Telegram Trading Bot Development: How Bots Like Banana Gun Work, Features, Security and Cost

Trojan, a Telegram trading bot for Solana, has earned about $227 million in fees since launch, according to DefiLlama. Maestro, which runs on 12 blockchains, has earned about $144 million. Both charge roughly 1% per trade, and both run entirely inside a chat app.

Telegram passed one billion monthly active users in March 2025. For crypto traders, it has become a trading terminal: buy a new token with one message, copy a top wallet’s trades, or set a limit order while chatting with friends.

This guide explains Telegram trading bot development: how bots like Banana Gun, Maestro and Trojan work, the features traders expect, how these bots make money, the security lessons from past hacks, the rules that apply, and the steps to build your own.

What Is a Telegram Trading Bot?

A Telegram trading bot is a program that lets users trade crypto by sending messages or tapping buttons in a Telegram chat. The bot creates or connects a wallet, reads the user’s commands, and executes trades on decentralized exchanges.

Most Telegram trading bots focus on fast-moving tokens on chains such as Solana, Ethereum, Base and BNB Chain. Their appeal is speed and convenience: no browser, no wallet extension, and trades in a second or two.

Well-known bots include:

• Banana Gun: Ethereum and multi-chain bot with sniping, limit orders and copy trading.
• Maestro: one of the oldest bots, now supporting 12 chains including Solana, BNB Chain, Base, Tron and TON.
• Trojan: a Solana-focused bot with a large user base.
• BONKbot: a simple Solana trading bot.

How Do Telegram Trading Bots Work?

A Telegram trading bot has five parts working together.

1. The chat interface: users send commands or tap inline buttons. The bot talks to Telegram through the official Bot API.
2. The bot server: reads each command, checks the user’s settings and limits, and builds the trade.
3. The wallet vault: stores each user’s wallet keys, encrypted, and signs trades. Maestro says all its private keys are AES encrypted.
4. The execution route: sends the trade through a fast, private path. On Solana, bots often use Jito bundles; on EVM chains, private relays. Both help avoid sandwich attacks.
5. The DEX: the trade fills on Raydium, Uniswap, PancakeSwap or similar, and the bot takes its fee in the same transaction.

What Features Do Traders Expect?

Competition is fierce, so a new bot needs the standard features on day one:

• Buy and sell by paste: paste a token address and buy with preset amounts.
• Sniping: buy a new token the moment liquidity is added, or when a launch goes live.
• Limit orders and take-profit: sell automatically at a target price, or cut losses at a stop.
• Copy trading: follow chosen wallets and mirror their trades. Maestro lets base users track 5 wallets per chain.
• MEV protection: private routing so bots do not get front-run.
• Multi-wallet support: several wallets per chain for different strategies.
• Token safety checks: warnings for honeypots, high taxes and unlocked liquidity.
• Referral rewards: share of fees for users who bring friends.
• Portfolio and PnL: positions, profit and loss, and trade history in the chat.

How Do Telegram Trading Bots Make Money?

The main income is a fee on every trade:

Bot	Fee per trade	Source
Banana Gun	0.5% on Ethereum manual buys; 1% on sniping and other chains	Banana Gun docs
Maestro	1% on buys and sells	Maestro docs
Trojan	1% per trade	Trojan docs
BONKbot	1% per swap	BONKbot docs

Those fees add up. Here is what the leading bots have earned since launch.

Bots also earn from premium plans with more wallets and features, and they spend part of their revenue on growth. Maestro pays 25% of referred users’ fees for life, and Banana Gun shares 40% of bot revenue with its token holders.

One trend to note: web-based trading terminals such as Axiom and GMGN now earn more than most Telegram bots. Many teams run both, a Telegram bot for speed and a web app for charts and deeper tools.

Telegram Bot vs Web Trading Terminal: Which Should You Build?

Web-based trading terminals such as Axiom, GMGN and Photon grew fast in 2025 and 2026. In the 30 days to 28 September 2026, Axiom collected about $37 million in fees and GMGN about $51 million, per DefiLlama. That is more than most Telegram bots earn in a year.

	Telegram bot	Web terminal
Where users trade	Inside Telegram chats	In a browser or app
Strength	Speed, alerts, community groups	Charts, token screens, many positions at once
Typical fee	About 1% per trade	0.75% to 1% per trade
Build effort	Lower	Higher, with a full front end

The answer for most teams is both. Start with a Telegram bot to win a community fast, then add a web terminal that shares the same wallet and trading engine. Users move between them without losing positions.

Custodial or Non-Custodial Bot Wallets?

Most bots create a custodial wallet for each user, because it allows instant trades with no signing pop-ups. The trade-off is risk and regulation: the bot holds the keys, so it is a target and may count as a money transmitter.

