Three tiers of bots and their prices
When people ask "how much does a bot cost," the honest answer depends on complexity. Bots broadly fall into three tiers, and the price grows along with the value they deliver.
| Tier | What it does | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Simple lead-capture bot | Takes requests, replies via buttons, sends you a notification in Telegram | 290 €. |
| Sales bot | Guides users through a funnel, shows a catalog and prices, sends you the lead, reminds the customer | 590 €. |
| AI bot with a neuro-assistant | A full digital employee: replies like a human, knows your price list and services, consults and sells | from 1480 €. |
That's the baseline. From here, the price shifts depending on the details.
What makes up the price
1. Logic and scenarios
The more conversation branches, the more work involved. A simple bot: three buttons and a request form. A sales bot: a funnel, catalog, cart, reminders. The difference in effort is several times over.
2. Integrations
The bot needs to talk to the tools you already use. A Google Sheet, a CRM, payments, inventory, your website. Each integration is separate work. If the system has a clean API, it's cheaper. If not, it's more expensive and takes longer.
3. The AI part
If the bot needs to reply in free-form text instead of buttons, you need a neuro-assistant: a knowledge base about your business, prompts, tests against hallucinations. This is the most expensive part, but it's exactly what separates a bot from a plain auto-responder.
4. Look and feel
A bot can look like a standard Telegram chat, or it can match your brand: colors, fonts, imagery. Making it look polished and on-brand costs extra.
How much it costs to maintain a bot
Development is a one-time cost. After that, the bot needs a bit of ongoing attention:
- Hosting and uptime: usually 0-5 € per month.
- If the bot runs on AI: payment for AI model requests, averaging 3-20 € per month for up to 1,000 conversations.
- Edits and new scenarios: optional, typically from 30 € per change.
When a bot pays for itself
Here's a simple example. A bot costs 590 euros. It replies to customers at night and on weekends, while you're asleep. If over a month it saves just two leads from being lost, with an average order value of a few hundred euros, it has already paid for itself. Everything after that is pure upside.
A bot doesn't take vacations, doesn't clock out at 6pm, and never forgets to reply. It's usually those lost evening leads that cover its cost the fastest.
What's cheaper not to do
- AI where buttons are enough. If every customer asks the same thing, an expensive neuro-assistant isn't necessary.
- Integrations with systems you don't actually use. Nail down the process first, automate it second.
- An in-bot personal account, if a link to your website does the job.
How to get an exact price
The only honest way is to describe your task and get a quote built around it. General price lists give you a range, not a number. Message me on Telegram, describe your task in your own words, and I'll tell you which tier of bot you need and what it will actually cost for your case.
Not sure which bot you need?
Tell me about your task, and in a couple of minutes I'll tell you what's actually needed and what you can skip. No sales pitch, no pressure.
Frequently asked questions
Can a Telegram bot be made for free?
Technically there are no-code builders, but the bot ends up button-only and hits limits fast. For business that's a dead end: no real logic, no integrations, no AI. If the bot needs to sell, it's better to build it for the specific task.
How long does bot development take?
A simple lead-capture bot: 3 to 5 days. A sales bot: 1-2 weeks. An AI bot with a neuro-assistant: 2 to 4 weeks, because it needs to be trained on your business information and tested.
What do you need from me for development?
The brief and materials: what the bot should do, your prices, services, customers' frequent questions, links to your systems. The more information, the more accurate the bot. Everything else is my job.
How is an AI bot different from a regular one?
A regular bot works through buttons and fixed scenarios and doesn't understand free-form text. An AI bot replies like a real person: it understands questions phrased any way, knows your price list and services, consults and moves people toward a purchase. The price difference is roughly threefold, and it's worth it wherever customers prefer typing over clicking.
What if a bot doesn't suit my business?
That happens too, and I'll say so directly. If your customer flow is small and one person handles all the questions, you don't need a bot, a solid website is enough. I won't oversell something that won't bring you value.