Cost by project type
| Project type | Agency (us) | Freelancer | US/UK agency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bot only | $2,500–$12,000 | $500–$5,000 | $8,000–$30,000 |
| MVP / utility Mini App | $8,000–$18,000 | $3,000–$10,000 | $25,000–$60,000 |
| E-commerce storefront | $15,000–$38,000 | $6,000–$20,000 | $50,000–$120,000 |
| Community / membership | $10,000–$28,000 | $5,000–$15,000 | $40,000–$90,000 |
| Tap-to-earn / clicker | $12,000–$45,000 | $5,000–$20,000 | $50,000–$150,000 |
| Mini game | $20,000–$70,000 | $10,000–$35,000 | $80,000–$250,000 |
| FinTech / crypto | $30,000–$90,000 | rarely feasible | $120,000–$400,000 |
The ranges assume an English-speaking team, written scope, QA on all Telegram clients and 30 days of post-launch support. Freelancer figures assume a single experienced developer without design or QA.
Cost by feature
| Feature | Added cost | Added time |
|---|---|---|
| Telegram login and session handling | included | — |
| Telegram Stars payments (one-time) | $1,500–$3,500 | 1 week |
| Stars subscriptions with entitlements | +$1,500–$2,500 | 1 week |
| Card payments (Stripe/Adyen) + invoices | $2,000–$5,000 | 1 week |
| TON Connect, TON/USDT payments | $4,000–$12,000 | 2 weeks |
| Jetton or NFT contracts | $10,000–$25,000 | 3–5 weeks |
| Referral and invite system | $1,500–$4,000 | 1 week |
| Leaderboards and achievements | $1,500–$4,500 | 1 week |
| Task/quest system with verification | $3,000–$7,000 | 2 weeks |
| Admin panel with analytics | $3,000–$8,000 | 2 weeks |
| CRM / ERP sync | $2,500–$7,000 | 1–2 weeks |
| AI assistant (LLM) | $4,000–$12,000 | 2 weeks |
| Multi-language (3+ locales) | $1,000–$3,000 | 1 week |
| Custom UI/UX design | $3,000–$9,000 | 2 weeks |
| Branding, illustration, animation | $2,500–$8,000 | 1–2 weeks |
| Anti-cheat for games | $3,000–$8,000 | 1–2 weeks |
| Load testing and scaling prep | $2,000–$5,000 | 1 week |
The calculator combines these into a range instantly.
Three worked examples
Example 1: Coffee chain loyalty app
Catalog of 40 items, order ahead for pickup, Stars for digital gift cards, card payments for orders, loyalty points, bot reminders, admin panel. Telegram UI kit with brand colors. Estimate: $19,000–$24,000, 7 weeks. Breakdown: base storefront $15,000, loyalty $2,000, card payments $2,000, Stars $1,500, brand styling $1,500 (partial custom design).
Example 2: Tap-to-earn game for a token community
Clicker with energy and boosts, referral tree with vesting, squads, daily combo, task system with channel verification, Stars boosts, rewarded ads, TON Connect for a later airdrop, anti-cheat, admin panel, load test for 100k concurrent users. Estimate: $34,000–$42,000, 9 weeks. Breakdown: core clicker $14,000, referrals $3,000, tasks $5,000, admin $4,000, Stars + ads $3,000, TON Connect $5,000, anti-cheat and load test $6,000.
Example 3: Membership app for a newsletter
Paid tiers via Stars subscriptions, content library, member directory, events with QR check-in, referral program, bot onboarding and renewal reminders. Estimate: $16,000–$21,000, 6 weeks. Breakdown: base membership app $10,000, Stars subscriptions $3,000, directory and events $4,000, referrals $2,000.
Hidden and ongoing costs
- Telegram’s share of Stars revenue and app store cuts embedded in Stars pricing; model net revenue, not gross.
- Payment processor fees of about 3% for cards; network fees for TON.
- Hosting: $30–$300 per month for most apps; games at scale and real-time products run $500–$3,000.
- Maintenance: Telegram ships client updates every few weeks; budget 15–20% of the build cost per year or a support plan from $490 per month.
- Smart contract audits: $5,000–$30,000 depending on contract size.
- Marketing: Telegram Ads budgets start around $1,000 per month for meaningful tests.
How to reduce the budget without hurting the product
- Use the Telegram UI kit instead of a custom design for the first version.
- Launch with Stars only and add card payments when physical goods arrive.
- Keep the admin panel minimal; operate manually until volume justifies tooling.
- Defer TON integration until the community asks for it; design the data model so it can be added.
- Pay for discovery. A fixed scope removes the most common source of overruns: changing requirements mid-build.
Agency vs freelancer vs in-house
Freelancers are right for bots and prototypes. Agencies make sense when the product needs design, backend, payments, QA and support in one contract and a date you can plan around. In-house teams pay off for platforms with continuous releases, but hiring Telegram-experienced engineers in the US, UK or Australia takes months; a dedicated developer bridges that gap.
For a quote on your scope, use the estimate form or read what the full-cycle service includes.
* All prices and ranges on this page are indicative. The final cost is calculated for each project individually and depends on the complexity of the task, the number of developers and specialists required, and the delivery timeline you set. Use the ranges to understand the typical bracket, not as a fixed offer; the fixed price is confirmed in writing after scoping. Read our pricing terms.