A Mini App is a page inside Telegram, not “a bot, but prettier.” A button bot covers the dialogue and the status. A screen is for a catalog, a cart, or a payment step that no longer fits in a message.
A classic bot
Commands, buttons, messages. It is good for order status, alerts, and a short flow. It is cheaper to keep: what breaks is the dialogue, not the layout. While the catalog is small, that is enough.
When you need a screen
A product grid, a map, a long form, a comparison. That is a frontend: you build it, you give images real sizes, and you check it on a phone, not only in the desktop client. Telegram does not cancel ordinary speed requirements.
One backend
The catalog and the orders live in one place. The bot and the Mini App are two doors, not two databases “for now.” Otherwise the price on the buttons and the price on the screen drift in the first week.
Where to start
Start with buttons and real orders. If people get lost at the tenth item, move the catalog into a Mini App and leave “new order” messages to the bot. Do not build a screen until you know which fields the manager actually reads.
What belongs in the first button release — the note on an order bot. A site store or a messenger catalog — the note on store or bot. To build the door — write to us.