How much does a chatbot cost? A realistic breakdown
Updated: · 7 min read
In short
How much a chatbot costs depends on whether you build it yourself or use a platform, and on how it charges: a custom build, a monthly subscription, or pay-per-use. Do not forget maintenance, content upkeep and the staff time spent on hand-offs. With Ravano, building and testing is free and you pay only when the bot answers real customers.
If you are asking how much does a chatbot cost, the useful answer is a list of what you are really paying for, not a single number. Prices vary widely because chatbots vary widely, from a simple FAQ widget to a custom system built by a software team. This guide breaks the cost into its parts, compares building with buying, explains subscription and pay-per-use models in general, and then shows Ravano's real prices with a worked example. You will also get a simple way to estimate your own volume and avoid overspending.
What you actually pay for
Whatever route you take, the cost of an AI chatbot usually comes from the same few places. Some are obvious, others are easy to forget.
- Building: the effort to create the bot, either developer time or the time you spend setting up a platform.
- Model and infrastructure usage: every answer uses an AI model and servers, and someone pays for that, directly or inside the platform fee.
- Channels: the website widget, API access or integrations that put the bot in front of customers.
- Maintenance: fixing breakages, updating software and monitoring quality.
- Content upkeep: keeping prices, policies and product information current, which is real work.
- Human hand-off time: the hours your team spends on conversations the bot passes on.
Build vs buy: custom development or a platform
A custom build gives you maximum control. It also needs developers, a retrieval and quality pipeline, hosting, security work and ongoing care. That is a sensible path for large companies with unusual needs, and it is usually slow and expensive for a small team.
A platform trades some control for speed. You supply the information and settings, and the platform handles the models, search, hosting and updates. For most small and mid-sized businesses, buying is cheaper to start and cheaper to maintain.
| Custom development | Platform | |
|---|---|---|
| Up-front cost | High: design, build, test | Low or none |
| Time to launch | Weeks to months | Hours to days |
| Control | Complete | Within the platform settings |
| Maintenance | Yours, ongoing | Handled by the provider |
| Best for | Unusual needs and large engineering teams | Most businesses that want results quickly |
Subscription vs pay-per-use pricing models
Platforms usually charge in one of a few ways. None is automatically better; the right one depends on how predictable your volume is.
Monthly subscription
You pay a fixed amount each month, often with tiers that limit conversations or features. It is easy to budget, but you pay even in quiet months, and you may hit a tier limit during a busy one. Check what happens when you go over.
Pay per use
You pay for what the bot actually does, such as a price per answered request. Cost follows your traffic, so a quiet month costs less. The trade-off is less predictability, which you can manage by topping up in advance and watching the balance.
Questions to ask any provider
- Is building and testing free, or do I pay before I know it works?
- What counts as one billable unit: a message, a conversation or a request?
- Are there set-up fees, extra fees for channels, or charges that only appear later?
- What happens when my balance or plan limit runs out?
Ravano pricing in plain numbers
Ravano uses a pay-per-use model with no monthly subscription. Prices are in Iranian Toman (1 Toman equals 10 rials).
- Building and testing the bot inside the panel is free, and needs no card.
- Once the bot answers real customers through the API or the widget, each request costs 650 Toman, deducted from your wallet.
- The minimum wallet top-up is 100,000 Toman, which covers about 150 requests.
- The website widget is a one-time add-on of 1,490,000 Toman. After that you pay only per request.
- There are no hidden fees. The pricing page always has the current details.
A worked example
Imagine a small shop that wants a bot on its site. It builds and tests the bot for free, then decides to go live. It buys the widget once for 1,490,000 Toman and makes a first top-up of 100,000 Toman.
That top-up covers about 150 requests (100,000 divided by 650). Total money out on day one is 1,590,000 Toman, of which 1,490,000 is the one-time widget that the shop keeps. Every further 100,000 Toman adds roughly another 150 requests.
The shop watches its wallet in the dashboard, which shows the balance and how many requests are left, and tops up when it runs low. Your own figures will differ: the example only shows how the arithmetic works, not how many requests any business will receive.
How to estimate your own volume
You do not need a forecasting model. A rough estimate from numbers you already have is enough to choose a first top-up.
- Count how many customer questions you receive in a typical week across chat, social media, email and phone.
- Estimate how many of those are repeat questions with clear answers. These are the ones the bot can take.
- Remember that one customer conversation may use more than one request.
- Multiply by 650 Toman to see the cost per week, then compare with the cost of the staff time those questions take today.
- Start with the minimum top-up, watch real usage for a few weeks, and adjust.
How to avoid overspending
- Test fully before you pay. Free building and testing means you can check answer quality on your own content first.
- Start with the smallest top-up and grow with real usage rather than guesses.
- Restrict the widget to your own domains so no one else can use your balance.
- Keep the API key on your server, never in browser code. See the installation guide.
- Use the list of unanswered questions to improve the bot, so fewer conversations need a second attempt.
- Do not pay for features you will not use. Match the tool to the job.
Next step: see the real cost on your own content
The best way to answer how much a chatbot costs for your business is to build one and see. Building is free, so the only investment is your time. Create a free account, add your sources, review what the bot learned and test it with real questions.
If you want to understand what you are buying first, read the AI chatbot builder guide, or check the pricing page when you are ready to go live.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a chatbot cost?
It depends on whether you build custom or use a platform, and on the pricing model. Platforms range from free building with pay-per-use, to monthly subscriptions. Add maintenance and content upkeep. Ravano's building and testing is free, then 650 Toman per request.
Is it cheaper to build a chatbot or buy one?
For most small and mid-sized businesses, buying a platform is cheaper to start and to maintain, because the provider handles models, hosting and updates. Custom development makes sense for unusual requirements and teams with engineers who can maintain it long term.
Is a pay-per-use chatbot better than a subscription?
Pay-per-use follows your traffic, so quiet months cost less, but spending is less predictable. Subscriptions are easier to budget but charge even when usage is low. Choose by how steady your volume is and what limits each plan has.
Does Ravano charge a monthly fee?
No. There is no monthly subscription. Building and testing the bot is free. You pay 650 Toman per request when it answers real customers, from a wallet with a 100,000 Toman minimum top-up, plus a one-time 1,490,000 Toman for the website widget.
How many requests does a 100,000 Toman top-up give me?
At 650 Toman per request, a 100,000 Toman top-up covers about 150 requests. The wallet shows your balance and requests left, so you can top up before it runs out. Your actual usage depends on how many customer messages you receive.
