Arbeit Bot: freelance market in Telegram

You need someone to draw a logo, build a landing page or translate a text in a couple of days. Arbeit Bot moves the search for contractors and jobs into Telegram. Press /start and you land in a community where clients and freelancers find each other. 🤝

The project calls itself the first free freelance market in Telegram with open source code. Enthusiasts build it, on the principle that the person who matters on the market is the client, not shareholders.

How a marketplace fits inside a messenger

The idea is to strip away the extras. You either look for a contractor or offer your services, and the talking happens in ordinary private messages.

• You choose who receives your job offer. According to the project description, there is no blasting everyone, so no spam.
• A list of suitable freelancers appears right away once you create a job.
• You can message freelancers directly, with no limits on communication.

Working inside Telegram saves you from creating yet another account and learning a new interface.

Open code and what it means for you

The bot's code is published under the MIT license. Anyone can look inside, see how the market works, propose a fix or run their own copy.

For clients and freelancers that means transparency: no hidden ranking tricks that bury some people and push others. Still, open code alone does not guarantee the quality of jobs. The project is kept alive by volunteers, so the pace of updates depends on their time. 🔓

If you are the client

A good brief saves more money than any discount. The clearer the task, the sharper the replies.

1. Describe the result, not the process: what should come out and in which format.
2. Name the deadline and budget. Without them, you will get off-target answers.
3. Look at the contractor's past work before you start. Samples say more than words.
4. Split a big order into stages with separate payment for each.
5. Record the agreements in writing right in the chat.

If you are the freelancer

A messenger marketplace has as much competition as any other, so your profile and first messages decide everything.

• State a narrow specialty. "I do everything" earns less trust than "I make decks for startups".
• Attach samples. A few good pieces beat a long description.
• Reply fast. Clients often message several people at once.
• Clarify details before starting. Endless revisions eat the whole profit.

Spotting a scammer

Direct contact with no intermediary is convenient, but you have less protection. There is no arbitration to settle a dispute, so caution is on you. ⚠️

• Do not pay the full sum up front to a stranger. Pay in parts as stages are finished.
• Do not open links or install files from a contractor until you trust them.
• Never share SMS codes or card details. Neither a client nor a contractor needs them.
• Sign a contract for larger projects, and handle taxes and reporting as your country's rules require.

Who it fits

The bot works for small one-off tasks, quick consultations, and people who like open-source projects. For large, long contracts, choose a service that protects deals. 💼