The best Telegram scraper depends on one question: do you need data from groups and channels you have joined, or from public channels you never opened? For the first, a browser extension such as the Mastros Telegram extension exports members, messages, contacts and media from your own session with no API key. For the second, an Apify actor or a Telethon script running in the cloud reads public channels without logging in at all. Everything else on this list is a variation on those two models.
Best tools for scraping Telegram groups and channels
| Tool | Runs where | Reaches private groups you joined | Exports | Setup | Pricing model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mastros Telegram extension | Your browser, on web.telegram.org | Yes | Members, messages, contacts, media, video; CSV, JSON or JSONL; the CSV opens in Excel and Google Sheets | Install from the Chrome Web Store, open a chat | Free tier, monthly plans (pricing) |
| Telegram Desktop export | Telegram's own desktop app | Yes, chat history only | Messages and media as HTML or JSON; no member list | Built in | Free |
| Apify actors (third-party) | Apify cloud | No, public channels only | Messages, member profiles; JSON, CSV | Apify account, choose an actor, run | Per result plus platform credit |
| Telethon or Pyrogram script | Your machine or server | Yes, with your API credentials | Anything the API exposes | Python, api_id and api_hash from my.telegram.org | Free, your time |
| TeleSender | Browser extension | Yes | Members with filters; CSV, Excel | Install, then plans | Advertised from $15 per month, check their page |
| Thunderbit | Browser AI scraper | Depends on what the page renders | Tables from any page, Telegram template | Install, describe the data | Credits counted per year on the plans we checked in August 2026 |
| Downloader bots and online sites | Telegram bot or a website | Rarely | Single files or forwarded messages | Paste a link | Free with limits, ads |
Two honest notes on the table. TeleSender bundles a strong scraper with a bulk sender and an auto inviter; its own product page advertises twelve anti-ban mechanisms, which is a fair summary of what bulk outreach involves. Mastros sends nothing and invites nobody, so that category of risk does not apply to it, and someone who wants to message the list they scraped should buy TeleSender rather than Mastros. Thunderbit is a general-purpose web scraper with a Telegram template; if you scrape many different sites it is the better buy.
How to use a Telegram scraper to extract messages and contacts
With the extension, the process is the same for every chat you can open:
- Open Telegram Web and the group, channel or chat you want.
- Open the Mastros extension from the Chrome toolbar and choose a mode: members, messages, contacts, media or video download.
- Set any filter (date range, media type, keyword) and run. The extension scrolls the chat in your browser and collects what it renders.
- Download as CSV, JSON or JSONL; the CSV opens in Excel and Google Sheets.
With Telegram Desktop, open the chat, use the three-dot menu, choose Export chat history, pick HTML or JSON and whether to include media. It is the right choice for a personal archive of one chat, and the wrong one if you want a member list or a spreadsheet.
With Apify, pick an actor, paste a public channel link, run it and download JSON or CSV. The two actors most often cited for Telegram are built by third-party developers on Apify's platform, not by Apify itself; that matters for support and for how long they stay maintained.
Are there Telegram scrapers with API access for developers?
Yes, but the API is Telegram's own. Telethon and Pyrogram are Python libraries over the MTProto API; you register an application at my.telegram.org, get an api_id and api_hash, and write the collection yourself. That path gives you the most control and the most responsibility, including rate limits enforced by Telegram. Apify actors expose an HTTP API around their runs, which is the fastest way to get Telegram data into a pipeline without writing the scraper. Mastros has no API; it produces files, which is the right fit for a spreadsheet, a CRM import or a one-off analysis and the wrong fit for a nightly job.
Telegram scraper apps compatible with Windows and Mac
Browser extensions run wherever Chrome, Edge or Brave runs, so Mastros, TeleSender and Thunderbit work on Windows, Mac and Linux without a separate build. Telegram Desktop exists for all three. Python scripts run anywhere Python does. Cloud tools such as Apify need only a browser to configure. There is no Telegram scraper for iOS or Android worth recommending; the mobile apps expose too little, and the store policies keep such tools out.
Pricing comparison of popular Telegram scraper tools
The unit matters more than the headline price. Apify actors charge per result and draw down a monthly platform credit that does not roll over; at small volumes the cost is a few dollars, at large volumes it climbs linearly. Thunderbit's plans count credits per year, which reads like a monthly allowance until you divide by twelve. TeleSender advertises unlimited scraping on every plan and prices the messaging features. Mastros prices by monthly export volume on a free tier and two paid tiers, listed on the product page. For a worked comparison of Mastros against the Apify actors at equal volumes, see Mastros vs Apify for Telegram data.
Where can I download a reliable Telegram scraper?
From the Chrome Web Store, and only from there for browser extensions; a scraper distributed as a downloadable file asks you to trust code that has access to your Telegram session. The Mastros Telegram extension is on the Chrome Web Store with its reviews visible. Apify actors live on the Apify Store. Telethon is on PyPI.
Is scraping Telegram legal?
Telegram's terms allow you to read what you have access to and prohibit spam and abuse. Exporting members from a group you belong to, for your own analysis, is reading; messaging those members in bulk is the part that gets accounts limited, which is why Mastros does not do it. Public-channel scraping without an account, as the Apify actors do, involves no Telegram account at all. Whatever tool you use, the people in the file have privacy rights where they live; keep exports to lists you have a reason to hold, do not resell them, and do not combine them with messaging tools you would not want to explain.
FAQ
What is a Telegram scraper?
A tool that reads members, messages, contacts or media from Telegram groups, channels and chats and saves them to a file or database, instead of you copying them by hand.
Can a Telegram scraper get phone numbers?
Only where Telegram shows them to you, which depends on each user's privacy settings. No tool reveals hidden numbers.
Can I scrape a private Telegram channel?
Only one you have joined, and only with a tool that works inside your session, such as the extension or a Telethon script under your credentials. Public-channel cloud scrapers cannot.
Does Mastros work without the Telegram API?
Yes. It reads the Telegram Web page you already have open. No api_id, no api_hash, no bot token.
Which tool is best for a nightly, unattended job?
Apify or your own Telethon script. The extension needs your browser open.
Does scraping get my account banned?
Reading is not what triggers limits; bulk messaging and mass inviting are. Use an export tool for exports and keep outreach separate.
Related reading
- Telegram Video Downloader
- Telegram Scraper Pricing Compared (2026)
- Best Alternatives to Telegram Desktop's Native Export (2026)