Six kinds of chatbot, six price points
"Chatbot" covers everything from a menu of canned replies to an AI trained on your entire site. The price difference between them is real because the work difference is real — a menu bot is configuration; an AI bot is training, testing and guardrails.
- Rule-based / menu bot — cheapest, scripted paths only
- FAQ bot — pre-built answers to known questions
- Lead-capture bot — forms and qualification inside chat
- Hybrid bot — automation with human handoff
- E-commerce assistant — product help and order queries
- AI bot trained on your site — the top tier
Which one do you actually need
If customers ask the same twenty questions — timings, location, prices, booking — an FAQ or rule-based bot handles it and costs the least. If chat should qualify leads or help shoppers pick products, you need the hybrid or e-commerce tier. The AI-trained bot makes sense when your content is deep enough that scripted paths cannot cover it.
What drives the cost up
Integrations, mostly. A bot that only chats is cheap; a bot that checks your calendar, books into your CRM, takes payment or hands off to a live team inbox is doing real systems work. On WebPricing these are separate subcategories under Chatbots so each is priced honestly.
Common questions
What is the cheapest useful chatbot?
A rule-based or FAQ bot — it handles the repetitive questions (timings, pricing, directions) that make up most chat volume, at the lowest tier.
When is an AI chatbot worth it?
When your content is too broad for scripted answers — product catalogs, documentation, multi-topic support. An AI bot trained on your site answers from your real content.
Can a chatbot take bookings or payments?
Yes, but that is an integration tier — the bot connects to your booking system or payment link rather than just replying.