📊 WhatsApp vs Telegram Bot - Comparison & Migration Guide

Perbandingan lengkap antara versi WhatsApp dan Telegram, plus panduan migrasi.

🔄 Major Differences

1. Library & Authentication

Feature WhatsApp (Baileys) Telegram Bot API Library @whiskeysockets/baileys node-telegram-bot-api Auth Method QR Code scanning Bot Token dari BotFather Setup Complexity Medium (perlu scan QR) Easy (copy-paste token) Multi-device Yes (via session) Native support Phone Number Required Not required 2. Message Handling

Feature WhatsApp Telegram Message Object message.message.conversation msg.text Sender ID message.key.remoteJid msg.from.id Chat ID message.key.remoteJid msg.chat.id User Name message.pushName msg.from.first_name Media Download downloadMediaMessage() bot.getFile() + download Typing Indicator sendPresenceUpdate('composing') sendChatAction('typing') 3. Features Comparison

Feature WhatsApp Telegram Notes Text Messages ✅ ✅ Both support Images ✅ ✅ Both support Videos ✅ ✅ Both support Audio/Voice ✅ ✅ Both support Documents ✅ ✅ Both support Stickers ✅ ✅ Both support Location ✅ ✅ Both support Live Location ✅ ⚠️ WA has native, TG needs workaround Contacts ✅ ✅ Both support Polls ✅ ✅ Both support Buttons ✅ ✅ Both support (different API) Inline Queries ❌ ✅ TG exclusive Callback Queries ❌ ✅ TG exclusive View Once ✅ ❌ WA exclusive Groups ✅ ✅ Both support Channels ✅ ✅ Both support Status/Stories ✅ ❌ WA exclusive 4. Bot Management

Feature WhatsApp Telegram Bot Creation Use personal/business number Create via @BotFather Commands Custom implementation Native /command support Admin Controls Limited Extensive Bot Username Phone number @username Bot Discovery Manual sharing Searchable in Telegram Rate Limits Strict (can be banned) More lenient API Limits No official API Official API with clear limits 🔀 Migration Changes

Code Structure Changes

1. Initialization

WhatsApp (Baileys):

const { default: makeWASocket } = require('@whiskeysockets/baileys')
const { state, saveCreds } = await useMultiFileAuthState('./session')

const sock = makeWASocket({
    auth: state,
    browser: ['Bot', 'Chrome', '1.0.0']
})

Telegram:

const TelegramBot = require('node-telegram-bot-api')

const bot = new TelegramBot(TELEGRAM_TOKEN, { 
    polling: true 
})

2. Message Receiving

WhatsApp:

sock.ev.on('messages.upsert', async (messageUpdate) => {
    const messages = messageUpdate.messages
    for (const message of messages) {
        const text = message.message?.conversation
        const sender = message.key.remoteJid
        // Process message
    }
})

Telegram:

bot.on('message', async (msg) => {
    const text = msg.text
    const chatId = msg.chat.id
    // Process message
})

3. Sending Messages

WhatsApp:

await sock.sendMessage(sender, { 
    text: response 
}, { 
    quoted: message 
})

Telegram:

await bot.sendMessage(chatId, response, {
    reply_to_message_id: msg.message_id,
    parse_mode: 'Markdown'
})

4. Media Handling

WhatsApp:

const buffer = await downloadMediaMessage(message, 'buffer', {})

Telegram:

const file = await bot.getFile(fileId)
const buffer = await downloadFile(bot, fileId)

5. Typing Indicator

WhatsApp:

await sock.sendPresenceUpdate('composing', sender)
// ... do work ...
await sock.sendPresenceUpdate('paused', sender)

Telegram:

await bot.sendChatAction(chatId, 'typing')
// ... do work ...
// Auto stops after sending message

🎯 Feature Mapping

Commands

WhatsApp Implementation:

if (text.startsWith('/')) {
    const [command, ...args] = text.split(' ')
    // Handle command
}

Telegram Implementation:

// Same, but Telegram has native command support
bot.onText(/\/start/, (msg) => {
    // Handle /start command
})

Media Processing

WhatsApp:

if (msg.imageMessage) {
    const buffer = await downloadMediaMessage(message, 'buffer', {})
    // Process image
}

Telegram:

if (msg.photo) {
    const photo = msg.photo[msg.photo.length - 1]
    const buffer = await downloadFile(bot, photo.file_id)
    // Process image
}

Location Handling

Both are similar, but access differs:

WhatsApp:

const loc = msg.locationMessage
const lat = loc.degreesLatitude
const lon = loc.degreesLongitude

