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Chatbot cost by type
A scripted, rule-based bot and an AI chatbot that answers from your own documents are different builds at different price points, and a lot of 'chatbot cost' confusion comes from guides mixing the two together under one number.
| Tier | Examples | Cost | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rule-based / FAQ bot | Scripted decision tree, no model-generated answers | $5,000-$25,000 | 2-4 weeks |
| Custom RAG chatbot (small/offshore team) | AI-generated answers over your own docs, 1-2 integrations | $12,000-$25,000 | 6-9 weeks |
| Custom RAG chatbot (US mid-market) | Same scope, built by a US-based team | $60,000-$120,000 | 8-14 weeks |
| Multichannel chatbot | Same AI core, deployed across web, SMS, and messaging apps | $60,000-$100,000 | 16-24 weeks |
| Enterprise / agentic chatbot | Takes actions, not just answers; deep system integrations | $100,000-$250,000+ | 24-36 weeks |
What each add-on costs
| Feature | Cost range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Each extra channel (SMS, WhatsApp, etc.) | +$3,000-$8,000 | On top of the base web chatbot |
| Each tool or CRM integration | +$5,000-$15,000 | Scheduling, order lookup, ticketing systems |
| Large knowledge base (100,000+ documents) | +$10,000-$20,000 | Indexing and retrieval tuning at scale |
| HIPAA or PII compliance | +$15,000-$30,000 | Required for health or sensitive personal data |
| Fine-tuning | +$10,000-$25,000 | Rarely needed; most use cases work on prompting alone |
| Voice | +$10,000-$20,000 | Phone or voice-channel support |
| Actions (bookings, refunds) | +$8,000-$20,000 | The bot does something, not just answers |
| Document prep and cleanup | 30-50% of the build | Usually the most underestimated line item |
Running cost per conversation (worked math, Nov 2026 prices)
Worked example: a support bot turn using 8,000 input tokens (system prompt, tools, history, and retrieved docs) plus 500 output tokens, over a 6-turn conversation.
| Model | Per turn | Per conversation | 10,000 conversations/mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Sonnet 5.5 / GPT-6.1 Sol, uncached | 8K x $2/1M + 0.5K x $10/1M = $0.021 | $0.126 | $1,260 |
| Claude Sonnet 5.5, 7K of 8K tokens cached | $0.0077 | $0.046 | $462 |
| Claude Haiku 5.5 / GPT-6 Luna | $0.00105 | $0.0063 | $63 |
| Gemini 3.8 Flash (price doubles Jan 1 2027) | $0.0079 | $0.047 | $474 (about $950 after Jan 1 2027) |
Add a vector database at $0-$50/mo (free with Supabase pgvector, or Pinecone's Builder tier at $20/mo), maintenance at 15-20% of build cost per year, and integration upkeep of $500-$1,500/mo if the bot is wired into other systems.
Buy an off-the-shelf bot, or build custom
At 10,000 conversations a month with roughly half resolved by the bot, the math tips toward a custom build. Intercom's Fin at $0.99 per resolved outcome runs about $4,950/mo for 5,000 resolutions; Zendesk's $1.50-$2.00 per automated resolution runs $7,500-$10,000/mo plus seats. A custom chatbot on a cached Claude Sonnet 5.5 setup costs roughly $462 in model fees plus about $50 in infra. A $15,000-$25,000 custom build pays back against Fin in about 4 months at that volume. Below roughly 500 conversations a month, the SaaS tool is cheaper.
| Product | Price |
|---|---|
| Chatbase | Hobby $40/mo ($32 annual, 700 credits); Standard $150/mo ($120); Pro $500/mo ($400); extra credits $40 per 1,000 |
| Tidio (Lyro) | Starter $24.17/mo; Growth from $49.17/mo; Plus from $300/mo; Lyro from $32.50/mo per 50 conversations |
| Botpress | Free up to 100 conversations/mo; Plus $150/mo annual (+$0.65/conversation over); Team $750/mo annual (+$0.50/conversation over) |
| Fin (Intercom) | $0.99 per resolved outcome, 50/mo minimum; Intercom seats $29-$132/mo |
| Zendesk | Suite Team $55 or Professional $115 per agent/mo (annual); $1.50-$2.00 per automated resolution |
How to spend less without regretting it
- Start on Chatbase or Tidio to learn what people actually ask before committing to a custom build
- Use pgvector inside a database you already have instead of standing up a separate vector database
- Route simple lookups to a cheap model like Haiku or Luna, and reserve Sonnet-class models for the hard questions
- Cache the system prompt and retrieved context. It's the biggest single lever on per-conversation cost
- Scope document cleanup and a refresh pipeline into the original quote instead of discovering it mid-project
- Skip voice and action-taking features in version one unless the core Q&A use case is already working well
What it costs with RapidDev
RapidDev's standard engagement is a fixed $13,000-$25,000 over 6-10 weeks. The Project Scoper on this page has priced a RAG chatbot with an admin CMS and login at $14,000-$18,000 over 6-8 weeks, which matches a custom chatbot trained on your own documents with one or two integrations.
That's in line with the low end of the custom market: Dreambit prices a standard RAG chatbot at $12,000-$25,000, and ZTABS prices the same scope at $25,000-$60,000. RapidDev's fixed price lands at the affordable end of that bracket, as a scoped v1.
If you're under about 1,000 conversations a month, this is probably overkill. Try Chatbase or Tidio first and build custom once you've outgrown it. What's genuinely out of range: omnichannel enterprise bots, HIPAA-compliant voice bots, and knowledge bases over 100,000 documents, all of which tend to start around $60,000 in the broader market. Describe your use case in the scoper above for an estimate, then book a call for a fixed quote within about 48 hours.
Get a fixed-price quoteFrequently asked questions
How much does it cost to build a chatbot?
A rule-based or FAQ chatbot costs $5,000 to $25,000. A custom AI chatbot that answers from your own content runs $12,000 to $60,000 depending on team location, and an enterprise, action-taking bot climbs to $100,000-$250,000 or more.
Why do chatbot development cost estimates vary so much?
A lot of the spread is team location, not scope. The same custom RAG chatbot scope runs $12,000-$25,000 with a small or offshore team and $60,000-$120,000 with a US mid-market agency. Always ask which team and region a quote assumes.
How long does it take to build an AI chatbot?
A rule-based FAQ bot can ship in 2-4 weeks. A custom chatbot that answers from your own documents typically takes 6-16 weeks, and a multichannel or enterprise bot runs 16-36 weeks.
How much does it cost to run an AI chatbot per month?
At 10,000 conversations a month, a custom chatbot on Claude Sonnet 5.5 costs about $1,260/mo uncached, or roughly $462/mo with prompt caching on the repeated parts of the prompt. That's often cheaper than per-resolution SaaS pricing at that volume.
Should I use Chatbase or Tidio instead of building a custom chatbot?
Below roughly 500-1,000 conversations a month, yes. Off-the-shelf tools like Chatbase (from $40/mo) or Tidio's Lyro (from about $24/mo) are cheaper than a custom build at low volume. Past that, a custom build on your own content usually wins on cost and control.
What's the biggest hidden cost in a chatbot project?
Cleaning up the knowledge base the bot will answer from. It's commonly 30-50% of the total build, and skipping it is the main reason AI chatbots give wrong or outdated answers after launch.
Does RapidDev build AI chatbots?
RapidDev's $13,000-$25,000 fixed-price band covers a custom RAG chatbot on your own content with an admin CMS and login, priced at $14,000-$18,000 over 6-8 weeks in a representative scope. Omnichannel enterprise bots and very large knowledge bases are outside that range.
