WhatsApp Chatbot price: how much does it cost to implement it?

In the world of e-commerce or digital commerce, chatbots have become powerful allies to automate responses, generate leads, and close more sales. If you are considering one for your business, surely the first question you are asking yourself is How much does a WhatsApp chatbot cost? 🤖

Today, I will tell you what the cost of a WhatsApp chatbot depends on, we will look at the main alternatives for obtaining a chatbot (not all are the same!), the costs of implementing each type of chatbot along with their pros and cons so you can choose the one that best suits your business.

Factors to consider in the price of your chatbot 

The prices of a WhatsApp chatbot in Latin America can reach up to USD 15,000 approx. It all depends on your business needs. Therefore, to understand how much a chatbot will cost you, you must consider these aspects that influence its price:

1. Functionalities

What do you expect your chatbot to do? Do you want it to answer basic questions? Do you expect it to make sales or handle appointments? Is it necessary for it to transfer conversations to a human agent? Keep in mind that the more advanced and complex the interactions with users, the higher the cost of technology will be.

2. Level of customization

This involves the identity of your brand. Do you want a chatbot that shows your logo and colors or a generic one? Do you desire that its responses adapt to your brand voice? Customizing your chatbot involves tailored adjustments that increase the price but achieve differentiation and increase user trust in every conversation.

3. Volume of messages

If you usually receive thousands of chats per month, consider that some providers charge based on the number of messages processed by the chatbot. 

👉 Note! Even if the chatbot provider offers you an attractive price, don't forget that WhatsApp has its own fees for using its API. These costs can vary depending on the country, message volume, and functionalities used, and you must consider them in the final price.

4.- Integrations

Do you need to connect the chatbot with your CRM, online store, or database? Each integration may require specific developments or paid accesses that influence the cost of the chatbot.

5.- Flow configuration

Whether you do it or a provider does, defining use cases, conversational flows, and configuring responses require working hours that are also counted in the price.

But, how much does it cost to implement a chatbot?

Now that you have this insight into factors influencing the price, you should know that there are different types of chatbots, and depending on their characteristics, prices will vary.

How much does a WhatsApp chatbot cost? Real chatbot prices for your business

Here I will show you what alternatives exist to get a WhatsApp chatbot, their real costs in the market, and the pros and cons of each option so you can guide yourself in making a decision.

3.1 Development of an in-house chatbot

If you manage code and have a technical team at your disposal, developing your own in-house chatbot could be the option for you.

Advantages

• You have control to customize it maximally (brand image, integrations, functionalities)

• It may be more economical in the long run (if you have the team and time).

Disadvantages

• You require considerable development time (even more than the other options), which can delay chatbot implementation.

• There is a high initial investment in development and maintenance.

• You need a specialized technical team with knowledge in data, AI, and programming.

Estimated cost of making an in-house chatbot

To calculate costs, I have collected the average salaries reported for 2024 by Getonboard and Glassdoor for each role of a team developing chatbots in LATAM.

To implement an in-house chatbot, you require: Project manager (USD 2,100), full-stack developer (USD 2,108), Machine learning engineer (USD 2,859), Data scientist (USD 2,550), Conversational designer (USD 1,575), UI designer (USD 1,822) and QA tester (USD 1,950), giving a total approximate of USD 14,964 /month or even higher amounts if you need advanced AI.

3.2 AI-powered chatbot from a provider

If you don't have your own development team or want a faster and scalable solution, AI-powered chatbots offered by providers are an excellent option.

Advantages

• You don't need technical knowledge to implement it.

• You get advanced AI functionalities for natural dialogue and continuous learning.

• It allows integration with other tools for your business (CRM, ecommerce).

• You ensure scalability to adapt to your company's growth.

Disadvantages

• Lack of in-depth knowledge of your business, so you must get involved and convey information about your processes throughout development and implementation.

• Customization may be limited by the provider's plans.

Estimated cost of an AI chatbot

Prices vary greatly depending on functionalities, but you can find options from USD 10 per month (the most basic and limited) to plans above USD 3,215 monthly. 

You might be interested: The best WhatsApp chatbots

For example, Sendpulse offers a plan where you can integrate ChatGPT into your automatic responses and use AI to recognize customers' voice messages. In this case, you must drag and build your conversational flows on their platform as shown in the image below. 

The average price is USD 40 per month for a maximum of 5,000 subscribers on your chatbot (doesn't include OpenAI token costs)

On the other hand, if your business is online commerce and you wish for a chatbot to sell more via WhatsApp, YaVendió! is your AI-powered sales chatbot. 

The best part is that you won’t have to build flows or handle the cumbersome part of development because the Yavendió! team implements the chatbot for you in just 14 days. 

Plans start from USD 199 per month and include the cost of AI, WhatsApp API, platform service, support, and continuous optimization. (Implementing the chatbot has no cost) Find out how much it costs to implement a chatbot with Yavendió!

3.3 Traditional button-based chatbot

Traditional chatbots (those based on menus or buttons) are a basic and functional option to respond to frequent questions of your business or guide customers through a process. They do not have the flexibility to answer queries you have not configured, but they are easy to use.

Advantages

• Ideal for basic functions like predefined responses.

• Relatively easy to implement and configure without technical knowledge.

Disadvantages

• They do not have the ability to learn from past conversations or generate a natural dialogue like AI chatbots

• It may be limited for complex sales or customer service processes.

Estimated cost of a traditional chatbot

For traditional menu-based chatbots, you can find free solutions up to average costs of USD 450/month. 

These prices are from platforms where you or your team must build the entire chatbot, which also implies time costs and a learning curve to understand how to use each functionality.

Some examples are Kommo or Whaticket with a trial period, or Landbot with a free plan but limited to chats on your website.

Talk for free with an AI chatbot

If you're interested in the AI option, at Yavendió! we have our own AI chatbot with which you can chat (and test the power of our technology). Chat with YaVendiosita on WhatsApp now and get a free demo 🎁