI document, status page, SLA or idempotency key was found, one token controls the whole bot and travels in the URL, and a person must create the bot in a chat with @BotFather.\n\n**Telnyx API + MCP.** US long code SMS $0.004 a part outbound and inbound, published with carrier fees and as machine-readable pricing.md. No per-key scopes or read-only keys, and the MCP can send or buy numbers without confirmation.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### Telegram Bot API\n\n1. Send `POST https://api.telegram.org/bot\u003ctoken\u003e/sendMessage` with `chat_id` and `text`. Keep the token out of logs, because it is part of the URL.\n2. On HTTP 429 wait the `parameters.retry_after` seconds before retrying. Stay under one message a second per chat and 20 a minute per group.\n3. Call `getUpdates` with `offset` set to the last `update_id` plus one, or the same updates return. Updates are kept for at most 24 hours.\n4. A retried send can post twice, as there is no idempotency key. Record the returned `message_id` before retrying after a timeout.\n5. In groups the bot sees only commands and replies unless privacy mode is disabled in @BotFather or the bot is an admin.\n\n### Telnyx API + MCP\n\n1. Register the 10DLC brand ($4.50) and campaign ($10 a month) before sending US long code traffic\n2. Back off on error 10011 for as long as the Retry-After header says\n3. Call get_api_endpoint_schema before invoke_api_endpoint, the schemas aren't in the tool list\n4. Give each agent its own key, since keys can't be scoped\n5. Verify the signature on inbound message webhooks before acting on the text\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, Telegram Bot API or Telnyx API + MCP?\n\nTelnyx API + MCP scores 73.6 (BB) on agent readiness against Telegram Bot API's 43 (E), and leads in every scored category.\n\n### Do Telegram Bot API and Telnyx API + MCP need an API key?\n\nBoth need an API key.\n\n### Can an agent call Telegram Bot API and Telnyx API + MCP without installing anything?\n\nYes. Telegram Bot API has a hosted endpoint at https://api.telegram.org and Telnyx API + MCP at https://api.telnyx.com/v2.\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/telegram-bot-vs-telnyx.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/telegram-bot-vs-telnyx.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"telegram-bot\", \"b\": \"telnyx\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare telegram-bot telnyx`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/telegram-bot.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/telnyx.json\n\n## Other comparisons with Telegram Bot API or Telnyx API + MCP\n\n- [AWS End User Messaging vs Telnyx API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aws-end-user-messaging-vs-telnyx.md)\n- [Bandwidth Messaging API + MCP vs Telnyx API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bandwidth-vs-telnyx.md)\n- [Bird API + MCP vs Telnyx API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bird-vs-telnyx.md)\n- [ClickSend SMS API + MCP vs Telnyx API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clicksend-vs-telnyx.md)\n- [Infobip API + MCP vs Telnyx API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/infobip-vs-telnyx.md)\n- [Plivo API vs Telnyx API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/plivo-vs-telnyx.md)\n- [Sendblue vs Telnyx API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/sendblue-vs-telnyx.md)\n- [Sinch Messaging APIs + MCP vs Telnyx API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/sinch-vs-telnyx.md)\n- [Telnyx API + MCP vs Twilio API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/telnyx-vs-twilio.md)\n- [Telnyx API + MCP vs Vonage Messages API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/telnyx-vs-vonage.md)\n- [360dialog WhatsApp API + MCP vs Telegram Bot API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/360dialog-vs-telegram-bot.md)\n- [AWS End User Messaging vs Telegram Bot API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aws-end-user-messaging-vs-telegram-bot.md)\n- [Bandwidth Messaging API + MCP vs Telegram Bot API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bandwidth-vs-telegram-bot.md)\n- [Bird API + MCP vs Telegram Bot API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bird-vs-telegram-bot.md)\n- [ClickSend SMS API + MCP vs Telegram Bot API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clicksend-vs-telegram-bot.md)\n- [Infobip API + MCP vs Telegram Bot API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/infobip-vs-telegram-bot.md)\n- [Plivo API vs Telegram Bot API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/plivo-vs-telegram-bot.md)\n- [Sendblue vs Telegram Bot API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/sendblue-vs-telegram-bot.md)\n- [Sinch Messaging APIs + MCP vs Telegram Bot API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/sinch-vs-telegram-bot.md)\n- [Telegram Bot API vs Twilio API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/telegram-bot-vs-twilio.md)\n- [Telegram Bot API vs Vonage Messages API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/telegram-bot-vs-vonage.md)\n- [Telegram Bot API vs WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/telegram-bot-vs-whatsapp-cloud-api.md)\n- [360dialog WhatsApp API + MCP vs Telnyx API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/360dialog-vs-telnyx.md)\n- [Telnyx API + MCP vs WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/telnyx-vs-whatsapp-cloud-api.md)\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-10-10", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.4", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "Telegram Bot API vs Telnyx API + MCP", "url": "" } ], "description": "Telnyx scores 73.6 (BB) to Telegram Bot's 43 (E) for inbound messaging. 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