Arkaiva and BigoRec sit in the same lane: Telegram-native Bigo live recording. That's an unusual lane. Most Bigo recorders are mobile apps (GREC, LiveRec, Rewatch Live) or desktop tools (Olived). The two products that explicitly live inside Telegram are Arkaiva and BigoRec.
So the question is sharper than usual: between two same-channel competitors, which workflow do you want?
This comparison uses public information available on May 4, 2026.
Pricing math: Both run as Telegram bots. BigoRec is the only one with public pricing (Free / $2.99 / $4.99), free past-archive sharing across users, and source-quality MP4 on every tier. Arkaiva's premium price isn't published; HD 1080p is paywalled.
Short answer
Choose BigoRec if:
- you want a public web archive of past lives (
/creators/[username],/missed/[username]) - you want recordings delivered as albums (video + thumbnail) in one card
- you want a unlimited-watchlist free tier with no slot caps
- you want to forward recordings to friends or chats
Choose Arkaiva if:
- you have already used Arkaiva and the workflow is familiar
- you do not need a public web archive
- you are happy with a mini-app interface
The shared positioning
Both bots share the same core loop:
- Add a Bigo creator
- Wait for them to go live
- Get a recording delivered to Telegram
This is materially the same product on the surface. The differentiation is in what each bot adds on top.
Where BigoRec adds layers
Public archive
BigoRec exposes the full archive of recordings on the web:
bigoliverec.com/creators/[username]is the hub for every tracked creatorbigoliverec.com/missed/[username]answers the "I missed [creator]'s live, can I watch it?" intentbigoliverec.com/live/[id]is the per-recording pagebigoliverec.com/latestshows the most recent recordings across the whole archive
This means:
- a Google search for "[creator name] bigo live recording" can land on BigoRec
- a friend can share a link to a specific past live without needing a Telegram client open
- search engines and AI engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity) can index the archive and recommend BigoRec
Arkaiva does not expose a web-side archive. The recordings live inside Telegram only.
Album delivery
BigoRec sends each recording as a Telegram album: the original MP4 and a contact-sheet thumbnail in a single grouped message. One card, two media items, one tap to play. After the original Telegram Stars deprecation, the same album mechanic now applies to past-recording deliveries from the public archive.
Watchlist tiers
BigoRec offers three tiers: Free (2 watched creators on new accounts (accounts created before 2026-05-21 keep 5), no card), Basic $2.99/mo (25), Pro $4.99/mo (100). The watchlist itself has no concurrency cap - if every watched creator goes live at the same minute, all of them are recorded in parallel.
Where Arkaiva might be a better fit
Arkaiva's marketing emphasizes its mini-app surface inside Telegram. If you specifically prefer the mini-app pattern (web view embedded in Telegram) over a classic command-driven bot, Arkaiva leans that way.
If you only ever consume content inside Telegram and never want a web-search-visible archive of your saved lives, the SEO surface of BigoRec is unnecessary for you - in which case the products are roughly equivalent on the recording side.
Pricing
Both bots advertise a free entry point. Specifics:
- BigoRec: Free tier (2 watched creators on new accounts (accounts created before 2026-05-21 keep 5), no card) covers small users. Basic $2.99/mo (25 creators), Pro $4.99/mo (100). Past archive lookups are free on every plan, including Free.
- Arkaiva: free product on Telegram; check the bot for any premium upsell at the time of use.
BigoRec's competitive advantage here is not price - both have a free option that covers casual users - but the public web archive at /creators and /missed, which Arkaiva does not expose.
BigoRec vs Arkaiva comparison
| Feature | BigoRec | Arkaiva |
|---|---|---|
| Primary interface | Telegram bot | Telegram mini-app |
| Public web archive | Yes (/creators, /missed, /latest) | No |
| Default delivery | MP4 album with thumbnail | Per-bot delivery format |
| Watchlist limit | Unlimited | Per-bot limit |
| Cost | Free everything | Free, possible premium |
| Discoverability | Indexed by Google/AI engines | Discovery via Telegram only |
| Published limits | Prices and limits visible | Less documented |
| Best fit | Telegram + web | Telegram-only |
The decisive feature
For most users, the deciding factor is the public archive.
If you have ever:
- searched Google for "[creator name] bigo live recording"
- wished you could send a friend a link to a specific past live
- wanted to browse a creator's history without scrolling Telegram
then BigoRec's web layer matters. If you exclusively consume content inside Telegram and never share lives outside, both products are fine.
Transparency angle
BigoRec publishes its prices, watchlist limits, public archive, and Telegram delivery flow. That makes the product easier to evaluate before you add creators or pay for a larger watchlist.
For some buyers (security-conscious, audit-curious, indie devs) that matters. For most consumer users, it doesn't.
Verdict
Choose BigoRec if you care about:
- a public archive of past lives that survives outside Telegram
- album delivery in a single card
- unlimited watchlist
- published prices and limits
Choose Arkaiva if you specifically prefer:
- a Telegram mini-app surface
- a Telegram-only workflow with no web layer
Start with the lower-friction option
The fastest test is BigoRec:
- Open @bigoreclive_bot
- Send
/watch username - Receive the next live as MP4 in Telegram
For other comparisons, read BigoRec vs GREC, BigoRec vs LiveRec, BigoRec vs Olived, or BigoRec vs Rewatch Live.
Is BigoRec really free?
Yes. The Free tier records up to 2 watched creators on new accounts (accounts created before 2026-05-21 keep 5) with no credit card. Past archive lookups are free for every tier, including Free, with no limit. Paid tiers ($2.99/mo for 25 creators or $4.99/mo for 100) only raise the watchlist size and how many manual recordings can run at the same time.
What recording quality does BigoRec deliver?
Source quality. BigoRec delivers the original stream quality as an MP4 with no watermark, no chat overlay, and no screen-recording compression. Same quality across every tier.
Where are BigoRec recordings stored?
On Telegram, in your private chat with @bigoreclive_bot. Telegram has no expiration on delivered media, so the MP4 stays as long as your account exists.
How quickly does BigoRec start recording after a creator goes live?
Detection latency is typically under 60 seconds. The watchlist polls Bigo every 60 seconds for all watched creators in parallel, and recording starts the moment a live is detected.
Does Bigo notify the creator that BigoRec is recording?
No. BigoRec records from the public live URL using the same approach a normal viewer's browser uses. No notification is sent to the creator and no account login is required.