If you're considering adding a chatbot to your business, one of the first questions on your mind is probably, how much does a chatbot cost?
Chatbots range from free, basic options to advanced AI-driven assistants with natural language processing (NLP) and deep chatbot conversations. And the price tag varies just as widely.
The real question is: what kind of chatbot do you need, and how much should you invest to get the best results without overspending?
The key is understanding chatbot pricing models, what factors drive up costs, and what makes the most sense for your business.
If you’re looking for a budget-friendly solution or a fully customized AI assistant, this guide helps you make an informed decision without paying for features you don’t need.
Types of Chatbots
There are different types of chatbots, each designed for specific use cases. Some are simple and follow a set of rules, while others are powered by AI, adapting to human interactions in real time.
Rule-Based Chatbots
These are the most basic chatbots, functioning on predefined scripts and decision-tree logic. They provide users with a list of options and guide them through structured responses.
Many businesses use them for answering FAQs, handling customer service inquiries, or collecting lead information. For example, an e-commerce website might use a rule-based chatbot to provide order status updates based on predefined queries.
Since these chatbots don’t process free-text responses, they work best in predictable scenarios. While they are cost-effective and easy to implement, they can’t understand complex questions outside their programmed scope.
If you're looking for simple automation without AI, you may find this type suitable, but you should be aware of its limitations when it comes to handling more natural interactions.
AI-Powered Chatbots
Unlike rule-based bots, AI-powered chatbots use natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning to understand user intent and respond dynamically. These chatbots can handle open-ended questions and improve over time by learning from previous interactions.
A customer support chatbot using AI, for instance, can recognize different ways a customer might ask about a refund and provide accurate responses without relying on scripts.
Developing an AI chatbot involves training it with relevant data, integrating it with business systems, and continuously refining its responses. It also comes with higher costs due to the development, maintenance, and computing power required to run the model.
If you need personalized interactions across different customer touchpoints, you may benefit from investing in AI-driven solutions.
Hybrid Chatbots (AI + Rule-Based)
Hybrid chatbots combine rule-based automation with AI-powered capabilities, which makes them more flexible. They can handle simple customer queries through predefined options but switch to AI-based responses when needed.
A healthcare chatbot, for example, might use rule-based interactions for appointment scheduling but rely on AI to understand patient symptoms and provide preliminary recommendations.
This approach offers a balance between automation and intelligence, making it more cost-effective than fully AI-driven chatbots while still offering a degree of adaptability.
If you want an upgrade from rule-based chatbots without the complexity of full AI, you may find hybrid chatbots a practical middle ground.
Transactional Chatbots
These chatbots are designed to assist with completing specific actions, such as booking a service, processing payments, or managing orders.
They integrate with business systems like payment gateways, CRM platforms, and inventory management tools to provide quick transactions.
While functional, transactional chatbots require continuous updates to remain accurate and secure. You must also ensure that payment and data handling comply with security regulations.
Voice Chatbots (Conversational AI Assistants)
These chatbots are designed to process and respond to voice commands. Virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa are well-known examples.
But you can also implement voice-enabled chatbots for customer service hotlines, appointment scheduling, and smart device interactions. Instead of requiring users to type queries, these chatbots recognize speech patterns and generate spoken responses.
Voice chatbots require advanced speech recognition technology and AI integration, which makes them more expensive than text-based bots.
If you're considering this option, you must evaluate whether voice interactions align with your audience’s needs and industry trends.
How Much Does It Cost To Build A Chatbot?
If you're curious about how much a chatbot costs these days, it can range from $0 for basic ones to $10,000 for advanced AI-powered versions. The price depends on the chatbot's complexity, its technologies, and the customization required.
Keep in mind that adding chatbot features or integrating it with multiple platforms will increase the cost, as will ongoing maintenance.
In short, the simpler your chatbot, the cheaper it will be; the more complex and customized it is, the higher the price.
What Influences Chatbots Cost?
Whether you’re considering a simple rule-based chatbot or a sophisticated AI-powered assistant, understanding these cost drivers can help you plan your budget.
The cost of creating a chatbot depends on several key factors, such as:
Advanced AI Capabilities
Chatbot's cost can go up depending on how smart you want it to be. Adding advanced AI, like NLP or learning from chatbot conversations, makes the chatbot more user-friendly but also increases development expenses.
Creating these features involves complex programming and large amounts of data to train the chatbot.
