The verdict in three sentences
In 2026, a custom RAG-based AI chatbot able to answer from your own documents costs 12,000 to 35,000 EUR to build depending on scope and integrations. On top of that comes an LLM usage cost of 0.3 to 3 EUR per 1,000 requests and hosting of 50 to 300 EUR/month. The return is measurable: 30-50% of tier-1 tickets resolved without a human, available 24/7.
What makes up an AI chatbot's price
A reliable enterprise chatbot isn't a simple model call: it indexes your content (RAG), filters hallucinations, integrates with your site and CRM, and complies with GDPR. Each block has a cost.
| Item | 2026 range | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Scoping + conversation design | 2,000-5,000 EUR | Scenarios, tone, scope |
| RAG indexing (document base) | 4,000-12,000 EUR | Ingestion, vectorisation, search |
| Anti-hallucination guardrails | 2,000-6,000 EUR | Citations, thresholds, "I don't know" |
| Site + CRM integration | 3,000-9,000 EUR | Widget, history, human handoff |
| GDPR compliance | 1,000-3,000 EUR | Logging, anonymisation |
| Total build | 12,000-35,000 EUR | — |
These are 2026 orders of magnitude. A POC limited to a FAQ can start lower, but an assistant connected to your real documents falls in this range.
The real usage cost, request by request
Beyond the build, running cost depends on volume and answer length. Here is an estimate for different support traffic levels.
| Monthly volume | Estimated LLM cost | Hosting | Monthly total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,000 requests | 6-40 EUR | 50 EUR | 56-90 EUR |
| 10,000 requests | 30-200 EUR | 120 EUR | 150-320 EUR |
| 50,000 requests | 150-900 EUR | 250 EUR | 400-1,150 EUR |
| 150,000 requests | 450-2,700 EUR | 300 EUR | 750-3,000 EUR |
Model choice (light vs premium) and caching swing this cost by a factor of five. We always size to real traffic after a month of measurement.
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Mini case study
Sarah, support lead at a 30-person B2B SaaS vendor, handles 1,800 tickets/month, 55% of them recurring questions. Kolonell delivers a RAG chatbot connected to the knowledge base and CRM for 22,000 EUR, with estimated usage of 180 EUR/month. The bot absorbs 40% of tickets, i.e. 720 requests handled without an agent. At 6 EUR handling cost per ticket, savings reach 4,320 EUR/month: the investment pays back in about 5 months.
FAQ
How is this different from a classic chatbot? A rules-based chatbot follows a fixed tree; a RAG chatbot understands the question and answers from your real documents, with citations. The latter handles varied phrasing without an exhaustive script.
How do you prevent hallucinations? We force the model to answer only from indexed documents, with citations and a confidence threshold that triggers an "I don't know" or human handoff.
Is my data exposed? No, with sound architecture: controlled hosting, logging, and models that don't train on your data. GDPR compliance is scoped from the start.
How long to deploy? A first working assistant ships in 5-9 weeks depending on document volume and CRM integrations.
Can we start small? Yes, a POC on a targeted FAQ at 12,000-15,000 EUR validates value before extending to the whole document base.
Let's scope your project. Share your ticket volume, document sources and target budget (12-35,000 EUR). Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
