How much does an AI chatbot cost for a business?
In short
In 2026, an off-the-shelf AI chatbot costs from €0 to a few hundred euros a month, often with a fee of about $0.70 to $1 per conversation or resolution. A custom chatbot connected to your own documents takes roughly €8,000 to €20,000 to set up, plus €50 to €200 a month for hosting.
Key takeaways
- Three pricing models: subscription, pay per use (conversation or resolution) and custom project.
- A per-resolution fee looks small, but it climbs quickly with volume.
- The real hidden cost is preparing content: a chatbot is only as good as its sources.
- Integrations (CRM, calendar, WhatsApp, POS) weigh more than the AI model itself.
- Work out the total cost over 3 years, not just the first month.
How much does an AI chatbot cost in 2026?
An AI chatbot costs anywhere from a few dozen euros a month for an off-the-shelf tool to several thousand euros for a custom build. The gap comes from three very different pricing models.
| Model | Setup | Monthly cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Off-the-shelf tool (subscription) | €0 to a few hundred euros | €0 to about $60 for the base plan | Small site, simple questions |
| Pay per use | Low | About $0.70 to $1 per conversation or resolution | Moderate volume, standard needs |
| Custom chatbot (connected to your documents) | About €8,000 to €20,000 | €50 to €200 hosting + usage | SMBs with integrations and several languages |
| Enterprise project | Tens of thousands of euros | Depends on volume | Multichannel, multi-country, complex systems |
These ranges come from vendors' public pricing (Tidio, Intercom) and price guides published in 2026, listed at the end of this article. They are not Ozapp prices: we quote every chatbot individually.
What do you pay for with an off-the-shelf tool?
With an off-the-shelf tool, you pay a subscription, then for AI usage. The entry price is low, but read the whole pricing page.
Two public examples:
- Tidio has a limited free plan, then plans from about $29 a month. Its Lyro AI is sold separately, with a per-conversation fee of around $0.70 according to 2026 reviews.
- Intercom charges about $0.99 per resolution for its Fin AI agent, on top of seat licenses for human agents.
These tools work well for standard needs: FAQs, opening hours, simple order tracking. They hit their limits when they must connect to your business software, keep a precise tone or answer in Dutch as well as in French.
How much does a custom chatbot cost?
A custom chatbot needs a higher upfront investment, but its monthly cost stays under control. It's built on your content and plugged into your tools.
A price guide published in September 2026 puts a chatbot that draws on your own documents (a technique called RAG) at €8,000 to €20,000 excl. VAT to set up, with €50 to €200 a month for hosting and €0.10 to €0.50 per conversation. The stated timeline is 4 to 8 weeks.
This budget usually covers:
- analyzing your customers' questions and preparing the sources;
- configuring the AI model (GPT, Claude or Gemini) and its instructions;
- integrations: CRM, calendar, catalog, WhatsApp Business;
- testing, including manipulation attempts;
- follow-up during the first weeks and fine-tuning.
What drives the price of a chatbot?
Six factors make up most of the budget, far more than the choice of AI model. Identifying them before asking for a quote avoids surprises.
- Knowledge sources — a well-structured website is cheaper to use than scattered PDFs.
- Channels — website, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram: each has its own rules and fees. WhatsApp Business, for example, charges for some messages based on Meta's rate card.
- Languages — FR, NL and EN each need testing.
- Integrations — booking appointments, tracking orders, creating tickets.
- Volume — the number of conversations drives usage costs.
- Compliance — hosting on European servers, logging, GDPR, telling users they're talking to an AI.
What are the hidden costs of an AI chatbot?
The most common hidden cost isn't technical: it's preparing and updating content. A chatbot that relies on outdated information gives outdated answers.
Other items to plan for:
- Overage fees — plans with included volume charge for anything above it.
- Maintenance — new products, new prices, new questions.
- Your team's time — reviewing conversations, correcting, adding content.
- Switching — getting your data and settings back if you change tools.
We compare these points in detail in custom chatbot vs off-the-shelf tool.
How do you estimate your chatbot budget?
Start from the number of conversations per month and what a handled request is worth. The return on investment then becomes concrete.
A simple example:
| Assumption | Value |
|---|---|
| Questions received per month | 800 |
| Share resolved by the chatbot | 50% |
| Average staff time per question | 4 minutes |
| Time freed up per month | about 27 hours |
Multiply that time by the hourly cost of the person involved, then compare it with the chatbot's monthly cost. Add the value of requests captured outside business hours, which is often underestimated.
To see what a chatbot can actually do, read our AI chatbot for business guide.
Try before you budget
The easiest way to judge a chatbot's value is to watch it answer on your own website. Our demo reads your site and answers your visitors' questions in seconds.
Try it for free: AI chatbot demo.
Ozapp builds AI chatbots for businesses in Belgium, for SMBs and large companies, in FR, NL and EN. More than 100 clients have worked with us. Every project is quoted individually: a free 30-minute consultation, then a detailed quote within 24 to 48 hours.
Sources
- Tidio, pricing page and 2026 reviews: tidio.com/pricing · getmacha.com
- Intercom Fin, per-resolution pricing: fin.ai/pricing · helpdesk.com
- Ailog, "Prix RAG 2026 : combien coûte vraiment un chatbot IA ?": ailog.fr
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 on artificial intelligence (AI Act), Article 50: eur-lex.europa.eu
- Meta, WhatsApp Business Platform pricing: developers.facebook.com
FAQ — AI chatbot cost
How much does an AI chatbot cost for a small business?
For a small business, an off-the-shelf tool costs €0 to about $60 a month for the base plan, often plus a fee per conversation handled by the AI. A custom chatbot connected to your documents and tools costs roughly €8,000 to €20,000 to set up according to market guides, plus monthly hosting.
Is a free AI chatbot good enough?
For testing, yes. Free plans heavily limit AI conversations, integrations and customization. Once your chatbot must answer precise questions about your products, in several languages, or pass requests to your CRM, you'll need a paid plan or a custom project.
What does pay per resolution mean?
Some vendors charge for each conversation the AI resolves without human help. Intercom, for example, lists $0.99 per resolution for its Fin agent. The model is simple, but at 1,000 resolutions a month the bill reaches about $990 a month, every month, on top of seat licenses.
How long does it take to set up an AI chatbot?
An off-the-shelf tool can be configured in a few days if your content is ready. A custom chatbot with integrations and testing generally takes 4 to 8 weeks according to market guides. Preparing content such as FAQs, product sheets and terms remains the most time-consuming step.
Does Ozapp offer a fixed price for a chatbot?
No, every chatbot is quoted based on your channels, languages, integrations and volume. After a free 30-minute consultation, you get a detailed quote within 24 to 48 hours, with setup and monthly costs listed separately. You can also try our demo on your own website.
