Ballpark based on 2026 market rates. Running cost covers AI API usage plus ~$150/mo hosting & maintenance. Final quotes depend on your exact requirements.
Get an exact quote →Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers about AI chatbot pricing.
How much does it cost to build an AI chatbot in 2026?
AI chatbot development typically costs $5,000–$50,000+. A simple FAQ bot starts around $5,000, a RAG knowledge bot trained on your documents runs $10,000–$20,000, AI voice agents cost $15,000–$30,000, and multi-agent systems with CRM integrations reach $30,000+. Use the calculator above for an instant estimate.
What affects AI chatbot development cost the most?
The biggest cost drivers are the bot type (FAQ vs RAG vs voice vs multi-agent), the number of integrations (CRM, WhatsApp, phone systems add ~$1,500 each), the AI model tier (GPT-4/Claude adds ~20%), and conversation volume, which drives monthly running costs of roughly $0.004–$0.008 per conversation.
How long does it take to build an AI chatbot?
Simple FAQ bots take 1–2 weeks. RAG knowledge bots take 3–5 weeks including document training and testing. AI voice agents take 4–8 weeks. Multi-agent systems with deep integrations take 8–12 weeks.
What are the monthly running costs of an AI chatbot?
Expect roughly $0.004 per conversation on standard models or $0.008 on advanced models (GPT-4/Claude), plus ~$150/month for hosting, monitoring and maintenance. A bot handling 5,000 conversations a month costs about $170–$190/month to run.