Channels
Which AI agent works for a Telegram or Instagram business?
Make Agent Fast Team · Product team
The short answer: if Instagram comments and DM campaigns drive your sales, ManyChat is the specialist; if you want to build a custom bot across Telegram, Instagram and many other channels, Botpress is built for that; and if customers ask the same questions on your website, Telegram and Instagram, Make Agent Fast answers all three from one set of approved knowledge.
Channel support below was read on each vendor's own website on 17 October 2026. Each fact box links the exact page.
Telegram and Instagram are not the same kind of channel#
Telegram customers talk to a bot. A bot cannot start a conversation: the customer opens its link and taps Start. In groups, bots usually see only messages that mention them or reply to them. Telegram's own introduction to bots explains the model.
Instagram customers send a direct message to your professional account. Automated replies go through Meta's official Instagram Messaging API on an account linked to a Facebook Page. Comments, story replies and DMs are different features, and not every tool handles all three.
So before comparing tools, decide what you need: answers in DMs, automated replies to comments, campaigns to people who already follow you, or a bot inside Telegram groups.
Who covers which channel#
| Tool | Telegram | Website chat | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ManyChat | Yes | Yes | Not listed |
| Botpress | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Wati | Not listed | Yes | Yes |
| Tidio | Not listed | Yes | Yes |
| Crisp | Not listed | Yes | Yes |
| Intercom Fin | Not listed | Yes | Yes |
| Make Agent Fast | Yes | Yes | Yes |
"Not listed" means we did not find the channel in the vendor's own channel list on 17 October 2026; it may be possible through an integration. The AI customer agents comparison compares these tools on pricing and voice as well.
When Instagram is your storefront: ManyChat#
ManyChat is built for growth on Instagram and TikTok: automated replies to DMs and comments, plus broadcasts (ManyChat pricing). Its AI Replies answer from a knowledge library, but they currently work on Instagram only and are in beta. Pricing grows with the number of contacts.
- Pricing to start
- Free plan; AI included from Pro at $39/mo ($29 billed annually) for 2,500 contacts; price rises with contacts and varies by billing countryChecked
- Messaging channels
- Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, TikTok, Telegram, email and SMS; no website chat widget listedChecked
- Live voice calls
- No live voice calls listedChecked
- Languages
- "All major languages"; no exact countChecked
- Handoff to a person
- AI Replies can assign the conversation to a person in the ManyChat inboxChecked
Choose it when comments and campaigns matter as much as answering questions. If most questions arrive on your website, look elsewhere: we did not find a website chat widget in its channel list.
When you want to build the bot: Botpress#
Botpress connects one agent to Telegram, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, Slack and many more channels, and gives you a visual studio and a TypeScript kit to design it. It suits teams with someone who wants to build and maintain flows.
- Pricing to start
- Free with 100 conversations/mo; Plus $150/mo and Team $750/mo billed annually, with AI usage beyond the included amount billed on topChecked
- Messaging channels
- Webchat, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, Slack, Teams, Discord, LINE, Viber, WeChat, SMS and moreChecked
- Live voice calls
- Voice channel listed on the Enterprise planChecked
- Languages
- No count in the current docs; a 2024 Botpress blog post says over 100Checked
- Handoff to a person
- Built-in human handoff from Plus; can also hand off to tools such as Intercom, HubSpot and LiveChatChecked
When Instagram is one channel in a team inbox: Wati, Tidio or Crisp#
Wati is WhatsApp-first and adds Instagram, Facebook and TikTok to the same team inbox; its plans also include broadcast campaigns and Instagram DM and comment automations (Wati pricing). Tidio and Crisp are live-chat inboxes that also take Instagram messages, with an AI agent on top. All three fit when several people answer customers and Instagram is one of several channels. We did not find Telegram in their channel lists.
One agent for your website, Telegram and Instagram: Make Agent Fast#
Make Agent Fast answers on your website, in Telegram and in Instagram DMs with the same agent and the same approved knowledge, and questions it cannot answer go to a person in one inbox.
- Telegram: a quick setup creates the bot from a QR code without copying a token, or you can paste a token from BotFather. Voice notes are transcribed, and the agent can reply with voice as well as text. Group replies stay off until you turn them on for mentions and replies. See the Telegram guide.
- Instagram: the agent answers DMs on your professional account through your own Meta app. Replies are text; supported voice notes are transcribed. To answer the public rather than test accounts, Meta requires App Review. See the Instagram guide.
- Pricing to start
- 7-day card-free trial on Launch and Operate, then from $15/mo ($12/mo billed annually); Scale bills immediately
- Messaging channels
- Embed on the site you already have, on every plan; Telegram, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Discord, KakaoTalk from Operate
- Live voice calls
- Live voice calls in the website widget (in the browser, not a phone line) from Operate at $35/mo, 30 min/mo included
- Languages
- English, Korean, Uzbek and Russian for both the dashboard and the agent's speech on every plan; voice in the default language on Launch, every supported language on Scale
- Handoff to a person
- Questions outside approved knowledge go to a person: an email with the reason, and an inbox where you reply
Where it is not the right fit: Make Agent Fast does not reply to Instagram comments or story replies and does not run Telegram or Instagram broadcast campaigns. If those drive your business, ManyChat or Wati is the better tool. Instagram setup also asks you to create your own Meta developer app, so plan time for it.
Before you launch on either channel#
- Write down the ten questions customers ask most in DMs, and make sure your approved knowledge answers each one.
- Decide which requests need a person: custom orders, complaints, anything about payment.
- Test from an account that is not yours. On Telegram, open the bot link and tap Start; on Instagram, send a fresh DM.
- Send a voice note if your customers use them.
- Check that the conversation and any handoff appear where your team will see them.
For the full comparison of tools, prices and voice support, see the AI customer agents comparison.