Integration with Multiple Platforms or Systems
Extra work is involved when a chatbot needs to work across various messaging and mobile apps, platforms, or internal business systems like CRM or ERP.
Each additional platform or system integration requires additional coding and testing, which increases the overall project budget.
Number of Domains
The more topics or areas (domains) a chatbot needs to know, the more it will cost to build.
For example, a chatbot designed just for customer service questions is simpler and cheaper than one that also handles sales and appointments. Each new topic adds to the development price and requires more programming and testing.
Type of Plan (Basic vs Premium)
Basic plans are usually more affordable but have limited features and AI capabilities.
Premium plans offer advanced features like more sophisticated AI capabilities, higher interaction limits, and additional integration options.
Custom Chatbot Development vs. Chatbot Builder
In-house Chatbot Development
If your business opts for custom chatbot in-house development, you have complete control over every aspect of the chatbot's functionality, design, and integration. This allows deep customization to meet your business needs and customer expectations precisely.
However, the costs for a chatbot in-house development can vary widely based on:
- Team's necessary skills (e.g., programming, AI, machine learning). Otherwise, you may need to invest in training or hire new talent.
- The complexity of your chatbot might require you to invest in specific tools, platforms, or technologies.
- Time spent in developing the chatbot as it diverts resources from other projects.
- Ongoing maintenance, updates, and troubleshooting add to the long-term chatbot cost.
Chatbot Agency
Choosing a chatbot development company for your business means you pay for their expertise and the convenience of having them manage the project from start to finish.
Chatbot agency pricing can change from a few thousand dollars for basic chatbots to much higher for complex ones, depending on what you need.
Chatbot agencies might offer a flat rate for the whole project or charge by the hour, with additional costs for maintenance, updates, and integrating the chatbot into your existing systems.
Chatbot Builder
Chatbot builders are easy-to-use online platforms that allow you to make chatbots without much technical knowledge and provide a cost-effective option for companies.
They typically use subscription models, with prices going from free for simple features to hundreds of dollars a month for more advanced options.
Deciding between in-house development, hiring a chatbot developer, or using a chatbot development company impacts costs. Being clear about your needs from the start can help manage your budget better and keep your chatbot project functional.
Custom Chatbot Pricing Models
AI chatbot pricing depends on the development approach, required features, and long-term support. Here’s a breakdown of the main pricing structures:
Free Chatbots
These cost-free options are an excellent choice for businesses exploring how chatbots work. While they typically come with certain limitations, they offer valuable insights into how chatbots can improve customer engagement and even sales processes.
Denser.ai
Denser.ai offers a free plan, which is an ideal option for individuals or businesses to experiment with basic features before committing to a paid subscription. It already includes:
- 1 DenserBot
- 20 queries
- Maximum of 100 docs/webpages or 50MB doc storage
Tidio
Tidio has a free plan covering basic features, which is perfect for getting started and creating a custom chatbot. This Plan includes:
- 50 handled conversations
- Live chat
- Help desk
- Social media integrations
Chatsonic
Chatsonic lets you build bots for free and is smart enough to pull in real-time web data for fresh, accurate responses. Their Free Plan includes:
- 25 credits/month
- 1 seat
Small Business Scale
Typically, small businesses can expect to spend from $100 to $500 monthly on chatbot tools. Many platforms offer free plans with basic functionalities, and premium plans can go up to a few hundred dollars per month for more advanced features.
Intercom
Intercom boosts customer interactions with automated chats for support, engagement, and marketing. Their Advanced Plan includes:
- Basic chatbots and automation
- Workflows for advanced automation
- Fin AI Autofill
- Fin AI Summarize
- Unlimited articles & collections
Smartsupp
Smartsupp provides enhanced chatbot capabilities by combining chatbots, live chat, and video recordings. Their Pro Plan is built for smaller customer care teams, which includes:
- Unlimited agents
- 10 automatic messages
- Priority support
- 3 websites for installation
- 100-800 live chat conversations per month
Mid-Level Businesses
Mid-sized businesses that require more integrations and higher volumes of interactions might see costs ranging from $100 to $500 per month. These costs accommodate more sophisticated AI functionalities, CRM integrations, and support services for a larger number of conversations.
