Price guide · AI
How much does it cost to develop an AI chatbot or agent in 2026
A custom AI chatbot costs between €4,000 and €25,000, a chatbot with actions in your systems between €20,000 and €60,000, and an AI agent between €8,000 and €60,000 depending on scope; multi-agent systems exceed €60,000. On top come model usage costs and maintenance. These are reference prices excluding VAT.
Reference price ranges
| Solution | Indicative investment | Typical timeline |
|---|---|---|
| AI FAQ chatbot (one channel) | €4,000 – €9,000 | 3 – 5 weeks |
| Assistant over your documents (RAG) with permissions and citations | €9,000 – €25,000 (up to €35,000 with several sources) | 6 – 12 weeks |
| Chatbot with actions in your systems and several channels | €20,000 – €60,000 | 2 – 4 months |
| AI agent for a bounded task | €8,000 – €20,000 | 4 – 8 weeks |
| Agent with several tools and human approval | €20,000 – €60,000 | 2 – 4 months |
| Multi-agent system across departments | €60,000 – €150,000 | 4 – 8 months |
Indicative reference prices in euros, excluding VAT, for projects in Spain and Europe in 2026. The final amount depends on scope, integrations and data quality; we confirm it with a fixed quote after a first meeting.
Detail by service: AI chatbots, RAG assistants and AI agents.
What the price depends on
Actions and scope
A system that only answers costs far less than one that runs processes and writes to your systems.
Integrations
Every connected system (CRM, ERP, store, diary) adds work, and the state of its APIs changes everything.
Data quality
Duplicate, scanned or outdated documents need cleaning before the system answers well.
Channels
Web, WhatsApp, app, email or voice: each channel has different requirements and costs.
Security and compliance
Per-user permissions, SSO, audit, EU data or self-hosted models raise the price and protect you.
Evaluation and quality
Building test cases and measuring accuracy takes time, but it is what prevents nasty surprises in production.
Recurring costs you should not forget
- Language model usage: you pay for the volume of text processed. For moderate use it is usually a contained monthly item, but it grows with the number of conversations and the length of the documents. We estimate it before starting.
- Infrastructure: hosting, database, vector database and monitoring.
- Channels: messaging fees from WhatsApp Business or other providers.
- Maintenance and improvement: as a reference, between 10 and 20% of the initial investment per year, or €300 – €1,500 a month for chatbots.
- Platform licences if you build on SaaS tools.
How to calculate the return (with an example using assumed figures)
The formula is simple: annual savings − annual running cost = gross return, compared with the initial investment. An example with assumed figures, only to illustrate the method:
| Item | Assumption |
|---|---|
| Repetitive support queries per month | 3,000 |
| Minutes of handling per query | 6 |
| Team cost per hour | €25 |
| Share the chatbot resolves without a person | 50% |
| Annual savings | 3,000 × 6 ÷ 60 × €25 × 50% × 12 = €45,000 |
| Annual running cost (model, infrastructure, maintenance) | €8,000 |
With these assumptions the gross return would be €37,000 a year; a €20,000 project would pay for itself in about six or seven months. With your real data the result changes: that is why the diagnostic measures before investing, and the guide to implementing AI in a small business explains how to validate with a pilot.
How to reduce the cost without losing quality
- Start with a bounded case with clear volume and return, instead of an "everything" project.
- Validate with a proof of concept of a few weeks before committing the full budget.
- Organise your documents first: it is the investment with the best cost-quality ratio.
- Pick the right model for each task: small models are enough for classifying or extracting and cost much less.
- Reuse the base: what is built for a chatbot (knowledge, integrations) later serves assistants and agents.
SaaS platform or custom development
A subscription chatbot platform starts at a few hundred euros a month and is enough for standard needs without deep integrations. Custom development pays off when you need actions in your systems, control of data, specific compliance or an experience of your own, and avoids paying licences for every channel or user as volume grows. We help you decide honestly: sometimes the standard platform is the right option. You can also start with an n8n automation and evolve.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to develop an AI chatbot?
An AI FAQ chatbot costs between €4,000 and €9,000; an assistant over your documents, between €9,000 and €25,000; and a chatbot with actions in your systems and several channels, between €20,000 and €60,000. These are reference prices excluding VAT.
How much does an AI agent for business cost?
An agent for a bounded task, between €8,000 and €20,000; with several tools and human approval, between €20,000 and €60,000; and a multi-agent system across departments, between €60,000 and €150,000.
What monthly costs does an AI chatbot have?
Language model usage, infrastructure, channel fees (for example WhatsApp) and maintenance, which is usually around €300 to €1,500 a month for a chatbot or 10 – 20% of the project per year.
How long does a chatbot take to pay for itself?
It depends on volume and the current handling cost. With a high volume of repetitive queries some projects pay for themselves in months; with low volume it may not pay off. A prior diagnostic calculates it with your data.
Is a subscription chatbot platform better than custom development?
A subscription suits standard needs without integrations; custom development pays off when there are actions in your systems, specific data or compliance requirements, or high volume.
Shall we talk about your project?
Tell us about your case and we will reply within 24-48 hours with a proposed scope and an indicative quote.
Tell us about your project
Describe what you want to achieve and which systems you work with. We reply within 24-48 hours.
Artificial intelligence services and guides
Everything we do with AI for business, from the diagnostic to the product in production. Artificial intelligence for business.
Services
- AI agents for businessSystems that plan and carry out tasks on your CRM, ERP and email.
- Custom AI chatbots24/7 support and sales on web and WhatsApp, connected to your systems.
- Assistant over your company documents (RAG)An AI that answers with your information and cites the source.
- AI integration in apps and softwareAdd language models to your product without rebuilding it.
- Artificial intelligence consultingDiagnostic, prioritised cases and a roadmap with return.
- Machine learning and predictive analyticsDemand forecasting, churn, anomalies and predictive maintenance.
- Computer vision and OCR with AIReading invoices and delivery notes and image-based quality inspection.
- Custom AI app developmentApps and platforms with AI built in from the design stage.
- Process automation with AIWorkflows that save hours of manual work.
- AI voice assistantsPhone agents that answer calls and book appointments using your systems.
- AI recommendation systemsPersonalisation and recommendations measured with A/B tests.
Guides
- AI agent, chatbot or assistant: differences
- What RAG is and how to use it in your company
- AI use cases in business by department
- How to implement AI in a small business
- n8n, Make, Zapier or custom development
- How to choose the AI model for your company
- AI, GDPR and the AI Act: what to review
- How to measure the ROI of an AI project
- How to appear in ChatGPT and AI Overviews
- What is MCP (Model Context Protocol)
- Automation with n8n for business
- 17 tools to develop apps with AI
- Mobile apps with artificial intelligence
- 10 AI automations for small businesses
- WhatsApp Business with AI: customer service
- AI in mobile apps: device or cloud
AI by sector
- AI for e-commerce
- AI for real estate
- AI for clinics and healthcare
- AI for logistics and transport
- AI for human resources
- AI for insurance and brokerage
- AI for industry and manufacturing
- AI for hospitality and restaurants
- AI for law and accounting firms
- AI for education and e-learning