What does an AI chatbot for business cost?
Updated: 2026-11
The cost of an AI chatbot on your own data is driven mainly by the volume and state of content, the permission concept required, integration into website or intranet and the running model cost per request. The largest item is often underestimated: preparing content and measuring quality continuously.
A simple chatbot can be assembled quickly. One that customers and staff can trust cannot. The difference lies in content preparation, permission handling and quality measurement that shows whether answers are right.
Running costs depend on usage and can be estimated well in advance once the number of requests is known.
What drives the cost
Content and preparation
Many scattered or contradictory documents need more cleaning than a well-maintained knowledge base.
Permission concept
A public chatbot is simpler than an internal one that must inherit permissions from several systems.
Integration
Embedding in a website, intranet, Microsoft Teams or a ticketing system each adds effort.
Model cost
Each request costs compute at the model provider; model choice and answer length determine the amount.
Quality measurement
A test set of real questions and regular evaluation take effort but are the precondition for trust.
Maintenance
New and changed content must be added; automated ingestion lowers this effort.
How we price
- 01
Prototype first
A prototype with part of the content shows benefit and quality before deciding on expansion.
- 02
Fixed price for expansion
After the prototype, a fixed price for the complete solution.
- 03
Operation by usage
Model and hosting costs transparent by consumption, maintenance as monthly support.
We deliberately publish no online prices: every case differs. After a short first conversation you receive a binding fixed price or clear frame.
Parent service: AI consulting & integration
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FAQ
Are standard chatbots cheaper?
Often at the start, yes. Our decision guide on building versus buying shows when each path pays off.
How high are the running model costs?
That depends on the number and length of requests and on the model. We measure cost per request in the prototype and extrapolate to your expected usage.
What does maintenance cost?
Little if content is ingested automatically from the source system. More if it has to be maintained by hand.