How much a WhatsApp chatbot costs: the factors that set the price

Why no serious provider quotes without asking questions

An assistant that answers hours and location is nothing like one that qualifies leads, books appointments in your calendar and creates records in your CRM. Both are “a WhatsApp chatbot,” but the work behind them is very different.

That's why Ikusa Media doesn't publish rates: we build each proposal after understanding your business. What we can do is explain what drives the cost, so you can compare proposals with a clear head.

Part 1: what Meta charges for the API

The official WhatsApp Business API has its own pricing, which Meta bills directly to your company, on a payment method in your name, when you work with a Tech Provider. It's not a provider fee.

Broadly, Meta charges for template messages your business sends (promotions, reminders or codes, for example), with rates that vary by message category and the recipient's country. Replying inside the service window a customer opens when they message you follows different rules. Meta updates these terms often, so ask to see them in the current documentation.

• How many conversations do customers start, and how many do you start?
• Will you send campaigns or reminders using templates?
• Which countries do your customers write from, or do you write to?

Part 2: setting up the assistant

This is the work of getting it ready to talk to your customers. It's where providers differ most, and where results differ most too.

• Knowledge base: how much information needs to be written and organized (services, terms, catalog).
• Conversation rules: qualification, handoff to a person, closing and follow-up.
• Official connection with coexistence and business verification with Meta.
• Integrations: calendar, CRM, catalog, payment gateway or booking system.
• Languages: a bilingual assistant needs knowledge and testing in each language.
• Testing with real conversations before opening it to the public.

Part 3: monthly maintenance

An assistant nobody reviews goes stale: prices, hours and promotions change, and new questions appear. Maintenance usually covers the infrastructure that keeps it online, usage of the AI model and, above all, reading conversations to fix answers and add knowledge.

Always ask what that monthly fee includes and who makes the changes when your business changes.

Cheap that ends up expensive

Unofficial tools that hook into WhatsApp Web can look inexpensive, but they put your number at risk of being banned. And a poorly configured assistant that answers anything can scare off customers who were ready to buy.

Before comparing numbers, compare what you get: an official connection, a number in your company's name, clear handoff rules and someone who reviews the conversations.

How to compare two proposals

When you have several proposals on the table, put them side by side with these questions. The answers tell you more than the final number.

• Is the connection through the official WhatsApp Business API or a tool that imitates WhatsApp Web?
• Will the number, the Meta account and customer data stay in my company's name?
• Who writes the knowledge base, and how many rounds of adjustments are included?
• Which integrations are included and which cost extra?
• What does monthly maintenance include, and how often are conversations reviewed?
• What happens if I cancel: do I keep my number and my information?

How we quote at Ikusa Media

We start with an assessment: what customers ask, how many messages you get, what you want the assistant to achieve and which systems you use. Then we send a proposal by link with scope, timeline and investment, valid for 15 days. As a Tech Provider approved by Meta, we connect through the official route and the account stays in your name.

If you want to know what it would cost in your case, tell us about your business on our AI WhatsApp assistants page.