Telegram vs Tqdm
Self-hosted for $4/mo on hetzner CAX11, versus $0-$0/user/mo on Telegram.
Side-by-side
| Telegram | Tqdm (self-hosted) | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | $0-$0/user/mo | $4.13/mo flat (any team size) |
| Hosting | Telegram's servers | Your VPS (hetzner CAX11) |
| Data ownership | Telegram controls the data | Your disk, your encryption |
| Source code | Closed | Open (NOASSERTION) |
| Customization | API + integrations only | Full source access; modify freely |
| Maintenance burden | Zero | Backups + updates (Docker available) |
| Health score (ossreplace) | — | 76 / 100 |
Why teams leave Telegram
Tqdm answers this by: Open-source alternatives that can replace Telegram.
The cost math
Assumes 5-person team using Telegram at the midpoint price ($0/user/mo).
| Period | Telegram | Tqdm on hetzner | You save |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $0 | $4.13 | $-4.13 |
| Yearly | $0 | $49.56 | $-49.56 |
| 3 years | $0 | $149 | $-149 |
Deploy Tqdm now
One-click deploys at the cheapest provider for this workload:
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Common questions
Is Tqdm a good alternative to Telegram?
Tqdm is an open-source, self-hostable alternative to Telegram with an ossreplace health score of 76/100 — a composite of project activity, maturity, community, security, and adoption. It runs on your own hetzner VPS from $4.13/mo with full source access under the NOASSERTION license, versus Telegram's $0–0/user/mo hosted plans.
How much cheaper is Tqdm than Telegram?
A 5-person team pays about $0/mo on Telegram. Self-hosting Tqdm on hetzner CAX11 costs a flat $4.13/mo regardless of team size — roughly $-149 less over three years (-Infinity% lower).
Is Tqdm hard to self-host?
Tqdm ships a Docker setup, so deployment is usually a single docker-compose command on a $4.13/mo VPS. You own the backups and updates, and there are no per-seat fees.
Do you keep control of your data with Tqdm vs Telegram?
Yes. Because Tqdm runs on your own server, the data lives on your disk under your encryption. With Telegram, Telegram controls the hosting, storage, and access.