The short answer
- 1A bot comes from @BotFather; a 'userbot' is your own account driven by a program.
- 2Bots can't message first or read a whole group, and that is what makes them safe.
- 3Misusing an automated user account gets your own account banned.
In this article
Same automation, two very different accounts
There are two ways to have a program send and receive Telegram messages for you. One is a bot account made with @BotFather and run through the Bot API. The other is your own user account, signed in with an api_id and your phone number, and driven by a program. People call the second a "userbot", but to Telegram it is simply a user account.
| Bot account | Automated user account | |
|---|---|---|
| Created at | @BotFather, one token | my.telegram.org api_id plus your phone login |
| Message someone first | No; the person must start the bot | Yes |
| Profile | Marked as a bot, no last-seen status | Looks like any person |
| Group messages | By default commands, mentions and replies to it | Every message in groups it has joined |
| History | Limited storage; Telegram says older messages may be removed shortly after processing | Cloud history like any account |
| If misused | One bot is blocked | Your account is blocked |
The bot limits are the safety feature
A bot that cannot message you first and cannot read a whole group looks restricted. That restriction is exactly why people trust bots: nobody gets an unexpected message from a bot they never started, and adding a bot to a group does not expose the whole conversation unless it is made an admin. How much a bot sees in groups is in bot privacy mode.
Doing the same job with a user account sidesteps those protections, so it looks like spam to recipients and to Telegram's systems.
Which account for which job
| What you want | The right route |
|---|---|
| Notify subscribers or customers | A bot, after they start it, or a channel |
| Answer incoming messages automatically | A bot, or a chatbot connected to a Business account; see Telegram Business |
| Moderate a group | A bot made admin, which then sees all messages; see making a bot an admin |
| Back up or sort your own chats | Your user account through TDLib, within your own account |
| Build your own Telegram app | A user account through TDLib; see building TDLib |
When in doubt, ask one question: did the recipient ask for this first? Anything going to people who asked can be a bot. Anything that has to reach people who did not ask should not be automated on either kind of account. The full map of APIs is in choosing between the four APIs.
FAQ
What is a userbot on Telegram?
A normal user account signed in with an api_id and driven by a program. To Telegram it is just a user account.
Why can't my Telegram bot message users first?
Bots must be started by the user first. That limit is Telegram's anti-spam design.
Can automating my user account get me banned?
Yes. Accounts on unofficial clients are watched, and mass messaging or inflating numbers can lead to a permanent ban.
Sources
At a glance
- 1Bot
Can't start chats; limited group view; one bot at risk.
- 2Userbot
Acts as you; watched; your account at risk.
- 3Rule
Only automate what recipients asked for.
Updated
