Both VELA and TeleClaw put an AI assistant inside Telegram, and both are easy to start with. But they're built for different people. One is a ready-made personal bot you create in five minutes and pay a flat price for. The other is a multi-model agent with credits, browser control and a focus on teams and groups.
This isn't about who's better. It's an honest comparison so you can pick the one that fits how you actually work.
What TeleClaw is and who it's for
TeleClaw markets itself as the AI assistant built specifically for Telegram — for groups, private chats and the Telegram Mini App ecosystem. Its standout trait is range. According to TeleClaw's site, you can route between Claude, GPT and Gemini models in one chat and switch provider per task.
Its agents come with file management, note-taking, task tracking, image generation, media analysis and custom MCP server connections. On the Pro plan, the agent goes further — browser automation and even mobile phone control (SMS and calls). It works as a personal assistant in a private chat and as a shared team tool in a group, where any member can invoke it by mentioning it.
The setup is "zero setup": you add a ready-made bot and start. That's the model — a powerful shared agent you switch on, not a bot of your own.
This is a strong fit for technically minded users and teams who want model choice, agentic actions and a bot the whole group can call.
What VELA is and who it's for
VELA is a platform for creating your own personal AI assistant on your own Telegram bot. You sign up on velabot.io, create a bot through @BotFather, paste the token — and in five minutes you have an assistant running on Claude. No server, no code.
The key difference is ownership: the bot you create belongs only to you. It's your Telegram bot, with the name and avatar you chose — not a shared service that other people also talk to.
On the free Basic plan it does weather, currency, crypto and stock rates, indices, commodities and precious metals, reminders, web search, photo and document analysis, the morning digest, a city guide, and long-term memory. Pro adds flight search, price alerts, advanced cryptocurrency search, image generation, reading Telegram channels, Google Workspace (Calendar, Gmail, Tasks, Drive) and Notion.
The audience is different: people who want a ready, everyday assistant for personal routine — not a constructor to configure.
Where the real difference is
In one line: TeleClaw is built for flexibility and teams, VELA for simplicity and one person.
TeleClaw gives you model choice and agentic power — pick Claude, GPT or Gemini, let it drive a browser or a phone, plug in MCP servers, run subagents. The trade-off is a credit system and a higher price, and the depth assumes you want to tinker.
VELA gives you a fixed, ready set of modules with no credits to watch. Financial tools — rates, crypto, flights, price alerts — and Google Workspace and Notion all work out of the box. Claude runs on every plan, including the free one. You don't choose models or wire anything; you just use it.
What TeleClaw has that VELA doesn't
The honest part of the comparison.
Model choice. TeleClaw lets you switch between Claude, GPT and Gemini. VELA runs on Claude only.
Agentic actions. Browser automation and mobile phone control (SMS, calls) on TeleClaw's Pro plan. VELA doesn't drive your browser or phone.
Custom MCP connections and subagents. TeleClaw supports them; VELA's module set is fixed.
Team use in groups. TeleClaw is designed for shared group use. VELA is a personal assistant for one owner.
If you need model switching, agent actions or a shared team bot, TeleClaw is the stronger pick. These are different classes of product, not a weakness of either.
Money and limits
TeleClaw can be used for free by individuals and small groups. Its Pro plan is $19/month (payable as 1,500 Telegram Stars or 10 TON) and runs on credits — 3,000 per month — with extra packs available (for example 100 for $1.30, 500 for $6, 2,000 for $22). You pay more, but you get model choice and agentic tools.
VELA's Basic plan is free forever, no card to sign up. Pro is $9/month (or $7/month billed yearly) — a flat subscription with no credits to track and no daily message limit. Payment is by card or Telegram Stars (690 Stars ≈ $9). Everything is included: hosting, Claude, and all modules for your plan.
So the split is clear. TeleClaw costs more and trades on power and flexibility. VELA costs less and trades on simplicity and a bot that's yours.
One honest limit of VELA: you can't add custom skills, your own integrations or extra models — the module set is fixed and Telegram-only. For custom business scenarios (a CRM bot, bookings, support) you can order a custom build from Vibecraft. If you want the simplest path to your own bot, see how to make a Telegram AI bot without code, and for the broader criteria, how to choose an AI assistant.
FAQ
Are VELA and TeleClaw direct competitors? Partly. Both are AI assistants in Telegram, but TeleClaw aims at flexibility, model choice and teams, while VELA aims at a simple personal assistant. The audiences overlap, but the products solve it differently.
Which is cheaper? VELA. Its Pro is $9/month flat with no credits; TeleClaw's Pro is $19/month and runs on a monthly credit balance you can top up.
Whose bot is it? On VELA, yours — created through @BotFather with your own name and @username, and only you use it. TeleClaw is a ready-made bot you add with zero setup.
Which language models do they use? VELA runs on Claude from Anthropic on every plan (Haiku on Basic; Sonnet plus Haiku on Pro). TeleClaw lets you switch between Claude, GPT and Gemini.
Can I add my own integrations? Not on VELA — the module set is fixed. TeleClaw supports custom MCP server connections, which is one of its main differences.