The short definition
A Telegram Mini App is a web page that Telegram opens in a special in-app browser and connects to the Telegram client through the Telegram.WebApp JavaScript object. Through that connection the page can read the user’s identity and theme, show native buttons, trigger haptics, request payments and send data back to the bot that launched it. Users experience it as an app inside Telegram; developers build it with ordinary web technology.
How a Mini App is launched
A Mini App always belongs to a bot. Telegram offers several entry points, and most products use more than one:
| Entry point | How users see it | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Menu button | Button next to the message field in the bot’s chat | Main app entry |
| Keyboard or inline button | Button under a bot message | Contextual actions (“Open cart”) |
Direct link t.me/bot/app?startapp=... | A link in a channel post, ad, website or QR code | Marketing, referrals, deep links |
| Inline mode | The bot’s result inserted in any chat | Sharing content or invites |
| Attachment menu | App listed in the attachment menu of chats | Only for approved high-volume apps |
| Telegram Ads | A sponsored message with an “Open app” button | Paid acquisition |
The startapp parameter carries referral codes, campaign tags or the item to open, which is how referral programs and attribution work.
What the SDK gives you
- Identity:
initData, a signed payload with the user’s ID, name, language and launch parameters. Your server verifies the signature with the bot token before trusting it. - Theme and viewport: colors, light or dark mode, safe areas, expand and fullscreen modes, keyboard events.
- Native controls: Main Button and Secondary Button at the bottom, Back Button in the header, settings button, closing confirmation.
- Device features: haptic feedback, QR scanner, clipboard, biometrics, location (with permission), cloud storage of small key-value data, home screen shortcut.
- Payments: invoices in Telegram Stars opened from the app, with the result delivered to the bot.
- Sharing: share to story, share message via the bot, prepared inline messages, open Telegram links.
How it differs from a bot and from a native app
A bot is a conversation: commands, messages and buttons. A Mini App is an interface: screens, lists, forms, games. A native app is an installable binary with its own store listing, review and push notifications. The Mini App sits in the middle: richer than a bot, far cheaper to distribute than a native app. Detailed comparisons: Mini App vs bot and Mini App vs native app.
What Mini Apps are used for
- Games: tap-to-earn and casual games such as Hamster Kombat, Notcoin, Catizen and Blum reached tens of millions of players through sharing alone.
- Commerce: storefronts, food delivery, ticketing, with checkout inside Telegram.
- Finance and crypto: the Telegram Wallet itself is a Mini App; exchanges and DeFi projects ship swap and trading frontends.
- Communities: paid memberships, courses, member directories, events.
- Services and utilities: bookings, support portals, dashboards, internal tools for teams that live in Telegram.
See Telegram Mini App examples for a categorized list.
Rules worth knowing before you build
- HTTPS is required. The app must be served over TLS; local development uses tunnels or Telegram’s test environment.
- Digital goods must use Telegram Stars. Premium features, content and in-game items sold inside the app go through Stars on mobile; cards are allowed for physical goods and off-platform services. See the Stars guide.
- Verify initData on the server. The client can be tampered with; only the signed payload proves who the user is.
- No unsolicited broadcasts. Bots that spam get restricted, which takes the Mini App down with them.
- Every client is different. Test on iOS, Android, desktop and web; viewport and fullscreen behavior vary.
What it costs and how long it takes
| Type | Cost | Time |
|---|---|---|
| MVP or utility app | $8,000–$18,000 | 4–7 weeks |
| E-commerce or community app | $10,000–$38,000 | 5–10 weeks |
| Game | $12,000–$70,000 | 6–14 weeks |
| FinTech or crypto | $30,000–$90,000 | 10–16 weeks |
Details and a calculator are on the pricing page. If you want to build one, start with full-cycle Mini App development or read how to create a Telegram Mini App first.
* 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.