Free AI Chatbot for Telegram With OpenRouter (No Card)
Yes, you can run an AI chatbot in Telegram for free: create a bot, get a free OpenRouter key, and choose the free model openrouter/free in TeleCrow's personal AI setup. It isn't unlimited and it isn't ChatGPT. OpenRouter allows about 50 free replies a day across the whole bot, and the free models come from other AI companies and vary in quality and speed. This guide covers the setup, a common privacy-setting error, and when a paid model is worth it.
Limits checked on 16 October 2026. OpenRouter can change them. Free models: 20 requests a minute; 50 requests a day if you have bought less than 10 credits, 1,000 a day if you have bought at least 10 (OpenRouter limits).
Can you really run an AI chatbot on Telegram for free?
For personal use or a small test, yes. Three things are free here: a Telegram bot from @BotFather, an OpenRouter account with its free models, and TeleCrow's Free plan, which hosts one live bot with up to 50 new users a day and shows a small TeleCrow ad inside the bot.
What "free" doesn't give you:
- Unlimited replies. Each reply is one request to OpenRouter, and the free daily allowance is shared by everyone who talks to your bot.
- ChatGPT. OpenAI's GPT models are paid on OpenRouter.
openrouter/freepicks from OpenRouter's free models, which on the day we checked came from companies such as Google and NVIDIA. - Privacy for sensitive data. Free models are served by providers that may train on or publish your prompts, and OpenRouter only routes to them if your privacy settings allow it. Don't use the free route for anything private.
So there is no free and unlimited ChatGPT bot that you control. There is a free, honest starting point that you can upgrade later without rebuilding the bot.
What you need
- A Telegram account, to create the bot in @BotFather.
- An email address for an OpenRouter account. No credit or card is needed for the free model.
- A TeleCrow account (free sign-up).
Step 1: get a free OpenRouter key
- Sign up at openrouter.ai. Signing up is free.
- Open Keys and click Create key. Copy the key; it starts with
sk-or-. OpenRouter shows it only once, so keep it somewhere safe. - Open Settings › Privacy on OpenRouter and allow free endpoints. At the time of writing the two options are "Enable free endpoints that may train on inputs" and "…may publish prompts". If they are off, free models fail with the error described below.
Step 2: create the bot and choose the free model
- In Telegram, open @BotFather, send
/newbot, pick a name and a username, and copy the bot token. - In TeleCrow, create a new bot, choose the Personal AI bot type and paste the token.
- On the bot's page, find Connect your AI. If you don't have a key yet, a box says No API key yet? Start free. Tap Use the free option. TeleCrow selects OpenRouter as the provider and
openrouter/freeas the model; it's listed under "Free — no credit needed". - Paste your OpenRouter key into API key. TeleCrow recognises an OpenRouter key and tells you if the key is from another provider.
- Tap Connect & test. Before saving, TeleCrow sends one tiny test request with your key and model. When it works you'll see "Connected — your bot is live."
- Write a short system prompt, for example "You are a friendly assistant for a cooking channel. Answer in two or three sentences." Then message your bot in Telegram to try it.
After you save it, TeleCrow doesn't show the key again in the dashboard. You can replace or remove it at any time.
Fix: "No endpoints found matching your data policy"
This is the error OpenRouter returns when your privacy settings block every provider that serves the free models. TeleCrow catches it during Connect & test and shows: "OpenRouter blocks free models until you allow them."
- Tap Open OpenRouter privacy settings in TeleCrow, or go to openrouter.ai › Settings › Privacy.
- Turn on "Enable free endpoints that may train on inputs" and "…may publish prompts".
- Go back to TeleCrow and tap Connect & test again.
Those switches mean what they say: the provider of a free model may use or publish what people send to your bot. If that isn't acceptable for your use, skip the free route and use a paid model with a stricter data policy.
The daily limit and what happens when you hit it
OpenRouter counts requests per account, not per Telegram user. On a free account (less than 10 credits ever bought) you get about 50 free-model requests a day and 20 a minute. Every reply your bot sends uses one, and so does the test in Connect & test.
When the allowance runs out, OpenRouter refuses further requests and your bot replies "⏱ Rate-limited by the AI provider. Try again in a few seconds." Replies work again once OpenRouter's daily allowance resets.
TeleCrow adds its own guard so one person can't use up your allowance or your bill: each chat can send up to 15 messages a minute and 100 a day. Above that, the bot asks the person to slow down or come back the next day (the daily count resets at 00:00 UTC).
| Option | Daily replies (approx.) | Cost | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|
openrouter/free, no credits bought | About 50 for the whole bot | $0 | Varies; free models picked at random, can be slower |
openrouter/free, 10+ credits bought | About 1,000 for the whole bot | One-time credit purchase | Same free models |
| Paid OpenRouter model | Limited by your credit | Per message, set by the model | You choose the model |
| Your own OpenAI, Anthropic or Google key | Limited by that account | Set by that provider (Google AI Studio has a free tier with daily limits) | You choose the model |
When to move to a paid model
Stay on the free model while you test your prompt and see if people use the bot. Move to a paid model when:
- more than a handful of people use the bot every day, so 50 replies run out;
- answers need to be consistent, because
openrouter/freemay route each message to a different model; - people send personal or business information that shouldn't go to providers that may train on it;
- you add a knowledge base and want better answers from it. With an OpenRouter key, TeleCrow's knowledge base uses keyword search; OpenAI and Google keys enable meaning-based search.
Upgrading takes a minute: add credit on OpenRouter and pick a model from the "Paid — needs OpenRouter credit" group, or switch the provider to OpenAI, Anthropic or Google and paste that key. The bot, its prompt and its knowledge base stay the same. If the bot stops answering after a change, check Telegram bot not responding.
Want to try it now? Create a free TeleCrow account and set up a Personal AI bot. To connect ChatGPT or Claude with your own paid key instead, see connect ChatGPT or Claude to Telegram. For the bigger picture, read AI Telegram bot without coding and building a Telegram AI agent for your business.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free and unlimited ChatGPT bot on Telegram?
Not one you control. OpenAI's GPT models need paid credit both on OpenRouter and through OpenAI's own API, and free models on OpenRouter are limited to about 50 requests a day on a free account. A bot with openrouter/free is free, but limited, and it uses other companies' free models rather than ChatGPT.
How do I create a Telegram bot with AI for free?
Create a bot in @BotFather, make a free OpenRouter key, then in TeleCrow choose the Personal AI bot, tap "Use the free option", paste the key and tap Connect & test. Allow free endpoints in OpenRouter's privacy settings first.
Why does OpenRouter say "No endpoints found matching your data policy"?
Your OpenRouter privacy settings block the providers that serve free models. Turn on the free-endpoint options in Settings › Privacy on OpenRouter, then test again.
What happens when the free OpenRouter limit runs out?
Your bot replies that it is rate-limited by the AI provider until OpenRouter's daily allowance resets. Buying at least 10 OpenRouter credits raises the free-model limit to about 1,000 requests a day.