How much does a chatbot cost?
The cost of an AI chatbot for a business is not one figure. Below: what moves it, the three routes, the costs after the build, how to compare quotes, and when it is worth it.
By Adrian Fusha, Pluton Studio
On this page
What drives the cost of a chatbot?
Five things move the cost more than anything else:
- Channels: web chat only, or also Instagram, WhatsApp and Viber
- Integrations: whether it reaches your bookings, orders, calendar or store
- Language: good Albanian needs its own build and testing
- Volume: how many conversations per month it should handle
- Maintenance: who updates prices, menus and offers
The three routes and what they cost
Three routes, three very different cost profiles. The chatbot we build is an AI agent for messages: it quotes prices from your catalogue, checks stock, and takes orders and bookings.
| Route | Typical cost | Makes sense for |
|---|---|---|
| Ready-made international platform | Check provider terms | Simple English-language tests, no integrations |
| Managed subscription service | Check provider terms | A rented bot someone else keeps running |
| A chatbot built for you | A one-off build to a written quote, then only the AI and channel costs | Correct language, integrations and your own tone |
Costs after the build: channels and maintenance
Instagram and Facebook DM have no per-message fee, and web chat carries only the AI cost, usually cents for a whole conversation. That is why many businesses start there, and add Viber and WhatsApp once volume justifies it. Get their terms directly from the platform; we set the channels and expected volume before integration.
Agree who updates answers when prices, offers or services change: we can manage the updates or train your team to handle them.
When is a chatbot worth it, and when is it not?
It is worth it when questions repeat, when bookings or orders are lost because you cannot answer in time, or when customers write at night. It is not worth it at a handful of messages a day: a person with saved replies covers that.
If you are in between, start with the cheapest step, a web chat connected to your own data, and expand when the numbers tell you to. If it should also work inside your systems, see the difference in AI agent or chatbot.
How we build a chatbot
When you compare quotes, ask which channels and integrations are included, who pays for the AI model, who updates the answers and what happens when the bot does not know. What changes the outcome is how well the bot knows your business. See AI chatbot development for the service, and business process automation if it should also reach your internal systems.
- Fed with your real content: prices, hours, services, conditions.
- Albanian and English, in your own tone, on the channels customers message you on.
- You decide which steps it confirms on its own and which ones you approve.
- Hand-off to a person when the question goes beyond what it knows.
- Measured: you see what customers ask and where the bot struggles.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a simple chatbot for a small business cost?
A simple chatbot on your website only, connected to your business data, is the cheapest route and goes live in 1 to 2 weeks. Each extra channel, integration or language raises the cost and is itemised in the quote, which at Pluton Studio is free and arrives within two days.
Are there free chatbots?
Yes, but with hard limits: few conversations a month, weak support for smaller languages, their logo on your chat, and no integrations. Fine for a personal test, not for a working business.
What does a WhatsApp or Viber bot cost?
The build is costed like any agent for messages, and each extra channel adds to it. On top come the platform's message fees, which you get directly from Meta or Rakuten Viber; the comparison is in WhatsApp vs Viber for business.
Why does Albanian cost more than English?
Because it needs its own build and testing on real messages. AI models are trained on far less Albanian, and ready-made platforms skip that work.
How long does a chatbot take to build?
A simple website assistant goes live in 1 to 2 weeks. A multi-channel system with bookings and orders usually takes 3 to 6 weeks.
How much does a WhatsApp chatbot cost per month?
Two parts. The running costs for the AI model, hosting and upkeep are estimated per month in our written quote. Meta's own fees you pay to Meta: replies are free up to 1,000 a month per number, then €0.0064 each to a Kosovo number and €0.0175 to Albania, and templates you send outside the 24-hour window are charged per message. Instagram and Facebook (Messenger) charge nothing per message.