Drift
Drift boosts sales and marketing by helping generate leads and book meetings through chatbots. Their Advanced Plan includes:
- Pipeline generation
- Full customer lifecycle workflows
- Conversation intelligence
- Opportunity management
- Forecasting & revenue management
Zendesk Chat
Offers a chatbot widget that allows customer conversations using AI chatbots. Zendesk has Team plans (Suite Team and Suite Growth), which include:
- Ticketing system
- Email, chat, voice, social messaging (Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and more)
- Standard bots
- Prebuilt analytics dashboards
- Online support from the Zendesk team
- Customer and internal knowledge base
Enterprise-Level Businesses
For enterprises needing extensive customization, security, and scalability, monthly costs for chatbot tools can range from $500 to $1000 or higher. This already includes access to detailed analytics, strong security, integration with multiple platforms, and personalized support.
Freshchat by Freshworks
Freshchat focuses on improving customer service with personalized messaging and chatbot services. This chatbot software offers an Enterprise Plan that includes:
- Freddy AI Agent, CoPilot and Insights
- Text messaging, digital messengers and channels
- Team inbox
- Chat widgets on websites and mobile apps
- Custom real-time dashboards
- Role-based access control
Denser.ai
Denser.ai provides custom chatbot solutions for enterprises with specific needs. Pricing is based on your requirements.
But you may also take advantage of the Business Plan that includes all the features you need for your growing business:
- 8 DenserBots
- 15000 queries per month for all DenserBots combined
- Maximum of 10000 docs/webpages or 5G doc storage per DenserBot
- REST API
- Remove "powered by denser.ai" label
- 360 days query log retention
- Dedicated accuracy support
What makes this chatbot software platform stand out is that it simplifies chatbot integration into your website. It uses options like widgets, iframes, or REST API for a smooth setup.
Unlike many chatbots that seem stiff, this intuitive chatbot is built with intrinsic NLP capabilities that allow it to interact like humans.
How to Implement Denser.ai Into Your Website
1. Sign up with Denser.ai
Sign up for free to get your first Denserbot and free monthly queries. You can also book a demo to learn more and build a chatbot tailored to your own data.
2. Integrate Your Chatbot Quickly
With a simple code snippet, you can easily add your Denserbot to your website or internal system and get it running in no time.
3. Train Your Chatbot
Improve your chatbot by feeding it information from customer service chats, FAQs, and product details. The more you update it with new information, the better it will perform.
Reduce Chatbot Costs With the Best Chatbot Builder
Looking to cut down on chatbot costs without compromising quality? Denser.ai combines the best of AI chatbot technology for a more human-like interaction. It offers chatbot solutions for everyone, from personal users to businesses of any size.
Here's a quick look at the platform’s full pricing plans:
- Free Plan: This is ideal for individuals or businesses wanting to test the waters before committing to a paid subscription.
- Starter Plan: $19/month, great for personal use, and offers all the basic features.
- Standard Plan: $89/month, suitable for small teams and provides more capacity and features.
- Business Plan: $399/month, designed for growing businesses needing adaptable DenserBots, customizable queries, and expanded document storage
- Custom Plan: Offers custom solutions perfect for larger businesses with specific needs. Pricing is based on your requirements, so you'll need to contact them.
Explore Denser AI's smart features by signing up for a free trial or scheduling a demo now!
FAQs About How Much a Chatbot Costs
What is the average cost of a chatbot?
AI chatbot cost varies based on its complexity, features, and customization needs. A basic rule-based chatbot can cost between $500 to $5,000.
AI-powered chatbots with machine learning and NLP capabilities typically range from $10,000 to $100,000 or more for enterprise-level solutions.
Subscription-based chatbot platforms like Denser.ai offer scalable pricing where you can deploy advanced AI chatbots at a fraction of custom development costs.
Is the chatbot free or paid?
Some chatbot platforms offer free plans with limited functionality, but most advanced chatbots require a paid subscription. Free options often lack AI-driven automation, integrations, and analytics, which are essential for business use.
Denser.ai provides AI-powered chatbots that deliver real-time, accurate responses for better customer experience.
How much does ChatGPT cost?
The Free Plan provides access to GPT-4o mini with limited features like real-time web search, file uploads, data analysis, and voice mode.
The Plus Plan costs $20 per month, offering extended usage limits and access to multiple reasoning models.
For more advanced capabilities, the Pro Plan is priced at $200 per month, providing unlimited access to all reasoning models, including GPT-4o, and deeper research capabilities.