Telegram:

const loc = msg.location
const lat = loc.latitude
const lon = loc.longitude

⚡ Advantages & Disadvantages

WhatsApp Bot Advantages ✅

1. Wider User Base - Almost everyone has WhatsApp
2. Personal Connection - People trust WhatsApp more
3. Business Features - WhatsApp Business API
4. End-to-End Encryption - Better privacy
5. Status Updates - Can post to status
6. View Once Messages - Ephemeral content

WhatsApp Bot Disadvantages ❌

1. No Official Bot API - Using unofficial library (Baileys)
2. Ban Risk - Can be banned by WhatsApp
3. QR Code Setup - Need to scan QR regularly
4. Limited Features - No inline queries, no bot commands
5. Rate Limiting - Strict message limits
6. Phone Number Required - Need real number
7. Session Management - Need to maintain session files

Telegram Bot Advantages ✅

1. Official API - Stable and documented
2. No Ban Risk - Designed for bots
3. Easy Setup - Just token, no QR code
4. Rich Features - Inline queries, callbacks, keyboards
5. No Phone Number - Pure bot account
6. Better Commands - Native /command support
7. Bot Discovery - Users can search for bots
8. Inline Mode - Use bot in any chat
9. Larger File Limits - Up to 2GB files
10. Better Documentation - Extensive docs and examples

Telegram Bot Disadvantages ❌

1. Smaller User Base - Not as popular as WhatsApp
2. Less Personal - Users might not check Telegram often
3. No View Once - No ephemeral messages
4. No Status - No story/status feature

🚀 When to Choose What?

Choose WhatsApp if:

• Target audience mostly uses WhatsApp
• Need to reach people where they already are
• Want to feel more "personal"
• Have business/marketing use case
• Geographic location (WhatsApp dominant)
• Need status update features

Choose Telegram if:

• Need stable, official bot API
• Want advanced bot features
• Plan to scale significantly
• Need inline queries
• Want searchable bot
• Development-friendly environment
• Need larger file support
• Want to avoid ban risks

Choose Both if:

• Maximum reach
• Different features for different platforms
• A/B testing
• Backup/redundancy

📝 Migration Checklist

Moving from WhatsApp to Telegram:

• [ ] Get Telegram Bot Token from @BotFather
• [ ] Install node-telegram-bot-api package
• [ ] Remove Baileys dependencies
• [ ] Update message handling logic
• [ ] Update media download methods
• [ ] Update typing indicators
• [ ] Add Telegram-specific features (inline, callbacks)
• [ ] Test all message types
• [ ] Update documentation
• [ ] Inform users about new platform

🎨 Unique Telegram Features to Implement

1. Inline Mode

bot.on('inline_query', async (query) => {
    const results = [{
        type: 'article',
        id: '1',
        title: 'AI Response',
        input_message_content: {
            message_text: 'AI response here'
        }
    }]
    await bot.answerInlineQuery(query.id, results)
})

2. Inline Keyboards

const keyboard = {
    inline_keyboard: [
        [{ text: 'Option 1', callback_data: 'opt1' }],
        [{ text: 'Option 2', callback_data: 'opt2' }]
    ]
}

await bot.sendMessage(chatId, 'Choose:', {
    reply_markup: keyboard
})

3. Callback Queries

bot.on('callback_query', async (query) => {
    await bot.answerCallbackQuery(query.id)
    // Handle callback
})

💡 Best Practices

For WhatsApp Bot:

1. Implement robust session management
2. Handle disconnections gracefully
3. Respect rate limits strictly
4. Keep backup of session files
5. Monitor for ban warnings
6. Use business account if possible

For Telegram Bot:

1. Use webhook for production (instead of polling)
2. Implement proper error handling
3. Use inline keyboards for better UX
4. Leverage inline queries
5. Add bot commands to BotFather
6. Use bot analytics

🔧 Code Examples

Complete Message Handler Comparison

WhatsApp Version:

sock.ev.on('messages.upsert', async (m) => {
    const msg = m.messages[0]
    if (msg.key.fromMe) return
    
    const text = msg.message?.conversation
    const sender = msg.key.remoteJid
    
    await sock.sendPresenceUpdate('composing', sender)
    const response = await chatWithAI(sender, text)
    await sock.sendMessage(sender, { text: response })
})

Telegram Version:

bot.on('message', async (msg) => {
    const text = msg.text
    const chatId = msg.chat.id
    
    await bot.sendChatAction(chatId, 'typing')
    const response = await chatWithAI(chatId, text)
    await bot.sendMessage(chatId, response)
})

📚 Resources

WhatsApp (Baileys)

• Baileys GitHub
• Baileys Documentation

Telegram

• Official Bot API
• node-telegram-bot-api
• Bot Examples
• BotFather Commands

Recommendation: Start with Telegram for learning and development, then expand to WhatsApp if needed for audience reach. 🚀