Plug in your numbers · real math

Telegram AI Agent ROI calculator

Hiring a part-time virtual assistant vs deploying a Telegram bot once. Defaults are reasonable midpoints — adjust to your numbers and the math updates live.

Upwork rates span $5–$50/hr; $20 is what a reliable US-based VA actually costs.

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Routine tasks an agent can take: inbox triage, scheduling, follow-ups, content drafts.

Job board, test projects, your time training. Conservative: $500.

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Claude/OpenAI usage on the agent side. Most solo founders run $20–$60.

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Show assumptions
  • VA is a 1099 contractor (no employer benefits/taxes)
  • Telegram deployment = $3,000 one-time (midpoint of $2k–$4k range)
  • 52 weeks per year
  • You own the deployment after delivery — no recurring service fees
Hire a VA · year 1
$16,100
$20 × 15 hrs × 52 + $500 hire cost
Telegram agent · year 1
$3,360
$3,000 deployment + $360 API usage
Year-1 delta
Direct cost saved
$12,740
Hours recaptured
780 hrs
15 hrs/wk × 52 weeks of work the agent handles
Pay-back period 2.4 months

After this, the agent keeps running. The VA cost compounds every year you keep them on.

Want to talk through your workflows?

Twenty minutes, no pitch. Bring one workflow you'd hand off and I'll tell you whether a Telegram agent actually fits.

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