Channel, group, bot or Mini App: which one when
What it is
Each tool does a different job. In a channel you speak and many read: posts go out under the channel's name, and new subscribers see the whole history. In a group everyone talks, up to 200,000 members. A bot talks to each person one to one, on its own. A Mini App gives you real screens inside Telegram: a catalog, a booking form, a game.
How to do it
- You publish, people read: create a channel (New Channel).
- People talk to each other: create a group (New Group).
- You want comments under posts: open the channel's profile, then Edit (iOS),… You want comments under posts: open the channel's profile, then Edit (iOS), the pencil (Android) or … › Manage Channel (Desktop) › Discussion, and pick your group. Every post gets a comment button.
- Each person needs an answer, day and night: create a bot with /newbot in @BotFather.
- You need screens: build a Mini App, make it your bot's Main Mini App in @BotFather and share `t.me/<bot>?startapp`.
Watch out
- Bots can't write first. By default, in groups they see only commands and replies meant for them, unless they are admins.
- In a public group, anyone can read the entire chat history.
- A Mini App is a web app written in JavaScript: someone has to build it.
With Gem
You don't have to pick one. A Gem project gets a chat in @gembot (`t.me/gembot?start=<name>`), a Mini App page (`t.me/gembot?startapp=<name>`) and one channel and one group per language, connected under /myprojects › Chats. A bot of your own isn't available yet.