How to Price AI Chatbot Services for Your Clients
By Karla, founder of Proxxie · Agencies ·
Most agencies price AI chatbot services as a one-time setup fee plus a monthly fee, commonly $200–500/month per chatbot. The setup fee covers building the knowledge base, branding, and installation; the monthly fee covers the platform cost, content updates, and your time. Price from the value to the client and your real costs, not from what the software costs you.
Pricing is where many agencies undersell chatbots. The software may cost them a small monthly amount per client, so they charge a small markup. But the client isn't buying software. They're buying questions answered while they sleep, and a service that stays accurate.
In this article
Start with your real costs
Before picking a number, list everything a client actually costs you:
- Platform cost per chatbot (your plan price divided by the number of clients on it)
- Setup time: gathering information, writing the knowledge base, branding, installing, testing
- Monthly upkeep: updating hours, prices, and services; reviewing unanswered questions
- Communication: check-ins, reports, questions from the client
Agencies often forget the last two. An hour of upkeep a month is still an hour of your time, every month.
Model 1: Setup fee + monthly fee
The most common approach.
- Setup fee: a one-time charge for building and installing the chatbot
- Monthly fee: covers the platform plus ongoing updates
Why it works: the setup fee pays for the real work upfront, and the monthly fee reflects ongoing value. It also filters out clients who aren't serious.
Example (illustrative numbers only): if setup takes you 3 hours and your rate is $100/hour, a setup fee of $300 to $500 covers your time. For the monthly fee, agencies commonly charge $200–500/month per chatbot. Whatever you choose, make sure it covers your platform cost per client and the upkeep time it really takes.
Model 2: Bundled into an existing retainer
If a client already pays you monthly for a website, SEO, or ads, add the chatbot as part of a higher-priced package.
Why it works: it raises your average client value without a separate sales conversation, and clients are less likely to cancel one piece of a bundle.
Watch out for: hiding the value so completely that the client doesn't know the chatbot exists. Mention it in your reports.
Model 3: Tiered packages
Offer two or three levels, for example:
- Basic: chatbot built from the client's website, installed, reviewed quarterly
- Standard: full knowledge base from a questionnaire, monthly updates
- Premium: everything in Standard, plus monthly notes on what visitors asked and content improvements
Why it works: clients choose their own level, and many pick the middle option.
How to talk about value
Clients respond to outcomes they recognize:
- Questions answered after hours, instead of going unanswered
- Contact details saved from visitors who want a follow-up
- Less time spent repeating the same answers
Avoid promising results you can't guarantee, like a specific number of new customers. A chatbot improves how a website responds; it doesn't control how many people visit.
Common pricing mistakes
- Pricing from software cost. Your time and expertise are the product.
- No setup fee. You absorb hours of work before earning anything.
- Open-ended updates. Define what's included, like one update request per month.
- No minimum term. A short minimum (for example, three months) gives the chatbot time to prove itself.
Frequently asked questions
Should I charge a setup fee?
Usually, yes. Building a good knowledge base takes real time, and a setup fee covers it.
How do I justify the monthly fee?
Explain what you do each month: keeping content accurate, reviewing unanswered questions, and making improvements.
Should I show clients the platform price?
With a white-label platform you don't need to. You're selling your service, not reselling software.
What if a client wants to cancel?
Ask what they expected. Cancellations often come from overpromised results or outdated content, both fixable.
Try it with your own business. Proxxie builds an AI chatbot from your content. Paste in your information or add pages from your website, test it, then add it to your site with one line of code. Start your free 14-day trial. No credit card required.