Compare · Home food and taking orders
SME AI Office vs Telegram
Many Singapore home food sellers post menus in a Telegram channel or group and take orders by chat; SME AI Office is the free order link that goes in that channel.
Prices checked 20 October 2026
The short answer
Choose Telegram on its own if you post a menu to your channel or group and like confirming each order in chat. Telegram is free, a channel can have unlimited subscribers, and Telegram Premium adds business tools such as opening hours, quick replies and greeting and away messages.
Choose SME AI Office if orders are getting lost in chats. Keep your Telegram channel for news and photos, and put your free SME AI Office order link in it: customers pick a day, pay by PayNow QR, and you get tomorrow’s prep list and a Telegram alert for each new order. No monthly fee, no limit on orders and no platform fee from us.
Side by side
| SME AI Office | Telegram | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free. No monthly fee and no platform feeYour own PayNow QR and cash: no fee. Cards and automatic PayNow through your own HitPay account, at HitPay’s own fee | FreeTelegram Premium is an optional paid subscription |
| Free plan | Yes, for good. No monthly fee, no card, no limit on orders | Yes, Telegram is free to use |
| Reaching customers | No broadcasts. Share your order link in your channel, group or bio | Channels with unlimited subscribers; groups of up to 200,000 members |
| How an order arrives | Order page: items, choices, pickup point or delivery day, then payment | Customers message you in chat, or order through a bot a developer sets up |
| Payment | PayNow QR with the amount and order number; customer taps I have paid | In chat you send your PayNow details; a bot takes payment through a third-party providerTelegram takes no commission on bot payments; the provider charges its own fee |
| Automatic replies | None. Each WhatsApp message is a link you tap, with the words written; order emails go out by themselves | Greeting and away messages and quick replies, with Telegram PremiumTelegram Business, from 31 March 2024: also opening hours, location and chat links |
| Telegram alerts | A Telegram alert for each new order and each ‘I have paid’ | Orders arrive as chats |
| Keeping track | Orders by collection day and tomorrow’s prep list | Orders live in your chats |
Which one fits
SME AI Office fits when
- Your Telegram chats are full and orders slip through.
- You want customers to pay a PayNow QR with the amount filled in, and sold-out days to close themselves.
- You want tomorrow’s prep list and every order in your accounting.
Telegram fits when
- Your customers follow your Telegram channel: keep posting there either way.
- You sell a few items a week and like confirming each order in chat.
- You want greeting and away messages and quick replies sent from your own Telegram account.
Free, with no platform fee. Your PayNow QR is free; cards and automatic PayNow go through your own HitPay account.
Questions
Is SME AI Office cheaper than Telegram for a home food business?
Both are free. Telegram costs nothing to use, with an optional Premium subscription. SME AI Office has no monthly fee and no limit on orders. Orders paid by your own PayNow QR or in cash cost nothing; cards and automatic PayNow go through your own HitPay account, with no platform fee from us, only HitPay’s own fee.
Do I have to stop selling on Telegram to use SME AI Office?
No. Keep your Telegram channel or group for your menu photos, news and drops. Put your SME AI Office order link in each post and in your channel description, and customers order and pay there instead of by chat. You can still chat with them on Telegram.
Does SME AI Office work with Telegram?
Yes. You get a Telegram alert for each new order and each ‘I have paid’, and you can ask for the customer’s Telegram handle at checkout. SME AI Office sends no Telegram messages to your customers by itself, and it has no broadcasts.
Can I take payments inside a Telegram bot?
A Telegram bot can take payments through a third-party payment provider that the bot’s developer connects. Telegram says it takes no commission; the provider charges its own fee. You need a developer or a bot service to set this up. SME AI Office needs no bot: customers pay a PayNow QR with the amount and order number filled in, or by card through your own HitPay account.
Do I need Telegram Premium to sell?
No. Telegram is free for chats, groups and channels. Telegram’s business tools, such as opening hours, location, quick replies and greeting and away messages, come with a Telegram Premium subscription.
Can I move my Telegram menu to SME AI Office?
Yes. We move your menu over for you, free: ask for free setup in the app after you sign up. Then pin your order link in your Telegram channel.
Telegram facts are from telegram.org/faq, Telegram blog: Telegram Business, Telegram Premium FAQ, Telegram Bot Payments API, checked on 20 October 2026. Prices are as shown there. Telegram is a trademark of its owner. SME AI Office is not connected with Telegram.