SHSelfHostIndex

Telegram Bot API Server vs Papercups

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
TE Telegram Bot API Server Self-hosted local Telegram Bot API server VS PA Papercups Open-source live chat and customer messaging
FeatureTelegram Bot API ServerPapercups
CategoryChat & CommunicationChat & Communication
LicenseBSL-1.0MIT
LanguageC++Elixir
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM256 MB1,024 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, sourcedocker, bare-metal, source
GitHub stars★ 4,395★ 6,097
First released20212020
Replaces—Intercom, Drift

Why pick each one

Choose Telegram Bot API Server if…

  • Released under the BSL-1.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Active community (4.4k GitHub stars)
  • Written in C++
Telegram Bot API Server details

Choose Papercups if…

  • Released under the MIT license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Mature project with 6.1k GitHub stars
  • Written in Elixir
Papercups details

Frequently asked questions

Is Telegram Bot API Server or Papercups better?

Neither is universally better. Papercups has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Telegram Bot API Server and Papercups free and open-source?

Yes. Telegram Bot API Server is licensed under BSL-1.0 and Papercups under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Telegram Bot API Server and Papercups with Docker?

Telegram Bot API Server: yes. Papercups: yes.

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