Faino
@faino_psy_bot
FreeENRU
A free first-aid bot for acute stress: it gauges how tense you are and walks you through a short self-help technique, aiming to bring back calm in about three minutes.
Key features
- Quick check of how stressed you feel right now
- Self-help technique matched to your stress level
- Short sessions of about three minutes
- Based on CBT and WHO self-help guidance
- Free, run by a nonprofit team
What Faino does
Faino is a free Telegram bot for the moment when stress spikes. Its promise is to help you regain calm and focus in about three minutes, and it keeps to that format: instead of an open-ended chat, it works like first aid. The bot asks how stressed you feel and then offers a self-help technique suited to that level, drawing on cognitive behavioural therapy and World Health Organization guidance.
The project was launched in March 2022 by a nonprofit team led by CEO Mikhail Kelim and lead psychologist Vera Kelim, and its MIT Solve listing reports more than 67,700 users. It has also been described in an ACM research paper as a multilingual bot. According to MIT Solve it runs in six languages, English, Hebrew and Ukrainian among them, with Arabic and Hindi planned.
Two caveats before you rely on it. The bot is free, and the team mentions corporate versions in development, but its own website, faino.help, currently shows only a placeholder, so the project's status is confirmed by third parties rather than by the team's page. And it is a quick self-help tool, not therapy: if you are in crisis, contact local emergency services or a crisis line.
How to start
- Open @faino_psy_bot in Telegram and press Start
- Answer its question about how stressed you feel
- Follow the technique it suggests for a few minutes
Pricing and limits
Free
Pros / Cons
- Completely free
- Short and structured, useful in the moment of stress
- Nonprofit team with a named lead psychologist
- The project's own website is currently down
- A quick technique, not an ongoing support conversation
Alternatives
Score breakdown
| Criterion | Weight | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Functionality | 25 | 5 / 10 | |
| Reliability & speed | 15 | 4 / 10 | |
| Popularity & trust | 15 | 4 / 10 | |
| Price & free tier | 10 | 9 / 10 | |
| Usability | 10 | 7 / 10 | |
| Safety & privacy | 10 | 7 / 10 | |
| Freshness | 5 | 3 / 10 | |
| Localization | 5 | 10 / 10 | |
| No intrusive ads | 5 | 8 / 10 | |
| Score | 100 | 57.5 |
FAQ
Is Faino free?
Yes. According to its MIT Solve listing the bot is free; the team mentions corporate versions in development.
Who is behind Faino?
A nonprofit team led by CEO Mikhail Kelim and lead psychologist Vera Kelim, listed on MIT Solve. Its own site, faino.help, currently shows only a placeholder.
Technical details
- Inline mode
- Mini App
- Works in groups
- Works in channels
- Accepts voice
- Accepts files
- Requires phone number
- Requires registration
- Shows ads
