Telegram Bot Hosting: Options Compared

You have built a Telegram bot. Now where do you run it? The hosting landscape in 2026 ranges from bare-metal servers to fully managed one-click platforms. Each option involves different trade-offs around cost, complexity, and control.

This guide breaks down the four most common approaches so you can pick the right one for your use case. If you already know you want the fastest path, jump straight to our step-by-step deployment tutorial.

Option 1: VPS (DigitalOcean, Hetzner, AWS EC2)

A Virtual Private Server gives you full control. You rent a Linux machine, install your runtime, deploy your bot code, and manage everything yourself. This is the most flexible option but also the most work.

• Pros: Full control, customizable, can run anything
• Cons: Requires DevOps knowledge, manual scaling, you handle uptime monitoring
• Best for: Developers who want maximum flexibility and are comfortable with Linux
• Cost: $5–$50+/month depending on resources

Option 2: Serverless (AWS Lambda, Cloudflare Workers)

Serverless platforms run your bot code on-demand without managing servers. You write a function that handles incoming Telegram webhooks and the platform scales automatically.

• Pros: Auto-scaling, pay-per-invocation, no server maintenance
• Cons: Cold starts, webhook configuration required, debugging is harder
• Best for: Developers who want low-cost hosting for low-traffic bots
• Cost: Free tier available, then $0.20 per million invocations

Option 3: PaaS (Railway, Render, Fly.io)

Platform-as-a-Service providers sit between VPS and serverless. You push your code and they handle deployment, scaling, and basic monitoring. Less control than a VPS but significantly less work.

• Pros: Git-push deploys, managed infrastructure, decent free tiers
• Cons: Still requires writing code, limited customization, costs scale up quickly
• Best for: Developers who want a balance of control and convenience
• Cost: Free tier, then $5–$25/month

Option 4: One-Click Deploy (Claw Launch)

Claw Launch is purpose-built for Telegram bots. There is no code to write, no server to configure, and no dashboard to learn. You paste your BotFather token into a Telegram chat and your AI-powered bot is live in under 60 seconds.

• Pros: Zero coding, deploys in seconds, fully Telegram-native, AI included out of the box
• Cons: Less customization than writing your own code
• Best for: Non-technical users, small businesses, anyone who wants a working AI bot fast
• Cost: Free during beta, then pay-per-use with Telegram Stars

Comparison Table

The Bottom Line

If you are a developer who wants full control, a VPS or PaaS is the right call. If you want a working AI bot on Telegram with zero friction, Claw Launch gets you there in under a minute. The best hosting choice depends on your technical skill level and how much time you want to spend on infrastructure versus building your product.