Inline vs Reply Keyboard in Telegram Bots: When to Use Each

The key difference

Telegram bots have two kinds of buttons, and they behave in fundamentally different ways.

• A reply keyboard (ReplyKeyboardMarkup) appears in place of the phone keyboard. Tapping a button sends its text to the chat as the user, as if they had typed it.
• An inline keyboard (InlineKeyboardMarkup) is attached to a specific bot message. Tapping it writes nothing to the chat: the bot receives a callback query with hidden callback_data and can update that same message.

The simple rule: reply keyboards for persistent navigation, inline keyboards for actions in the context of a message.

Reply keyboard: options and limits

Useful options:

• resize_keyboard fits button height to content; without it buttons are oversized.
• one_time_keyboard hides the keyboard after a tap, is_persistent keeps it visible.
• input_field_placeholder shows a hint in the input field.
• Special buttons can request the user's contact, location or open a Mini App.
• Send ReplyKeyboardRemove to remove the keyboard.

Downsides: every tap adds a duplicate-looking message to the chat, and the bot receives plain text it has to match against strings. Rename a button or add a translation and old handlers break.

Inline keyboard: options and limits

Inline button types include:

• callback_data to pass data to the bot (up to 64 bytes);
• url to open a link;
• web_app to open a Mini App;
• switch_inline_query to start the bot's inline mode in another chat;
• pay for a payment button on an invoice;
• copy_text to copy text to the clipboard.

The main rule: for every callback query the bot must call answerCallbackQuery, otherwise the user sees a loading indicator on the button. That call can also show a short notification or an alert.

An inline keyboard in aiogram 3:

from aiogram.types import InlineKeyboardMarkup, InlineKeyboardButton

kb = InlineKeyboardMarkup(inline_keyboard=[
    [InlineKeyboardButton(text="Details", callback_data="item:42:info")],
    [InlineKeyboardButton(text="Add to cart", callback_data="item:42:add")],
])

The 64-byte limit means callback_data should hold a short identifier, not a JSON payload. The bot loads everything else from its database.

Commands and the menu button

Two more navigation elements sit outside keyboards:

• Commands (/start, /help, /catalog) are set via BotFather or the setMyCommands method. The list can differ by language and chat type.
• The menu button to the left of the input field. With setChatMenuButton it either shows the command list or opens a Mini App.

For most bots a good combination is commands to enter main sections and inline buttons to work inside a section.

UX rules for clean navigation

1. Edit, don't multiply. When moving through an inline menu, update the current message with editMessageText instead of sending a new one.
2. Two or three buttons per row at most. Long labels get cut off on phones.
3. Always provide a way out: "Back" and "Main menu" buttons.
4. Don't mix without reason a large reply keyboard and inline buttons on one screen; users won't know where to tap.
5. Confirm actions with a brief answerCallbackQuery notification instead of a separate message.
6. Handle old messages. Users may tap a week-old button; the bot should respond gracefully that the action has expired.

Which one to use