Non-custodial options are growing. Trojan describes itself as non-custodial and lets users import keys. Other designs use session keys or smart accounts, where the user grants the bot limited rights, such as trading up to a set amount, without handing over full control. This mix gives speed with less risk, and is worth planning from the start.

What Are the Security Risks of Telegram Trading Bots?

Most Telegram trading bots hold user keys, which makes them a target. Three incidents shaped the industry:

• Maestro, October 2023: a flaw in a router contract let attackers take about 280 ETH. Maestro refunded users about 610 ETH.
• Unibot, October 2023: a token-approval flaw in a new router cost about 355 ETH, around $640,000.
• Banana Gun, September 2024: attackers drained 563 ETH through a flaw in how the bot handled Telegram messages. Banana Gun refunded users from its treasury and added a two-hour delay and two-factor checks on transfers.

The pattern is clear. Attacks hit router contracts and wallet logic, not Telegram itself. A serious bot needs:

• Keys encrypted at rest, with signing isolated from the chat server.
• Audited router contracts with tight token approvals.
• Withdrawal delays, 2FA and limits for large transfers.
• Monitoring and a clear incident plan.
• Options for users to export keys or use their own wallets.

Are Telegram Trading Bots Regulated?

Rules depend on who controls the funds. In the US, FinCEN’s 2019 guidance treats hosted wallet providers, which hold users’ keys, as money transmitters. A bot that stores and uses users’ keys fits that model. In the UK, firms that hold customers’ private keys must register with the FCA as custodian wallet providers.

Telegram has its own rules too. Mini apps that use blockchain must use the TON network and connect wallets through TON Connect, though these rules apply to mini apps rather than plain chat bots. Payments for digital goods inside Telegram must use Telegram Stars. Before you launch, check both the platform rules and the laws where your users live. Our crypto license guide covers the main markets.

How to Build a Telegram Trading Bot in 7 Steps

1. Pick your chains and niche. Solana meme trading, EVM sniping, copy trading or a specific community.
2. Design the wallet model. Custodial wallets for speed, or non-custodial options such as key import and connected wallets.
3. Build the bot interface. Commands, inline buttons and settings menus using the Telegram Bot API.
4. Build the trading engine. Price quotes, routing across DEXs, slippage controls, sniping and limit order logic.
5. Add fast, private execution. Jito bundles on Solana and private relays on EVM chains.
6. Harden security. Encrypted key storage, audited contracts, withdrawal delays, 2FA and monitoring.
7. Launch with a referral program. Start with a small group, then grow with fee sharing.

Our crypto trading bot development team builds Telegram bots, web terminals and the trading engines behind them. For other bot types, see our guides to arbitrage bots and the best crypto trading bots.

What Does It Cost to Build a Telegram Trading Bot?

Cost depends on scope. The main blocks are:

• Core bot and wallet system: chat interface, wallet creation, encrypted key storage.
• Trading engine: routing, sniping, limit orders and copy trading.
• Chains: each extra chain adds integration and testing work.
• Security: contract audits and penetration testing, which you should not skip.
• Infrastructure: fast RPC nodes, private relays and servers near validators.
• Operations: support, monitoring and updates as DEXs change.

A focused single-chain bot is far cheaper and faster to launch than a multi-chain platform. Most teams start with one chain and one killer feature, then expand.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Telegram trading bot?

It is a bot inside Telegram that lets users trade crypto by sending messages or tapping buttons. It manages a wallet for the user and executes trades on decentralized exchanges.

How do Telegram crypto bots work?

The user sends a command, the bot’s server builds the trade, an encrypted wallet signs it, and the trade is sent through a fast private route to a decentralized exchange. The bot takes a small fee on each trade.

What is sniping in a crypto trading bot like Banana Gun?

Sniping means buying a new token the instant it becomes tradable, such as when liquidity is added. Bots do this automatically and faster than a person could by hand.

How much do Telegram trading bots charge?

Most charge about 1% per trade. Banana Gun charges 0.5% on Ethereum manual buys and 1% on sniping and other chains.

How much money do Telegram trading bots make?

The leaders have earned a lot. DefiLlama shows about $227 million in all-time fees for Trojan and $144 million for Maestro as of September 2026.

Are Telegram trading bots safe?

They carry risk because most hold users’ keys. Past exploits at Maestro, Unibot and Banana Gun hit router contracts and wallet logic. Choose bots with audits, withdrawal delays and 2FA, and do not keep large balances in them.

Can I build my own Telegram trading bot?

Yes. You need the Telegram Bot API, a wallet system, a trading engine, fast execution and strong security. Most teams start with one chain and add more later.

Do Telegram trading bots need a licence?

It depends on the country and on whether the bot holds users’ keys. In the US, holding keys for users can make a business a money transmitter. Get local legal advice before launch.

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