# Telegram User Profile API

The Telegram User Profile API returns a public Telegram account by handle: name, bio and followers, in the same response format as every other SocialToAI call. One call costs 2 credits ($0.004 to $0.0067 depending on the pack); failed calls are free. Call it over HTTP or from your AI client over MCP. Last tested 2026-10-17.

- Page: https://socialtoai.com/telegram-user-profile-api/
- Last updated: 2026-10-17
- Last tested: 2026-10-17

| Request | Price key | Credits |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `POST /v1/user_profile` | `telegram.user_profile` | 2 |

## Request

```bash
curl https://api.socialtoai.com/v1/user_profile \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SOCIALTOAI_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "platform": "telegram",
    "username": "telegram"
  }'
```

```python
import os
import requests

response = requests.post(
    "https://api.socialtoai.com/v1/user_profile",
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['SOCIALTOAI_KEY']}"},
    json={
        "platform": "telegram",
        "username": "telegram",
    },
)
print(response.json())
```

## Parameters

| Name | Type | Required | Default | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `platform` | string | Required | — | Always "telegram" on this page. |
| `username` | string | Required | — | The channel's handle, without the @ |

## Where the values come from

- `username`: The channel's handle, without the @ (e.g. `telegram`)
  No other interface of the platform returns it.

## Response fields

| Field | Type | Meaning | Given |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `items[].id` | string | The platform's own ID. | always null: Telegram does not give it |
| `items[].username` | string | The handle. | yes |
| `items[].name` | string | The display name. | yes |
| `items[].url` | string | A link to the profile. | yes |
| `items[].bio` | string | The bio. | yes |
| `items[].verified` | boolean | Whether the account is verified. | yes |
| `items[].followers` | integer | Follower count. | yes |
| `items[].following` | integer | How many accounts it follows. | always null: Telegram does not give it |
| `items[].posts_count` | integer | How many posts it has published. | always null: Telegram does not give it |

Every item also has platform, id, ref, approx and type; the response around the items is the same on every call. [Response format](https://socialtoai.com/docs/api/response.md)

## Sample response

Sample data: names, links and text are replaced by placeholders; the numbers are as recorded.

```json
{
  "request_id": "req_00000000-0000-4000-8000-000000000001",
  "schema_version": "v1",
  "fetched_at": "2026-10-12T19:04:43.000Z",
  "action": "user_profile",
  "platform": "telegram",
  "status": "ok",
  "items": [
    {
      "platform": "telegram",
      "id": null,
      "ref": "…",
      "approx": [],
      "type": "account",
      "username": "…",
      "name": "…",
      "url": "https://example.com/…",
      "bio": "…",
      "verified": true,
      "followers": 10816949,
      "following": null,
      "posts_count": null
    }
  ],
  "unavailable": ["id", "following", "posts_count"],
  "warnings": [],
  "applied_params": {
    "username": "telegram"
  },
  "cost_credits": 2,
  "billing": {
    "cost_credits": 2,
    "balance_credits": 98,
    "today_spend_credits": 2,
    "daily_limit_credits": null,
    "daily_remaining_credits": null,
    "display": "This call: 2 credits. Balance: 98 credits."
  },
  "replayed": false
}
```

## Paging and failures

- One call returns one object, with no pages, for 2 credits.
- 1 call per second per key, 5 after a purchase; going over is not charged. [Rate limits](https://socialtoai.com/docs/credits-and-billing.md#rate-limits)
- A failed call costs 0 credits and is never retried on its own. [Error codes](https://socialtoai.com/docs/api/errors.md)

## Ask your AI

- Look up this Telegram account: telegram → `user_profile {"platform":"telegram","username":"telegram"}`, 2 credits

## Tools that use it

- [Account watch](https://socialtoai.com/tools/account-watch.md): What each one posted lately, and which posts beat its usual numbers
- [Creator profile](https://socialtoai.com/tools/creator-card.md): Their accounts on other platforms, the numbers on each, and how sure the match is
- [Bulk link data](https://socialtoai.com/tools/batch-stats.md): One row per link with its numbers as they are now. Links that no longer work are marked

## The same call on other platforms

| Platform | Price key | Credits | Page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| TikTok | `tiktok.user_profile` | 2 | https://socialtoai.com/tiktok-user-profile-api.md |
| Instagram | `instagram.user_profile` | 2 | https://socialtoai.com/instagram-user-profile-api.md |
| X | `x.user_profile` | 1 | https://socialtoai.com/x-user-profile-api.md |
| Reddit | `reddit.user_profile` | 2 | https://socialtoai.com/reddit-user-profile-api.md |
| YouTube | `youtube.user_profile` | 2 | https://socialtoai.com/youtube-user-profile-api.md |
| Facebook | `facebook.user_profile` | 2 | https://socialtoai.com/facebook-user-profile-api.md |
| LinkedIn | `linkedin.user_profile` | 2 | https://socialtoai.com/linkedin-user-profile-api.md |
| Threads | `threads.user_profile` | 2 | https://socialtoai.com/threads-user-profile-api.md |
| Xiaohongshu | `xiaohongshu.user_profile` | 12 | https://socialtoai.com/xiaohongshu-user-profile-api.md |
| Douyin | `douyin.user_profile` | 2 | https://socialtoai.com/douyin-user-profile-api.md |
| Weibo | `weibo.user_profile` | 2 | https://socialtoai.com/weibo-user-profile-api.md |
| WeChat Articles | `wechat.user_profile` | 12 | https://socialtoai.com/wechat-user-profile-api.md |
| Bilibili | `bilibili.user_profile` | 2 | https://socialtoai.com/bilibili-user-profile-api.md |
| Zhihu | `zhihu.user_profile` | 2 | https://socialtoai.com/zhihu-user-profile-api.md |
| Kuaishou | `kuaishou.user_profile` | 12 | https://socialtoai.com/kuaishou-user-profile-api.md |
| WeChat Channels | `wechat_channels.user_profile` | 12 | https://socialtoai.com/wechat-channels-user-profile-api.md |

## More on Telegram

| Interface | What it does | Price key | Credits | Page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `detail` | One message by ID or link: text, author, views and publish time. | `telegram.detail` | 2 | https://socialtoai.com/telegram-detail-api.md |
| `user_posts` | The recent messages of one account. | `telegram.user_posts` | 2 | https://socialtoai.com/telegram-user-posts-api.md |

## FAQ

**Do I need a Telegram account or Telegram's own API access?**

No. You only need a SocialToAI key. The call returns content and account information publicly visible on Telegram; you never sign in to Telegram or apply for anything there.